Airhawk vs cheaper versions vs gel pads

[Mr Moofo]

I suffer on long rides - anything over about 80 miles and my arse is screaming at me to stop. It doesn't seem to matter what bike - The Buell, with an S1 seat was bearable, The GS - even with a Corbin was agony, my KTM 950 SM had both gel and std seats - both hurt.
The Diavel allows me to do about 90 miles (on a Corbin).
The only bikes I have found vaguely comfortable seat wise are sports bikes - I guess leaning forward takes weight from your arse / back to wrists.
The Triumph Scrambler again is about 80 miles on the bench seat - sometimes 50!

I am looking at enhancing comfort:
1) Airhawk - 120 GBP - some people love them, some hate them, most say you feel detached from the bike
2) ComfortAir Cushion - kind of AirHawk but cheaper
3) A cheap air hawk alike from Ebay
4) Gel pad supplied by someone like DanMedica.

Does anyone have any experience / reviews etc of these products - or any other alternatives ?
Thanks

[Buckaroo]

You probably know this, but cycling bib shorts can help enormously. People also laugh at using chamois cream; I wouldn't cycle without it. Those razor thin saddles are comfortable with this set-up for huge distances at a time.

[Count Steer]

What, where exactly does it hurt? Are we talking glutes, hips, back or what? Given the above with the Corbin seats and sports bikes etc suggests you may need a physio rather than a nice soft cushioned seat. Never heard anyone complain about bum ache with a Corbin.

[Mr Moofo]

What, where exactly does it hurt? Are we talking glutes, hips, back or what? Given the above with the Corbin seats and sports bikes etc suggests you may need a physio rather than a nice soft cushioned seat. Never heard anyone complain about bum ache with a Corbin.

Oddly, it manifests its self as a pain in my love plums - plus the hollow from buttocks to nuts.
Never found a comfortable bike saddle either.

I have offered the advice on cycle shorts before but never taken it myself. Now maybe the time to start!

[KungFooBob]

Have you tried a Volvo, the seats in mine are the most comfortable ever!

[Count Steer]

What, where exactly does it hurt? Are we talking glutes, hips, back or what? Given the above with the Corbin seats and sports bikes etc suggests you may need a physio rather than a nice soft cushioned seat. Never heard anyone complain about bum ache with a Corbin.

Oddly, it manifests its self as a pain in my love plums - plus the hollow from buttocks to nuts.
Never found a comfortable bike saddle either.

I have offered the advice on cycle shorts before but never taken it myself. Now maybe the time to start!

Hmm...coccyx-ish or some sort of circulation or nerve pressure, numb plums....physio.

I don't think chammy underpants are going to solve things...but it'll be interesting and I'll be wrong if they do.

[Mr Moofo]

Have you tried a Volvo, the seats in mine are the most comfortable ever!

Maybe, but have all ambition and your adrenal glands removed is more painful than a 100 mile ride

[Skub]

Not many stock bike seats are comfy after about 90 miles and less after a restart.

The worst seat I ever owned was bolted to a ZX9R,man that thing was a board. I bought some gel,shaped it for the seat and recovered it. An absolute transformation. We did several 600 mile days and no numb bum.

On my current bike I went for a Bagster seat,there are a couple of options,gel,or otherwise. It wasn't cheap,but I've been hours in the saddle,only stopping for fuel and never once thinking about my arse.

Funnily enough the best stock seat was on a GSXR1000 K3,very comfy.

[Mr Moofo]

I actually found the seat on my (2) ZX9s comfortable - managed Assen (snigger) and back no problem.
My 998s was okay all the way down to Zurich ( as long as we were making good progress)

[dern]

Get yourself half a lamb skin from lambland for twenty quid. Made my drz comfortable for several hours riding.

D765C0CA-3106-4AA1-A925-AA176DD7119F.jpeg (427.32 KiB) Viewed 455 times

[Skub]

What exactly do those Mad Max sheepskins do?

[Mr Moofo]

Get yourself half a lamb skin from lambland for twenty quid. Made my drz comfortable for several hours riding.


D765C0CA-3106-4AA1-A925-AA176DD7119F.jpeg

I have one on the Scrambler.
If you put one on the Diavel, you get the wrong sort of attention in Brighton

[Count Steer]

What exactly do those Mad Max sheepskins do?

When did you last hear of bike riding sheep with a pain in the bum?

Hmm...maybe not the best way to phrase that.

[dern]

What exactly do those Mad Max sheepskins do?

Adds comfort.

[Skub]

What exactly do those Mad Max sheepskins do?

Adds comfort.

How does it work,is it an anti chaffing thing? There doesn't look to be much in the way of extra padding?

[dern]

What exactly do those Mad Max sheepskins do?

Adds comfort.

How does it work,is it an anti chaffing thing? There doesn't look to be much in the way of extra padding?

The skin itself is 1 or 2mm thick so that adds to the width of the seat and the wool bit adds several more mm. It takes all the hard edges off the narrow seat on the DRZ and just feels softer.

I've used it on the DRZ and it makes than a lot more comfortable and on the 1190 and it's definitely more comfortable but it's not as big an improvement as the 1190 seat is no where near as much of a plank as the DRZ.

[dern]

You can see how thick they are in this video...

[MyLittleStudPony]

Few I found standing up on the pegs and stretching and moving for a good 30 seconds every now and then was the best solution. And like adjusting the pressure in your ears when diving, best done well before it starts to get painful.

[asmethurst99]

Adds comfort.

How does it work,is it an anti chaffing thing? There doesn't look to be much in the way of extra padding?

The skin itself is 1 or 2mm thick so that adds to the width of the seat and the wool bit adds several more mm. It takes all the hard edges off the narrow seat on the DRZ and just feels softer.

I've used it on the DRZ and it makes than a lot more comfortable and on the 1190 and it's definitely more comfortable but it's not as big an improvement as the 1190 seat is no where near as much of a plank as the DRZ.

I’ve used one and they do make a big difference - not very waterproof though.

[Supermofo]

Couple of mates have these and say they are more comfy than standard. They do have a 'look' though, which might not fit with your bike.

https://www.coolcovers.co.uk/