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      06-29-2017, 01:32 PM   #546
Mr Tonka
is probably out riding.
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Drives: Something Italian
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Sweatypeninsula

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LBS owner sounds cool.

3 points of contact on a bike. Hands, butt and feet.

Your position or fit on the bike can affect the comfort level for all 3 points. You may look into getting a stiff soled shoe specifically for biking along with trying out different saddles for comfort. You'll likely be very surprised how a stiff soled shoe can help support your weight and transfer otherwise lost power to your wheel. Your LBS may even have a saddle program where they let you borrow a seat for a week of riding to test it out. Hands/wrists tell me that you're likely locking your elbows. Try keeping them (your elbows) bent at a 15 degree angle. This is going to make your upper arms and core work harder but going on the concept of many hands make light work, it may balance out some of the discomfort you feel in your hands/wrists.

With saddles, there is just about one measurement that you should find out and stick to when buying saddles. That's your sits bone width. LBS may have something to measure that width. If not, you can do it at home with a step that has carpet on it. Take a sheet of aluminum foil about the width of your hips. Lay it on the flat part of a step covered with carpet. Put on some tight undies and gently sit down on the step wth your feet on the step just below it so your knees are up in your chest. Whiteout scooting left, right, forward or back, kind of rock around gently on your butt's points of contact. Stand straight up and the 2 deepest dents were made by your sits bones. Measure from center to center and that is your sits bones width. Use that as a guide for buying the right width of saddle.

Sometimes, a wider saddle will make things worse, so just go as wide as you need it to be. Also, a soft saddle isn't always more comfortable. In my opinion, a good riding chamois, chamois cream and a firm properly wide saddle makes for the best comfort. I was never a fan of chamois cream, but once i tried it, i haven't gone back. I won't ride a bike for more than 30 min without chamois cream, which is to say, i never ride a bike without a chamois and chamois cream. If you're not comfortable putting everything out there in lycra, you can always throw some baggy athletic shorts over the lycra.

Or, the harder you pedal, the less weight is on the saddle. So there is that incentive as well. hehe.

I used to have a wide, super squishy saddle made for triathlon. Intended to be ridden for 5 hours straight. Upon SEVERAL suggestions, i tried a saddle that looked like a medieval torture device. To my surprise, it was very comfortable. I tried one more that had a little flex in the perineum area and haven't looked back.

This is what several people told me to try. It just had a little too much roll down on the edges for me and was a bit too stiff in the perineum area.




This is what i switched to and really can't imagine a more comfortable saddle. Little flatter in the rear of the saddle and though you can't see it, flexes about 1/2" downwards in the perineum area. So when tucked down out of the wind it's still comfortable.



Neither may work for you, just don't want you to discount something just because it looks too small and pointy to be comfortable.
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