Fullcount

Wow, my legs are getting stronger as I develop better stamina on the Tour EZ. But my butt...

Oh it can’t stand but so much on that “soft” seat. How long before I can put in more than 20 miles without feeling that familiar sting. Tried riding shorts, compression shorts, now looking at some seamless Spanx. Anything to allow the tush from that stinging feeling.

Help.

Fullcount

Let me elaborate on the first post.

I usually ride DF bikes and one has a Brooks and the other, a Sele Anatomica saddle. Love to ride on either of those saddles and I can go a 200K ride without too much butt pain. However, as I am aging, I have developed an issue with my right wrist that has to do with my computer mouse that has caused an issue on longer rides on my DF bike. Tried to make the switch to a recumbent and bought a Bachetta that I could never fully appreciate (just was not for me). Found this EZ Sport and love the visibility and the way the handle bars are set up. However, it came with "soft cushy seat" that is anything but. I had always heard that the gel foam seats were a challenge for the soft tissue and yes, this is true for me also.

What I am trying to find or learn - does this get better with time (hardening the tissue) or is there another solution? The other issue I have found is that the seat, which is on a slide rail, keeps slipping back over the length of a ride. The seat is held in place by two QR skewers that pinch the seat onto the rail. No matter how tight I clamp down, the seat slides backwards over a course of three or four rides ever so slightly. So I am wondering if the fit is messing up over time and the adjustment to the posterior is somehow related to the butt pain.

I know on my DF bikes, the weight is distributed between the hands, shoes and the butt. On this recumbent, most of my weight is on the butt with very little pressure on my hands. I do experience some foot pain, but I attribute that to a change in riding style. With most of the weight on the butt and the cycling action on the soft tissue, seems like a recipe for hurt. I am trying different riding shorts, compression shorts, etc. - but no magic formula as of yet. Anyone tried a different seat with a EZ Sport? Is there something like the Euromesh that is found on the Bachetta? What about a leather seat adapted to a rail that places most of the weight on the sit bones?

Come on guys and gals, help a newbie on a recumbent. I truly want this bike to work. I like the way I can see, the access to the ground when I place my feet and especially the hand position. I would love to be able to tour or take it on a rando ride some day. The legs are feeling better and I am picking up speed - now just need to find a way to loose that tingling feeling (and the raw blisters that I find in the shower afterwards). Or should I just stock up on Neosporin?

pinoybenter

Try contacting Recycled Recumbents. Check google for contact info. Your problem is called recumbent butt.

Irishred

Fullcount- I don't know if you're aware, but there is a great forum for recumbent riders called "BENT RIDER ON LINE" or BROL- Nothing but bent stuff. Copy and paste what you posted here and you'll get really good info from lots of bent riders.

https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/index.php

bkaapcke

The replacement seat cushion for a Sun EZ Sport, as distinguished from a Tour Easy by Easy Racers, is much firmer than the original formed cushion. Also, when the original cushion gets too much wear on it, you tend to sink into it and you are really riding on the underlying plywood. Very uncomfortable. If you have a Tour Easy, I don't know if new cushions are available now that Easy Racers is out of business. You may have to get a new foam cushion put on the base by an auto uphostlery shop I have had this done and it's reasonably priced. bk

BlazingPedals

From memory, the original TE seat bottom was contoured, and consisted of several layers of different-stiffness foam, and the top layer was fairly stiff. It would be hard to duplicate without a 'working model' in front of you. I'm not sure what Sun used for their seats, but I'm sure it was different. If it were me, the first thing I'd try is to replace the existing foam with a hunk of relatively stiff upholstery foam, at least 3 inches thick. You want it stiff enough that you only sink in an inch or so. If you can't make something like that work, then there's always a seat replacement. I hear that sling-mesh seats have less tendency to give recumbent butt. AD Carson of Recycled Recumbents can make seats and has some experience making adapters for various bents, too. (You can Google "Recycled Recumbents" if you're interested.)

wester

I was having a terrible time with recumbutt, going through several "solutions" that helped, but did not solve the issue. I bought a Mach-2 from Recycled Recumbents and Andrew's seat totally solved the problem. where I used to have to get off the bike every 10 mile at the longest, I can now ride all day without issue.

Thank you Andrew!

andychrist

Cheapest solution might be installing this memory foam coccyx cushion on top of your existing Sun seat. Worked for me.

tallbikeman

Having suffered on and off with recumbent butt I found that transferring weight from your butt to the seat back helped. So my first go to is to lean the seat back more and more. I had a Rans Gliss that the solution was that simple and never had issues again. I now own a Ryan Vanguard with the original seat but without the "horn". That wasn't on the bike when I bought it. This seat caused recumbent butt. I leaned the seat back as far as I could. This helped but just allowed another 10 miles of distance before pain started. I then have tried various pieces of foam and a gel pad for indoor recumbent trainers. I'm at the point where I'm completing 30 mile rides without pain. My Ryan has a rack installed and I want to keep a rack on the bike. The rack is hindering my ability to lean the seat further back. Recently I found a rack that sits further back on the bicycle at Bicycle Man and am going to get it and lean my seat even further back. I hope these hints are helpful.