Review of Hobson Easyseat Ergonomical Dual Pad Saddle " Black

Hobson Easyseat Ergonomical Dual Pad Saddle " Black
By: Hobson Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 10
More Information

Don't waste your money!!

On: 2008-05-28

I am a 120lb female and I purchased this seat for my Trek bike. It was easy to put on, but this seat requires some major adjusting! I mean both physical adjusting and mental adjusting. For one, there is no central horn on ths seat so if you are used to relying on that to help you keep your balance (especially when pedaling in the standing position) forget it, you have to figure out a new way. The two pads can be adjusted independantly of each other, either forward or back. The more forward they are, the farther they tilt up in front, and the more back they are the more they tilt down in front. They can also be adjusted somewhat to vary the space in between them, which I thought was a nice feature. Once they are adjusted, the seats still move slightly so I find myself constantly adjusting my position on the seat while riding. Also, the pads themselves are very very hard. I came back from an 8-mile ride on a packed gravel road with bruises on my butt where my pelvic bones were under constant pressure and banged on, due to the lack of suspension in this seat. I also had to readjust the seat twice during my ride because it just became too painful. But it seemed like no matter what I did, the pads just couldnt be made more comfortable. When I got home, my husband noticed red areas on my fanny which by the next day were ugly bruises. This seat is useless to me as it causes great pain. I wouldnt recommend that anyone who rides more than a mile or two waste their money on this seat.

Excellent commuter and mountain-bike seat

On: 2008-05-13

I have used this seat for three years for a 30 minute round trip commute. If you expect this to feel like a conventional seat, you wont like it. It does require that you keep you hands on the bars, since you cannot as easily balance and steer the bike from your crotch, since there is no extension of the seat between your legs. But thats the whole point, you sit on your sit bones, not your perineum. The rocker action of the independent seat pads, noted by some reviewers, is a normal and necessary feature, which keeps the seat from putting excessive pressure on the back of your thighs. The seat is very strong and mine shows no wear despite high miles. The plastic parts do not break, as suggested by one reviewer who obviously hasnt actually used the seat for any length of time. The seat requires a brief break in, and then becomes very comfortable. it is important to position the saddle for-and-aft so that your sit bones rest in the cup-shaped depressions in the saddle. For mountain biking, it has the significant advantage that you can remain in the saddle for uphill traction or downhill braking effectiveness without having your perineum hammered on the bumps. This is a real advantage for hard tail bikes, and since most people dont ride hands-off on trails anyway, the requirement to keep hands on the bars isnt a problem. Overall a great product.

Total discomfort, complete disappointment

On: 2007-10-20

The "Easyseat" was so uncomfortable I had to go back to my old standard seat. Yes, it took pressure off of the groin area. However, the seat has two serious design flaws.

First, the pads are built so that they dig into your thighs (they should be sloped in and in the other direction).

Second, the seat rocks as you move. It is slight--maybe 10 degrees or so--but very irritating. I commute in city traffic. Concentration is key. The rocking of the seat made it impossible to focus on what was around me.

This seat is, alas, going to be trashed.

Easy Seat Working for Me

On: 2007-08-21

After trying other "regular" seats, with and without gel covers, etc., I decided to try the Easy Seat. Before, I could only go about 2 or 3 miles and I would have numbness for hours and pain for days, all centered in the perineum area.

It took me two short rides to get the easy adjusted properly and will probably take one more to get "dialed in perfect." Ive seen a number of reviews by people who threw this seat away after 15 minutes or one ride. What a shame that they didnt take just a little more time. My most recent ride of 8 miles was no problem and probably would have been longer if I hadnt been off the bike for so long to begin with. Soooo out of shape!

As for durability, I have no complaints. I am a very large guy of 240 pounds and have not had any problems with breakage. I have also not had any problems with pain or numbness in the area described above. I do get some pain in the sit bones, but I must attribute that, at least in part, to the fact while I am quite overweight, I am still quite bony in the behind. Also, the pain does not last very long, if at all, after getting off the bike. If these seats had a little gel or maybe some additional padding in them, I would probably rate them as 5 instead of the 4 I gave them.

Overall, I would recommend these to any man who is having pain or numbness like I described. The results are great and the price is also right.

Hobson Easyseat Ergonomical Dual Pad Saddle

On: 2006-11-02

I have tried several types of seats with no improvement. Bought Easyseat and a new world was opened. Have used several times and love it. Ordering one for my wife as well!!! The only reason not 5 stars is the the post adapter was not with it.....

Great Product

On: 2006-07-15

I first tried the Spongy Wonder about a year ago and retired it right away. Then after a painful metric century, I decided to try it again. The only problem was that I kept sliding off the seat. So I decided to buy the EasySeat by Hobson. I put it on this morning and after a couple of adjustments, it feels great. Tomorrow I will do another metric century ride. This seat is a keeper. I had some experience with a horn-less seat, so to transistion to the EasySeat was no problem for me. I highly recommend the EasySeat over the SpongyWonder seat, which I just retired again.

Save Your Money

On: 2006-06-14

This went into the trash after the first time I used it. Sitting on it for any length of time was an ordeal of pain. I found myself spending more time adjusting this thing to make it bearable than actually riding, which was aggravating and exhausting. A total waste of money. Dont bother.

Eased My Seat

On: 2006-05-22

I had tried several "comfort" seats, some with splits, some with gel and I was still experiencing severe discomfort. The problem was bad enough that I went to my doctor. I was ready to quit riding when I ordered the Easy Seat. I have to admit that it took about 25 miles until I was completely comfortable. I now have well over a thousand miles on it and I couldnt be happier. I no longer experience any discomfort. I quickly adjusted to riding with no hands with the Easy Seat. The seat has held up very well.

Easy Seat a disappointment

On: 2005-11-09

I ordered the Easy Seat and used it for several days. If one is only interested in easing pressure on the nerves and arteries of the perineum, then one can be reasonably satisfied, for the product certainly accomplishes this.

Early on however, it became apparent that if one removes ones hands from the handlebars, especially while peddling, it is nearly impossible to balance the bike. Apparently, one needs to apply subtle pressure through the inner thighs to the horn of the saddle in order to maintain balance. Of course, the Easy Seat has no horn. In addition, no matter how tightly I fastened the thumb screws to separate the pads, they would invariably come together. I am convenced that the osillating motion of the pads as one peddles and the friction this generates requires more effort from the rider to propel the bike.

I have retired the Easy Seat and replaced it with a split saddle which seems to solve the perineal pressure problem. What looked good on paper proved a disappointment in practice.

could cause you to lose your balance

On: 2005-08-11

I bought this, although I cant tell if its the same manufacturer, which is listed as Hobson. To their credit, they answered my phone call to their 800 number, which is why I rate it 2 stars, and not one.

The first problem is that there are no markings for left/right. So, once you get it mounted, you will think something is probably wrong as the pads in the front turn out and thereby dig into your thigh. A little L/R would not have been too much to ask.

The second problem is that once you have correctly setup (I needed the 800 call to be certain I had it right) it wobbles forward and back about 5-10 degrees. Lean forward a bit, and it lurches forward (well, more like down, as though you had not tightened the hex bolt that is used to adjust the forward/back lean). If I had been riding at 20mph, I might have lost my balance.

The third problem, which I can only surmise, since Im getting rid of this, is that the seat will probably break after a few lurches since all the parts that hold this to the rails are made of flexible plastic that seems sure to break loose.

Well, they do say a 30 day return policy, but since in my case I got it for $21 plus $7 shipping, I would think all I could recover after paying freight back would not be worth the effort. So, in the dumpster it goes.