I'm a beginner, so I did some research online and by talking to cyclists in the parking lots near bike trails. If you're looking for a seat, aka saddle, that will remove all sitting discomfort, I don't know that there is such a thing - at least for a 285 lb, 60 year-old, out of shape man! I'm no expert, I'm riding a bicycle for the first time in decades for exercise and needed something more than the original hard, no-shock-absorbers saddle that came with the bike. This saddle does NOT eliminate all butt discomfort, but it makes my rides much more pleasant and the price I paid was excellent ($13.23 here at Amazon).
I'm happy with this Schwinn Pillow Top Cruiser Bicycle Seat, I'm 60 years old, 6'3", and 285 lb. I recently began bike riding for exercise and am riding a 34.5 lb front-fork-suspension mountain bike [Diamondback Response XE] for exercise on mostly asphalt bike trails with slight to moderate grades. I'm currently riding up to 6 miles at a time and would like to get up to at least 20 miles, including gentle dirt trails, and was concerned with how often the original saddle caused me discomfort and rattled me at bumps. My guess -and I'll update this as I progress- is that this cheap seat will rectify the problem just fine.
This seat is relatively small for padded seats, which should be most people's goal because less contact = more comfort [a tip I learned from expert cyclists in the bike trail parking lots]. It's got more cushioning built in than the comes-with-the-bike saddle, and the shock absorbers under the seat make bumps MUCH less painful for me.
With the basic saddle that came with the bike, I found myself standing up on the pedals every 1/2 mile or so to relieve my aching rear end. With this saddle it's more like every 2 1/2 miles, which is much more tolerable and hopefully will become even less frequent as I get into shape. Additionally, when I travel over bumps (curbs, etc.) I no longer feel like I'm being spanked.
The rest of this review is about installing the seat, since it doesn't come with much information about installation. Here's a basic NON-EXPERT outline of how I did it. Note that there are lots of short YouTube videos about how to replace saddles and you should also watch a couple of them if you've never done it before. I watched them and got the assembler at the store in which I bought the bike to give me a quick demonstration before I did it.
If you're not used to installing things like this you should have no problem if you have the tools required, take your time, and work in an area where you won't lose anything small if you drop it. To mount it I removed and stored away the seat post clamp. Most people won't need it because there's a permanent support for a rail clamp at the top of most bike's seat posts. You can tell if you need it simply by checking to see if your current saddle is mounted by such a post clamp. Otherwise it's mounted by a rail clamp. The post clamp has 1/2" nuts on each end: it should be only hand-tightened when you get it and easy to take off if you don't need it. You should use a 1/2" open end, box or socket wrench if you do need it.
I noted with a ruler the height of the top of the existing saddle above the point where the seat post slides out from the seat tube so that I could adjust the new saddle to it after mounting it. I noted the position where the rails of my previous saddle were clamped [this mainly affects the "tilt" of the saddle] and how the pieces of the bike's existing rail clamp were positioned (which side up!). Since my seat post isn't extended out of the seat stem very much, I raised the seat post several inches to allow me to work on it and temporarily tightened the seat post at the high position.
I removed the old seat by removing the bolt that passes through the seat post's clamp-support and rail clamp (it may be possible to simply loosen it) and used that rail clamp to clamp this saddle in the same position. I needed a 6 mm Allen wrench to loosen/tighten the the bolt holding the clamps together. Make sure the rails are resting in the lower clamp's slots and that the upper clamp is centered over it. Note there's usually a washer on the base of the bolt and an oblong nut above the top clamp - don't lose them!
After tightening the seat and with the seat post still temporarily tightened, hold the top (horizontal) tube with one hand and with the other and give the seat a good, semi-violent shake to make sure it holds and that the clamp pieces are properly aligned - otherwise you'll hit a bump and the seat will pop loose.
Loosen the seat post, lower it to desired height, loosely tighten the seat post, then stand at the back of the bike and eyeball the line from the rear tire (or fender if you have one) through the horizontal "top tube." Line the seat up so it's in line with the bike then finish tightening the seat post (which often requires simply flipping a lever!)
Align things attached to the seat post like reflectors and rear racks by eyeballing the rear tire or fender and the now-aligned new seat and centering the reflector, rack, etc. as needed.
Note that I also needed a Phillips screwdriver to loosen/tighten the reflector on the seat stem so I could get to the bolt holding the rail clamps. I splurged on a Topeak Alien II 26-function bike tool so I've got all the needed tools from allen wrenches to screwdrivers to tire levers to chain tools in a compact package.
| Brand | Schwinn |
|---|---|
| Color | Black |
| Material | Polyurethane |
| Outer Material | Foam |
| Pad Type | Memory Foam |
| Bike Type | Road Bike |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 11.85 x 6.81 x 4.88 inches |
| Package Weight | 0.53 Kilograms |
| Item Weight | 0.49 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | Schwinn |
| Warranty Description | Limited |
| Model Name | Sport Foam PU Saddle |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | Pacific Cycle, Inc |
| Part Number | SW80335TG-2 |
| Included Components | Bike Seat |
| Size | Adult |
