Seats For Larger Folk

[Michael J. McNa]

Hello,

I'm a newbie mountain biker.

I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.

I'm not athletic enough yet to keep raised out of the seat for prolonged periods of time and my
"nether region" is going numb (until I raise out of the seat and it hurts like hell). The anatomical
seat on my brother's Specialized Rock Hopper seems better, but not what I would call comfy.

Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?

Enjoying the trail regardless -

Mike Mc

 

[Jd]

"Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>... <snip to answer subject line>

La-Z-Boy

JD

 

[Clydesdalemtb]

Michael J. McNamara II wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm a newbie mountain biker.

> I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.

Isn't that Gemini that "hybrid" that came with disc brakes and w/ 700c-road _and_ 26"-dirt wheels?

Visit: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

 

[Jon Bond]

"ClydesdaleMTB" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Michael J. McNamara II wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I'm a newbie mountain biker.
>
> > I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.
>
> Isn't that Gemini that "hybrid" that came with disc brakes and w/ 700c-road _and_ 26"-dirt wheels?

Its their "freeride" bike. http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/03/cusa/model-3VG9.html

You're probably thinking of their Bad-Boy model, although I'm not sure about the two-wheelset deal.

Jon Bond

 

[David Kunz]

Michael J. McNamara II wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm a newbie mountain biker.
>
> I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.
>
> I'm not athletic enough yet to keep raised out of the seat for prolonged periods of time and
> my "nether region" is going numb (until I raise out of the seat and it hurts like hell). The
> anatomical seat on my brother's Specialized Rock Hopper seems better, but not what I would
> call comfy.
>
> Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
> recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?
>
> Enjoying the trail regardless -
>
> Mike Mc

The stock Cannondale seats are pretty bad -- actually, most stock seats are pretty bad -- I've heard
that since everyone swaps-out the seat, they just put something cheap on. Don't let it keep you away
from a mountain seat -- a wide comfort road seat won't let you get back when you need to on the
trail and you'll endo -- I know, I made that mistake
. I started riding when I was 300 lbs and figured that I needed that
width and support (I'm down to 230 now and still slowly losing). But, getting a good fit on a
narrower seat was even more comfortable (and I could do those steep downhills with my butt an inch
above the back wheel
).

Most bike shops will let you try their seats. If you're having problems with numbness, look for one
of the ones with a channel or an hole (I need the hole, a channel isn't enough). Soft is not
necessarily comfortable -- it lets you sink in more which sometimes just spreads the pain. You want
to find one that hits your sit bones in a comfortable way. For me, too wide or too narrow a saddle
puts the pressure on them from the wrong angle and hurts. I need a narrower saddle that hits the sit
bones from an angle, but not so narrow as to miss 'em -- I tried A LOT of saddles. I also need a
narrow nose or I get compression sores.

Seat adjustment can also change a great seat into a torture device. 1-deg of tilt is all it takes.
So try different set-backs and tilts. I need the nose down slightly over most people -- but you
may not .

A wider saddle that might work is the Sel Italia Max Flite. (This was too wide for me).

If that's too wide, try the Terry Men's Fly (or the Fly TriGel which is what I finally settled on).

David

 

[Michael Dart]

"JD" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> <snip to answer subject line>
>
> La-Z-Boy
>

Yeah, but I find that snagging the wooden lever on trees and stuff and suddenly finding yourself
'recumbent' is a *****! ;^)

Mike

 

[Kathleen]

Michael Dart wrote:
> "JD" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>>"Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:<[email protected]>...
>
>><snip to answer subject line>
>>
>>La-Z-Boy
>>
>
>
> Yeah, but I find that snagging the wooden lever on trees and stuff and suddenly finding yourself
> 'recumbent' is a *****! ;^)

"Recumbent" is no problem. It's "prone" you've gotta watch out for.

Kathleen

 

[Andy Chequer]

> You're probably thinking of their Bad-Boy model, although I'm not sure
about
> the two-wheelset deal.
>
> Jon Bond

I remember that thing. It's all polished with a polished XTR groupset, cost more than a small new
car and was more like a Faberge egg than a bicycle. But that definitely came with both 700c and 26"
wheels. I bet mixing them gives interesting handling...

Andy Chequer bikes are bikes not jewellry.

 

[Michael J. McNa]

I think I've spent far too much time on a La-Z-Boy as it is....

besides I cant find an under-seat bag that would match.....

-Mike Mc

"JD" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> <snip to answer subject line>
>
> La-Z-Boy
>
> JD

 

[Paladin]

"Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hello,
>
> I'm a newbie mountain biker.
>
> I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.
>
> I'm not athletic enough yet to keep raised out of the seat for prolonged periods of time and
> my "nether region" is going numb (until I raise out of the seat and it hurts like hell). The
> anatomical seat on my brother's Specialized Rock Hopper seems better, but not what I would
> call comfy.
>
> Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
> recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?
>
> Enjoying the trail regardless -
>
> Mike Mc

A bike seat is an extremely personal matter of preference, but you have to start somewhere. I
recommen you look at this, for where you're at in mtnbiking:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/2143000.lasso

I like the Terry products, and their return policy and customer service are simply perfect.

but also keep in mind that no matter what seat you have, there is a "break-in" period of pain and
discomfort until the bizness zone down there gets used to something new.

hth, Paladin

 

[The Ogre]

"Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hello,
>
> I'm a newbie mountain biker.
>
> I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.
>
> I'm not athletic enough yet to keep raised out of the seat for prolonged periods of time and
> my "nether region" is going numb (until I raise out of the seat and it hurts like hell). The
> anatomical seat on my brother's Specialized Rock Hopper seems better, but not what I would
> call comfy.
>
> Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
> recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?
>
> Enjoying the trail regardless -
>
> Mike Mc

Stay away from big padded cushy seats, try tilting your existing seat forward a bit so the pressure
is more on your sit bones and less on the blood veins in your nether regions. Most of all ride,
ride, and ride some more, your body gets used to the seat and then your body gets ride of the extra
pounds. while you are still getting used to it you might try doing 2 shorter rides instead of 1 long
ride. I've lost over 30 pounds and am still dropping (slowly).

-- The Ogre http://64.127.245.45 -- Nameless on the internet

 

[Jd]

"Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I think I've spent far too much time on a La-Z-Boy as it is....
>
> besides I cant find an under-seat bag that would match.....

That's why you leave her at home anyways.

JD

 

[x]

RE/
>Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
>recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?

I don't think there's any correlation between body weight and saddle size/shape.

I think it's mostly in the spacing of your hardware - i.e. ichial tuberosities - vs the size/shape
of the saddle.

Try sitting on some styrofoam of soft cardboard to get the dents made by your bones, then compare
the dent pattern to the usable width of various saddles.
(i.e. the space on the saddle that isn't over some reinforced area along the edge).

For me, the other big issue is how far my bones sink into the saddle. With a soft saddle, my bones
sink down, allowing the rest of the saddle to press upwards where nothing should press. Firm
saddle=good saddle.

If all else fails, try getting on the Brooks bandwagon. B72 for max width, B17 otherwise.

And if you've got a hard tail, maybe a sprung saddle or post.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[David Kunz]

Paladin wrote:
> "Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>
>>Hello,
>>
>>I'm a newbie mountain biker.
>>
>>I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.
>>
>>I'm not athletic enough yet to keep raised out of the seat for prolonged periods of time and
>>my "nether region" is going numb (until I raise out of the seat and it hurts like hell). The
>>anatomical seat on my brother's Specialized Rock Hopper seems better, but not what I would
>>call comfy.
>>
>>Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
>>recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?
>>
>>Enjoying the trail regardless -
>>
>>Mike Mc
>
>
> A bike seat is an extremely personal matter of preference, but you have to start somewhere. I
> recommen you look at this, for where you're at in mtnbiking:
>
> http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/2143000.lasso
>
> I like the Terry products, and their return policy and customer service are simply perfect.
>
> but also keep in mind that no matter what seat you have, there is a "break-in" period of pain and
> discomfort until the bizness zone down there gets used to something new.
>
> hth, Paladin

I hear this advice a lot. IME, it's not quite true. A bad saddle just gets worse (the starting sore
spots get even sorer until you can't ride at all). A tolerable saddle will sometimes get better and
sometimes get worse (why I have a pile of "close" saddles). Make sure that you start with a saddle
that's at least tolerable (ridable for several hours before the pain makes you stop riding -- note
that this doesn't mean that you don't need to stand every so often or adjust...).

David

 

[Paladin]

David Kunz <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Paladin wrote:
> > "Michael J. McNamara II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> >>Hello,
> >>
> >>I'm a newbie mountain biker.
> >>
> >>I'm 6' 2" tall and 295lbs. I'm riding a Cannondale Gemini 900.
> >>
> >>I'm not athletic enough yet to keep raised out of the seat for prolonged periods of time and my
> >>"nether region" is going numb (until I raise out of the seat and it hurts like hell). The
> >>anatomical seat on my brother's Specialized Rock Hopper seems better, but not what I would call
> >>comfy.
> >>
> >>Are there any larger folk (or formerly larger folk) in my size range who have found and can
> >>recommend a more comfy seat suitable for mountain biking?
> >>
> >>Enjoying the trail regardless -
> >>
> >>Mike Mc
> >
> >
> > A bike seat is an extremely personal matter of preference, but you have to start somewhere. I
> > recommen you look at this, for where you're at in mtnbiking:
> >
> > http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/2143000.lasso
> >
> > I like the Terry products, and their return policy and customer service are simply perfect.
> >
> > but also keep in mind that no matter what seat you have, there is a "break-in" period of pain
> > and discomfort until the bizness zone down there gets used to something new.
> >
> > hth, Paladin
>
> I hear this advice a lot. IME, it's not quite true. A bad saddle just gets worse (the starting
> sore spots get even sorer until you can't ride at all). A tolerable saddle will sometimes get
> better and sometimes get worse (why I have a pile of "close" saddles). Make sure that you start
> with a saddle that's at least tolerable (ridable for several hours before the pain makes you stop
> riding -- note that this doesn't mean that you don't need to stand every so often or adjust...).
>
> David

I agree with David, but what I was getting at is the fact that if you've been off a bike for several
weeks, or even months or years, your derrier will feel it after your first long ride. That in itself
is not reason enough to scrap the saddle. Your butt just has to get used to the new situation. Then
if the saddle is still uncomfortable after a couple rides, and it's not just your butt getting into
shape, then try another.

I have the Terry Ti Liberator Race on the geared bike. Kinda hard and minimal, but has the cutouts
and it fits. And I love it. I have an old Vuelta something on the SS. The best thing about a saddle
is if you never have to think about it.

Paladin