Edge Revoluationary Seat

The main reason people ride recumbents is comfort!!! In my mind, the two most important parts of the comfort equation are the Bottom Bracket height and the seat. The BB height is tied to the type of recumbent you buy. The seat can vary but there are two standard designs. One is a mesh rapped around a frame and the other is a piece of hard plastic or wood with foam on top covered with cloth and a mesh back. There is also the more expensive Euro mesh seat.

I have used the first two most commonly found on bents. My Wiz Wheelz trike had the mesh seat which was fine though with time it sagged and I eventually put a foam pad under the bottom. I now ride a RANS V-Rex. Rans is known for their comfortable seat. I have been riding on a 10 year old Rans seat and have had NO PROBLEMS with discomfort from it.

But there is a new design out which I like even MORE. This week I rode a Django with the new Edge seat (designed by our own Bill Gillette) and I fell in love with it. WOW!! Unlike the Rans (and most other recumbent seats) that have a piece of hard plastic or wood covered by foam and then material, the Edge uses a sling to fit the seat to your butt. The bottom of the seat is supported in the back by the seat frame and in the front by a center horn. On top of this triangle of support is a large foam pad and ballistic cloth. It forms a very comfortable sling just like the three legged folding camping stools did. With the single horn in front, in between your two legs and the double support in the back, the seat is very supportive while being very flexable. It can fit any butt!!!

If you have an old Burley recumbent bike, these seats will fit on your bent without any modifications.

If you want to try this out, go to a local Edge dealer. (In Knoxville that is Greenlee's on Broadway.)

 

Re: Edge Revolutionary Seat

"There is nothing new under the SUN" Ecc. 1:9

What we have done is taken a proven design by Vision that was and still is highly regarded as being one of the most comfortable recumbent seats ever, and improved upon it.

Volae and Rans both have their version of this seat. And our bikes actually will take a Volae seat with the proper kit.

Rans uses something similar on their F5 highracer.

This seat frame is different from those in that it is totally self supporting and needs no struts. We used Solidworks and Cosmos FEA software to design a truss structure into the back of the seat. The forces of the rider all act to compress the lateral and cross supports progressively so the force of the rider pushing is transferred down into the seat rail and main tube. We used some creative notching and welding to reduce the cost of the seat frame welding and we ended up with something that fulfills all of our design objectives.

• A mesh/sling seat that stays comfortable for extended rides and feels comfortable when you first sit on it
• A steel frame seat that is self supporting and still lighter by 1# than the former Burley aluminum seat
• Retrofittable to older Burley bikes without modification
• 5 degrees more forward tilt than the former Burley seats.
• Enhanced adjustable lumbar support
• Nice looking!
• Light, durable web
• All local manufacture

We did all of these things. We are getting good feedback from dealers. Now to see if we can sell/make more bikes.

Bill

 

UManPower.com

 

Here is a link

They are on the U-Man-Power website. Here is the link.
http://www.umanpower.com/collections/recumbent-parts-and-accessories/products/edge-recumbent-seat

But I just don't see how it would work on a RANS bike. I am building a RANS Velocity Formula 26 bike. I think I am going to have to just buy a brand new RANS seat.

 

Thanks Bill!

 

Lumbar

One huge improvement y'all forgot to fluff was that the new seatback is the first of its kind to intnetionally have too much lumbar support = a VERY good thing.

For the very first time, you are welcome to loosen the seatback mesh to reduce lumbar instead of devising contraptions to add it.

Tried it / loved it - think most will too.

 

Impressive review, one day I hope to try it out because I cannot imagine
a more comfortable breathable seat than my Cool back mesh.

I think mine is a bit different than the California Tour Easy cool back seats
with the lace up sides.
I've got the Sun Made Tour easy LE model and I can adjust lumbar to my liking with the straps just fine.
As for the bottom camp seat feel, Interesting, I must say I've never felt my seat pan at all. My bottom foam has just the right give and firmness
to me.
I hope to try it one day.