Lightning Your Saddle For A Quicker Ride Up The Mountain
Mountain biking is a gravity defying thrill ride. If you're looking to get up the mountain a little faster or with a little less of a grin on your face, the easiest way is to lighten your load. For many mountain biking enthusiasts, this means getting a lighter frame, crank, or rims. However, you can shed some extra ounces by making a few smart modifications to your saddle.
Here are some weight-saving tips to help you climb the mountain a little easier.
Post Length and Material
Many cyclists fail to consider a bike's most basic components. For instance, your saddle post, although not flashy, can be adding extra ounces to your ride needlessly.
Length: most saddle posts are generically cut to fit the majority of mountain bikes. This means that excess post retracts into your frame, adding extra weight you probably aren't even thinking about. Trimming your saddle post of this excess length is an easy and cheap way to trim some weight from your ride. A pipe cutter sold at your local hardware or plumbing store can get the job done. Before you cut your post, make sure that you save the extra length needed to securely hold your post in your frame.
Material: another modification you can make to your saddle post involves opting for a lighter alloy or metal post. For instance, carbon-fiber and titanium-alloy posts offer reduced weight and comparable strength to traditional aluminum posts.
Padding your Saddle and Changing your Angle
Today's mountain bike saddles are sleeker and stronger than ever before, but this doesn't mean that they're always perfect.
Padding: many mountain bikers are leery of super light saddles because they don't always offer the padding a protection of heavier, more traditional, saddles. You can straddle the best of both worlds by adding a little padding to your saddle. Light weight neoprene saddle covers are feather light, but boast increased cushioning and reduced friction. Most saddle pads slip easily over even the most cutting edge saddles and also offer anatomical adjustments to make sure your man or lady parts sit comfortably while you're tearing up the mountain.
Angles: one of the keys to getting the most out of your mountain bike saddle is how you angle your saddle. For instance, slightly angling your saddle up can increase your range of motion and power; too highly angled, however, and you can cause back and hamstring pain.
For more information, contact a local bicycle shop about lightweight mountain bike saddle seats.