RealSeat Bicycle Seats - "The ultimate 'how to' guide to enjoying a RealSeat bike seat!"

RealSeatTM is an original design protected by U.S. patent #6,705,674

Our RealSeat will only clamp onto what is referred to as a 'tapered' seat
post shaft. Tapered seat post shafts (EXP. A) have a main shaft
diameter that tapers down to a diameter of 7/8 of an inch
at the very top end of the shaft. This 7/8" dia. top
end of the seat post is what our seat mount
will clamp onto. If you already have
a 'tapered' shaft then skip
down to section #2.

FACT: 85-90% of bicycles sold today come standard with a 'tapered' seat
post shaft for use with RealSeatTM. As a general rule 'integrated'
style seat post shafts (EXP. B) are typically found on high
end bicycles like Cannondale, Trek, Giant, Fuji, etc.

If your seat post shaft resembles (EXP. B), wherein the seat post clamp
is physically attached to the seat post shaft, then you have an
'integrated' seat post shaft and you will have to replace
it with a 'tapered' seat post shaft. READ THE INFO
BELOW FOR REPLACEMENT ADVICE.

IDENTIFYING THE DIAMETER OF YOUR 'INTEGRATED' SEAT POST:
Before you can replace an 'integrated' seat post shaft you will first need to
remove the shaft from your bicycle to determine its diameter. As is
often the case the diameter of a shaft can be found stamped
directly on the shaft itself below its minimum insertion
line. And, if the diameter is not stamped on shaft
it will then need to be measured with a
pair of calipers or micrometers
to establish its diameter.

WHAT IS A SEAT POST SHIM:
Since some 'integrated' style seat post shafts have diameters
larger than their 'tapered' cousin, you may have to use a 'seat post shim'
in conjunction with a replacement 'tapered' seat post shaft. For
example, if your seat post shaft is 30.9mm in diameter,
you would need both a 27.2mm seat post shaft
and a 27.2/30.9mm seat post shim.

WHERE TO BUY REPLACEMENT 'TAPERED' SHAFTS:
We have a full assortment of replacement 'tapered' seat post shafts and
seat post shims available for sale on OUR STORE web page
-OR- you can visit your local bike shop to acquire
the exact replacement 'tapered' style
seat post shaft assembly to
install a RealSeat.

EXP. A

EXP. B

2.) POSITION AND CENTER THE BORED HOLE ON THE MOUNT ONTO THE
TOP END OF THE 'TAPERED' 7/8" SEAT POST SHAFT.

Start by locating the 7/8" bored shaft hole on the seats mount and gently lower
the seat until the bored shaft hole is fully seated to the top end of the
'tapered' 7/8" seat post shaft and square up the front edge of
the seats cover with the main crossbar of the bike.

NOTE: In some instances it may be necessary to spread slit apart slightly
on the seats mount with wedged screw driver (back screws off first and place
screwdriver between screws to wedge) to accommodate seat post
shafts that are slightly over-sized with paint build-up.

After the seat has been placed fully on top of seat post shaft locate the (2)
hex head cap screws threaded into the seats mount and tighten
each hex head cap screw 'back & forth' with a 6mm
Allen wrench until they are equally and
extensively tightened.

Next, make certain that the seat post shaft clamp/quick release (aka.. the
bolt that came with your bike that you loosen and tightened
to raise or lower the seats overall height)
is also extensively tightened.

To verify and complete the installation, it is necessary to test that BOTH
the seat is secured tightly to the top end of the 'tapered' seat post shaft -AND-
that the seat post shaft clamp/quick release (by itself) is sufficiently
tightened by straddling the rear tire as to grab a hold of
the left & right sides of the seat. With reasonable
force, laterally tug on the seat as to
verify that it will not easily
shift when in use.

It is important to note, if the seat should ever shift when in use, it will then
be up to you to isolate whether it is our seats mount slipping
on the seat post shaft -OR- if it is the seat post
shaft (by itself) that is shifting
and re-tighten further.

Please keep in mind 99 times out of 100 the culprit of seat shift is typically
a result of the seat post not being sufficiently tightened for new
application, and not our RealSeat. Simply put you if you
fail to tighten nut or quick release to seat post
shaft with force greater than what is
necessary with your old saddle
it will most certainly shift.

To further illustrate this point, our line of extra wide bicycle seats do
exert far greater lateral (left to right) leverage on a seat post shaft than what an
ordinary saddle does during use. If you couple this with the realization that
all components that need tightened to install our seat are ROUND,
it should then be crystal clear to any beginner or novice
why all bolt hardware needs to be tightened
extensively to alleviate shifting of seat.

1.) REMOVE YOUR OLD SADDLE COMPLETELY TO DETERMINE WHAT 'STYLE' OF
SEAT POST SHAFT YOU HAVE ON YOUR BIKE.

LOWERING THE SEAT HEIGHT & SETTING SEAT ANGLE

LEVEL

FORWARD

BACKLEAN

TO PIVOT THE SEAT:
Locate the 14mm flange head nut threaded onto the carriage bolt in the
bracket slot on the right side of the seat frame. When tightened,
this nut sets the pitch angle of the seat frame to the
bicycle. To change the seats angle: loosen
nut, re-pivot the seat frame fore
or aft and re-tighten nut.

ADJUSTING THE SEAT COVER TENSION

TO INCREASE TENSION ON COVER:
Locate the 2 webbing straps underneath the cover and pull apart the
hook & loop closure sewn to the 2 webbing straps. Next, secure
seat to apply leverage (SEE ABOVE PHOTO ON RIGHT) to
tighten webbing then re-mate hook & loop together.

TO DECREASE TENSION ON COVER:
Locate the 2 webbing straps underneath the cover and pull apart the
hook & loop closure sewn to the 2 webbing straps. Next, lift
up on the metal buckles to release the webbing
tension then re-mate hook & loop.

Due to minor fabric stretch from use, periodic tightening may be
needed to maintain tension, especially after the seats first use.

If, at first, you can't get cover clean with a damp wash cloth then:

- FOREWORD -
- SEAT INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS -
- LOWERING THE SEAT HEIGHT & SETTING SEAT ANGLE -
- ADJUSTING THE SEAT COVER TENSION -
- REMOVING YOUR SEAT COVER -
- USEFUL RIDING TIPS -
- COVER CARE -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REMOVING YOUR SEAT COVER

TIP #1: Unless you are VERY limber and can easily swing your leg over
the entire seat without falling over it is a good idea instead
to lean the bicycle to one side wherein you lift your
leg over the main crossbar of your bicycle.

TIP #2: When trying your RealSeat for the very first time start by straddling the
crossbar positioning the bike between your legs. When you are ready to
take off place one foot on a down-stroked pedal and with your other
foot firmly planted to ground give yourself a good push-off
to get rolling. Now once you get pedaling and going
forward under full power begin to sit and settle
down into your new comfy RealSeat.

'LEG PRESSURE' CONSIDERATIONS:
Depending on what style of bicycle you ride or how many miles you ride at a
given time some negligible pressure to the back of your legs may
be unavoidable. And while changing the seat angle &
height will reduce pressure, it also might
not eliminate it entirely.

So, if you happen to experience pressure to the back of your
legs please ask yourself what's worse... a little pressure to back of your legs
with our seat -OR- the major discomfort of your entire body weight
bore directly upon your private and sensitive spots
when you straddle your old saddle?

THE 4 'BASIC' POSITIONS OF SEAT ANGLE

SEAT INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

NOTE: The hook & loop in our seat covers is not of an ordinary variety, it
is instead a 'low cycle - high shear' specialty hook & loop. When
the hook & loop is properly mated/mashed together, it
becomes extremely difficult to pull apart. To pull
apart hook & loop, work your fingers in
between the two to separate.

WARNING
Do NOT tighten the 'HEX HEAD CAP SCREWS ON THE SEAT MOUNT'
-OR- the 'SEAT POST CLAMP ON YOUR BIKE' beyond what is
necessary to prevent lateral shifting of your RealSeat.

USEFUL RIDING TIPS

COVER CARE

NOTE: To prolong seat cover life and color, avoid unnecessary
exposure to sunlight and/or the elements.

PHOTO'S COMING SOON!

4) The (leaned back position) is for riders of forward crank or cruiser
style bicycles. These bicycles either have there pedals
in a more forward position (versus a traditional
upright bicycle) and/or they have
extended handlebars.

2) The (dead level position) is intended for those who want to put
their full body weight on their seat. This style of
rider is all about casual cycling.

1) The (level but leaning slightly forward position) gives riders the
ability to disburse their full body weight comfortably on
their seat and still have good leg extension.

3) The (forward position) is best suited for endurance riders. For this
type of rider instead uses the seat more to take weight off
their legs during a long ride than to rest their bottom.

TO LOWER OR RAISE THE SEAT HEIGHT:
Loosen the bolt/quick release on the seat post clamp (attached to your
bike) and raise or lower your RealSeat and re-tighten.

After you have attached and fully tightened your RealSeat to the tapered
seat post shaft you will more than likely need to lower overall
height of the seat from the pedals or ground.

The reason for this is because the vertical height of our RealSeat is taller
than the saddle that came with your bike. So, to compensate for
the increased height it is advisable that you first lower
the seat post an inch at the minimum before
taking your very first test ride.

SEAT HEIGHT LOWERING TIP
Since ALL RealSeat seat covers have flexible safety reflectors sewn to
rear of seat cover you can safely and easily remove the plastic
reflector assembly that is wrapped around seat post
shaft that came with bicycle to lower seat
upwards of an additional inch.

FOREWORD

While all bicycles have obvious similarities they are all geometrically
different. Therefore, of the thousands of brands and millions
of bicycles manufactured over the past 50 years, it is
impossible for us to pre-set our seat in such
a configuration where it won't require
a couple simple adjustments
to optimize comfort.

In a nut shell, a little common sense combined with either a reduction of
the seats overall height (by an inch or two) or an adjustment of
the seats tilt angle (by pivoting it fore or aft a couple
of degrees) will substantially enhance the
seats overall comfort and usability.

And while we do indeed believe our RealSeatTM is a significant
improvement from the 'crotch crushers' that are traditional saddles, it is
by no means perfect. For if you somehow expect your rear end to
be magically suspended in perpetual weightlessness in
defiance of the principle laws of gravity then
you are deeply mistaken and should
consider a different seat.

On the other hand, if you happen to be one of the untold millions who
can no longer tolerate a saddle, and you want to ensure that
you discover all of RealSeat's comfort potential, it is
then imperative that you take 10 minutes
and consult this 'easy to read'
page in its entirety.

Next, level the seat with ground to prepare for your very first 'test ride'.

Important Note: Before taking off for very first time please make
certain your tires on bicycle are properly inflated. For if a bicycle has under
inflated tires the rider will have to push harder than normal
(and on seat!) just to get bike moving forward.

To try seat for first time, place yourself on bicycle wherein you straddle
the main crossbar of bike with one foot to the ground
and the other foot resting a top of
down-stroked pedal.

Now, with your grounded foot give yourself a strong push-off to get the
bike moving BEFORE you attempt to sit in the seat. And,
until such time you have mastered its use,
do NOT take-off while seated.

Upon completion of your first 'test ride' you may find you now want
to experiment with the seat by adjusting or fine tuning
the pitch angle or height to optimize ride.

It so happens most riders we have interviewed after trying the seat
for the first time are amazed at what just a couple degrees difference in angle
(back or forward) or an adjustment of the overall height from pedals
can do to alter level of comfort and usability of seat. But, one
thing is for certain, the seat will not adjust by itself!

NOTE
The reason we do not recommend that first time users take off while
fully seated is because all to often one risks the seat shifting because one has
pushed too hard on seat just trying to get the bicycle moving forward
when first beginning to pedal. In other words, the seat is
not a leg press and will move if unduly forced!

1.) Immerse with water
2.) Apply liquid dish soap
3.) Scrub with bristle brush
4.) Rinse with garden hose
5.) Allow to dry thoroughly

HOW TO

"Extra WIDE Bike Seats for Real Comfort and Relief"