LONG-TERM PRODUCT REVIEW
TRIED & TESTED New bike fit products come to the market all the time, but how do you know which ones are worth the investment? In the first of a new series, IBFI vice-president Lee Prescott shares his thoughts on two products he’s been trialing in his own bike fit studio for the past few months. ACME Seat Cleat – One-handed quick saddle changer Most of you will know how time-consuming
thought there was room for improvement. One of
swapping out saddles can be, especially on
the team, Jonathan, is a professional engineer,
certain brands of seat post. During a fit,
so applied his knowledge and experience to the
especially if you charge by the hour, the ability
problem.
to quickly swap between sizes and shape of
What they have come up with is the Seat Cleat
saddle to allow a comparative test is crucial.
(pictured, below left). It’s a neat twist on the type
The guys over at ACME Bicycle Co. got
of fixture seen on a Garmin mount, except the
frustrated with this cumbersome practice and
ACME version only needs 1/8th of a turn to fix a
looked around for an alternative. They spent
saddle securely.
some time using a BIKEFIT saddle changer,
The Seat Cleat comes with a host of features to
which improved their processes, but they
help fitters easily swap out and adjust saddles on any stationary bike. There is a direct mount to GURU bikes and a saddle rail adapter for other brands. The overall stack height has been kept very low and there is a neat angle adjustment that is based around the centre of the saddle so the effective seat height doesn’t alter hugely. So that’s the theory, but how does it hold up to the rigours of day to day use in a busy fit studio? We have been putting this one through its paces over the last three months and I have to say I’m
