Hello guys!
Recently I've had a huge problem with my precious Natural Fit saddle that is sitting on the saddle post of my Radon e-bike.
Natural Fit is the sub-brand of Cube, and my version of the saddle is named "Sequence". It is incredibly comfortable, sporty, soft, durable, and not so cheap (around 60-80 bucks, depending on the store).
I fell off my bike 2 weeks ago, and somehow one of the rails of my saddle got out. Obviously, the impact of hitting the concrete was very strong, although my bike didn't have any visible damage (thank God!). Only later, when I got home, did I notice that one of the rails was not in the "hole".
It's worthwhile to mention that prior to falling off the bike and the rail popping out, my seat was exposed directly to the sun. The sun had obviously loosened my saddle's plastic structure to a degree, and it was much easier for the rail to pop out. I've fallen from my bike several times prior to that, and the saddle had never popped out before.
Everything else with the seat looked quite normal. I googled the topic, and couldn't find any final solution to the problem. Some guys advised twisting the steel rails and then returning them somehow to the original position, others suggested twisting the saddle to the back (until the rail pops back in), etc. etc. Most of the guys recommended buying a new saddle, emphasizing that it cannot be truly repaired.
I realized that I can't bend the steel rail on my own without proper tools, and even if I manage to do it, it will never be the same once I straighten it out again. I tried hard to bend the saddle backward, but it didn't work, because in order to succeed, the popped rail needs to bend in opposition to the other rail as well. And it doesn't, after a certain position.
So, I stuck to some of the most interesting bits of advice that I could read on the forums: warming up the plastic bottom plate of the saddle, and then trying forcefully to pull the rail back in.
After a lot of struggle, I finally MANAGED TO DO IT! And I promised myself to share the story here, if I ever succeed.
So, this is my saddle, for the start:
Natural Fit "Sequence"
This is one of the rails popping out after falling off the bike:
It seems that it's much harder to return everything back to normal, if only one of the rails is out. If both of them are, it's easier, and you can decide whether you want to take everything out, and then try to put back only the "nose" of the rails.
The only tools that I used (plus the heater, room calorifier) are:
Without warming up the plastic to a decent degree, it's hard to twist and physically manipulate the saddle's structure. Therefore, I did let the heater warm up the saddle for at least 2 hours, at the maximum temperature possible and as close to it as possible:
After the plastic loosened substantially (can't be seen, but felt), I then proceeded to manipulate the saddle, and the hole. I used the screwdriver while trying to "guide" the rail back to the hole. It always looked like it will work out, but it always slipped again at the very last moment. Therefore, I stopped and proceeded, stopped and proceeded several times; each time warming up the saddle more.
Finally, I realized that, in addition to the aforementioned methods, I'd also need to use the rubber hammer and also damage the very beginning of the hole to a degree, in order to get the additional millimeters that were required for the rail to pop back in. I reasoned that it's not so important if I damage the entrance of the hole, for as long as the rail will have enough support deep inside, once it's back in.
The rail back in the saddle again
That's exactly what happened. How I managed to pull the rail back in is the combination of several methods:
warming up the bottom plate
"beating" and loosening the entrance of the hole with the screwdriver and a hammer, to facilitate the easier return of the rail
guiding the rail back in with the screwdriver a few times, and in the end
using the combination of:
a) a screwdriver to guide the rail back in, while banging at the same time with
b) a rubber hammer over the screwdriver to use additional force.
Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of doing it (since it required both of my arms), but it's pretty simple: I stuck the tip of the screwdriver in the hole, used my fingers to connect the shaft of the screwdriver with the tip of the rail, twisting everything down towards the plate, and in the end using a rubber hammer over all of it, for additional force.
The rail back in the saddle again
Somehow it managed to return. I was so happy, I saved some bucks, and got my favorite seat back. Once you sit on it again, and especially during a few next rides, the seat will go back to the original position even more. (immediately after the "repair", it will probably look bent because of the twisting of the back of the seat).
And that's it! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!
