Softride-beam adjustments:

The Softride seat mount, like most seat mounts on standard seat-posts, is constructed of an aluminum body and with steel hardware, except for the tapered cylindrical parts which grasp the seat rails: these are a cast magnesium/aluminum alloy. There are 3 bolts on the Softride seat mount, which should be checked periodically. Two are located underneath the beam at the bottom of the seat clamp assembly; they are 5mm bolts which can be tightened with a 4mm allen/hex key. It is important not to over-tighten these bolts, as doing so could strip the threading, damage the tool interface or crack the bolt. Softride does not specify torque values, but a reasonable amount of firmness will do the job. Remember, you’re a lot bigger than those little bolts!

The seat rail clamping assembly is held in place with a 6mm bolt with a hex head which can be tightened with a 10mm open or box-end wrench. Mike Allsop designed the clamp to hold the saddle securely at any angle by using a Morse taper which holds firmly with very little tension on the bolt. There is a minor flaw in the assembly which causes the nut to break out a small chip from the outside rail-holder casting when over-tightened, but there’s no effect on its function.

We also get a lot of inquiries about the height-adjusting bolt, which a lot of people also have a tendency to tighten too aggressively. I think it’s just intuitive for a lot of people to torque the heck out of the bolt because it seems like there’s so much leverage working against it. The height adjustment assembly is also ingeniously designed with a taper to prevent slippage. Notice that when you adjust the beam height, you only need to loosen it slightly to raise the saddle, and then oddly enough, you need to re-tighten it more than you remember loosening it initially. On the other hand, when you want the saddle lower, you need to loosen the bolt much more. That’s because the top of the 103 height adjustment bracket is thicker than the bottom. Only moderate torque need be applied to the height adjusting bolt.

Please feel free to contact us, Softride or your dealer directly if you have any questions about your Softride beam or hardware.