Are banana seats comfortable?

[stretch]

then you might be alright with a normal sized banana seat. 8)

 

[old school 64]

I am 5' 4" and in the 150 lb. range, and was riding mine usually around 10-20 miles per weekend, and you will feel it !! Make sure and get something that has the padding in all the right area's.

hahaha. Well I'm kind of a the smaller side, being 5'4. Im not wide, but im aint slim.

 

[RJ Stiles]

If your goal is comfort with the sissy bar element of a banana seat, there are a few solutions that come close:

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=9&pg=4754

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/EN-GB/bikes/lifestyle/178/15230/

http://www.frontlinebikes.com/best-...ith-back-rest-vanilla-with-black-checker.html

http://www.staton-inc.com/store/products/Seat_SADDLE_SUN_LITE_COMFORT_with_BACKREST-1154-3.html

http://www.morgancycle.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=4

There are also some interesting thoughts on fabrication here.

 

[Jimmy the Gent]

From a size standpoint (both my size, and the seat size) they're comfortable to me. I'm 5'7" and around 160. The two things I'm planning on changing are the level of padding and adding shocks to the sissybar.

The seat I have now is the lower-priced version of a Sting-Ray repro, and you can actually see the difference in padding.

 

[NLCTVWguy]

I've ridden mine with regular Stingray seats (both vintage and repro ones) and put a few miles on at times.

Not too often but I've done a couple of 4-5 mile rides, definitely long enough on these bikes. The big issue is the gearing for me mostly... and it also becomes easy to cause weird problems with them like pulling handlebars back (200lbs and a lot of leverage..) But the seat is not an issue for me.

The short crank on older ones will bother you before the seat will in my experience. I've ridden my '66 with a deep tufted seat, very comfortable... my 68 with a slightly split Fastback seat, that one feels like a Cadillac... my 72 with a nice soft repro seat was very good too.

On the other hand, my Apple Krate with springer sissy bar is too soft and saggy to be comfortable for anything but little around town rides. A bigger person is too much for the springs in these things.

Good luck with yours!
--Rob

From a size standpoint (both my size, and the seat size) they're comfortable to me. I'm 5'7" and around 160. The two things I'm planning on changing are the level of padding and adding shocks to the sissybar.

The seat I have now is the lower-priced version of a Sting-Ray repro, and you can actually see the difference in padding.

 

[deorman]

Compared to a bare seatpost, extremely.

 

[Jimmy the Gent]

On the other hand, my Apple Krate with springer sissy bar is too soft and saggy to be comfortable for anything but little around town rides. A bigger person is too much for the springs in these things.

Good luck with yours!
--Rob

So; you're recommending not installing a springer sissybar, and just more padding on the seat?


...and thanks!!

--(another) Rob

 

[theVULTURE]

re did my electra straight 8 for a show this month, and saw that a friend had a banana seat on his rat rod......
so I switched from the saddle to the banana.
there was a huge pre-show ride the evening before the show, and after about 30 min my face went from 8) to :?
style points----- yes
comfort------- no