BBM Zotefoam Seatpad News(very long)
01-15-11, 03:29 PM
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BBM Zotefoam Seatpad News(very long)
Hi All,
For those of you who don`t know, I`m the zotefoam seatpad guy, AKA Don Smith (airxxxwolf) I have been making zotefoam seatpads for a few years now, but this year I decided to start out 2011 with a new zotefoam seatpad that will take your breath away visually, as well as be more functional. I have built an entirely new portable workstation to manufacture the new pads, and am currently putting the finishing touches on the workstation. Previous zotefoam pads had a thickness of 1/2", and had inverted Chevron style grooves routered into the surface of the seat for airflow. These grooves were 1/4" X 1/4" and there were 10-11 of them depending on the size of the pad. The zotefoam pads were very lightweight, and I think the lightest one I weighed was something like 83 grams. Zotefoam pads are extremely durable if you don`t abuse them. I have done searches on various bike forums and read comments about zotefoam seatpads and took that info into account when I decided to make a new zotefoam seatpad. Anyway, the new zotefoam pads will now be 3/4" thick.....I have received a new shipment of zotefoam from my vendor, and after doing some comparisons, I think the 3/4" zotefoam is just the right thickness for the new pad. On the previous pads, the airflow grooves were, as I said previously, 1/4" X 1/4" on a 1/2" thick pad, so the depth of the grooves were half the thickness of the pad. The new pads being 3/4" thick allows me to make the airflow grooves 1/2" deep and 1/2" wide which will allow each airflow groove in the seat to flow 4X the amount of air behind the riders back that the previous pad provided. In my research, one of the biggest concerns riders had about zotefoam pads was about how warm they were to ride on since zotefoam is a closed cell foam and does not flow air like a filter type foam. I believe flowing 4X the amount of air behind the riders back that the previous pad provided should prevent most any overheating issues. Anyway, my favorite part of the new design change......the new 1/2" X 1/2" airflow grooves will come in a variety of colors to match the color scheme of the bike that the seat is attached to. I have a supplier for some extremely thin foam that I am cutting into a 1/2" wide inverted V shape that will be glued to the bottom of each airflow groove. The colored foam in each groove will be trimmed at the time the entire edge of the seatpad is formed with a roundover bit. Previously I used to form the edge of the pad and then put the airflow grooves in, but now the airflow grooves will be made first, and then the edge formed with a router. Now the bad news......previously zotefoam pads were $46.00 with shipping included. The new cost will be approximately $76.00 with shipping included. The reason for the increase is not only because of the new design and tooling costs, but the 3/4" zotefoam is $51.00 a sheet compared to the $20.00 a sheet I paid for 1/2" zotefoam( 1/2" zotefoam is now $30.00 a sheet). The new pads are also alot more work to make since each of the 11 pieces of colored foam per seatpad has to be individually cut and glued into place. Another part of the price increase is the shipping containers. I previously shipped seatpads folded over in a Priority Mail box which were free from the post office. The new pads will not fit in a Priority Mail box, so I now have to purchase sheet cardboard and have it shipped to me and make my own boxes. The good part about this, is that now I can ship the pads flat which is actually more preferable anyway. Printed installation instructions will also come with each seatpad. Previously, I would e-mail instructions to install the pad on the seat. An optional installation kit will also be available for $6.00 that will include six 1-7/8" round pieces of Velcro along with a tube of the best glue I have found that works well on zotefoam. Also, I have a registered business name which is BBM Racing Components....BBM=Built By Me. I have heard my pads referred to as an airxxxwolf pad or just a zotefoam pad, but for the purpose of clarity, please make any reference to the new pad as a BBM pad. As soon as I get the flow of pads going I will be looking for both a european distributor and a canadian distributor. I will have 2 of the new seatpads attached to seats on display at the MHPVA winter meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 12th. Photos of the new pads will be coming soon. BBM Racing Components also has a few other products that will be available soon....one of which is a special skewer nut that doubles as a flag holder, and a rear derailleur alignment tool that is more accurate and far easier to use than the Park derailleur alignment tool. BBM Racing also builds narrow hubs for custom applications and racing.
BBM Racing Components bbmracing@yahoo.com
Don Smith
Linda McLane
For those of you who don`t know, I`m the zotefoam seatpad guy, AKA Don Smith (airxxxwolf) I have been making zotefoam seatpads for a few years now, but this year I decided to start out 2011 with a new zotefoam seatpad that will take your breath away visually, as well as be more functional. I have built an entirely new portable workstation to manufacture the new pads, and am currently putting the finishing touches on the workstation. Previous zotefoam pads had a thickness of 1/2", and had inverted Chevron style grooves routered into the surface of the seat for airflow. These grooves were 1/4" X 1/4" and there were 10-11 of them depending on the size of the pad. The zotefoam pads were very lightweight, and I think the lightest one I weighed was something like 83 grams. Zotefoam pads are extremely durable if you don`t abuse them. I have done searches on various bike forums and read comments about zotefoam seatpads and took that info into account when I decided to make a new zotefoam seatpad. Anyway, the new zotefoam pads will now be 3/4" thick.....I have received a new shipment of zotefoam from my vendor, and after doing some comparisons, I think the 3/4" zotefoam is just the right thickness for the new pad. On the previous pads, the airflow grooves were, as I said previously, 1/4" X 1/4" on a 1/2" thick pad, so the depth of the grooves were half the thickness of the pad. The new pads being 3/4" thick allows me to make the airflow grooves 1/2" deep and 1/2" wide which will allow each airflow groove in the seat to flow 4X the amount of air behind the riders back that the previous pad provided. In my research, one of the biggest concerns riders had about zotefoam pads was about how warm they were to ride on since zotefoam is a closed cell foam and does not flow air like a filter type foam. I believe flowing 4X the amount of air behind the riders back that the previous pad provided should prevent most any overheating issues. Anyway, my favorite part of the new design change......the new 1/2" X 1/2" airflow grooves will come in a variety of colors to match the color scheme of the bike that the seat is attached to. I have a supplier for some extremely thin foam that I am cutting into a 1/2" wide inverted V shape that will be glued to the bottom of each airflow groove. The colored foam in each groove will be trimmed at the time the entire edge of the seatpad is formed with a roundover bit. Previously I used to form the edge of the pad and then put the airflow grooves in, but now the airflow grooves will be made first, and then the edge formed with a router. Now the bad news......previously zotefoam pads were $46.00 with shipping included. The new cost will be approximately $76.00 with shipping included. The reason for the increase is not only because of the new design and tooling costs, but the 3/4" zotefoam is $51.00 a sheet compared to the $20.00 a sheet I paid for 1/2" zotefoam( 1/2" zotefoam is now $30.00 a sheet). The new pads are also alot more work to make since each of the 11 pieces of colored foam per seatpad has to be individually cut and glued into place. Another part of the price increase is the shipping containers. I previously shipped seatpads folded over in a Priority Mail box which were free from the post office. The new pads will not fit in a Priority Mail box, so I now have to purchase sheet cardboard and have it shipped to me and make my own boxes. The good part about this, is that now I can ship the pads flat which is actually more preferable anyway. Printed installation instructions will also come with each seatpad. Previously, I would e-mail instructions to install the pad on the seat. An optional installation kit will also be available for $6.00 that will include six 1-7/8" round pieces of Velcro along with a tube of the best glue I have found that works well on zotefoam. Also, I have a registered business name which is BBM Racing Components....BBM=Built By Me. I have heard my pads referred to as an airxxxwolf pad or just a zotefoam pad, but for the purpose of clarity, please make any reference to the new pad as a BBM pad. As soon as I get the flow of pads going I will be looking for both a european distributor and a canadian distributor. I will have 2 of the new seatpads attached to seats on display at the MHPVA winter meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 12th. Photos of the new pads will be coming soon. BBM Racing Components also has a few other products that will be available soon....one of which is a special skewer nut that doubles as a flag holder, and a rear derailleur alignment tool that is more accurate and far easier to use than the Park derailleur alignment tool. BBM Racing also builds narrow hubs for custom applications and racing.
BBM Racing Components bbmracing@yahoo.com
Don Smith
Linda McLane
05-02-18, 04:52 PM
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05-03-18, 04:48 PM
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I don't know if Don monitors these forums much anymore. He was more active on Bentrideronline, but hasn't posted much anywhere lately. As far as I know, he still makes the BBM seatpads. I would recommend sending him an email.
I have three of his seat pads, two of the older thinner ones and one thicker one. They really are featherweight, and they are holding up very well, too. As far as the ventilation value of the deeper grooves, I haven't noticed much/any improvement over the old pads.
I have three of his seat pads, two of the older thinner ones and one thicker one. They really are featherweight, and they are holding up very well, too. As far as the ventilation value of the deeper grooves, I haven't noticed much/any improvement over the old pads.
