Seat - Shaking the paradigm of equestrian saddles

The hammock seat constitutes the very essence of the Pedersen concept. This hammock saddle suspended from springs and belts to the rest of the frame structure eradicates forever that imaginary horse the cyclist is seating astride, thus shattering the paradigm derived from centuries of equestrian tradition. This configuration is very adaptable to the cyclist's anatomy and allows for lateral oscillations and tilting while pedaling or leaning sidewards.

The original Dursley Pedersen had a woven seat as seen below

At the beginning of the project I was considering weaving my own seat. In the following site there are very detailed instructions.

http://www.dursley-pedersen.net/weave.html

However, I finally decided on a more conventional and pragmatic solution, based on an old Brooks leather saddle.

I found an old and neglected Brooks B66, as you see in the picture below. Very classic and aristocratic looks. I can recycle it and with some rejuvenation to the leather part, it will fit perfectly the style of this bike.




The lower support structure and springs were disassembled. I kept, of course, the internal structure that stretches the leather part between the rear and front copper rivets. This structure and not the leather will be taking the stresses introduced by the anchoring points.



In order to fix the front to the head tube by means of a leather belt I need to manufacture a kind of bracket to hold the shackle. I used a 1.5 mm metal plate, that can be seen below.



Cutting, drilling, filing... All by hand. No power tools.



Bending a nice curl with the diameter for the shackle eye-bolt. I brazed the joint at the curl.



Here it is, assembled to the seat leather tensioning mechanism.



Note the internal seat structure and the springs attached to the rear part.



Another view of the seat assembly ready for mounting.



To attach the front shackle to the rest of the frame I am using a pair of old Swiss military belts from the 50s-60s. If they were originally used in backpacks or horses I can not say. But they are made out of very strong and seasoned leather and have the classic looks that fit with the style of this bike.
First view of how the bicycle looks like at the moment. It is not yet finished, not yet even ridable. However, it is taking shape. To connect the seat stays to the rear dropouts I used 3.5 mm steel cable passing through the tube at the extreme of the trombone's upper adjustable part. The positioning of the handlebars is not realistic. In such a position there would be interference with the knees and unconfortable wrist position. I just mounted all parts together for the first picture.