chinese carbon saddles

[ediryppah]

I ran the plastic base Ryet Aircode on my aluminium rim break bike most of last year and was super happy. Always comfy.
I got a new carbon bike with carbon hoops during winter sales, and paired it with a carbon base Aircode, figured I'd save some weight.

The new bike had been out just a few times and I never got along with the new saddle. I assumed it was a fit issue (always difficult to perfectly re-do a fit between bikes), so I was messing around with saddle setback/angle a lot.

But yesterday I just realized the saddle with the carbon base has a super stiff upper, like it's a dramatic difference to the other one I have.
Swapped over the plastic base saddle to the new bike and went out today and I was comfy again.

I don't know if there's different batches or if this is a general issue? I kind of want to get a carbon base "soft" aircode, might just try those new softer uppers then.

[BeR]

Loving the new T40A mesh on the RYET Arcode saddle. This one totally fixes the stiff mesh from the original. It's a tad heavier at 170g, but it's way comfortable! 

I read that the front of the saddle may be to wide and leads to irritation or damage the short. Could you confirm please ?

[amacal1]

I ran the plastic base Ryet Aircode on my aluminium rim break bike most of last year and was super happy. Always comfy.
I got a new carbon bike with carbon hoops during winter sales, and paired it with a carbon base Aircode, figured I'd save some weight.

The new bike had been out just a few times and I never got along with the new saddle. I assumed it was a fit issue (always difficult to perfectly re-do a fit between bikes), so I was messing around with saddle setback/angle a lot.

But yesterday I just realized the saddle with the carbon base has a super stiff upper, like it's a dramatic difference to the other one I have.
Swapped over the plastic base saddle to the new bike and went out today and I was comfy again.

I don't know if there's different batches or if this is a general issue? I kind of want to get a carbon base "soft" aircode, might just try those new softer uppers then.

No, the Aircode is insanely stiff. It was my first carbon saddle and I was expecting flexy, bendy carbon. What I got was a chunk of carbon fiber so stiff I would have thought it was a solid aluminum block. Still, I didn't find it uncomfortable. The shape of the Aircode is pretty good for me, honestly, but that nose is just too wide and the exposed carbon rim would occasionally get me if I didn't seat myself down on it just right.

I eventually bought a different Ryet carbon saddle with a more rounded edge (that is also covered with mesh and doesn't just leave exposed carbon) and has a MUCH thinner nose. Notably, the carbon is more like what I expected it to be, it's very flexy and bendy. Not nearly so stiff as the Aircode, not even close. I don't find it *quite* as comfortable as the Aircode, but it doesn't have those specific problems.

[jonathanf2]

I read that the front of the saddle may be to wide and leads to irritation or damage the short. Could you confirm please ?

None of my bibs are are showing any damage. The original 3D mesh Arcode is a bit stiff, but after trying several other 3D printed saddles I've gone back to the Arcode on both my road bikes and my gravel bike. You really have to dial-in the seat post height and angle properly. The reason I prefer the wide nose of the Arcode is due to my climbing style. I tend to position forward on the saddle to get pedaling leverage. Narrow saddles tend to be less comfortable in that forward position (causing irritation for me) and the big gap in the Arcode helps keep the crown jewels comfortable!

The new T40A mesh on the Arcode is a big improvement in my opinion. I have that saddle on my gravel bike and it almost feels invisible on my butt. I would update my other Arcode saddles as well, but I'm trying not to buy more stuff. It really comes down to your riding style. 

[ediryppah]

No, the Aircode is insanely stiff. It was my first carbon saddle and I was expecting flexy, bendy carbon. What I got was a chunk of carbon fiber so stiff I would have thought it was a solid aluminum block. Still, I didn't find it uncomfortable. The shape of the Aircode is pretty good for me, honestly, but that nose is just too wide and the exposed carbon rim would occasionally get me if I didn't seat myself down on it just right.

I eventually bought a different Ryet carbon saddle with a more rounded edge (that is also covered with mesh and doesn't just leave exposed carbon) and has a MUCH thinner nose. Notably, the carbon is more like what I expected it to be, it's very flexy and bendy. Not nearly so stiff as the Aircode, not even close. I don't find it *quite* as comfortable as the Aircode, but it doesn't have those specific problems.

No what I meant is that the 3D printed upper is dramatically different in terms of how soft it is between these saddles. Both saddles are Aircodes, one is from early 2024 with plastic base and one is from late 2024 with carbon base.
I thought the upper would be consistent between the saddles, but it really is not. I kind of wish I had a durometer so I could prove it.

[glepore]

No what I meant is that the 3D printed upper is dramatically different in terms of how soft it is between these saddles. Both saddles are Aircodes, one is from early 2024 with plastic base and one is from late 2024 with carbon base.
I thought the upper would be consistent between the saddles, but it really is not. I kind of wish I had a durometer so I could prove it.

Interesting. I have 2 Aircodes, one that I bought early, as soon as they became available, and one that I bought more recently. I thought the newer one was slightly flatter and stiffer, and this thread made me go examine them. There is a significant difference in the 3d mesh, the older one has mesh with empty openings whereas the later saddle has mesh with a reinforcement X in the center of the openings. The later saddle is much firmer if you push on it, and also thinner. I believe altho I've not measured that its closer to a 140 Stealth and the older one is more of a 150ish. So they changed the mesh, and it appears they have evolved it again with the T40

[Biscaye05]

FWIW I just bought my first RYET saddle

It’s a Specialized Romin Evo Pro copy. The original Romin Evo worked for me many moons ago and somehow transferred to Prologo Dimensions for quite a while. I found that these flat saddle cause a lot of chaffing on my groin area that I can’t ride my bike for days

I’m on a Selle Italia copy atm and my groin area has never felt better for a while. Can’t wait to try on the RYET

[Zoidberg_427]

Velobuild is stopped selling smp clones so is there any cheap alternatives? Or do i have to buy smp well saddle

[stb]

This is a follow up of my previous findings:

https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,776.msg76850.html#msg76850

I bought the Elita One 63D seat post and the OdinZeus K1 saddle so I could compare both (vs. Ryet K1) more closely and just keep one of them.

First, some measurements:

	Ryet K1	OdinZeus K1
Weight	52.5 g	57.9 g
Rail to Rail	37.89 mm	36 mm
Rail Height	7.46 mm	8.85 mm
Rail Width	5.49 mm	6.62 mm

Now, my observations:

• Although Ryet claims the rail dimensions to be as the original Gelu K1, they are 1 mm smaller in both width and height.
• Both saddles can be used on the Elita One seat post. However, the Ryet K1 cannot be used on 1 bolt style clamps due to the smaller diameter of its rails. I confirmed with OdinZeus' seller the diameter of their saddle rails, to which they said 7 mm x 9 mm. As can be seen on the pictures, close enough.
• OdinZeus rail-to-rail does not seat completely flat on the bottom plate of the seat clamp (not a problem on the 1 bolt clamp). Ryet K1 seems to fit better. In both cases, the bolts were just finger tight.
• Ryet K1 has "sand paper type" adhesive on the rails to avoid slippage when mounted. I guess it is nice to have, but I have never had problems with carbon rails in the past.

Minor aesthetic details (see bottom pictures):

• The Ryet K1 has a more pronounced "lip" on the edge all around.
• The OdinZeus K1 seems, to me at least, to have a better finish overall, including the middle channel.
• To me they look pretty similar, except for the rails. Not sure if they come from the same factory but probably from the same mold.

Price wise, last week I saw the Ryet K1 around 60 EUR while OdinZeus is around 66 EUR, both with discounts.

I think I will be keeping the OdinZeus, as the reviews of the cracked Ryet saddles on AliExpress do not inspire too much confidence (could the thinner rails have something to do?).

I will report back after putting some hundreds kilometers on it if it survives, fingers crossed! 

Cheers!

[stb]

More pictures!

[raisinberry777]

The new T40A mesh on the Arcode is a big improvement in my opinion. I have that saddle on my gravel bike and it almost feels invisible on my butt. I would update my other Arcode saddles as well, but I'm trying not to buy more stuff. It really comes down to your riding style. 

Just had one of these Ryet Aircode T40A saddles arrive today - first impressions seem pretty good - look forward to testing over the next few weeks.