Bike setup issue

[Dave Cutter]

Originally Posted by alienator .


..... Saddles can, in fact, be comfortable. My saddle is dead comfortable. That means it gives me no aches, no pains, nada. People don't have to settle for discomfort just because they're on a bike saddle. Comfort can be found. The reasons you don't see bike saddles used as furniture is first and foremost because we don't sit on furniture like we do a bike.

I agree completely! However... the 1st season I cycled (as a senior adult) I was beginning to wonder.

A local bike shop has a measuring device. Its a body heat sensing pad like contraception that customers can sit on and then see where their sit bones are. The idea is to measure the width to help in seat selection. Anyway I tried that, and a few seats, and read a lot, worked on my riding style.... and rode my bicycle. I think my old soft butt had a lot of toughing up to do. But I no longer have pain. A long (25 mile or greater) ride leaves my butt no worse for wear than a long meeting in an office chair.

 

[dabac]

Originally Posted by alienator .


This isn't really true. Saddles can, in fact, be comfortable. My saddle is dead comfortable. That means it gives me no aches, no pains, nada.

Don't go overinterpreting the word "uncomfortable". I'm not reaching for the Tylenol or stuffing an ice pack down my pants when I get off the bike - not b/c of the saddle anyhow.
But while I might miss the ride, I won't miss the close contact with the saddle.
"Tolerable", that's the word for me. I don't consider it hurting, and the saddle isn't distracting me from the ride. At best, it's a zero contribution to the experience.

Think straight-backed wooden chair vs recliner. The chair might be comfortable compared to other chairs but probably not in comparison with padded furniture.

Or maybe you've been luckier than me, maybe you're fitter than me, maybe your rides are shorter than mine, maybe you're lighter than me, maybe your butt is less sensitive than mine, maybe - whatever.

Sure, we sit differently on a bike than on anything else, there's a point in that. But I'd never get on a bike b/c of its comfort features. People stick TVs in front of their trainers to alleviate the boredom of stationary riding, not b/c it's a comfy way of getting the daily dose of soaps.

 

[alienator]

Uhm, I interpreted "uncomfortable" as "uncomfortable". There was no implied nuance, FWIW, the word wasn't qualified in any way. I merely pointed out that in fact saddles don't have to be uncomfortable at all. In that it is implied that people who ride even farther than you, are less fit than you, or whatever other state they might be in can be comfortable, and by comfortable I mean that on their rides, the comfortable people don't even think of their saddle or how their butts or nethers feel. Comfort is available for most riders in the continuum of different rider types, lengths of rides, states of conditioning, and so on. I think it's an important distinction to make for new riders or riders having issues with their saddles. I think it's likely there are some riders who if they come to believe that there is no bike saddle that is comfortable, that they will give up cycling. I think such an outcome is a travesty. There are already too many folks who leave their bike to collect dust in the garage because they're uncomfortable on the bike and are not aware that something can likely be done to change that.