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Home | Product Reviews | Saddle | Koski Engineering Saddle | ||||
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Submitted by
John
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: 10/21/2007 2:12:05 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Purchased At: | stock on bike |
| Strengths: | Looks nice |
| Weaknesses: | Try this saddle ... then try sitting on the post...then the saddle again...I swear you will notice no difference Seriously though, OUCH! OUCH! - buyer beware. |
| Bike Setup: | Giant Rainier SE / Shimano |
| Bottom Line: | I agree with nearly all the other reviewers. This one is not merely uncomfortable, it is downright painful. There is no reason to subject yourself to such torture at any cost. Even at $0. If you are the worlds biggest tightwad- spend the extra $5 - $10. I'm not saying you must pamper yourself, just don't go for the worst option. (brick on stick as others have said) Case in point, I would not sell mine or even give it away. Please notice most people got it as stock. If it is coming stock on a bike you are purchasing, you'd be wise to request another. Your bum will thank you. |
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Submitted by
Donnie Anderson
a Weekend Warrior
from MOncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Date Reviewed: 6/11/2007 8:27:13 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Strengths: | Durable, looks good, came free with bike oem |
| Weaknesses: | Sux, uncomfortable, feels like a church bench |
| Similar Products Tried: | Many other saddles, not sure brands or models |
| Bike Setup: | Giant ATX 870 |
| Bottom Line: | This saddle came stock on my Giant bike. I am surprised I rode it this long. I guess I didn't know what comfortable was. Well after trying my friends saddle today I am ashamed to say I rode my saddle since I've owned my Giant. It's like a brick on a stick. A genuine plywood popsicle. Very uncomfortable. I am ordering a new saddle right now along with a Cane Creek Thudbuster. Can't wait. |
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Submitted by
Bret Marts
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland
Date Reviewed: 8/19/2004 8:04:25 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | West Branch State Park |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | Spin Bike Shop |
| Strengths: | Fits my body perfectly. The padding of the seat is just right with bike shorts. Neither to hard (ouch!) or to soft (impedes pedaling motion). Price is nice |
| Weaknesses: | The major weakness of this seat is it's size. The seat is pretty narrow and if it doesn't fit your hip bones will dig right up your butt. |
| Similar Products Tried: | none |
| Bike Setup: | Ironhourse Rogue 2003: Manitou Axel Elite fork, deore drivetrain, lx rear derailer, Hayes HMX1 mechanical disk brakes |
| Bottom Line: | The key to finding a seat is finding one that fits your body. If the seat doesn't fit the width of your hip it will bring some major pain. The first six times I went out riding with this seat I swore I would get a new one. When I went to the bike shop for a free tune up I asked around. They said give it another few rides before you buy a more expensive seat. They were right! I went out riding for 4 hrs yesterday spending very little time out of the seat and had no seat pain. Find a seat that fits your bum and you will be happy. Once my body adjusted slightly the seat feels like it was custom made for me. There is very little prostate pressure and no pain that I would expect after a hard days ride. |
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Submitted by
Jon
from White Rock
Date Reviewed: 3/29/2003 12:12:23 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $10 |
| Purchased At: | jensonusa |
| Strengths: | Looks awesome, fits me, better than the oem seat... |
| Weaknesses: | none so far |
| Similar Products Tried: | seat that came stock on my 2002 trek |
| Bike Setup: | 2002 Trek 4300, caged pedals, titec micros barends & enduro handlebar, Kore stem, Koski sportpost, Specialized Dirt Control tires, lizardskins everywhere possible |
| Bottom Line: | Suck it up... it isn't like riding a brick, nor is it that bad about chafing or numbness. For the money, it's a great deal... especially for leather and kevlar. My first bike came with a banana seat. That was uncomfortable. This is... a godsend in comparison. |
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Submitted by
Anthony stephenson
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Date Reviewed: 1/18/2003 1:27:53 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $12 |
| Purchased At: | lbs |
| Strengths: | cheap, looks good |
| Weaknesses: | not comfortable at all, not even worth 12! should have put it towards a better saddle. |
| Bike Setup: | 2003 mongoose LE, VP 107 clipless pedals everything else standard. |
| Bottom Line: | to short, to expensive, and just not comfortable. there is a drop in the midle so no matter what angle you put the thing out you allways get chaffing from both sides of the saddle. |
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Submitted by
SGT. ROCK
a Racer
from Edmonton, AB
Date Reviewed: 9/11/2002 1:00:26 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Purchased At: | Came with bike |
| Strengths: | You're kidding, right? |
| Weaknesses: | Design, materials, construction...that's pretty much everything, eh? |
| Similar Products Tried: | WTB SST, Selle Italia XO |
| Bottom Line: | To clarify, I have OWNED this saddle for two years, have ridden it only half a dozen times. Came OEM on my GIANT ATX890. Changed it right away for a Selle Italia XO. I thought it might be OK for light downhilling on my dual suspension bike, but one minor lay-down of the bike and the cheap covering was shredded. Feel sorry for anyone who actually CHOSE this saddle - my sympathies. |
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Submitted by
RoMeR
a Weekend Warrior
from Funkytown ( f.w.,tx. )
Date Reviewed: 9/10/2002 9:14:58 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | The one I'm on! |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | Local bike shop |
| Strengths: | It is a bike seat. |
| Weaknesses: | You can't sit on it. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Metal bench, steel chair, bed of nails ( OK seriously I've used many others- I even seem to remember my banana seat not hurting this bad ) |
| Bike Setup: | The new "Ever Stand" mountain bike, thanks to this seat. ( I even ride a full suspension bike - 2002 Bullit no less with the 5th ele shock and still i getta buttache ) |
| Bottom Line: | Ooo. Ouch, ah! Eeoo-er Oh! Aiee ouch. And that was AFTER the ride. I gave it a 2 cause I figure a 1 would be a brick on a stick. |
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Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from WY
Date Reviewed: 4/25/2002 5:45:04 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | Matches my bike. |
| Weaknesses: | Hurts like all hell. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Specialized Comp., Specialized Body Geometry, WTB Rocket V Laser. |
| Bike Setup: | '01 Giant XTC NRS 1 |
| Bottom Line: | I have to agree with the other reviewers, this saddle sucks. Looks good but I just can't take the pain any longer. If you're logging some miles you'll feel it the next day. This saddle has honestly made riding consecutive days in slickrock country and other demanding areas painful. I've decided to go with a WTB Rocket V Laser in anticipation of an upcoming two week trip. I think the '02 XTCs come stock with a WTB Rocket V. Supposedly a nice saddle, we'll see. I highly recommend not buying this saddle or keeping it unless you love pain in that region and don't plan on having children, or you are only concerned with matching your bike parts and riding on paved bike trails. |
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Submitted by
Steve Arnott
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: 1/30/2002 9:56:48 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Strengths: | Looks gorgeous. Can't fault the aesthetics at all. |
| Weaknesses: | OW OW OW OW OOWW! It hurts! Every little bump in the road brings a tear to my eye. It's hard, uncomfortable, prolly quite poorly made, if you look underneath at the quality of the plastic/leather binding. |
| Similar Products Tried: | San Marco Squadra. Well, similar only because it, too, is a saddle. And I haven't actially tried it yet, but so long as it's not lined with razor blades it will be a huge improvement over this monstrocity. |
| Bike Setup: | 2000 GT Tempest FS, mainly stock, soon to be stock+new saddle |
| Bottom Line: | OW. Not nice. Looks amazing, and the colour scheme goes perfectly with my bike, but if you're a man and you enjoy making babies you shouldn't touch this saddle with a barge pole. Or anyone else's barge pole, for that matter. Try the Squadra instead. OW |
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Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington NZ
Date Reviewed: 1/29/2002 4:18:30 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | mt victoria |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | penny farthings cyclery |
| Strengths: | Looks cool, matches my frame. Realistic simulation of what I imagine piles feel like. |
| Weaknesses: | Hurts when sat on. |
| Similar Products Tried: | I dont think anyone else makes a seat similarly uncomfortable. |
| Bike Setup: | Giant ATX840, avid mechanical discs, this crappy seat. |
| Bottom Line: | Don't buy this seat. After my first ride I went straight to bed, my ass was incredibly sore the next morning, I could hardly ride 10mins to work even! just because of my sore ass. I really reccomend you don't buy this seat. It does look amazingly cool though. They came stock on many 2001 Giants in NZ, and probably many other places too. I imagine they'll appear as a stock part on giants this year too. If you're buying a giant, and its coming with this seat, insist that it is changed before you buy the bike. It makes riding so amazingly unplesant. |
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Submitted by
Hendrik
a Cross Country Rider
from Stellenbosch, South Africa
Date Reviewed: 1/17/2002 1:44:26 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Purchased At: | Flandria |
| Strengths: | * Looks cool * The rails dont bend |
| Weaknesses: | * You cant sit on it |
| Similar Products Tried: | SDG |
| Bottom Line: | Dont buy this saddle because it looks cool. You cannot sit on it longer than an hour. When you get off the saddle everything is numb!! I cant believe they sell this stuff! |
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Submitted by
Benjamin Hart
a Cross Country Rider
from Missoula, MT USA
Date Reviewed: 9/16/2001 6:55:08 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Purchased At: | internet |
| Strengths: | There are no strengths. This product sucks. |
| Weaknesses: | After a ride or two the leather started tearing up from the underside. The saddle creaked a lot which lowered my confidence. It was also not comfortable. |
| Similar Products Tried: | other seats |
| Bike Setup: | GT Zaskar Team, XT/XTR, mavic |
| Bottom Line: | Do not buy this product. |
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Submitted by
Captain Danger
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, UK
Date Reviewed: 5/5/2001 10:16:14 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | erm.....looks.....erm......ok......? |
| Weaknesses: | it is bloody uncomfortable |
| Similar Products Tried: | bonty, viscount etc. bonty was best! |
| Bike Setup: | zaskar, xt/lx, SID race forks |
| Bottom Line: | This really sucks! After an hour or so it was just too uncomfortable, and that was on the road! Don't buy it. I give it 2 cos I like the logo underneath it :o) |
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Submitted by
Sam
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: 2/8/2001 11:33:26 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $20 |
| Purchased At: | Airbomb |
| Strengths: | Looks, red matches my bike. Weight. |
| Weaknesses: | Hard as a rock, too narrow |
| Bike Setup: | Schwinn Moab, rock shox indy xc, shimano xt's, WTB raptor tires. |
| Bottom Line: | I just got a mail order from Airbomb, no wonder they were on sale. I was looking for a replacement for my stock seat and these are much worst and uncomfortable. Don't order it from the web just because it looks good. I'm returing these and I'm going to waste 'bout $10 just form shipping. |
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Submitted by
Coda
a Cross Country Rider
from Grass Valley, CA, US
Date Reviewed: 11/7/2000 9:45:09 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | stock on my bike |
| Strengths: | - doesn't turn into a demon-rat and take you to the dimension of pain |
| Weaknesses: | - is about as comfortable as the seatpost itself |
| Similar Products Tried: | crappy Specialized saddle, Terry Liberator |
| Bottom Line: | Avoid this completely. It's the worst saddle I've ever used. Period. It came with my bike and it looked neat, so I gave it a spin. The ride to my dad's house to pick up his old saddle (a crappy old Specialized) was the longest and most painful ride I've ever been on. And it's less than a mile. It's got a fastback, and where the wings used to be there're these seams that dig right into the side of your thighs. I wonder if they ever rode these saddles before they started selling them. It's not light, it's not that much cheaper, and it sure as hell isn't comfy or even (in my case) bearable. Save up another $15 and buy a Terry saddle. You'll thank me. |
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Submitted by
Rommel Upshur
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland Heights, OH
Date Reviewed: 10/20/2000 12:22:03 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $25 |
| Purchased At: | local bike shop |
| Strengths: | Looks good. Feels good. Narrow profile. Easy movement on and off saddle. |
| Weaknesses: | I really doubt that the gel patch is doing anything but it looks cool. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Selle Stratos Soft |
| Bike Setup: | '97 Raleigh M-80 w/upgraded brakes,stem,wheels,handlebar |
| Bottom Line: | This seat took some getting used to. It took me a couple of weeks to get it set up right. However, now it feels great. It's not overly soft but the seat really doesn't have to be a pillow to be comfortable. The wrong tilt on the seat can make you a soprano and limit your ability to have children. It's light and seems to be sturdy. For 25.00 I couldn't beat the deal with a stick. So far, I'm impressed with Koski Engineering |
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Submitted by
Zach Smith
a Racer
from Duluth
Date Reviewed: 10/9/2000 9:16:13 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Hartley |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: | Stock on my Giant Xtc |
| Strengths: | Looks pretty cool. |
| Weaknesses: | Comfort, Comfort, Comfort, Durability. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Selle San Marco ti, Serfas Rx pro |
| Bike Setup: | 2000 Giant xtc se2 |
| Bottom Line: | This Sattle Sucks! It is the most uncomfortable I have ever sat on, and after only 1 month of use, it became ripped in the back corner. You know what I did? I bought a new serfas. It looks pretty tight though, and it matched my bike. |
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Submitted by
drew mcgowan
a Cross Country Rider
from troy, oh, usa
Date Reviewed: 8/27/2000 8:35:23 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | zion north rim |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | (fastback not contour) looks, comfort |
| Weaknesses: | gel recess could tear, somewhat short |
| Similar Products Tried: | vetta TT, vetta AT, Flite, kooski contour, Fl'ZI:K, sdg, etc.... |
| Bike Setup: | DB XR8, basically stock so far |
| Bottom Line: | (this is for the fastback, not the contour) i lucked out that the stock kooski fastback saddle on my XR8 is PERFECT for me. i worked in a shop so i had a chance to try out everything that came stock on the bikes and this was the best for my fit. it has a flat rear profile and a slightly shorter length that i was initially a little suspicious of. however, after a road trip to Zion, Fruita and NM with my new bike i love the saddle. it felt odd at first, but for me the flat profile is perfect, no more numbness, my bones sit right on rear wings of the saddle without any pressure in the important area. i don't think it has much to do with the gel pad because the pad takes a lot of pressure before it starts to give. it's the right geometry for me. don't know the retail cost but assume it is high, however a comfortable saddle is usually worth the $$$$ when you find the right one. |
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Submitted by
JD
from HARTFORD,CT.USA
Date Reviewed: 7/14/2000 3:34:24 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | RESEVOIR |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | FIRM BUT NOT HARD-WORKS W/ MY ANATOMY |
| Weaknesses: | JUST A TAD SHORT. CAN BE PAINFUL IF RELATIONAL TILT ISN'T CORRECT |
| Similar Products Tried: | SPECIALIZED BODY GEOMETRY; VETTA FLEX; VETTA SL |
| Bottom Line: | THIS SADDLE IS NICE. IT WORKS WELL FOR MY ANATOMY BUT I HAD TO ADJUST THE TILT AFTER I RODE IT ALITTLE.... IF THE NOSE HAS DOWNWARD TILT IT MAKES YOUR BODY HAVE TO PUSH BACK UP THE SADDLE ( ONTO THE HARD RAILS ) JUST TO STAY ON AND NOT KEEP SLIDING FOREWARD.... SET UP THE SADDLE CORRECTLY, IT MAY TAKE A FEW RIDES.... IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE (VERY) THAT THIS SADDLE ISN'T LONG ENOUGH FOR SOME RIDERS.... |
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Submitted by
atx
a Weekend Warrior
from quebec
Date Reviewed: 7/14/2000 2:08:40 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Bing Bang |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | it comes whit my bike, it's look good (white and black) |
| Weaknesses: | both side needs padding |
| Similar Products Tried: | Bontrager fs+10 |
| Bike Setup: | Giant atx 860, tires specialized more extreme and shock master, Avid brake levers |
| Bottom Line: | This saddle is has hard as rock on the both side for people who ride his bike on street or in off-road trails. But for downhiller this saddle is excellent. A little bit more pad on the both side and this saddle would be perfect. |
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Submitted by
andy paul
a Cross Country Rider
from sydney
Date Reviewed: 7/14/2000 1:27:15 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | blue mountains |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Strengths: | looks, it looks good with the vibrant red / black / yellow bikeframe |
| Weaknesses: | strength, material, stiching, rails |
| Similar Products Tried: | trek, vetta, polygon |
| Bike Setup: | giant ATX 870 |
| Bottom Line: | Well it certainly looks the part, but it is not stack resistant, as the vinyl covering rips and the stiching gives as well (why didn’t they use a bit of kevlar!). Did a 0.5 metre drop last weekend and found that the impact of my backside was enough to distort the rails (probably CroMo anyway). I’m looking for a replacement! Enough said!! |
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Submitted by
Jack
a Racer
from Mahwah,NJ
Date Reviewed: 6/21/2000 9:46:32 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Strengths: | it looks good |
| Weaknesses: | it hurts like all hell |
| Similar Products Tried: | specialized body geometry,bontrage 10+ |
| Bike Setup: | 2000 Giant DS/1 |
| Bottom Line: | its a nice looking saddle but its hurts too much to justify the looks |
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