ibeam or standard 2 rail
- Thread starter intensem1
- Start date
i hear many people saying that ibean are weak and breaks easy!
I use it for almost 2 years now... i'm 230lbs and i never break one!
Its a matter of care!
the nose of the seat is really fragile, so if you crash and your seatpost is twisted, dont force it back by the saddle!
If you have care to you seat, them you are all set!
I really like the setup, its really light and strong (if you have the necessary care for it)!
I use it for almost 2 years now... i'm 230lbs and i never break one!
Its a matter of care!
the nose of the seat is really fragile, so if you crash and your seatpost is twisted, dont force it back by the saddle!
If you have care to you seat, them you are all set!
I really like the setup, its really light and strong (if you have the necessary care for it)!
I-beam is the shizzle, ive been running it for 3 seasons now on several bikes with not a single problem.
i beam ftw totally. got it on both bikes
I'm 220lbs Ibeam all the way! I Beam myself up Scotty! 
I Beam for sure. I like the angles it can achieve easily.
My 2 rails could never do that without a huge hastle.
My 2 rails could never do that without a huge hastle.
Im gettin ready to upgrade to I-beam, Ive read that it can save somethin like 500 grams (seat and post) over standard seats and posts.
dream on....
oh and while you are at it do a search, it has all been covered to death
..the I-beam set up that saves weight (50g or so I cant remember the exact #s but they are EZ to look up) is the super flexi road saddle that everyone was breaking FYI...the SDG post is no lighter (compared to a thomson)...
ehh atleast it doesnt cost as much as thompson.
yeah I hear people break them alot...but it could just be breaking them like all other seatpost?
Like when you break your truvativ, raceface, thompson, w/e seatpost its like oh darn, but there all for ONE type, the rail system. Unlike I-beam which is the only company *?* that makes thoughs seatpost and so it just sounds like more of them break.
Plus, I dont think you should be running an I-beam if your sitting up like a foot, it kinda defines the point of them being designed for low riding freeriders and downhillers in the first place.
Like all seatpost, yes they can/will break at some point. But that doesnt make them a bad seatpost in the long run.
*hope that was easily understood.*
Like when you break your truvativ, raceface, thompson, w/e seatpost its like oh darn, but there all for ONE type, the rail system. Unlike I-beam which is the only company *?* that makes thoughs seatpost and so it just sounds like more of them break.
Plus, I dont think you should be running an I-beam if your sitting up like a foot, it kinda defines the point of them being designed for low riding freeriders and downhillers in the first place.
Like all seatpost, yes they can/will break at some point. But that doesnt make them a bad seatpost in the long run.
*hope that was easily understood.*
uuhhh Yea.....
J
J5ive
Guest
Don't you I beam users find the lack of natural saddle flex uncomfortable?
My I-Beam set-ups have been great for me; 3 seasons strong. Most saddle failures I've seen have occured from improper installtion. Proper installation and use of a torque wrench = happy I-Beam. Not the most comfortable seats out there, but the new Bel-Air saddles are pretty awesome for trail bike use on a full suspension bike. I definitely recommend them!
i'll pass on the ibeam setup until thomson and wtb start making ibeam stuff.
I ran a iBeam for a while - still have the post and a beat up sadle. At first I was thinking it was great. Light, easy to adjust.
But it wore out fast. The little splines on the side of the sadle wore out and the post would never say tight, it ended up slipping on me a few times. + the sadle tore out from the rail after 6months.
Still the adjustments make it a good option. For now thou I'll be sticking to my Thomson post, mainly due to there being a more sadles to choose from. I never found the SDG to be very comfy.
But it wore out fast. The little splines on the side of the sadle wore out and the post would never say tight, it ended up slipping on me a few times. + the sadle tore out from the rail after 6months.
Still the adjustments make it a good option. For now thou I'll be sticking to my Thomson post, mainly due to there being a more sadles to choose from. I never found the SDG to be very comfy.
Used Thomson for years, and tried the I beam last year to try something new. I sold it after a couple months, just didn't like the saddle. Supposedly I got one of the better ones in the ST Belair too. I didn't feel very confident on drops, the saddle made noises that made me uneasy no matter how much I fiddled with it.
i busted my OEM I Beam that came with my Yakuza Bakuto. the clamp squashed the I Beam and now it has a ton of play in it. i have heard the OEM ones are not the same as the after-market. regardless, i am sour and won't go back.
btw - the stack height on the I Beams is higher than the two-rail. if you like to slam your saddle down, be prepared for an extra inch of height.
btw - the stack height on the I Beams is higher than the two-rail. if you like to slam your saddle down, be prepared for an extra inch of height.
Well I recently ordered the extra padded bel-air, so I will let you know how that works out, but as far as a regular one I could see how that would be unconfortable. All butts are different I guess ehh?
Have been using the Ibeam for about 9months now without any problems (it came on my bike). I like the setup of the system but then again i never saw any real drawback on a traditional twin rail setup with decent components.
But for the time being ill be staying with the ibeam
But for the time being ill be staying with the ibeam
well there's your problem right there, you sit down on drops
I broke my I beam the third time i rode it. I think the problem is that it doesnt have enough flex to avoid snaping. They look sweet and are crazy light. SDG also has the best customer service of any company in the industry.
my $.02
my $.02
J
J5ive
Guest
The oem stuff seams to be sh|thouse. I don't know why they bother. They make them self and their product look bad as theirs very little distinguishable difference between a cheap oem seat and an after market one to the average Joe. The oem belairs on cheap Norcos and the like bend like butter, and guess what saddle they aren't going to buy to replace it.
Couldn't agree more, cheap OEM stuff doesn't do anyone any favours, except bike companies who can say "look at our spec!" Yeah right.
lol who said I was sitting down during the drops.well there's your problem right there, you sit down on drops
Anywho...for trail riding and heavier abuse, the saddle my cup of tea at 220.
I've been running ibeam (I-Fly) on my dh bike for the last 2-3 months and so far so good. No problems with seat or post, no creaks, no movement. I don't sit on it much in fairness, but all the more reason to have the lightest setup possible.
The 120g saddle and a post that only weighs 2-3g more than a thomson in a given size (iirc) just means you save more weight than you generally could with a conventional combo.
SLR Ti saddles are around 140g (and cost oh-so-much more than an ifly), and the thomson masterpiece might get you close to the ibeam - but again, costs so much more. Also the masterpiece doesn't come in some sizes (including 30.0 for the ironhorse/pdc/kona guys) which restricts its use.
The 120g saddle and a post that only weighs 2-3g more than a thomson in a given size (iirc) just means you save more weight than you generally could with a conventional combo.
SLR Ti saddles are around 140g (and cost oh-so-much more than an ifly), and the thomson masterpiece might get you close to the ibeam - but again, costs so much more. Also the masterpiece doesn't come in some sizes (including 30.0 for the ironhorse/pdc/kona guys) which restricts its use.
I'll vote no on I-beam and yes to Thomson.
Mike
You broke a road saddle, try using the one that's actually meant for mountain bikes.
I'll vote no on I-beam and yes to Thomson.
Mike
My friend knows a guy that overshot a gap and landed pretty hard and when he landed his foot slipped off the pedal so he kind of sat down; then bounced back up and when he came back down the seat was broken and the I-beam part was sticking out and he had to get stitchs in his sack.
I heard a rumor that Macneil was going to sell there rights to the pivital seat/post combo that they make and some MTB company was going to buy it. Anyone know if thats true.
I heard a rumor that Macneil was going to sell there rights to the pivital seat/post combo that they make and some MTB company was going to buy it. Anyone know if thats true.
you know, there isn't anything wrong with owning both. who says you have to choose one or the other ? i have both and like them the same.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/Jimmy-pop/65-truckbed.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/Jimmy-pop/65-truckbed.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v626/Jimmy-pop/RL65-profile-12-8-05-small.jpg
Amen to that!
my balls are much more at ease when the saddle is more likely to bend than snap.
as long as your not using the road saddles, and using saddles that are made what there designed for, you should be fine.
Plus, most complaint are of older versions of the I-Beam...not the newer more refined saddles.
if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
thomson + wtb please.
thomson + wtb please.
I'm not a huge fan of the I-beam, I can live with the two rail system. I've always ran an Easton Post with a SDG ti-Fly seat. I've never had a problem and it works great.
Ive been running the Ibeam all year, and I havent had any problems,
...But the whole nutsack thing makes me kind of uneasy.
That said, I think the only reason I have the I-beam set-up is because it came stock with my bike when I first bought it. And it is nice not being able to bend the rails.
...But the whole nutsack thing makes me kind of uneasy.
That said, I think the only reason I have the I-beam set-up is because it came stock with my bike when I first bought it. And it is nice not being able to bend the rails.
I think there good for light riding, but for anything where there's a chance of you bailing hard, the bike flipping or crashing with the bike upside down and breaking the seat then I wouldn't get one, I broke mine riding shore and the bike falling off the ladder when I bailed