So here is a curious one to pop up on Kickstarter. How to lessen road vibrations before they impact the rider in as few parts as possible. Those of us here at BikeRumor with backgrounds in the shop have seen tons of customers complain about seat discomfort. Sometimes it was about a recent back procedure, other times it was simply a pain in their butt. The one common thread though, was that there weren’t a ton of different options besides thickly padded saddles, so it’s nice to see another take on the issue.
The designers and engineers behind the new Rinsten Spring have managed to develop a device that does that with just five individual parts, and on top of that the design will work on pretty much any bike out on the road or trail that has a few extra cms of seatpost showing. The concept and execution are both incredibly simple – Rinsten has created a looped leaf spring that clamps inside the saddle clamp of your existing seatpost, then cantilevers your saddle on a second rail clamp about 6cm higher up…
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rinsten/450261417?token=9cecaa62
It doesn’t get much more simple…
The leaf spring that supports the saddle (and this the rider) is a simple loop of spring steel that is rated for rider weights up to 150kg/330lb.
Then it just has a 2-part alloy clamping mechanism and 2 bolts that hold it together. By adjusting how far back from the bend the two clamps are attached, you adjust the arm of the cantilever, and thus the stiffness of the spring.
Sure there isn’t a huge amount of damping in a steel spring (at least not unless it is exceeding its elastic limit, which this shouldn’t do before 400kg based on their test data), but this could even out some rough and regular vibration. It also might be able to help riders who have some other biometric or pedaling issues.
In any case, it is a simple device at a reasonably affordable price that will likely deliver a ride much like a classic springer saddle, all while working with your current saddle and seatpost.
If that sounds interesting give their Kickstarter campaign a further look. At just $25 for the earliest bird backers and topping out at $31 per spring it is an affordable experiment to make. And one that they are backing with a full 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee, and a lifetime warranty if you keep it. The crowdfunding just went live today and will run for a month. It’s on its way with 17% of its funding goal being achieved within the first couple of hours live. If they get their funding, you should have a spring in your saddle by the end of July 2017.
