I ride daily a single speed bike in the city, where is a lot of bumps, pothole etc. I would like to replace my current heavy seat (550g) for something very light. On eBay are available some cheap “carbon” seats from China with its weight around 120 – 190g. So, I have two questions:

  1. Many description have information regarding maximum load of seat e.g. 120kg Are that seats suitable for me (90kg) even when I ride over some bump?

  2. Do you have any experience with cheap “carbon” seats from China on eBay?

Many thanks Petr

  • 5
    The problem with cheap, no-name carbon from China is not the maximum weight limit (lots of reputable products have weight limits), it's the questionable quality control and process control. So a manufacturer might produce one saddle that's great, but the next saddle out of the mold is terrible. There's a Youtube channel produced by a guy who tries out cheap Chinese carbon and reports his experiences: Trace Velo. Check it out.
    – Adam Rice
    Nov 30 '20 at 4:05
  • 1
    Cheap saddle from China says: Max. load 120kg, cautious western rider who doesn't want to be impaled on seatPOST says OK max. weight 60kg! Be wise, you are 90kg, I wouldn't trust the thing under my 85kg.
    – Carel
    Nov 30 '20 at 8:40
  • 1
    What's the worst that could happen? Oh, yeah, shards of shattered carbon fiber saddle impaling your private parts... Do you think reducing the total weight of you and your bike by a factor of probably less than 0.005 is worth that risk? Nov 30 '20 at 14:30
  • @AndrewHenle broken carbon bits can be razor sharp, wouldn't want to have those around there!
    – Carel
    Nov 30 '20 at 21:16
  • Thing is - a rating can be exceeded during an impact. So you land hard and briefly your load on the saddle might double or more.
    – Criggie
    Dec 1 '20 at 20:58

I personally had 3 "cheap Chinese saddles" which were full carbon. The first one was glued together poorly so it broke after the first ride. The other two hold up perfectly, one even hit the floor with me.

But that's all just anecdotal. It's always hit or miss, but for me it was worth it as every single one of these saddles is under 20€ and I feel confident enough to handle my bike should the saddle come loose.

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