Installing and Adjusting your new Airo Bike Seat


Congratulations on purchasing your new Airo Bike Seat engineered to be the world’s most comfortable bike saddle. Now, how do you install it?

The installation instructions below are for both the Airo Active and Airo Sport models. Our intention was to make the Airo Bike Seat as user friendly as possible to install. There is no need to visit your LBS to install your new seat. All that is required is the requisite wrench or Allen key that fits your seat clamp and a level. We have found that set up for any bicycle is truly underrated and our hope is that you take the time to set up your new saddle properly to gain the experience that the saddles were designed for, comfort.


INSTALLATION

Tools required: Allen key or hex wrench to fit your bicycle’s seat clamp.

Step 1: Remove the old saddle from the bicycle using the correct Allen key or hex wrench to loosen the saddle bolt and unscrew the clamp. Set the old saddle aside, this will no longer be required.

Step 2: Once the old saddle has been removed, loosely install your new Airo Bike Seat by setting the saddle to level.

Step 3: Adjust the fore and aft positioning of the Airo Bike Seat. Ensure that you are comfortably able to grip the handlebars and apply the brakes effectively. A good place to start is to position the nose of the seat the same distance from the handlebars that your forearm is long.

Step 4: Check your seat height. Having your saddle at the proper height for your body frame is extremely important in order to harness the maximum power in your legs as well as to avoid pain, chafing etc. Proper saddle height requires the ball of the foot to be on the pedal at its lowest point with the leg almost fully extended. There should be a slight bend at the knee. In order to achieve this, place your heel on the pedal at the pedal’s lowest point and your leg should be completely straight. This will ensure that when the ball of your foot is on the pedal, there will be the required slight bend in your knee. In order to change the saddle height, loosen the bolt or quick release lever on the bicycle’s seat post. Be careful not to extend the seat post past its minimum mark. If this is an issue you will need to purchase a longer seat post.

Step 5: Check your seat angle. Pressure mapping tells us that the ideal angle for the Airo Bike Seat to be installed is at a 1.5 - 2 degree nose down position, however, each individual rider will be slightly different. To assist in setting the angle, the easiest way is to use a smartphone's levelling feature. Proper pelvic rotation will be key in achieving comfort so that the Airo Bike Seat supports and responds dynamically as the rider pedals. It will be up to each individual rider to adjust their seat to achieve the most comfortable placement for their ride, however, we believe that once properly adjusted, this will be their most comfortable saddle. Once your saddle is properly adjusted as to fore and aft position and angle, REMEMBER to retighten the saddle bolt prior to trying out the saddle.


ADJUSTMENT

We all know the key to comfort is adjustment and since we all have different body types and sizes, adjustment to the Airo Bike Seat will be required to gain the optimal fit. If you are having trouble with adjustment to the new seat please try the following:

SEAT ANGLE – our pressure mapping data tells us the optimal angle is approximately 1.5 to 2 degrees nose down, however, this may not be the right fit for you. Try setting your saddle to level and then adjust it either nose up or nose down by 1-3 degrees. You should not feel that you are sliding forward on the seat as you pedal nor should your weight be resting on your perineal area. Your frame should be supported on your sit bones which should be directly over the Wing-Springs.

FORE/AFT PLACEMENT – this is also critical to your sit bones being correctly supported. It may be that your former saddle’s placement on the seat post is different to where it should be with the Airo Bike Seat. Trying sliding your new seat towards or away from the handlebars slightly to attain the correct sit bone support while maintaining the proper reach to your handlebars and brake levers.

SEAT POST HEIGHT – the height of your seat post will also affect the way that the Airo Bike Seat responds dynamically as you pedal. Please refer to Step 4 above to ensure that you have adjusted your seat post to the correct height for your new saddle. The height of your old saddle could be very different from that of the Airo Bike Seat, possibly up to three inches different. If you are swaying from side to side as you pedal then your post set up will require adjustment.

Sometimes it takes going back to your old saddle to notice just what difference the Airo Bike Seat makes to your riding experience. This is from one of our happy customers, Doug H. –

“I have been riding on the Airo Sport saddle. I've got almost 80 hours of riding in this summer on the saddle. I thoroughly appreciate the nuanced comfort characteristics of the Airo saddle. The absorption technology of the floating wings supported by the "S" springs has added a significant level of comfort during my rides. I didn't fully realize how much was really going on down there until I switched back to my conventional saddle. The first 100 meters on the old saddle convinced me how great the Airo Sport saddle is.  I initially thought that the benefits of the Airo Sport saddle were quite subtle and only fully recognized the extent of the comfort features after I hopped onto my old saddle. The Airo saddle is the only one I will ride on now. This is the first riding season in 4 years where I have not had any saddle sores on my sit bones. I am very happy with my Airo Sport saddle experience.”

If you do have further questions on adjustment of the Airo Bike Seat please contact us via email at customerservice@airobikeseat.com and we will assist.



Enjoy the Ride!