Reinserting a saddle rail which popped out

[Bjorn881]

As the title states, I have searched other forums but can't seem to find a solution. Before chucking out my Spez Phenom saddle, has anyone found a reliable method to reinsert a rail back into a saddle that has popped out? 

[Blokeonabike]

I have had the same issue but with carbon rails. Tried to force it back in but ended up cracking the shell (also carbon)

I'd suggest heating the seat shell with boiling water or something that won't permanently deform the plastic. When the shell is soft enough to bend then try and pop the rail back in. If you try to bend the rail you will most likely sit with a skew saddle and endless back pain. So rather try and manipulate the shell.

 

Goodluck!

 

 

[Alouette3]

Guys on youtube make some interesting jigs and levers to get those rails back in place. I gave it a try once on a seat and decided it wasn't worth the effort.

[GrahamS2]

I've done it on 2 Spez saddles. Once you get the knack of it it's not difficult. Stand the saddle in the sun, with the underside facing the sun for an hour or 2 (makes the shell more malleable). Grab the largest flat screwdriver you can find. Then kind of jam the screwdriver between the end of the rail and the socket, and gently push and coax the rail down the face of the screwdriver until it lines up with the socket. As you ease the screwdriver out the rail will pop into the socket. It may take a few attempts until you get it right. Also helps if you can secure the narrow part of the shell of the seat (not the rails) to a board or plank.

As a side note, every time I've seen rails pop is when a bike has been standing in the sun for a while. Seems to make the shells go too soft. Might just be a coincidence though...

[Long Wheel Base]

How is the front of the rail secured in? Is it also popped in? or possibly a cover that is easily removed? I had a saddle many years ago where the rail was easily removed by taking a cover off under the nose and the rail just slide out from the back. 

[Long Wheel Base]

11 minutes ago, Long Wheel Base said:

How is the front of the rail secured in? Is it also popped in? or possibly a cover that is easily removed? I had a saddle many years ago where the rail was easily removed by taking a cover off under the nose and the rail just slide out from the back. 

So like this, that little cap can be un-screwed and removed.

[TNT1]

How did it "pop" out?

 

Anyway, the correct fix here is a roll of duct tape.

[The Ouzo]

8 minutes ago, TNT1 said:

How did it "pop" out?

 

Anyway, the correct fix here is a roll of duct tape.

and if that doesnt work then you did not use enough duct tape

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by ouzo

[AdamA]

 

I was able to fix mine.... hear is another Thread on in....

 

[Simon123]

know someone who lost a nut after fixing a broken rail that popped out like this.  on a tricky section of Eden Forest, sat down, popped out and he moved and it ripped through the short / bibs and took off his sack.

 

that alone stops me even thinking of fixing a broken saddle. LOL

 

Good luck.

[kokyman]

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:

1. warming up the bottom plate

2. "beating" and loosening the entrance of the hole with the screwdriver and a hammer, to facilitate the easier return of the rail

3. guiding the rail back in with the screwdriver a few times, and in the end

4. 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!

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by kokyman

[dasilvarsa]

I replace Saddles "Just Because they are Too Old"

 

[madmarc]

1 hour ago, kokyman said:

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:

1. warming up the bottom plate

2. "beating" and loosening the entrance of the hole with the screwdriver and a hammer, to facilitate the easier return of the rail

3. guiding the rail back in with the screwdriver a few times, and in the end

4. 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!

 

So i'm reading through all your efforts here and was wondering - did you consider trying to remove the base with all those screws and then re-assemble or did i miss that part in your repair story 

[kokyman]

1 minute ago, madmarc said:

So i'm reading through all your efforts here and was wondering - did you consider trying to remove the base with all those screws and then re-assemble or did i miss that part in your repair story 

Hi marc!

That's a good question, which I'd forgotten to mention. I guess I thought, if you've made it up all the way to here, you'll know what's the main issue.

The retaining bolt on the nose is just for cosmetics. I did remove it. It serves a purpose for almost nothing. Same story with the screws alongside the saddle. The plastic bottom of the saddle was molded and joined at the same time with the steel rails. They are factory "sealed", and only some hard impact can separate the two of them. Which is exactly what happened to me.

Otherwise, no one would even mention this problem as "unsolveable".

 

[Eddy Gordo]

Apparently you are supposed to put the rear in first and some how bend the saddle to insert the front.

 

Tech Tuesday: Why Is It So Hard To Reinstall Saddle Rails?