[Closed] SDG iBeam?

I've got them on three bikes, with FX saddles, the oldest being six years and counting. Never had a problem, saddles don't creak, and they're the most comfortable saddles I've used in over twenty years of riding. I'm not into jumping, but SDG make burlier versions for that. The microadjust post has had some issues, but the original posts are all one piece, and stronger.

I used an I-Beam post and saddle for a couple of years until I landed a small drop badly and ripped the saddle out of the clamp. I fastened it back on further along the "beam" but soon afterwards I went back to a conventional saddle/post.

do a forum search on SDG defects........... theyre a great concept with some serious issues.....

Lots of bad press, but i use one and love it.

Been using these for years on all my bikes with nary an issue. Maybe I'm just lucky.

had one fail, bought another one which failed after 4 XC rides. Both failures were potentialy very nasty. Still use their conventional kit but wouldn't risk IBeam again....

I have had two, both of which have suffered terribly with slipping and creaking. to aviod the slipping the bolt has to be tightned up with alot of force, so much so that the 'beam' of the first one cracked.
in theory its a great idea, and its so much lighter than a regular system but I do think it needs some serious work before I would use it again.

however, like above I have SDG saddles and normal posts on my bikes now, as I think the saddle shapes are great.

don't like the saddles at all (find them really uncomfortable compared to the sdg normal versions)

mine is also undersized (it says 27.2 on it but it's closer to 27.0) meaning its always slipping in the frame

the clamping system seems like a good idea, just not implemented as well as it could be

Used one for a year, no problems so far, light, makes my Chameleon a nice place to be even on monster days in the saddle. I'd buy another.

I used one for a couple of years. It was light, strong, and pretty tough. Certainly dealt with all the abuse I threw at it on my old DH bike.

They are VERY unforgiving though, just about zero flex, certainly not ideal for a bike on which you'd be covering lots of miles sat down on I'd suggest. The shape of the saddles is the same as conventional SDG's (which I like), but there is zero flex in the base, and it is this that causes the discomfort.

FWIW, I never experienced any of the other problems that have been talked about, and I know other people that have had them and used them totally issue free too... So they're not all bad.

The comments about zero flex in the base, and lack of comfort, is down to the versions where the saddle hull is integrated with the I-Beam. The version to go for is the FX, which has a big space between the saddle hull and beam, so there is a fair amount of flex under yer bum, which makes them very comfortable for all day riding. As I said, I replaced a cowskin Bel Air with an I-Beam, and it's much more comfy, and I never had any issues with over tightening the bolt to hold the saddle in place, and while I've had some issues with the post creaking and staying in place, that's been equally true of other posts, including a Thomson, on several frames, particularly my Remedy 66 and and my Inbreds.

I bought a frame that came with one of these fitted.The saddle looked well past it's best when I bought it,but the previous owner recomended me to try it,because it is so comfortable. A year later,it's still there,looks even worse,but it's the best saddle I have used. Have experienced no problems.

I-fly and aluminium micro adjust post here. 6 months and no problems, completely forgotten about it which is a good sign. Very secure clamp can't understand why anyone would overtighten it (hope you don't have carbon bars!). So secure you need to twist the saddle to get the clamp to release after loosening the screw or it doesn't move. Some people have reported the clamp separating form the post in cold weather (press fit) this will be the first winter so can't really comment but hoping they are just a vocal minority.

used and abused by my 15st for a year or so with none of the previous threads problems. Comfy all day saddle imo, the hollowed out one btw.

My last bike had an i-beam seatpost and saddle.

- I went through a few saddles, all felt terrible expect the Formula FX which was pretty nice. Even with the FX I could still feel the area where the saddle is attached from (my bum is just skin and bones, very picky on saddles).
- I felt the saddle angle adjustment was more fiddly then required. The mechanism was not very good.
- Maybe allows more fore / aft adjustment then traditional saddles
- Held up fine in my use.

My next saddle won't be an i-beam. The main problem is my boney ass which seems to require rails on the saddle.

I'm using a ST version of the Bel Air, it's slightly more padded than the SL, but not overly so, but the main reason it's more comfy, IMO, is that the wings flex at lot, people behind me can see the whole thing moving from side to side.

I fly saddle and micro post x2 for me, no problems with either.