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Back Rest/Cushion for Recumbent Bike

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Back Rest/Cushion for Recumbent Bike

Old 04-19-22, 02:54 PM
  #1  
The Big Wheel
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Back Rest/Cushion for Recumbent Bike

I recently bought a recumbent bike and would like to buy a proper back cushion since the stock one is a bit firm, especially on the sides where the material stretches over. Here is the bike:




I bought a popular one at Amazon but it tapers toward the top and feels like it only supports my spine and not the actual back.





I installed it on my bike and as you can see on either side there's like a good two inches where my back doesn't even touch the cushion.


















Also, I'm into working out so my upper back is actually pretty wide and I need some expert advice from you guys if I should buy another cushion that's 16 inches wide at the top (that's how wide the stock back rest is) or should I keep this cushion I just bought which appears to be only like 6 inches towards the top. My main concern is I don't want to screw my back up.
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Old 04-19-22, 02:56 PM
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You might want to ask a moderator to move this to the Recumbent subforum.
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Old 04-19-22, 04:36 PM
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Thread moved from General to Recumbents.
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Old 04-19-22, 07:01 PM
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Are you that wide that the frame is digging into your shoulders? The mesh back on my V-Rex was always supremely comfortable to me. Adding a pad like that will negate the airflow aspect of a mesh back. Perhaps you can find some filter foam that's wide enough to work?
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Old 04-19-22, 07:25 PM
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On my carbon seat, I built up a pad to fit the curve of my back using layers of thin yoga mat. Basically layered them up different thicknesses based on where i needed it.

When i used a mesh seat, I never needed anything except to tighten the mesh from time to time. Maybe that could resolve the issue?
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Old 04-19-22, 09:18 PM
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I’ve never had a cushion on the backrest of the seat on any of the ‘bent bikes I’ve ridden, just mesh fabric under tension.
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Old 04-20-22, 01:30 PM
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One that gets frequent recommendations on the largest recumbent owner's site is the Ventesit pad. It comes in many versions for different recumbents, You can see examples at the Hostel Shoppe in Wisconsin https://hostelshoppe.com/search?type...ventesit*+pad*. You can ask them if there is one for your bike. There was an earlier post on this very subject in July 2021 https://m.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=22126492
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Old 04-26-22, 04:20 PM
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The problem with recumbent bike seats is, that they are made for 1 size fits all which it actually does not. I am a tall person at 6'4" with rheumatoid arthritis and have not found a recumbent yet with a seat that works for my back.
All the seat backs are too short and the shapes never support my back where they should. I modified my bike-E seats and I had two seats for my Phantoms custom build by member ADC here in the forum. Extra long seat back and wider than the original. This has saved my back big time and I now ride hours after hours without pain. I just did a 6h ride on Sunday.
To have my seat custom made I traced the outline of the back rest of other seats I have at home. One is firm modern recliner and the other an aftermarket car seat for tall persons. May sound funny but with that procedure I was able to design a pattern which works for my back.
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Old 05-01-22, 11:23 PM
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My present used Ryan Vanguard seat started out not being comfortable. There is a seat thread on this recumbent site from which I got the following seat maker. https://recumbentseatfix.weebly.com . This fellow made a great seat with a shaped cushion that did away with all the problem areas my Ryan seat had. I use the standard heavy duty seat frame that Ryan made leaned back quite a bit. I had to purchase some aftermarket turnbuckles that were shorter than the Ryan struts to get my seat leaned far enough back. This has made for a really comfortable seat which can be ridden for hours with no pains. I'm 6'5" 270lbs but my shoulders are not as wide as yours appear to be. I just use the stock mesh seatback that came with the bike.I owned a Rans Gliss recumbent for many years and the Rans seat was just excellent. Good luck in your seat comfort journey.
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Old 06-01-22, 12:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Harhir
The problem with recumbent bike seats is, that they are made for 1 size fits all which it actually does not. I am a tall person at 6'4" with rheumatoid arthritis and have not found a recumbent yet with a seat that works for my back.
All the seat backs are too short and the shapes never support my back where they should. I modified my bike-E seats and I had two seats for my Phantoms custom build by member ADC here in the forum. Extra long seat back and wider than the original. This has saved my back big time and I now ride hours after hours without pain. I just did a 6h ride on Sunday.
To have my seat custom made I traced the outline of the back rest of other seats I have at home. One is firm modern recliner and the other an aftermarket car seat for tall persons. May sound funny but with that procedure I was able to design a pattern which works for my back.
I'm short and have the same but opposite problems. I bought a memory foam cushion designed for office chairs, with straps, and it's helping. I do have to reposition it sometimes but it not only keeps the frame lumbar shape from hitting me wrong, it also helps absorb some of the bumps when I ride. I don't imagine it will last more than one season as memory foam tends to deflate but it wasn't expensive. I'll probably look for something self-inflating next time as those last a few years.
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Old 06-16-22, 01:24 PM
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The ventisit cushion, mentioned earlier, provides good ventilation but is rock-hard, almost as unforgiving as a carbon shell. There are other filter foams that are softer, or maybe use something like Ligntning uses, a Thermarest cushion with a cover on it for sweat absorption? Or, maybe the real problem is that the seat fabric is too loose, allowing the frame to cut into him?
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