Any reviews on the KH Gell Saddle

Whats the word on the KH Gell saddle more or less comfortable than the
standard. And is there any differance between the standard and the
fussion besides the removable cover.

Thanks for your help.

Dan


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I have the Gel, Fusion, Standard and an Air saddle. I would say of the
four the gel has been the most comfortable for distance ridding. More
of your weight is on the sit bones. I absolutely hated my air saddle
after about 20 minutes of ridding. First time I had chaffing of any
significance was from the air saddle. That being said am about to try
out a prototype air saddle insert, that seems to be promising.


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bugman wrote:
* I absolutely hated my air saddle after about 20 minutes of ridding.
First time I had chaffing of any significance was from the air
saddle. That being said am about to try out a prototype air saddle
insert, that seems to be promising. *

Was that a KH air saddle? I bought one and I am very unhappy with it.

I too have been wondering about the gel saddle and look forward to
people's comments.


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I just tried my new Gel saddle for the first time today. A quick 5 miler
at lunch.

My first seat attempt was'THIS ONE' (http://tinyurl.com/cmz99)

Then I tried 'THIS' (http://tinyurl.com/88lt4)

The new KH Gel is the most comfortable seat I've tried so far. I need
to try a longer distance on it yet.


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It looks a lil smaller than hte original Kh, is it lighter too, if so I
found my new trials saddle....


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It's the very same base, just different padding and cover.


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pdc - Unicycling Lord of Lookout Mountain

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Thanks for the input I think I will give the gell saddle a try. I have a
carbon fiber base with an air pillow and Roach cover and I'm not realy
happy with it. if I keep it pumped up preaty hard it seems to be the
best, otherwise it just displaces the pressure forward, but then its not
too forgiving. I think it was the best thing going a few years ago but I
think there is a lot of room for improvement. I have never had a flat
with it but it would be a serious bummer to have it go flat on a big
ride.


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I've had a UDC gel saddle for several months now and like it a lot. In
my opinion its the best and most comfortable version of all the
KH-shaped saddles. Its good for distance riding, as well as freestyle
and trials. I haven't yet used it for Muni, but I'd imagine it would be
quite good. Its about half the foam height of the standard KH, which
makes it miles better for seat in front hopping. I reckon the UDC gel
saddle will become the standard KH-shaped saddle in the next few years.


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Tellurider wrote:
*Thanks for the input I think I will give the gell saddle a try. I
have a carbon fiber base with an air pillow and Roach cover and I'm
not realy happy with it. if I keep it pumped up preaty hard it seems
to be the best, otherwise it just displaces the pressure forward, but
then its not too forgiving. I think it was the best thing going a few
years ago but I think there is a lot of room for improvement. I have
never had a flat with it but it would be a serious bummer to have it
go flat on a big ride. *

The pure air seats that are made using either a single layer or double
layer tube can be like that. It's like sitting on an old water bed.
You sit down and the air displaces to the front of the seat and bulges
out at the sides. It also can be more bouncy. The folded over dog bone
air seats that Unicycle.com makes work well for some people but I don't
like them at all.

A hybrid seat that combines air and foam can be much better. I have a
hybrid seat on my muni and I love it for muni use. I have a similar
seat on my Coker but I'm still tweaking it. I'm not sure how that
project is going to end up. You sit differently on a Coker and a muni
so the seats are going to be different. Overall I like the hybrid
design. Details are in my 'airseat gallery'
(http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Airseat).


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Pros

rigid feel
virtually no chafing issues
ridged handle for better grip


Cons

Gel does not fell as cushy as foam - this could just as well be a 'pro'.
In the bicycling world cushy soft saddles appeal to beginners but all
serious riders will tell you that a harder saddle is actually more
comfortable, especially on longer ride. The analogy used is that its
more comfortable to sit in a hard chair for a long time than it is to
sit in a cushy armchair. A more likely con is that in the bike world
some will frown on gel saddles as the gel in bike saddles tends to
migrate away from the pressure points. It will be interesting to see if
this happens to these saddles.

The seat nuts sometimes come loose - similar to KH saddles. Do not
overtighten them!

FIX for this: fit a normal washer followed by a lock washer and then the
usual nut on all four seat nuts. The lock washer seems to prevent the
nuts from coming loose. Since I fitted lock washers I have had no
problems with loose nuts at all.


Discussion

The gel seat is similar to the KH design, fitted with the newer ridged
front handles. The base looks virtually identical to the standard KH
base. The seat uses a relatively thin layer of gel for cushioning
instead of a large thick piece of foam. The shape as viewed from above
is virtually identical so the only major difference in appearance is the
thickness of the saddle has been reduced. The unicycle.com coloured text
logo is embroidered on the back of the first batch of saddles although
some unicycles ship with out the logo.

My initial test ride of the saddle was on a coker riding for about an
hour. The thinner material makes the thickness of the saddle similar to
that of a miyata saddle. It feels very similar to a new miyata saddle.
My coker felt more responsive with this saddle fitted than with my
previous KH saddle. I think this is due to the extra rigidity and the
relatively firm nature of the saddle. The thinner saddle also means less
chance of inner thigh chaffing. Unfortunately thin also means the
chances of developing a numb butt and genitalia increase. The usual
numbness after an hour's ride was still present despite the gel
cushioning.

After further testing on 4 to 6 hour rides I am convinced this saddle
will perform better than a KH on long rides. The limiting factor for me
is usually chafing rather than numbness so for me it is a better saddle
for marathon riding (over the 4 to 24 hour range). With an ancient pair
of cycling shorts that are falling apart chafing was not an issue until
the 6 hour mark.

I think it will also make an ideal freestyle and trials unicycle saddle.
It is much nicer to hold seat out in front that the KH is. It is thin
enough that I can comfortably hold it in one hand. Also moving from
sitting on the saddle to seat out in front and back will be easier
because of its thickness.

Conclusion

I find the UDC gel seat is comfortable for long distance riding and the
rigidity gives a feel or more control (both on the seat and when holding
it in front of you). This makes it an ideal trials or freestyle seat.
Remember everyone's body is different, this saddle will no doubt become
the new favourite for some while others will find it uncomfortable.


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