An Improved Road and Distance Saddle – A Different Saddle Idea

The limiting factor of how far or how long a road and distance rider can ride is most often based on how long the rider can stand to stay in the saddle. Unicycle saddles in general have a reputation of being very uncomfortable. Over the years there have been some improvements in available saddles but all of these improvements deal with the same basic saddle. Differences in saddle shape, padding, and angles have made a significant improvement over what was available many years ago. However, even with the improvements many riders still find it is the saddle that limits riding non-stop and care free for hours on end. What if we could think outside the box and come up with a different and original idea to make the unicycle saddle more bearable for longer rides? My idea is to add a front support to hold the rider back in the saddle and take all the pressure off sensitive body areas and put it on sit bones and butt cheeks. Even with modern off the shelf saddle improvements there is still the possibility of chaffing and some pressure on sensitive areas.

I have about 100 miles (160km) on my idea of an added front support on different saddles. My longest ride was 20 non-stop miles (32 km) on my Nightfox with an inexpensive bicycle saddle (cost less then $20 USD). However the idea of a front support to hold the rider well off sensitive areas and onto the back of the saddle seems to work on normal unicycle saddles also. The only issue with the uni saddle is that the back of the saddle is not shaped as well as the bike saddle and there may still be a chaffing issue. Uni saddles need more curve/relief behind the legs and the sit area could be larger and shaped better. I did ride my normal uni saddle with the front support for 15 non-stop miles (24 km) with no issues. That is about five times longer then I normally ride without short “butt” breaks.

One advantage of using the front support on a normal saddle is that it is totally optional. The saddle works either way, just not as comfortable and need more butt breaks without it. For short rides or rides with frequent stops the front support would be of little benefit. Also if you need a free hand for cargo when mounting, the front support would be a problem because I have the front support in my free hand when mounting. On my Nighfox with the bike saddle, the front support is not optional but is required. A rider can not stay on the bike saddle without something to hold you back and pushing back on the handlebar 100% of the time is not an option (at least for me).

One disadvantage of the front support is that it is just another piece of gear. Even though my prototype is not heavy and weighs less then 1lb (0.45kg), it is still another thing to deal with. I find that mounting is a little harder/different on the Nightfox with the bike saddle, mainly because there is no saddle handle and I have to hold the end of the handlebar. Likely with time, I’ll get used to that. Then after mounting, riding is mostly with all my weight on the pedals and holding the handlebar (essentially no weight on the saddle) and trying to stuff the front support into place. Once the front support is in place, it stays in place very well and I’m good to go for hours on end with no saddle issues.

In the end my Nightfox with the bike saddle is many many times more comfortable then any unicycle saddle I have ever ridden. And the front support on my normal uni saddle is an obvious improvement but there still is room for improvement.