Silvio 2.0 Modified Seat

[unc99]

Have seen others inquire about modifying the seat on a Silvio 2.0, so I thought I would share the modification I am trying out. As a starting point, I've liked everything about the new Silvio, except that I have struggled to get comfortable on the seat. It is not a matter of too much recline, as I have ridden and owned highracer stick recumbents with the seat set at a lower degree than the 27 degree Silvio seat. It seems most people are perfectly happy with the seat, but for me the problem was the seat not providing any "lift" at the top of the back. Instead, the seat is flat, and then the headrest raises the head and neck up. Everyone is different, but for me this put too much pressure on the neck.

As noted in the picture below, I took a "traditional" shaped highracer seat that I picked up on ebay, and cut the seat so it could replace the standard seat back. After moving the seat back up and down to find my comfort spot, I realized I probably cut too much of the replacement seat as it does not meet the seat bottom, but it really doesn't matter as that part of the seat doesn't really provide any support. For now, the seat is just attached with velcro to the frame and a zip tie. This seems to work fine, but I will eventually bolt the seat back either to the seat bottom or the frame in some manner.

 

[unc99]

I should add that the

I should add that the headrest still works...see pic, although I'm not sure if I will use it as the "lift" of the seatback raises the upper back enough such that I don't think I really need head or neck support.

 

[trplay]

I like what you have done

I like what you have done assuming it works. I am also wrestling with neck comfort issues. The bonus points you get for your design is you now have a tool storage area or water bladder compartment where the neck rest tubes use to go.

 

[Andrew 1973]

Looks good

Hi, unc99.

I like what you have done here. The idea of doing away with the headrest might address some concerns I have read about. Is the a teason the entire seat could not have been used? In my mind, it would probably require fabrication of brackets to affix it to the Silvio frame.

Do you see opportunities to adjust the seat angle? Like you, I have no problems with the recline of the seat, but others have expressed concerns, as you know.

 

[1happyreader]

suspension variable

I could even use seat stays for support as other stick bikes use to connect the setback to the pannier bolt holes around the rear dropouts.

wow,,,, I cannot imagine how that would work with a suspension ( non fixed position ) rear triangle.

Wouldn't the flexing destroy either the seat, seat mounts or the stays themselves ??

later,,, bye

 

[unc99]

Yeah, you are right, could

Yeah, you are right, could not use seat stays with the rear suspension. Had forgotten about the rear suspension!

 

[unc99]

Andrew, while I am sure it is

Andrew, while I am sure it is possible, I decided to cut the seat instead of installing the seat as a whole. The reason was that the bottom part of the replacement seat had an upward curve had and did not fit flush to the Silvio frame as the original seat bottom does. I'm sure it could be done it just would have been more difficult. Since I had no problem with the original seat bottom I thought it best just to leave it in place.

I haven't had a chance to ride much on this new seat, but a remaining issue is that I need to figure out a way to more firmly hold the new Seat back to the frame. Right now, I am just using Velcro and zip tie and while I do not believe the seatback will actually slip off the frame while I am riding, it does have a very slight wobble back-and-forth from time to time. I think this can be resolved best by Either bolting the seat back to the seat bottom as the original seatback does, or perhaps I could even use seat stays for support as other stick bikes use to connect the setback to the pannier bolt holes around the rear dropouts. Any other ideas would be welcome, and I will let everyone know how I resolve this.

I think raising the seat angle would be possible, but more difficult. The advantage of keeping the seat angle the same is that the new seatback sits flush on the frame and uses the frame for support just as the original seat back did. At the end of the day, I don't think what I have done is really that different than the original set up, as the original set up involves a standalone seatback just as I am now using. The only thing that the original seatback does that my seatback does not is that the original seatback bolts very cleanly and by design to the seat bottom.

 

[noahvale]

POC seat

I replaced mine the POC (Power On Cycling) fiberglass seat from my Bacchetta. It pretty much fit. I drilled two holes to bolt it down at the top end and used #10 screws at the bottom to attach to the stock seat mount. I stacked up some nuts as spacers.
I never really liked the original seat, it was too narrow for me and I never felt in control. The wide POC seat is awesome. I'll post some pictures later.

 

[unc99]

Noahvale, I would be

Noahvale, I would be interested in seeing those pics, particuarly of how and where you bolted the seat at the top end. The seat I used was a fiberglass seat that was a "knock-off" of the Bacchetta carbon hardshell seat. I picked it up on ebay. It didn't work for me to try and bolt the whole seat on as the bottom part of the seat had too much of a curve to fit very well on the Silvio frame, but the POC seat is shaped a bit differently and I'm glad that worked for you. Might also be a good alternative for others.

 

[Robert Holler]

I too would be very

I too would be very interested to see detail of how the POC seat fits this bike, as that is my all time favorite seat. I had one on my old Rans Force 5, two other high racers, and an ICE trike.

Robert

 

[noahvale]

I really like the Poweron

I really like the Poweron Cycling fiberglass seat. It's about the same weight. I used this seat for years on my Bacchetta, so it's very familiar. It was very easy. I added 1" spacers after the first ride for a little less recline.

 

[ak-tux]

Very creative modifications

Very creative modifications indeed!

 

[unc99]

Just to follow up on my

Just to follow up on my initial post, I ended up bolting the seat to the frame using the existing hole that it is located in the seat back portion of the frame (see pic). Although it might be better to use two bolts, the seat feels very secure and I wasn't crazy about having to drill a hole in the frame if I didn't have to. I added velcro to the seat back just as with the original seat, and also am using a zip tie as a back up (just because there were already two holes in the seat when I purchased it used).

The seat is working great, and solves the issues I had with neck pain using the original seat. One nice part of cutting a seat in half as I did is that I was able to raise and lower the seat back on the frame until it hit the sweet spot with the shape of my back. I also like Noahvales approach of using a whole seat that he was comfortable with, but the seat I was using did not fit well at the bottom like his does.

Also, I may add a water bottle holder to the seat back at the top above the frame.

 

[bladderhead]

I like the way this seat

I like the way this seat curves in at the shoulders, like the Grasshopper seat.

I was on my Grasshopper and I was hit from the side by a car. The car hit the end of the handlebars and the side of the seat, and not my hand or my bum. If the seat had been any narrower I would have got an injured hip.

 

[noahvale]

One thing I do not like about

One thing I do not like about the POC on the Silvio is the step over height. It's over 2 inches higher. I put the original seat back on. I prefer it to the POC.

 

[BentBierz]

noahvale,
Sorry to hear it

noahvale,

Sorry to hear it didn't work out...was it due to the increase in padding or does the seat itself sit higher than the Silvio seat?

I'm waiting for Nanda to give a report on his project (mentioned over at BROL) to put a Nazca hardshell seat on a Silvio. I'm curious to see what he comes up with for a mounting arrangement and, more importantly, a ride/performance report.

 

[noahvale]

The POC does not have the

The POC does not have the sharp angle between the bottom and top like the Silvio seat, so it has to sit up higher off the frame. I'm on a recumbent due to cervical fusion and a still messed up neck. I rode 32 miles non stop yesterday on the Silvio seat and my neck felt fine. The headrest is a perfect fit for me. The POC/Adem headrest works ok, but I did have some neck pain after riding, as I did on the Bacchetta.

 

[BentBierz]

POC vs. Velokraft Seat?

I'm still contemplating replacing my seat and am currently talking to someone about a very slightly used POC carbon fiber seat. Does anyone know how the POC seat compares to a Velokraft seat? I have a large VK on my Barcroft and really like the shape/size.

 

[BentBierz]

By "compares", I meant shape,

By "compares", I meant shape, dimensions, etc...not quality. I have heard nothing but positive things about POC products.

 

[BentBierz]

noahvale said...

"The POC does not have the sharp angle between the bottom and top like the Silvio seat, so it has to sit up higher off the frame."

I just got a Nazca seat from Nanda to test fit and it appears to be about the same shape as the POC. I notice that the seat follows the contour of the Silvio nicely but, if you do follow the contour, the front of the seat is turned up more than the original Silvio. Is this what you meant about the POC and why you moved it further back thus causing the upper back of the seat to be pushed away from the frame?