bicycling

I've started biking again.

I've got a pretty decent Trek Domane 5 series road bike.

About 8 to 10 miles into a ride, my butt starts to hurt. I've tried some gel padded shorts, but they don't help much

Are these stock saddles crappy? Or could it be that I don't have the same natural muscular padding at 57, that I did at 35?

Any suggestions? I'd really like to train to ride the hotter than hell 100 in 2021 or 2022

cycling shorts with a good chamois are a must (though I'm not familiar with gel padded shorts).

Different butts do better with different saddles. Some people really like the cut-out or channeled saddles (good prostate clearance). My butt really prefers the fizik arione style (longer/flatter) saddle... point being sometimes you need to try a few different saddles to find your glass slipper.

Another thing to think about (if you haven't already) is getting a fit from a shop. If your saddle is too high or too low it's going to influence arse pain.

And yeah, part of it is just riding more. The more miles you do, the more miles your butt will be willing to do.

Bike porn thread!! It's been years!
I finally got back into riding too after living abroad and then in surprisingly-non-bike-friendly hawaii for years. If you're anything like me, the trick is actually less padding, not more (beyond a basic pad in your shorts/bib). For me it was a hard specialized saddle that lined up perfectly with my sit bones. Been riding that saddle for 12 years and moved it to the new bike I got here because the stock saddle that came with it felt awful. Also of course try to keep your weight on your feet and off your ass/hands as much as possible. I have a cheaper version of the same saddle (same shape, just weighs a tiny bit more) that I pulled off my 2nd bike before tradein and put on the gravel bike I got to haul the kids around with. All of the padded saddles chafe in my experience.

Got several bikes now, but this is my favorite.

Cliff that ride looks like a lot of fun. Hell I'd be down to drive up there buy you a beer and ride if you can suffer the company of a libtard for a bit =)
The heat would be no joke but with less than 800 ft of elevation gain there should be a lot of cruising.

Originally Posted by fly135

Got several bikes now, but this is my favorite.

That's a moped.

thanks for the input guys. Nice bikes!
pesos, that sounds like fun. I welcome the company of people with opposing views on things.
Heck, I drive classic Mopars and Chevys, but will occasionally hang out with those Mustang folk

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

That's a moped.

Not quite. You do have to pedal.

Originally Posted by fly135

Not quite. You do have to pedal.

... like a 90 year old to have the bike feel like you have the legs of a tdf domestique.

We have just got a ebike for the boss so we can ride together at the same speed, she loves it. It's a e-gravel bike with drop handles and I have just put some road tires on it. Racing season just getting started here (in between lockdowns...). Picked up a win first time out, so good.

Oh Fizik Antares saddle for me but saddles are pretty personal, it depends on how wide you sit bones are, I'm pretty narrow in the hips. But most of all you just need to smash yourself it submission, it takes a while to get the conditioning to sit on a saddle for hours at a time.

This one:
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/nz/re...-pro--45-km-h-
I bought the extender battery too, she can do almost 100 miles on one charge.

I've been thinking of doing an e-bike motor on my wife's city bike for "keeping up" too.

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

... like a 90 year old to have the bike feel like you have the legs of a tdf domestique.

Who cares. I wakeboard 4-5 times a week. And it's a mountain bike. Not the same as the spandex warriors ride. And if I do want to try to keep up with some of them on the road I'm going 20mph on a plus tire 55lb full suspension bike with no motor, but the drag from the motor components is still there. The motor assist is designed to transition out between 19-20, and maintaining 20mph takes a lot of work. I don't do anything just for the exercise. I do it for the fun. The exercise is a free bonus.

Originally Posted by fly135

Who cares. I wakeboard 4-5 times a week. And it's a mountain bike. Not the same as the spandex warriors ride. And if I do want to try to keep up with some of them on the road I'm going 20mph on a plus tire 55lb full suspension bike with no motor, but the drag from the motor components is still there. The motor assist is designed to transition out between 19-20, and maintaining 20mph takes a lot of work. I don't do anything just for the exercise. I do it for the fun. The exercise is a free bonus.

In FL maybe not a big deal, but in a place with hills, being able to hold 19 mph soft-pedaling up a climb that mortals do at 4-8 mph is frankly dangerous.

Even though they look like bikes, they are really pretty capable lightweight motorcycles.

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

In FL maybe not a big deal, but in a place with hills, being able to hold 19 mph soft-pedaling up a climb that mortals do at 4-8 mph is frankly dangerous.

Even though they look like bikes, they are really pretty capable lightweight motorcycles.

I can do a lot more dangerous stuff on it than going up a hill at 20.. And it’s not even close to a motorcycle. If you are curious, you should try one out instead of speculating on how they work.

Originally Posted by fly135

I can do a lot more dangerous stuff on it than going up a hill at 20.. And it’s not even close to a motorcycle. If you are curious, you should try one out instead of speculating on how they work.

I have ridden one and I do understand how they work; I have seen how e-pedalers interact with other trail users. Most seem to be non-cyclists who are unaccustomed to norms and trail etiquette, unfortunately. It's sortof the same thing as swimming laps at the pool next to someone with one of those underwater turbo things.



Of course, I can see how they can be of great value to the unfit, frail and infirm. But as currently configured, they don't play well on off-road trails used by mtb riders. Thankfully (for the moment) both the forest service and BLM seem to agree (though the likelihood that an assisted pedaler is going to take the time to review regs is also unfortunately low).

If the pedal assist controller were cell-enabled, it seems like it would be easy enough to drop the assist at the pace at which most pedaling cyclists can attack a given segment (leveraging Strava data, for instance). It would be a neat way to impose a governor. I've got no problem with fat kids soft-pedaling up the hill, it's that people do it at 3x the speed of other users that makes e-bikes unsafe and incompatible with existing trail users.

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

I have ridden one and I do understand how they work; I have seen how e-pedalers interact with other trail users. Most seem to be non-cyclists who are unaccustomed to norms and trail etiquette, unfortunately. ....

Of course, I can see how they can be of great value to the unfit, frail and infirm. But as currently configured, they don't play well on off-road trails used by mtb riders. Thankfully (for the moment) both the forest service and BLM seem to agree (though the likelihood that an assisted pedaler is going to take the time to review regs is also unfortunately low).

If the pedal assist controller were cell-enabled, it seems like it would be easy enough to drop the assist at the pace at which most pedaling cyclists can attack a given segment (leveraging Strava data, for instance). It would be a neat way to impose a governor. I've got no problem with fat kids soft-pedaling up the hill, it's that people do it at 3x the speed of other users that makes e-bikes unsafe and incompatible with existing trail users.

I question the knowledge of anyone who thinks that going uphill is the dangerous part. And the "unfit, frail and infirm" should definitely not be riding my bike on the trails it's capable of. Sorry man, but you don't seem to know what you are talking about. It's a class 1 electric bike. You sound like these whinny snowflakes.

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...t#.X0V4pH57mpo

At first I thought you were joking. But now you are coming off as an arrogant moron. Your complaint is that you don't like people who you "think" are less fit passing you. Sounds like you need to get a life. I never give a crap about who's faster than me.

Originally Posted by fly135

I question the knowledge of anyone who thinks that going uphill is the dangerous part. And the "unfit, frail and infirm" should definitely not be riding my bike on the trails it's capable of. Sorry man, but you don't seem to know what you are talking about. It's a class 1 electric bike. You sound like these whinny snowflakes.

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...t#.X0V4pH57mpo

At first I thought you were joking. But now you are coming off as an arrogant moron. Your complaint is that you don't like people who you "think" are less fit passing you. Sounds like you need to get a life. I never give a crap about who's faster than me.

Believe me I unfortunately have first hand experience with Class 1 assisted pedalers on non-motorized MTB trails. They are dangerous.

Has nothing to do with “getting passed,” TBH. That said I’m assuming for sake of argument that you’ve really only ridden in the flats of Florida and haven’t had any surprise encounters while bombing uphill on a mixed-use non-motorized two way trail with a few hikers or trail runners on it.

Where folks may descend at 20 and climb at 4-6, there’s ample time to avoid head ons and for the descending rider to pull over and let the climbing rider pass. When the ascending rider is climbing at 3-4x “normal” speed, unanticipated (and avoidable) crashes happen.

I’ve got nothing against ebikes, but they don’t belong on non motorized trails.

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

Believe me I unfortunately have first hand experience with Class 1 assisted pedalers on non-motorized MTB trails. They are dangerous.

I post a pic of my bike and you feel free to write disparaging comments because you've got sand in your vagina. You don't need to project your problems on to me. I won't give you any satisfaction.

Originally Posted by shawndoggy

I’ve got nothing against ebikes, but they don’t belong on non motorized trails.

Too bad for you. Maybe you should take up a different sport because class 1 bikes are allowed on "non motorized" trails. That was one reason I bought one even though it felt anemic compared to my electric road bike.

Perhaps knitting would be something that doesn't scare you. I bet you have a whole bunch of whiners in your choir. Maybe they could switch to knitting as well.

Originally Posted by fly135

I post a pic of my bike and you feel free to write disparaging comments because you've got sand in your vagina. You don't need to project your problems on to me. I won't give you any satisfaction.

Too bad for you. Maybe you should take up a different sport because class 1 bikes are allowed on "non motorized" trails. That was one reason I bought one even though it felt anemic compared to my electric road bike.

Perhaps knitting would be something that doesn't scare you. I bet you have a whole bunch of whiners in your choir. Maybe they could switch to knitting as well.

Hey bud if my comments don’t apply to you they aren’t disparaging, right?

I mean you could ride as fast as those non motorized guys if you wanted to. You are just too smart for that (and apparently too busy doing other “extreme” and “dangerous” stuff that your ebike is “capable of” (cuz it’s something more than a FS MTB with an extra 20lbs of motor?)).

Funny how the last guy to the party shows up and tells everyone else they are doing it wrong. Ebikes are to mountain biking what the surf-pigs are to wake boats. Both have their place when used responsibly; both have owners who nevertheless just got here, don’t know the etiquette, don’t care, and give everyone else who owns one a bad name. Glad you aren’t “that guy,” but believe me, he exists.

My attitude is the more people who ride bikes the better, I'm all for ebikes mixing in with normal riders. Yes there will be some teething issues but I don't think the primary cause is that they are on an ebike, it's just that they are inexperienced. There is plenty of space for everyone, you just have to want to share.

Glad you two got that sorted out. Skiing vs snowboarding anyone?

Been knocking out the little 5 mile loop that's close to the house. Getting my legs back in shape for some MTB action. Local shop is adding a trail that's fairly close. Just got back from Hot Springs and took the bikes with us. Definitely some fun terrain in HS.

Although I'm just getting back into it, couldn't handle my the saddle that came on Trek either. Forgot what I bought, but its a wider padded saddle.

thanks for all of the comments. I priced some new saddles, but was overwhelmed very quickly. I need to visit the local bike shop.

looks like the electric bike maker Vanmoof, is set to IPO soon. Might be an interesting stock play

Cliff is the saddle getting any better just with more miles under your butt?

One other point worth making is that saddle height can influence comfort too. For years I ran my saddles just a touch too high. Not rocking-on-tiptoes high, but maybe 3/16"-1/4" too much. My power improved with the dropped seat as did comfort.

Now if CA would put out its fires, I'd sure like to ride again! It's been rollers only for the past week and I'm going stir crazy!

I'm going to ride it over to the bike shop soon, and get them to help me figure it out. I'm also told that I have been using the thinner, racing weight inner tubes. It's been suggested that I get the fatter ones for increased shock absorbing

Totally got into riding during this shutdown. Averaging 200 miles per week. Felling great! I feel you on the saddle. Tried to switch out the selle Italia saddle with the new specialized power expert and it was awful. Gave it 4 days straight at 50 miles per day and on the 4th day I almost pulled over and took an Uber home due to the pain. Threw the selle back on and back to comfort. Guess it’s just what your bum works with. I highly recommend a premium short/bib/pant like Giordana or peal izumi’s. They def help a lot better than the cheaper options. Wish shops could let you demo saddles....
Just upgraded to this Time 2 weeks ago.

Nice whip migs!

Thanks Man! Super pumped on it. She’s fitted with Campy Super Records as well.

Love the pics! I'm in Japan for a month without my bikes so have to live vicariously through you guys =(

My early rides are staring to feel REALLY early.

Beautiful, great way to start the day.

Originally Posted by ralph

Beautiful, great way to start the day.

The best! Even though it's getting dark, temps are still in the high 40s (F) right now so it's pretty nice. Feels "crisp," but by no means bonechilling.

Had to give the new bike a rest this week & pull out old faithful. 15yrs older, but still such a phenomenal ride.

Originally Posted by fly135

I post a pic of my bike and you feel free to write disparaging comments because you've got sand in your vagina. You don't need to project your problems on to me. I won't give you any satisfaction.

Too bad for you. Maybe you should take up a different sport because class 1 bikes are allowed on "non motorized" trails. That was one reason I bought one even though it felt anemic compared to my electric road bike.

Perhaps knitting would be something that doesn't scare you. I bet you have a whole bunch of whiners in your choir. Maybe they could switch to knitting as well.

OH MAN!!! To think I missed this for this long... So funny watching two libtards punching each other in the mouths and cannibalizing yourselves. Thanks for the cheap entertainment, losers! Lol

Originally Posted by migs

Had to give the new bike a rest this week & pull out old faithful. 15yrs older, but still such a phenomenal ride.

Man back in the day these were the ish, but boy is that look dated now! Still, it was THE bike to own in 2004.

Friday morning ride on the bay

French & American muscle this morning in Burlingame CA.

So good

Nice to be back in Texas after a couple months abroad - missed this whip! Amazing 74 degree day. If you look closely you can see a couple of sunken boat flags there in the lake

Awesome bike. Pro tip: your stems upside down and there is some packaging left under it.

Originally Posted by ralph

Pro tip: your stems upside down and there is some packaging left under it.

eh??

timechange bonus -- sunrise is early enough that most of the morning ride can be done without the aid of headlights. Gonna be cold AF by next week tho. :-(

Originally Posted by ralph

Awesome bike. Pro tip: your stems upside down and there is some packaging left under it.

oh for the flexibility of yoof.

Haha no kidding. Ralph how tall are you?

Originally Posted by pesos

Haha no kidding. Ralph how tall are you?

6 foot

Some cycling and election humor

Tried to squeeze in a ride yesterday between the rain clouds. Big mistake. Deep in hillsborough and it starts to dump. Had to hide out at a middle school parking lot for an hour.

Originally Posted by ralph

Some cycling and election humor

Finally got my new wheels.

Nice! Packing my baby up to head back to Japan.

Hawks Hill plus paradise loop today.

Afternoon with the exotics

Thursday’s view

Christmas fun with the boss and dog

Been a bit cold over here but did finally get out for a ride around the Miura peninsula for about 90km or so. Got a nice view of Mt Fuji and a damn good burger

Oooooooo nice

Did the Mt Tam climb yesterday. 5K vertical, 40 mile route.

Ahhhhhh I miss that place.

MTB in the dark

Out the back of mango on some lovely farm roads

Spring in the sagebrush.