Weight Wennie Seat

 

In the shipment with the SL plug Raderwerk sent their latest light weight seat.  I weighs in at a "heavy" 399 g.  Not yet sure if I am  comfortable going this light but it is an impressive bit of composite laminating.  To put this in perspective the Ventist seat pad is lots heavier. 

 

 

The Ventist seat weighs in at 476 grams.  This is the thin version of the pad.  The comfort one will be about 1/3 more.  

 

In the SL I will have to ditch the pad as it takes up too much space, it move me forward a couple of cm.  Given the choice between fitting and the pad I'll take the fit and deal with the comfort issue with some padding only where required.  More work but less weight.  

Fitting into the SL

Since receiving the pattern for the Milan SL this spring I have wondered if I can ride it.  Do I fit into the SL?  I am about 6'2" but have short legs.  I understood that I may just be a little too tall.   The hope was that my short legs would let me fit.  Well I now know what the answer is. 

We just got Milan SL sitting on its wheels last night.  When I first sat in the SL things were not looking too good.  I had the bottom bracket adjusted a bit too far forward and couldn't spin the pedals as my shoes contacted the sides.  The crank size is 152.  Moved the BB back a touch and couldn't pedal without my shins contacting the front of the door opening.  Next tried moving the seat back from its normal position.  Closer but still could not pedal properly.  Moved the seat back even further so there was almost no space between the seat and the rear fender.  Now it is possible to pedal if you are very exact about how you do it.  This is probably still too tight a fit for me to ride for very long.  Removed the seat pad and made sure I was fully back in the seat and I can now imagine riding this way.  Some careful padding of the seat will be required to get a comfortable enough fit. Still need to check to be sure once the SL is able to be ridden.   It may also require a modification to the door so there is slightly more room for my knees.  Moving the point where the seat mounts at the front end may end up raising it slightly as the floor is dished a bit to get the seat as low as possible.   Another issue may be if there is enough room for the rear idler. While it is looking encouraging to fit, it is not yet a sure thing.  At least it may be possible rather than not!

Progress

The first GT (green) with two other GTs in carbon/Kevlar laminate.  The little black thing in the middle is the first SL.  All three of the ones in progress should be done this month.