Whether you’re building your own BMX from scratch, or you only want to replace the existing seat, there are many important things you ought to consider prior to purchasing a new seat. The different features you need to pay attention to depend on the riding style, level of experience and also have to do with the level of durability and comfort.
Since durability is generally the first thing to look into regardless of the type of seat, let’s see the different materials used for the making of this part. Usually, a typical BMX set will include moulded plastic, polyurethane foam padding and synthetic or leather cover. Choosing a seat that has a cover made of natural leather means more comfort and durability, but these are more expensive. The synthetic ones, on the other hand, are hard, less comfortable and consequently, cheaper. The bumpers on almost all BMX seats are plastic or Kevlar. They are present at the nose and the sides and serve for protection against impacts.
One of the main things that differentiate one BMX seat from another is the type of seatpost fitment used. This refers to how the bottom of the seat is attached to the top of the seatpost. The five main fitment types are integrated, standard, railed, pivotal and tripod fitments.
Integrated
This is the case where the seat and seatpost come as one unit and cannot be separated from each other. With these setups, it’s very important to make sure the seatpost diameter and the interior diameter of the bike’s seat tube are a good match. Generally, the sizes range from 22.2mm up to 35mm in diameter. You might be able to find out which size you need by check your current post since the size might be stamped below the minimum insertion line. Or you can try to find the specs online.
Standard
This term stands for a simple metal pipe which slides into the seat tube. The saddle is bolted onto the top with the help of a small clamp usually called the ‘seat guts’. This type of seatpost fitment is common for low-budget bikes. An experienced rider will tell you hat the seat guts can be obtrusive, especially when doing tricks for which the seat had to be gripped by the thighs.
Pivotal
The pivotal BMX seat has become the newer standard as of late. This setup consists of a top that is moulded using a series of adjustment grooves and that’s where the BMX set is placed. The two parts are secured with a single bolt which passes through the top of the seat. This is what makes a pivotal BMX seat recognizable – the bolt slot that’s placed between the nose and tail. These seats can only be used with pivotal seatposts and vice-versa.
Railed
Also called ‘micro-adjust’ seatposts, these are similar to the MTB and road bike standard. They feature twin rails underneath the BMX seat and a twin-bolt clamp on top of the seatpost that matches the rails.
Tripod
A new type, that just like the pivotal one, is becoming increasingly popular standard. These setups feature a triangular plate at the top of the seatpost and bolts in each corner. This means that the seat offers three points of support.
