In my opinion (for what that's worth), seat POSITION is one of the THE most critical adjustments! Not just front-rear, side-to-side, but HEIGHT and ROTATION.
Amazingly, even PaulMRotax and I are nearly in agreement over the stiffness (and that's a RARE occurrence!). Neither of us think the stiffness is HUGELY important but he feels that stiffness has a significant effect whereas Dave (QoT) and I think that effect is MUCH smaller than that.
Most of us seem to be arguing about a matter of DEGREE. QoT and Traxtar think it makes ZERO difference, I think it makes fractional-to-minuscule difference, Banzai thinks it makes a HUGE difference and there's lots of other opinions in between. That's only a matter of degree!
Those who think it DOES make a difference might want to tell us HOW it makes such a difference. The seat is mounted, quite loosely in the chassis and is of an open, curve and those are STAGGERINGLY weak. Just try STANDING on a seat that is laying on it's side in your garage and see if it's strong enough to resist even one QUARTER of your weight!!!! Forces applied TO the seat are done via 4 small contact points, 2 of which are in THE most floppy parts of the chassis. The force is applied through spindly seat stays and the major part of the stiffness of the seat would be supplied by your BODY thrust into it. I don't know about you but my body has considerably LESS stiffness (in most places......) than a steel tube or and axle of chassis member. Those of us who feel the effect is small-to-no-existant would like to see which part of the floppy seat/body is supposed to be applying that FABULOUS stiffness! Does it supply that force by resiting the TWISTING of the seat (delivered by the weave of the seat material) or by bracing the chassis across the seat stays (delivered by the resistence of the seat 'wings' from being 'closed')?
I hope someone can tell us because, I for one, cannot see it!
It's QoT's rigorous challenging of my views about seat stiffness over the years that have made me come to this view. His logic is simply IMPECABLE on this one, as it is about loose side pods, loose rear bumper mounts etc..
Just tell us where he's WRONG!
Ian
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