bike with comfy seat and big battery

[Claudio]

Hi.. I bought a voltbike marine a few years ago and like it.. however I'm looking for something with a bigger battery for more range.. still at 500W motor so its legal here in montreal, canada and id like acomfortable seat for those long rides.. anyone suggest something? is there like 48V 20AH ebikes available? or bigger? mine is 11.6AH i think

 

[indianajo]

Buying what I wanted a piece at a time is what I did. The battery left is 17.5 AH from lunacycle and the seat is from meijer's grocery. As 24 miles at 55 deg & 12 mph pulled it way down, I should have bought a 21 AH. The battery is on the rack on the front, to balance the supplies in the back better. I wrapped it in aluminum angle and plastic insulation foam. Elastic stop nuts and the screw heads buried inside the foam make it difficult to steal.

 

[JohnT]

In general, bicycle seats are interchangeable, so if you don’t like yours, swapping it out is easy. If that doesn’t work, many love suspension seatposts like the Kinekt (AKA Body Float) or the Thudbuster.

There’s more to comfort than just the seat, though. Each bike has its own riding position. Again, if you already have a bike, and the standard adjustments don’t do it for you, swapping stems or handlebars might put you in a more comfortable position.

When possible, I recommend test riding a bike before you buy. You might discover any number of things that make one better or worse for your needs.

I’m a Pedego dealer, and comfort is one of the things we’re known for. I know there are Pedego dealers in Canada, but I don’t know about Montreal specifically.

Our most popular bikes come with what we call 48v/15ah batteries, but are technically 52v/14.5ah. Range is largely a function of watt-hours, which can be calculated by multiplying volts x amp-hours, so ours is roughly 750 wh. Different bikes will have different levels of efficiency, but looking at watt-hours is good for rough comparisons.

 

[ebikemom]

The seat problem is that different bodies feel good on different sorts of seats. I found a gel seatcover greatly increased my comfort on my bike seat. I think I can't use the suspension seatpost because I am not tall enough. (Correction: This information is wrong--my bike has a suspension seatpost, but I forgot about it because it doesn't work! I've contacted my local dealer for assistance)

I have the big (48v/15ah) battery, and can do my very hilly round-trip 25 mile commute no problem (and this summer a 30+mile commute), with mileage to spare. Efficiency seems to have dropped with colder weather, so I'm keeping a charger in my office. I've never run out of juice, but I can IMAGINE running out of juice, so I am not taking any chances.

 

[6zfshdb]

The seat problem is that different bodies feel good on different sorts of seats. I found a gel seatcover greatly increased my comfort on my bike seat. I think I can't use the suspension seatpost because I am not tall enough.

@ebikemom: Didn't your Pedego Interceptor come with a suspension seatpost? My wife loves the one that came with her Platinum Interceptor. She is 5' 2" with a 28" inseam and there is still almost 2 inches of post showing.

 

[ebikemom]

OHHHHHH!!! Um, Yeah! I just checked our interceptors. There are suspension seatposts, but MINE ISN'T WORKING. This gives me a good reason to take a ride to visit the Pedego Dealer! I'll email them right away to see what can be done about this. It hasn't functioned for so long I forgot I have it!!!

 

[steve marino]

Ask around at some of your local bike shops. Some of them have a box of take off seats, and you can pick up a few different ones for a small price.

 

[Alex M]

Hlooking for something with a bigger battery for more range.. still at 500W motor so its legal here in montreal, canada and id like acomfortable seat for those long rides

Battery is easy, 17WH are available.

The seat... The longer the ride, the less comfortable it is. Those that are very comfortable on a short relaxed ride, could become VERY uncomfortable on a long ride. You are not really sitting, but are perched on a small round bump, partially offloading your weight onto pedals and partially onto handlebars. Adding more area and more softness under your butt might feel better for "sitting" but could make it worse for pedaling.

Maximum comfort can be achieved only by eliminating the "saddle" in favor of recumbent seat, but those are mostly trikes. Day 6 is one of few exceptions, "close" to recumbents and is not a trike - but they cost few times more than Volt Mariner, don't know why. Bafang motors are not that expensive, and Day 6 is not a fat tire. Probably to compensate for low sales volumes. They do look unusual.

 

[indianajo]

You are not really sitting, but are perched on a small round bump, partially offloading your weight onto pedals and partially onto handlebars. Adding more area and more softness under your butt might feel better for "sitting" but could make it worse for pedaling.
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Putting weight on the hands is a great way for 50 year olds to maximize their arthritis in the next decade. IMHO. Over 60 there was no way I was loading any weight onto my hands, they go numb. I don't need to put weight on my pedals to run my pulse up to 192 either. I can generate my max power sitting down on a wide seat. I'm getting pain in my thumb so bad from shifting, even with a twist shifter, that I forsee a battery electric shifter in my future, too. Can't play piano this week, too much thumb joint pain. But biking or hillclimbing is necessary for heart health. Most 100+ year olds live on hills, walk daily up & down.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Take a look at the Cloud 9 seat. They make several versions. I got this one on the recommendation of one of our forum members and I really like it. The seat is comfy, and not just for the first ten miles (Alex M's comments are on point but apparently not applicable to every comfy seat) and the springs work well over bumps. Maybe not like a Thudbuster; I couldn't say because I've never had one. I'm happy with how the Cloud 9 handles bumps is all I can say.

 

[Alex M]

I have this exactly model of C9, it's huge. Bright blue logo is somehwat annoying but this is a matter of taste, I got used to it. As noted by countless users, this C9 needs a wise to squeeze the rails closer to one another. Also, it is higher than some other seats (~1" higher than my old Velo Plush), so if you want to sit very low this can be a problem.

After a year I can't honestly say this seat was an improvement compared to my previous Velo Plush, other than making my wallet lighter.
Though Velo Plush is already a sort of "comfort seat", with springs, a smaller seat than that C9. I have a cheap suspension seatpost and feel that it makes more difference on poor road surface than springs.

If you pedal at all, you have no choice but to shift some weight onto pedals even if you are not racing or climbing steep hill. This is inevitable and this is good for your bottom. Big seats can interfere with this part, that's why they don't always work. Try some. You may end up with several seats collecting dust on the shelf.