Question about bike and seat

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Ok....my dh and I have been biking for about 6 weeks now. He was trying to be a sweetie and bought me a specialized expedition. He got the upright handle bars (because he likes them and thought they would be more comfortable) with disc brakes. The thing has a huge seat on it that has like chamois or something on it so I'm always sticking to the seat! The tires are hybrids I guess, road or mountain and I'm really hating this bike!

What do I need to do to make this bike comfortable. I find myself leaning over all the time wanting for lower handlebars, and for a smoother more comfortable seat. Everytime I go out in my bike shorts this seat is just miserable. It is too wide/big. We have been doing a lot of hill rides, (steep hills). What would you ladies suggest to modify this bike to make it more user friendly for me? I like the biking a lot, just want to be more comfortable doing it.

Brandy

LOL, you poor girl. He had the right intentions I am sure :o , but that bike is not suitable for anyone wanting to do some decent riding. Fortunately that bike can be altered to make it a little more comfortable and allow you to do some decent riding. The things I would consider changing are the seat, seatpost and handlebar.

With the seat go for a narrower and smaller mountain bike saddle. I don't like the look of that suspension thing on your seatpost either and I imagine it would be pretty uncomfortable bobbing up and down with every bump making the ride a little rougher. With the handlebar get one with less rise on it or even a flat bar. As your stem is adjustable you should be able tilt it lower down so your weight is further forward and then you will not feel like your riding along like mary poppins.

With your tyres they should be fine if you are only riding on the road/footpath. If you want to go offroad you really need to purchase some good mountain bike tyres. There are many different kinds of offroad tyres out there, but you really need to match the tyre to the type of tracks you have in your area.

The best thing to do is to take the bike into the shop and tell them what you are after and then they will be able to help pick suitable parts out to improve your bike.

Thank you for the suggestions! I'm going to take it in tomorrow and see what they can do for me.

OMG....riding along like Mary Poppins, that is exactly what I feel like! LOL! Couldn't have described it better if I tried!

Brandy

Terry makes some really comfy shaped seats. You do not want to be fooled by squishy. The best riding feel is by shape with maybe 1/4 inch of squish at most. Smooth leather with a little polish slides nice when pedaling too;). The springy seatpost is a good thing if it is done right. In general you wont need it however.
The handlebar position should be about seat height for efficiency if you can take the back position. For cross country racing I have mine about an inch lower, but that takes some training to adapt to. Lower gradually to be nice to your body. The seat should be tilted so that you don't get hurt, but don't tilt it too far forward as it will stress your hands and make them sore(I have carpal tunnel, so its real sensitive for me). Mine is almost tilting backward to make it easier to get on/off in races. The setups vary widely and take experimenting to find the best one for you, so don't be afraid to play with it.

Thanks so much for all your help Ladies! I really appreciate it!

Brandy