Sore shoulder? Bend your knob

[Bruce Fielding]

A couple of people have mentioned that unless the seat is in the furthest back position, the gear knob fells as though it could be an inch or two further forward.

The simple solution is bend the stick - carefully and not in situ!

See the gallery under Atom Mods/Cockpit for pics... The car is in neutral in those pics

[David Ryan]

Yes! I went and had a "fitting" with Simon at the factory a couple of weeks ago and they will be fitting a bent one for me!

D.

[AtomFun]

How tall are you David?

[benyeats]

Clare (the Mrs) has the seat all the way forwards and finds it quite difficult to change gear as the stick obviously does not move with it.  I will investigate what the result of bending it might be on my driving position (which is the important one) and report back

Ben

[SumFun]

Marvellous!

I found that the stick would be better a couple of inches to the right and was wondering if I could either bend it or fit a self modified dog legged version.

If I go the dog legged route ... ... ... ...
Can the stick be removed/replaced from the cockpit ?
What is the gearbox model/designation so I know what I am asking for when tracking down a stick ?

[David Ryan]

Atomfun....I am 5'10". Short and stocky! I found that if the stick was not bent forward, when I pulled the stick backwards my left shoulder was forced  firmly into the seat divider. It was evident that even on a short journey this would become irritating and painful.

It would appear that this is a common siyuation and Ariel have a number of pre-bent gear sticks put by.

I am quite broad across the shoulders and therefore found the width of the seat at that point quite restrictive in the Atom 2 seat.

I sat in an older Atom whilst I was there and the earlier seats are quite a bit wider at the shoulders. Simon said he could fit one of those for me instead, if I wanted but the new seats are set two inches lower which is a benefit I did not want to loose.

Ariel are apparently developing a new seat unit which addresses all of these problems. They could not tell me when it would be in production but agreed that if it was ready in time for my new car they would fit one of these.

D.

[AtomFun]

Thanks for info Dave. I'm 5'11" and fat! I think I must have been a little numb when I drove the Atom as I didn't really notice a problem. I wonder what dimensioned individual the Atom was designed for?

How many days left?

Have fun mate

[benyeats]

[quote="David Ryan"]
I sat in an older Atom whilst I was there and the earlier seats are quite a bit wider at the shoulders. Simon said he could fit one of those for me instead, if I wanted but the new seats are set two inches lower which is a benefit I did not want to loose.
[/quote]

Anyone know if the 2" lower seats will fit into a MK1, if so I want some

Ben

[Bruce Fielding]

Nope. The new lower seats need the new flat floor. You could fit this, too, but where would you stop?

Also, as a tall, big bloke, I find the new seats REALLY uncomfortable - you'd absolutely hate them, Ben!

[benyeats]

Actually I recon with some drilling and stuff I have about another inch to go in my MK1, but I don't really have the confidence in my metalworking skills to give it a try.  Will try the new seats next time I see Nick's car as it is the only one I have seen with them.

Ben

[AtomFun]

Ben, find a good metal fabricator, they'd sort mods no problem.

[FAST BUCK]

is there a gallery on this forum?

[AtomFun]

Yes, same as before James.

Find it here http://www.atomclub.com/

[AtomFun]

I'm not having anyone bending my knob until it's well and trully used & tested.

[FAST BUCK]

thanks john