Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

by **bradwoodbr** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 12:36 pm

Hi everyone,
I am adjusting a ventisit seat pad from an M5 large seat to fit an Optima Baron Large seat.
I untied the ventisit and placed a template of the new seat inside it.
The Baron seat is wider and shorter than the M5.

I am unsure of the best thing to do as the overlap is different. There is now a 4cm gap between the ends of the underneath layer.
I do prefer thinner seat pads to thicker ones, so one layer in the middle of the seat pad is fine for me.
But what might be some ways to cut and tie the Ventisit?

Thanks for any help about this.

by **BNA** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:18 pm

by **Low Racer** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 4:18 pm

Hi Brad,
This is on Ventisit website and not sure whether it is any help to you.

Attaching Ventisit to your seat

There are various ways to attach Ventisit to your seat:
Adhesive tape is the most commonly used method on a smooth, slick seat like Optima, M5, Nazca, Challenge etc. Two pieces of strong double-sided adhesive tape will perfectly attach your Ventisit to your seat. Tesa adhesive tape for carpets works very well. Foamy double-sided adhesive tape is not such a good idea. It is very difficult to remove and leave stains on the material.
You could also use tie wraps, elastic or fabric hook-and-loop fasteners (Velcro) to attach the Ventisit. You may also use domestic weather strips lengthways in the seat. The extra thickness may however change the feel of your seat.

If your recumbent bike already has a black closed cell foam seat pad like Challenge or M5, you can simply lay Ventisit on top of the other pad.

I am sure someone on BROL will be able to help.

by **bradwoodbr** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:01 pm

Thanks Lowracer,
I have the Velcro ready to go.
What needs doing is to trim/cut the Ventisit so it sits on the seat correctly,
then tie/connect the back or underneath layer so it stays in the correct shape.

by **Low Racer** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:24 pm

Would lacing it similar to the trike seat be feasible?

Worth a try.

by **raptordesigns** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:29 am

bradwoodbr wrote:Thanks Lowracer,
I have the Velcro ready to go.
What needs doing is to trim/cut the Ventisit so it sits on the seat correctly,
then tie/connect the back or underneath layer so it stays in the correct shape.

Or go buy a new piece of ACS10 (ventisit material) that's the full size you want.

see:
http://www.empind.com.au/html/s02_artic ... av_top_id=

Me, I use one layer of ACS10 secured by some cable ties. Yes, the edges are a little prickly sometimes, but not really a problem.

by **william** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:04 am

Hi Raptordesign,

That acs10 material, is there a thickness choice other than 10 mm?
I'm looking at replacing mine with a Vetisit but prices for that material is urk!
How have you got yours arranged?

William.

by **bradwoodbr** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:27 pm

Raptordesigns,
Thanks for the great link.
A sheet of ACs10 is the same price as the single seat pad

by **raptordesigns** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:05 am

william wrote:Hi Raptordesign,

That acs10 material, is there a thickness choice other than 10 mm?
I'm looking at replacing mine with a Ventisit but prices for that material is urk!
How have you got yours arranged?

William.

Not sure if they have other thicknesses in stock. To get 20mm you can just double-up.

I find 10mm quite adequate, but my seat is a perfect fit to my body (made via sand mould from my own backside/back) so all I need is ventilation.

On a previous version I thought I'd try increasing the ventilation by putting a couple of holes in the seat. Bad idea. I actually got too cold!

The ACS10 pad is cut to suit the seat with about 1cm over the edge. This stops my body from blocking the airflow to my back. It's secured with some cable ties (a total of 4x3mm holes in the seat.)

John R.

by **Adrianbl** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:57 pm

Hi everyone,
The site for mesh ACS10 has moved now to http://www.empind.com.au/cat/index.cgi/ ... _id=343613
There are a lot of other uses for this mesh as well, behind the backpack is a great idea.

by **Low Racer** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:56 pm

Hi Brad,
How did you adjust your seat in the end? I am in the process of doing the same and need picture guidance how you had adjusted your seat. Thanks in advance.

by **bradwoodbr** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:17 pm

Hey Lowracer, No probs.
Will post images in a day or two.

I left the one layer in the middle and hand stitched the edge of the back layer to the front layer.
I also stitched velcro to the underside to match the velcro glued to the seat.

The pad is still too narrow for the seat but is comfortable. I will be stitching or glueing more
foam in soon to as to get two full layers. After riding with one layer in the middle, I noticed
my back was still very hot and so the air flow must be restricted.

Cheers

by **John Lewis** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:55 pm

Check this thread on BROL.
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageb ... hp?t=30225
Explains how to do a seat cushion. In words earlier in the thread and the the pictures of how to do it are on page 5. Guess you might need to be a member of BROL to see them.

John Lewis

by **Low Racer** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:03 pm

Thanks guys. That's exactly the info I needed to shape the ends.

by **Low Racer** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:56 pm

Got half a metre of ACS10 from Rubber Clark. Followed the BROL link to shape the ends. Thanks John.

I am well pleased with the end result. 3 layers all together. Will post some pics soon.

by **Low Racer** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 1:35 pm

Here are some of the pics.

4 layers all together. Very pleased with the end result. Just like a commercial one, I think. Very comfy and keeps the back cool too. Not as sweaty as my last pad.

by **John Lewis** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:19 pm

Professional job there Low Racer. Looks very neat and tidy. Did you use all cable ties or did you use cord or fishline?
I have th acs10 but still to make it up.

John Lewis

by **Low Racer** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:17 pm

John Lewis wrote:Professional job there Low Racer. Looks very neat and tidy. Did you use all cable ties or did you use cord or fishline?
I have th acs10 but still to make it up.

John Lewis

Hi John,
Thanks. I did surprise myself with the end result. The lip at the bottom of the seat was a fluke. I trimmed it just like the BROL's link you posted. Used a cable tie to loop around the edges and pull - wahlaa.......!!! Works really well as I can velcroe it to the frame so no sliding around. I used scoubidou to tie the 2 halves together just like the picture showing the trike's seat, except the ends are closer to each other. These stuffs are good as they just stretch and not break. I added 2 layers of ACS10 from the excess before sewing it up with the scoubidou. Layers are overlap at the lumbur area so it formed a lumbur support. ACS10 was bulked up near the neck region to form some support for the neck. Really comfortable. So only 2 cable ties for shaping the both end.