The composition of the seat cushion
Seat cushions are generally composed of four parts: surface material, filling material, bottom plate, seat bow, each part is closely related to your riding comfort.
surface material
The surface material is in contact with the hip, and the air permeability and smoothness of different materials will affect the riding experience.
Currently the main surface material on the market is leather, which is relatively cheap and has a smooth surface, which is very easy to maintain, but has poor air permeability. Therefore, some seat cushions will improve their breathability through special designs.
Of course, there is also a mountain bike seat cushion made of leather, which has good air permeability and a strong texture. The price is not cheap, and daily maintenance is also very troublesome.
There is also a seat cushion with a carbon fiber surface, which is easy to maintain and lightweight, but the price is slightly higher and the comfort is average.
Filler
The filling material is to expand the contact surface between the buttocks and the seat cushion, and to bear part of the vibration, bringing comfort.
The general filling materials include foam, silica gel, air cushion, and some without filling. For example, the spider seat cushion has only one spider web-shaped bottom plate, which has good air permeability. A car friend described it as an "air-conditioning seat cushion".
Bottom plate
Supports padding and body weight, and also dampens vibrations. Now the mainstream bottom plate is composite plastic material (good elasticity, cheap price), carbon fiber (light weight, high strength).
seat bow
Carrying the seat cushion and at the same time having the effect of mitigating vibration, it is generally connected with the seat tube. Common materials are steel, titanium alloy, carbon fiber, etc. There are also saddles that use hollow tube technology to improve light weight and cushioning.
