Concept2 Forum

I have recently purchased an ErgBike.

Very impressed with everything, bar the saddle. Has anyone got any experience / recommendations for swapping the saddle out for a different one.

I used to race when younger, and weigh 155 pounds, and totally unfamiliar with the modern equipment market.

TIA

I don't have a BikeErg, but looking at pictures of the "seatpost" and saddle that come with it, it appears to use a normal two-rail clamp that should be able to accommodate most typical bicycle saddles.

As far as the details go for what's out there, see the link below. I bet 7mm round rails would be what you want for the BikeErg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_saddle#Rails

Rail configurations include:

2-rail "standard" round 7 mm diameter
2-rail oversize (typically for mountain bikes and BMX)[6][7]
Round 8 mm diameter
Round 9 mm diameter (common)
2-rail carbon fiber[7] (newer)
7 mm round
7 mm × 9 mm oval
7 mm × 10 mm oval
8.5 mm round
9.6 mm round
Single-rail I-beam (newer)
4-rail (e.g. wider Brooks leather saddles)[8]
Proprietary systems

I've tried six different saddles on the Bikeerg,
worn out two of my old road bike saddles and am working on the third.
There's not much room, the bolt takes a 14mm wrench, and a 12 point wrench is the best.

Before you change the saddle, two things, check how to measure your butt for getting the right size/type saddle.
Google it, has to do with sitting on padded kitchen roll paper and then measure instance between sit bones.
Then buy a top end pair of cycling shorts with good gel pad inserts.
Both saddles and shorts are a personal thing and one doesn’t fit all.
I find on the BE that I can do longer distances by changing pace every 2k or 3k to beat the monotony of sitting still for prolonged period of time.
I rarely do much more than an hour at a time.
I also find that doing intense interval such as 8 x 1k, 4 x 2k, 12 x 1min are as good as if not better than long steady stuff, but that depends on what you r goals are.
For interval sessions I do 10k Warm Up and 6km Cool Down
Hope that helps

If you purchase a new saddle at a bike shop, more than likely they will be able to measure your sit bones. If not, search youtube for a self measuring technique. Any saddle you buy these days will work on the BikeErg.

I bought a new saddle today, I bought a gel seat one with a shorter, wider nose, it is two and a half times thicker padding than the standard seat. It also has a couple of compression type springs, I did have a choice of memeory foam or the gel seat covered in vinyl. I dont rate memory foam when all the weight is in one small place, ie the butt area. Its ok for a sofa or a bed but not a bike seat. I did a compression test and felt the gel seat even though harder offer more support.
I also moved the seat forward on the mounting points of the bike erg and that shifts the weight from the perenium area further back to where the butt cheeks meets the hamstrings.
None of the bike shops had any equipment to measure me for seat size, one guy said on the phone he could tell by looking at me the other said a seat is a seat lol
My partner and I now feel it is tolerable with out having to use a towel as padding as we did with the standard seat that cut right into the perenium bones.

I replaced the saddle with a bigger, cushier one I had in my parts collection.

The process of changing the saddle is a bit of a pain and if the saddle you use has tall sides, it can be difficult to get the wrench in there to tighten it down.

I also replaced the handlebar, which is much easier than replacing the saddle.

I have tried a few saddles and finally found success with the Selle Royal Ellipse Relaxed Bike Seat.

The design looks very similar to what I bought, mine was acceptable I found.

I consider the Sunlite Cloud-9 Cruiser the right bike saddle for numbness. It has an ingenious design: dense on the butt section, tapering towards the groin to support the butt cheeks while removing the pressure off the perineal area. It was made by premium-quality vinyl material for durability, underneath it is a gel foam-reinforced cushion. Its 10.5-inch wide rear section is sufficient to support a male or female cyclist’s buttocks without causing discomfort.

I also want to make changes specifically to improve indoor riding that you wouldn't do on a road bike. Like extra cushy saddles or fancy seatposts. As I start to fiddle with my bike fit so I'm curious about it and searching these pages for tips.
I'm finding my current saddle is probably too stiff for me and am contemplating getting an ISM saddle.