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Of course there's been a lot of discussion regarding seats/saddles over the course of time. Recently there's been some happy, and some disgruntled campers regarding Corbin. And the very topic begs for more understanding, given the importance of comfort and endurance. And so it was that I was lurking around another forum when I ran across the following which I thought to be useful for anyone weighing out the issues of seat replacement and/or enhancement.

From that other forum...

"OK.
I've been an upholsterer for 30 years.
Here's what's at play as far as I can tell.
The problem with long distance riding isn't softness or firmness, it's sheering of the soft tissues of our backsides.
When a force strikes an object the energy doesn't travel "thru" or "into" the object, it is deflected somewhat perpendicular. When this "sheer" happens to flesh there is a tearing of tissue.
As we ride, the continued, repeated tearing of our backsides, results in "monkeybutt".
Softer foam will absorb more of the sheering effect than hard foam, a saddle-style seat, like a Corbin, provides a more stable "platform" which holds the rider in place, thus reducing sheering. Sheepskin fleece will almost eliminate the side-ways tearing. In this case the seat moves, we move and the fleece acts as a membrane between. Gel seats act the same. The lower foam shifts, the bottom of the Gel goes with it, the top stays in contact with the vinyl and the rider, absorbing the sheering force and minimizing tear. The bicycling underwear will act this way too. It's like putting a saddle on a horse. There must always be a blanket in between the horse and the saddle, not just for the animal but for the rider also. Those hard bead things the cab drivers use work great, the beads "turn",Like bearings, between the two surfaces.
If your butt anatomically fits a Corbin, great. If not, it won't work.
The same for the factory seat.
As a true S/T the Trophy's seat is rounded so we can slide sideways while leaning into hard curves, it's not very easy or advisable to "put a knee down" with a saddle seat. If your riding style is very conservative a cruiser is probably a better choice for a bike.
If this is a real problem, find a suitable "membrane" for when your burning the asphalt on the interstate, then "bare back" it in the twisties.
I prefer to get out at least 3 times a year and build up some scar tissue, I call it staying' in shape. I also don't want to add to the seat height.
Just my ideas.
Carry on!"

My problem with long distance riding isn't "monkey butt" although I have experienced that, and it's not fun. My problem is the ache in the tailbone that starts to happen after a couple of hours in the saddle. My experience with seats on the TBA and on other bikes is that a disproportionate amount of the riders weight is supported in the center of the seat, right under the tailbone, while the glutes are hanging off the side.

The Corbin works for me, in that it's a firmer material, so that I get more support from the outside of the saddle, meaning that more of my weight is carried on the glutes, which can handle it better than the tailbone.

I had the same experience with my BMW. The stock seat was too narrow. I found some kind of aftermarket touring seat in my mechanic's garage that had a very wide profile, and it was much more comfortable.

I know a number of people who ride Honda cruisers, and they all are happy with their stock seats. These seats are wide and firm compared with the TBA's stock seat.

Thanks for that Keith.

Interesting words, particularly these ones:

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If your butt anatomically fits a Corbin, great. If not, it won't work.

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The reason is, three or so years ago we were still talking about corbins much the same we are now believe it or not, but one thing that struck me was, everyone then was assuming one seat should have suited everyone and if it didn't there must have been something wrong with the seat.

Well, getting back to the "anatomically fits" words of wisdom from the upholsterer and it made me think, what was he refering to? For instance, what type of backside does fit a corbin and if there is one's that do and one's that don't, shouldn't potential customers know which category they may fit into.

Now, back to the posts I wrote a while back and whilst I was being as respectful as I could given the circumstances, I did ask the question whether perhaps those with bigger butts didn't find them as comfortable as those with ones not as big, so to speak.

You see, I find my corbin brilliant but it did take a while to be that way and I'm in the good weight for age category. Well if I have found it a good saddle, my question was did those who had bigger backsides find them less comfortable and rather than put it down to "anatomically fit", were some just saying they didn't find them comfortable without anyone knowing why.

Anyway, the question was asked and we didn't get very far as I half expected but (or should that be butt ), I did believe I had a point which may have helped others consider if the Corbin might have been good value considering it's almost impossible to "try before you buy" one of these, and without good info how would you know if you were going to waste some half descent money on depreciation.

It's just a point

stacka

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Staffo, if I'm reading this correctly you're asking if the Corbin is not a good fit for a big ol butt?
I gotta a butt that is, well I really don't have much of a butt. Just some skin and bones and the Corbin just never worked for me. I put 3-4 grand on the sucka and it still hurt after 75-100 miles.

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And yet that anatomical thing has to play a part one would think. It must... I think it might be good to speak to a real cowboy about this,'cause they'd know a thing or two about saddles and comfort and hours spent and all of that.

Is it just my limited observation? Or is it really the America riders more than the Speedmaster riders that seem to experience the discomfort in the tailbone and other ride-position related concerns?

Try the Speedmaster bars!

Keith, I think you may be onto something.

i get a numb bum after about 90 mins with my stock saddle. I am sure it is not due to extra butt cheek padding as I have a skinny ****** and fat belly.

Corbin+backrest+sheepskin=all day comfort

I have spent some time on a hawse myself and although I am no cowboy I did find that the english saddle [very much like our tba and speedy saddles] was a very good fit to my non existant ****** while the western style left me raw and bumped in all the wrong ways.The trouble with comparing the riding of our bikes to the riding of a horse is that they really arent very comparable.The choppy gate,pitch and yaw of a trail ride doesnt compare well to riding on the road on our little cruisers.I have actually found the best thing I have done for comfort in riding [bikes] was through the changeout of my tba bars to the bellacorse super bars .I feel better all over after riding my normal 1 hr commutes.Just my 2 cents.

I have the same Corbin seats as the mountainman depicts in his photo. I run a SM and after about 25 mins I get the dreaded Monkey Butt which require a 5 min smoke break. This cuts seriously into covering miles pronto. With the Corbin seat I am very comfortable until about 45 mins in the saddle. Of course I have not completly broken in the seats yet as I only have about 700 miles on them.

However I will say that they show promise and are more comfortable than the standard Gunfighter seat that the Speedy came with.

I had Spencers rework my seat on my Tiger. $65 and got it back in less then a week. I ride 300-400 mile rides often. He relieved the pressure on my tialbone. I seem to mold into the seat now.
http://greatdaytoride.com/FAQ.html

I have about 2 hours on my Corbin, and I've already noticed a great improvement. They are stiff, but supportive. So far, I'm pleased. My wife is also pleased with the pillion seat. She feels like she's planted on the seat and has plenty of support. They aren't cheap, but are very well made with high quality materials, and workmanship.

They do change your seating position slightly. In my case, I did get pushed back a bit, and it seems a little higher than the stock Speedmaster seat... at least with my short 27" inseam legs!

H.

With these seats, I think three things come into play.

Buttockal width has been mentioned.

Handlebar distance has been mentioned.

Leg length - if your legs are shorter, they set straighter, or more parallel the ground, and this puts a little more weight on the back of your upper thigh / lower glute area. If your legs are longer, your legs will be bent more and more weight will sit on your tailbone. I'm 5'-7.5" with approx 30" inseam and the stock Speedmaster seat has been fine for a a couple of hours at a stretch.

Maybe when discussing seats, we need to include our height, weight, inseam, sleeve length and the width of our butts?



Nah.

I'm 5'11" 215 lbs 32" inseam. (this sounds like a dating site add........)

The stock TBA seat was terrible. Couldn't do more than 20 miles without pain in the tailbone area. I sent it off to Mean City Customs in North Carolina for a re-work. They added memory foam and re-shaped the seat. No dice. In fact it was even worse. I sent it back and they fixed it a bit. Still no good. Switched to the touring seat. Worst thing I've ever put my butt on. Went back to the crappy stock seat. Now I use an Airhawk pad for road trips. My butt still ends up killing me but I can now go almost 100 miles instead of 20. What the heck is wrong with this picture??!!??!!

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What the heck is wrong with this picture??!!??!!

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Tailbonitis plagued me too Barry... until I got my Corbin. It's the riding position. Feet stretched forward... arms the same, the fulcrum of the body being the tailbone. I had to dial in my bike to fit me as perfectly as possible with my 5'7" frame and a 30" inseam. Bar adjustment, risers, Corbin, sheepskin, floorboards and highway pegs all led to a very comfortable ride. It's all individual but you can find the right setup for you and your frame. I can now ride all day with my bike the way it is!!!

I agree you have to get all of the elements (handle bars, controls and seat) together for it to work right. Fitting a bike to your own body and riding style is probably the most important (in terms of really liking a bike) mod you can make. If it doesn't fit right and the comfort is not there you won't like it and ride as much.

Dan, this has been said more times than I can remember but only time in your Corbin will fix the problem. At the moment it is firm as, and by the sounds of it the main pressure point is your tail bone.

Over time, the foam on the corbin will begin to soften up in that area and with it, so will the pressure. Eventually, you will have no pressure points or that's my experience.

Fwiw, I too had pressure on my tail bone and it became really uncomfortable and like you say, only a break every hour would let me keep going.

Well that is a distant memory now Dan and like me eventually you'll also be thankful you bought a Corbin.

To help with the break in, I was told by Corbin to treat the leather weekly until it's broken in. The idea is to keep the leather supple during the break in. This will speed up the break in process.

HTH,
H.