numb arse

[illustratedman]

Cycling shorts and a sheepskin does it for me, no arse ache at all. Didnt get on with an airhawk just a bit too detached from the bike.

 

[dongleplonk]

3K miles and the seat beds in and you get used to it.

Im updating this post. Im in Spain and the bike has now done 8k miles. And i lied - the seat is a complete joke. I ride for 6 hours a day on tour and i constantly have tp put up with a painful backside. I mean it really hurts.

As it happens a do 12 to 14 hours a day on Bloodbikes on an RT1200. I dont get any problem.

So now in search for a seat fix.

 

[Bendy toy]

I had a Corbin on a Yamaha Diversion 900 but it didnt suit me

1) MUCH heavier than the original
2) Bum-shaped but as hard as nails
3) Too wide so reaching the floor was difficult with my longer rear shock and only just ok with standard shock. They may do different styles but the style I had would have been useless a BMW GS.

Passengers liked it - the sculptured shape helped to stop them sliding forwards.

 

[davegs]

Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and I don't mean to cause offence to anyone.

Are the people having issues with their seats of the portly frame? I weigh 68.5 kilos and have never had an issue with a seat on any of my BMW's. In fact, I had one reworked by Tony Archer, but then had to go back to the stock seat, as I couldn't get on with it.

I'm not disputing the fact that people are having issues with their seats, because they obviously are. Could it be that the people at BMW that test the seats are not of the typical BMW owner demographic, in which case they should employ people to test their seats that represent the build of their owners.

Try riding some LONG distances!.

 

[davegs]

Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and I don't mean to cause offence to anyone.

Are the people having issues with their seats of the portly frame? I weigh 68.5 kilos and have never had an issue with a seat on any of my BMW's. In fact, I had one reworked by Tony Archer, but then had to go back to the stock seat, as I couldn't get on with it.

I'm not disputing the fact that people are having issues with their seats, because they obviously are. Could it be that the people at BMW that test the seats are not of the typical BMW owner demographic, in which case they should employ people to test their seats that represent the build of their owners.

Try riding some LONG distances!. and the sore arse syndrom will kick in!!!

 

[dongleplonk]

Im updating this post. Im in Spain and the bike has now done 8k miles. And i lied - the seat is a complete joke. I ride for 6 hours a day on tour and i constantly have tp put up with a painful backside. I mean it really hurts.

As it happens a do 12 to 14 hours a day on Bloodbikes on an RT1200. I dont get any problem.

So now in search for a seat fix.

Update: A further 3K miles and I did some more work trying to get the original seat to work for me...

Discomfort factor out of 5 : 1 = ok, 2 = mild discomfort, 3 = discomfort, 4 = severe discomfort, 5 = have to stop/cannot continue...

These are with fuel, food and pi55 stops at least every 2 hrs...

a) Stock seat on high position:
20mins = 2. 1hr = 3. 2hrs = 5.
b) Stock seat on low position:
20mins = 2. 1hr = 3. 2hrs = 4. 3hrs = 5.
c) Stock seat on low position with sheepskin cover and cycling shorts:
20mins = 1. 1hr = 2. 2hrs = 2.5. 3hrs = 5.
d) Stock seat as in c) above but with front on high and back on low:
20mins = 1. 1hr = 1. 2hrs = 2. 3hrs = 3. 4hrs = 4. 5 hrs = 5

So it looks like I managed to work out that if the seat is tilting back somewhat the pain is much reduced and delayed. The pain feels like it might be my muscles are suffering from lack of circulation around my sitting bones.

Whatever I do next, I'll think about having the seat shaped to be flat/tilt back a bit. Or buy the new GS with that very inviting seat!

 

[harry]

Update: A further 3K miles and I did some more work trying to get the original seat to work for me...

Discomfort factor out of 5 : 1 = ok, 2 = mild discomfort, 3 = discomfort, 4 = severe discomfort, 5 = have to stop/cannot continue...

These are with fuel, food and pi55 stops at least every 2 hrs...

a) Stock seat on high position:
20mins = 2. 1hr = 3. 2hrs = 5.
b) Stock seat on low position:
20mins = 2. 1hr = 3. 2hrs = 4. 3hrs = 5.
c) Stock seat on low position with sheepskin cover and cycling shorts:
20mins = 1. 1hr = 2. 2hrs = 2.5. 3hrs = 5.
d) Stock seat as in c) above but with front on high and back on low:
20mins = 1. 1hr = 1. 2hrs = 2. 3hrs = 3. 4hrs = 4. 5 hrs = 5

So it looks like I managed to work out that if the seat is tilting back somewhat the pain is much reduced and delayed. The pain feels like it might be my muscles are suffering from lack of circulation around my sitting bones.

Whatever I do next, I'll think about having the seat shaped to be flat/tilt back a bit. Or buy the new GS with that very inviting seat!

Get your Prostate checked

 

[Fanum]

You WILL hear a lot of complaints about the seats, but it's the same as hearing complaints about any fault that an individual has encountered. You WON'T generally hear from people who find them fine or have never had a problem


I've put over 100k miles on my GSA and apart from for the first month, never had a problem with the seat....Even Rosie says it's the comfiest seat she's sat on behind me (but I did add a TT extension for her)

I can shift about on it, backwards and forwards, and it suits my size and leg length perfectly......I could outride a 33 litre tank of fuel if I'm in the mood to.

Everyone has a different arse, different coccyx , different spinal curvature, so expecting one single design of seat to suit all is silly.


I have tried Corbins and a couple of other seats, on customer's bikes or on loaners, and I found them odd......very comfy initially, but I like to move about on the bike quite a lot, and with a Corbin or similar, I found myself stuck in one place....didn't suit me at all

There are MANY things you can do with a seat to make them more comfortable, and you don't have to reach up to 300 quid for a custom jobbie (that may be just as bad, long term)

A sheepskin, one of those inflatable cell thingies whose name I can't recall right now, even just a pair of cycling undershorts with a chamois pad on the arse bones.

For me, the seats are fine, and for the majority of people who have never complained, I guess that means they find them OK as well.....

It's not BMW, it's YOUR ARSE

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb here, and I don't mean to cause offence to anyone.

Are the people having issues with their seats of the portly frame? I weigh 68.5 kilos and have never had an issue with a seat on any of my BMW's. In fact, I had one reworked by Tony Archer, but then had to go back to the stock seat, as I couldn't get on with it.

I'm not disputing the fact that people are having issues with their seats, because they obviously are. Could it be that the people at BMW that test the seats are not of the typical BMW owner demographic, in which case they should employ people to test their seats that represent the build of their owners.

Are you anorexic

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Corbin is still the best for me, some people like them and others don't though

The standard BMW 1150GSA seat was designed as an instrument of torture

If you look at the underside of most BMW seats, you will find the maker's stamp - it's SHAD, a Spanish bike component maker who make some of the cheapest top boxes I've ever seen

They boast a range of comfort seats, I guess someone may like them

http://www.shad.es/en/shad-world/products/comfort-seats/c65/

Thus, I guess they are built down to the cheapest possible price

 

[Packer]

3 hours on the standard 1150GS seat was the limit for me.

Then I met Sheila. Sheila was a rug, Norwegian sheepskin rug, until I kidnapped her from IKEA. I performed surgery on her and attached some 40mm elastic straps. Result? 500 mile days in relative comfort and hopefully many more to come.

SanFranlaska was good. Today was almost 12 hours and 380+ miles around Scotland, still good. Sheila is an angel although I did have to insist that she had a bath after Alaska.

 

[Wrinkly]

Sargent for me.

Refuelled 3 times yesterday not even an inkling of arse ache.

Steve

 

[Omias]

After riding around Wales in two days my arse was bruised. Now my wife does say i need to grow an arse, and may be my 17 stone didnt help being sat for 20hrs, but the last couple of hours were torture for everyone!
Can anyone recommend a seat stuffer in South Wales/Bristol?

 

[Jon]

Cycling shorts and a sheepskin does it for me, no arse ache at all. Didnt get on with an airhawk just a bit too detached from the bike.

All joking apart, don't forget the impact of your undercrackers. Normal mens 'briefs' have stitching on the egdes & when sat on the bike this can cut into your arse, causing the numbness. As Johnny & Bill have said, everyone's different, so maybe try a pair of the 'trunks' style (not boxers). I find this made a difference over my std seat

 

[RobertG]

I also found putting the back on low and the front on high made quite a difference. It seems to put the weight on a more receptive area!*

I recently added a low Sargent and can run a full (GS) tank without any discomfort, and have done three tanks in a day with no wish to stop. Couldn't recommend it more highly.*

 

[Omias]

Ive just done 2hrs on my push bike, on a Specialized racing saddle, more comfortable than my GSA!

 

[Sandman]

I find the best way to not get a sore arse from riding the GS is to take the Volvo!!