The seat that came on the bike I got from them was a torture device ! I even tried it on my carbon bike and at about 20 miles in comes sheer agony. I replaced the seat with a selle italia gel flow slk. Pricey yes but can ride until my legs can't with no rear end discomfort. That doens't mean it will be the right seat for you but(t)....... . Checkout the many styles available. I have never heard anything bad about brooks either . we need to start a parts swap so people don't have to buy to try
My theory is that the assos chamois cream sticks the pad to one's posterior so the saddle chaffes on the pad...instead of the pad sticking to the saddle and chaffing on one's posterior. It's a cooling menthol feeling...I wouldn't describe it as a 'burning feeling'. For shorts...just about any shorts that make your eyes bug out when you see the price are good. Try to hit a discount place or swap meet for the best prices. I like Pearl and Assos but I have also had good luck with many other brands. My favorite shorts are Castelli but they cost a fortune. Conversely, any shorts that make you think, 'Wow, at that price I can afford two pair' are not going to be good. More time on the saddle will also help a ton. Flaco Flaco
Somewhere up above I posted the progression of cylcing shorts... I'm not gonna go search for it, but to remind y'all: there's a progression in cycling shorts. From $20 to $100+ M
Don't knock it until you try it. I've pedaled enough miles to know what works when my ass's comfort is on the line. I much rather be a little warm/hot than wet crotch or having rash on my ass, pedal faster you fool.
If you're putting that much padding down there, wouldn't it just be easier to put some extra padding on the saddle?
Extra padding on the saddle will move out of position as you pedal, especially at high cadence/mileage, better to have padding that conform and move with your body, in which case.. extra fat near the buttock region.. but in my case: 5'10" 140 lb. dressed, about 6% bodyfat.. not much padding get down between the legs, therefore 2 pair of short. Try it for 20 miles and decide for yourself. Hell, when I used to wear 2 pair of bike shorts to ride my LC4 Adventure if I know I'll be riding for more than 2 hours in one strech. Like I said before, nothing is more important than the comfort of my toosh, your toosh may not be as important.
I'm not criticizing (like some ), I'm simply trying to understand. It would seem like you could simply buy a seat that offers more padding, not pennytech a pile of foam on a seat. I've tried it and found it hot, weird, and restrictive. The shorts aren't loose enough to comfortably layer them like that. But then I'm you're height with another 45 lbs.
We did a little gear shopping the other day. I'm a very generic size - 5'10" or so, 180-185 lbs. This translates to a size large in most brands of jerseys and shorts. And if not a large, I'm an extra large!! I know, I know. It's all euro sizing aimed at the twiggy cyclists (see the double short guy above), but jeebus. Even the U.S. brands don't seem to understand how big an average person is. I can't imagine what it would be like to be an overweight or otherwise BIG person shopping for this stuff. The one unpleasant exception was found in the bottom of the barrel gear. The cheap stuff runs to size.
With the experience of working at retail bicycle stores since 1996, I would not recommend heavily padded saddle for riding other than recreational/casual/leisure type riding. More padding on the saddle would likely restrict the rider's leg movement. With more padding on the saddle the rider would bounce on the saddle rather then being supported, like a pogostick or poorly damped suspension.
It's actually kind of funny. Walmart thinks I'm a "Large". I'm anywhere from XL to XXL in bike clothes. And that's american sized bike clothes. There probably isn't enough space on the tag to get all the X's you need to fit european bike clothes on me.
First use: There's no nifty ratcheting mechanism like on the Ultimates, but I'll deal with it. Seems sturdy enough for a home/folding workstand. I've used better. I've used worse. This one ranks up there towards the top tho. outta 4. M
If yer buyin Euro stuff, I'm an XXL/size 5. American? Large. SOME stuff I can get into a 4/med but that's getting rarer and rarer. Ya gotta remember the Euro high end stuff is for the 'serious' cyclist. They tend to be real thin and shit. I'm not. Pearl Izumi seems to understand American sizing. Ditto with Voler, but they still have the seam thru the crotch. Good luck! M
Yeah I think I'd lose all circulation with 2 pairs of bike shorts on. Then again I ain't as skinny as that. Still, how do you even bend at the waist with two pairs on:huh
I got back into bicycling recently. I borrowed a bike from my brother so my girlfriend could tag along. She really liked it so we bought her a bike. I've already discovered Pearl izumi shorts, so getting away from the current clothing discussion for a minute I have a different question: Assuming I'm still into bicycling next spring, should I just buy a bike or should I build a bike? Now before you answer that please read about my intended useage. I'm not doing any crazy distances at this point (about 50 miles in a 24 hr period on the weekends) and may never get to due to a physical disability, but I really am enjoying the hell out of riding at this point. I'm riding my now 17 year old Trek 1100. I've put some SPD pedals on it, gotten some decent shoes, new rubber, retaped the handlebars, lubed, trued, tweaked, and adjusted as needed. It is performing flawlessly, but my trip to the bike store yesterday revealed the fact that even an entry level Trek is lighter and much nicer than my 1100. The result of nearly two decades of progress has me really intrigued. I'm all about fit, comfort, and shedding bike weight and friction within reason even though I'll never compete. I'm thinking full carbon. I don't want to burn 5 grand on a bike, but I don't mind parting with some cash to get something really nice. However, as I was riding today I was wondering about the merits of things like selecting frames and cranks specific to my body geometry. I'm a very mechanical guy and wouldn't hesitate to build a bike if it yielded some obvious benefits, but if dropping a grand or two on a name brand will yield me approximately the same thing or if I can just buy something very close right off the shelf why go through the hassle? What do you think?
Bueller, You can find a good rig on the shelf of a LBS, or through mail order. Saddle, stem length, and bar width would be variables not addressed by a pre built bike. Crank length probably won't be a problem as most frames have the appropriate length cranks spec'd from the factory. A good LBS will switch out these things to fine tune your position. I would always make it a point to have the customer properly positioned on their new bike even if it cost us a few dollars to switch out parts. But shops have changed in the last twenty years, I don't know if that level of service still exists. Building is the way to get exactly what you want, and is what I do. You would probably get more bang for the buck with a pre built rig though. Weight is something that I wouldn't get too hung up on (within reason) proper fit is much more important, and you're on target for that. One of my favorite bikes is a 17 year old Casati that is in the 22lb range, but it is so sweet. FYI, I have a carbon frame set for sale in the flea market too :http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254531
I think that if you just got back into riding and you enjoy your current bike, sit on your money for a year. Then you'll know if it is worth spending money on.
That's basically what I'm doing. Perhaps not for a full year, but I won't be doing anything before next spring.
