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Can a conventional seat be reversed 180 degrees to be used as a noseless seat?

Bicycles Asked by user1114105 on April 18, 2021

I am interested in potentially switching to a noseless seat (also called noseless saddle). Instead of buying one, can I simply reverse my conventional seat 180 degrees and sit on the edge of the new front (the former back) of the seat? I will only make contact with the new front of the seat, while the former nose (the new back of the seat) will just be there behind me and not be used or cause any harm.

I tried doing this on my bike and riding it for about a mile total, stopping periodically to adjust the angle of the seat and distance of the seat from the handlebars (sliding along the rails). So far, it feels consistent with descriptions I have read of using a noseless seat. I have included some photos.

I am interested in:

  1. Feedback, opinions, and analysis about this possible strategy.
  2. Somebody who has access to both a noseless and conventional seat testing out this strategy to see if the backwards conventional feels similar to the noseless. Please only do this if you feel safe and comfortable testing this out and also are interested in answering the question.

Other thoughts or possibly-relevant information:

  1. If I decide to use this possible solution permanently, I would find a conventional seat that is the correct width for my sit bones, which I have gathered is an important part of finding the right seat, regardless of whether it has a nose or not.
  2. I use my bicycle for commuting, going to the store, and similar outings, with round-trip distances in the 5-15 mile range.
  3. I am not asking if a noseless seat is good or bad. That topic has already been debated a lot online, I have noticed. I understand that some riders consider noseless seats to be a threat to safety and a gimmick solution to a problem caused by poor bike fit, while others consider noseless seats to be better for their health and comfort. Instead, taking it as given that I want to try using a noseless seat, I am asking if this reverse-seat is a viable option, because to me it seems no different than many noseless seats out there already (for example, if you take the portion of the reversed conventional seat that I would sit on and saw off the rest, it appears to me that we would end up with approximately same thing as the moon saddle advertised at https://www.moonsaddle.com).

Photos:

Cycle with reverse seat

Reverse seat with rider about to sit

Reverse seat with rider seated, rear rear rear view

Reverse seat with rider seated, side view

2 Answers

If it works for you then go ahead.

The risk might come in a lack of control when riding hard, like descending while off the saddle it is common to use the sides of the saddle against the inside of one's thighs to help control the bike.

Separately you might need to angle the nose up sufficiently to get a comfortable position on the now-leading edge

Lastly, its probably not an issue for you but a reversed saddle on a rental bike means this one is damaged and needs some kind of service so don't rent it.

Answered by Criggie on April 18, 2021

Sorry to be "that guy" but the rails of that saddle appear to be a fair distance beyond the recommended manufacturers limit.

Perhaps, you can fit it to the seat post as intended and simply spin the post in the frame by 90 degrees? Way back layback!

Answered by plinko84 on April 18, 2021

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