Headrest recommendations?

[bennelong.bicyclist]

One thing I have already noticed with the Optima Lynxx, despite having ridden it for only about 20 minutes so far, is that the seat, even in its most upright position, is reclined a long way back - far more so that the seat on a Barcchetta Giro on which I begged a test ride a few years ago. I think I am going to need a headrest.

Now, the obvious choice is the Optima headrest. These seem to cost about 66 Euros when ordered from the Optima web site, plus 48 Euros postage - ouch! However, I will be travelling to Amsterdam in two months, and I am sure I can find time to visit one or two of the recumbent bike shops in that lovely city, and buy an Optima headrest there to bring back in my luggage.

But before I do that, does anyone have any experience with the Optima headrest, or with any alternatives that are likely to fit the Optima seat? Or experience with headrests in general?

BB

[}SkOrPn--7]

BB what you see below is just my own doing and home made using the below product left over from a seat I made.

http://www.empind.com.au/cat/index.cgi/shopfront/view_product_details?category_id=11399&product_id=343613

With the left over I folded the mesh in such a way to have minimal stitching and something that in my opinion left clean lines and shape. The black tubing is 3/4 irrigation PVC got from a local hardware then I used a 28.6mm seat post/stem to make it fully adjustable for position along with personal taste for fitting. The seat tube is yet to be cut to the correct length but hope this might give you ideas to how I solved this very issue like you have if making your own personal custom fitting neck rest should you find it within your ability to give it a crack yourself rather than purchase a over priced stock neck rest.

I know this might not help solve your own problem but it may give you ideas to further help solve a solution which I solved for myself when I was hit with the same issue as you. This neck rest project as shown below is unfinished but as a help/guide it displays enough for the home builder or to give ideas:D



Ricky

[bennelong.bicyclist]

Hmmm, thanks! I like the idea of recycling a seat post, and using PVC pipe fittings for the heat rest frame. In fact, I wonder if the whole lot couldn't be fabricated from PVC pipes (with exception of the foam padding and cover, of course). Could also provide somewhere nice and high to mount a tail-light, and perhaps even a quickly removable mount for the the dorky orange flag-on-a-pole? I'm guessing that a not-too rigid headreat mounting is desirable to minimise transmission of road shocks and vibration.

[bennelong.bicyclist]

Hmmm, thanks! I like the idea of recycling a seat post, and using PVC pipe fittings for the heat rest frame. In fact, I wonder if the whole lot couldn't be fabricated from PVC pipes (with exception of the foam padding and cover, of course). Could also provide somewhere nice and high to mount a tail-light, and perhaps even a quickly removable mount for the the dorky orange flag-on-a-pole? I'm guessing that a not-too rigid headreat mounting is desirable to minimise transmission of road shocks and vibration.

Have looked at the seat, and this stage I think I'll just buy a genuine Optima headrest in Amsterdam when I'm there in April.

[bradwoodbr]

Cut a short piece of 3 or 4 ply that you can pad one end for your neck/head to rest on.
Gaffa tape the other end etc at the height you want on the inside of the seat.

I know it sounds cheap and nasty and may break, but it will give you a good idea of how a headrest may work and of course you can keep riding.

[bennelong.bicyclist]

Cut a short piece of 3 or 4 ply that you can pad one end for your neck/head to rest on.
Gaffa tape the other end etc at the height you want on the inside of the seat.

Excellent suggestion. Actually, a nice curvy headrest could be easily fabricated from laminating thinner marine ply over a former - my son made some amazingly strong and very flexible curved skateboard decks this way, and it was very easy to do. Could even use the upper seat back as the former so the interface to the seat would be perfect, secured with just a few countersunk bolts and large washers to spread the load. Engineered wood is great stuff, even better than PVC pipe.

But a jury-rigged prototype using gaffa tape first.

Only downside is that I would have to find some other excuse to visit the large recumbent store in central Amsterdam...

[Poiter]

I like the VeloKraft carbon fibre neck rest.
Nice and flexy.
It's only for lightly resting your neck on, not fully supporting your head.

[bennelong.bicyclist]

I like the VeloKraft carbon fibre neck rest.
Nice and flexy.
It's only for lightly resting your neck on, not fully supporting your head.

That looks like it could easily be bolted to the wide (10 or 12 cm) channel that runs down the middle of the back of the Optima seat. May need a bit of trimming. Do you make these to order? If so, how much?

[Poiter]

The VK neck rest secures to the front of the seat under the pad.
See the little white plastic bolts?
You could attach it with Gaffa tape if you wanted to as you upper back presses against it.
The bolts are down low so that a seat bag can be easily slid over the back of the seat in between the rest and seat.
It would need to be a whole lot stronger and heavier (current 80g) if attached to the back of seat and then you couldn't use a seat bag.
Poit

[fredinver]

I had the "original equipment" headrest on the TWbent attack. It was a plastic moulding and it cracked on one of my horizontal trackstands. I understand the issue of the seat bag the the VK solution is a good one. I might look into the application of a thin strip of CF from somewhere to replace it. The Attack headrest didn't have the curvy bits and the cushion was such that it did the job well.
Anyone know where to get strips of CF or even RFG. I already have 17kg of bike so a few more grams won't worry as much as the $$$$.

[bennelong.bicyclist]

The VK neck rest secures to the front of the seat under the pad.
See the little white plastic bolts?
You could attach it with Gaffa tape if you wanted to as you upper back presses against it.
The bolts are down low so that a seat bag can be easily slid over the back of the seat in between the rest and seat.
It would need to be a whole lot stronger and heavier (current 80g) if attached to the back of seat and then you couldn't use a seat bag.
Poit

OK, got it. So how does one acquire one?

[just4tehhalibut]

This the headrest used and supported by Bacchetta in the US, the ADEM headrest http://ademhr.com/index.html

The basic ideas that you might borrow from this is that you can mount a base to your seat to support a column or shaft (so adjustable or removable when sorting out seatbags and guff) and the simple design for a foam neck support. I have the standard ADEM on my Giro20 with Euromesh seat, held on with cable ties and it works. However I don't use the headrest often (except as a spot to place a blinky light), it is more there for when I'm tired on those 100km+ trips. So I guess you could say that it gets away with being lightweight.

Edit: I should have mentioned, there is a photo gallery on the Bacchetta forum with the ADEM but also other riders' homebuilt headrest solutions, if you are looking for other ideas http://www.bacchettabikes.com/forum2/ph ... r=headrest

[Low Racer]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 0493239733



Just bought one for my bike. Not a bad price.

[bentcentric]

[quote][/quote]
That looks like a really well priced functional headrest. Is it Carbon and how much was the shipping and freight time.

Chris

[Low Racer]

Received the head rest today. Well made. Can't tell it's carbon wrapped. Fit the M5 seat perfectly and static test sems very promising compare to my home made head rest. It's raining here, so can't test it yet.

[bennelong.bicyclist]

Received the head rest today. Well made. Can't tell it's carbon wrapped. Fit the M5 seat perfectly and static test sems very promising compare to my home made head rest. It's raining here, so can't test it yet.

Unfortunately the vendor is not advertising any more headrests for sale at the moment - seems like a garden-shed operation.

The more I think about it, the more desirable a flexible composite headrest is, rather than something supported by rigid metal rods, as the Optima headrest seems to be. Anyway, I've emailed the big recumbent store, Ligfietswinkel, in Amsterdam, where I'll be visiting in 4 weeks, and they said they have a wide range of headrests to choose from, including Optima, M5 and Velokraft ones, and Optima seat shells to test fit them on. But none are cheap. They have Ventisit seat pads there too, fitted for Optima seat shells. And Radical bags made to file the Optima rack. And a range of carbon forks suitable for disc brakes which fit the Optima Lynx. I can see my credit card taking a beating... OK, OK, I don't really need a Radical bag, nor carbon forks nor a front disc brake, at least not unless or until I decide to start commuting on the Optima - until then it will just be a weekend/holiday ride.