AI6YR BenDefinitely pulled a muscle in my back from bicycling. Sigh. I'll survive. It's been bothering me for a few days, but discovered I make it worse and exactly what muscle when I get on a bike. (I blame using the lower bars on the road bike 🤪 ) Stretching seems to be mostly fixing this, but... ANNOYING! #firstworldproblems #BikeTooter #random
David Sacerdote@ai6yr you can get a riser stem which increases the height of the bars for a road bike. I use one which raises it just enough to keep my back happy
W6KME@dsacer @ai6yr I'll second this...fashion may say you need a super-low shoulder position for max aero efficiency. Well, we normal humans don't go fast enough for it to be as important as it is for pros. They don't ride like humans do.
Move that bar up. Learn to put your hands on the brake hoods for riding into the wind, not the drops. Use a slightly broader saddle that actually hits your sit bones. Drop the seat an inch. Be comfortable; you're never going to see the inside of a wind tunnel.
smells of bikes@smellsofbikes @W6KME @dsacer I do enjoy the bikes I have with fat Brooks saddles with springs! Nice and comfy. Not designed for racing posture, definitely perfect for riding up on the hoods or holding the top of the handlebars.
@ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer This illustrates one real issue with bikes: it is, as far as I can tell, utterly impossible to predict which bike seat is going to be long-term comfortable without actually long-term using it. Several friends love brooks saddles (by which I mean multiple 200km days on them) and I haaaate them, where I'm riding on something that's practically a contoured sheet of carbon fiber with a bit of fabric glued on, and 200km on it is for me very comfy.
cognitively accessible math@smellsofbikes @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer
I can kinda tell by where my sitbones hit. The time there was a saddle on sale for twenty bucks and I got one.... and in a week I ordered 3 more .... YEARS of comfort.
When I bought my first Real Bikeshop Bike I asked the guy what I should be mindful about for hurting on long rides. (I hadn't riddenmore than 10 miles. I had NO IDEA I would love long rides.) I'm thinking shoulders, back....
He stated, clinically, "be sure there is no saddle pressure on your soft vaginal tissues."
THe youngster mechanic nearby walked away fast ;P but dude, that was what I needed to know!
I can kinda tell by where my sitbones hit. The time there was a saddle on sale for twenty bucks and I got one.... and in a week I ordered 3 more .... YEARS of comfort.
When I bought my first Real Bikeshop Bike I asked the guy what I should be mindful about for hurting on long rides. (I hadn't riddenmore than 10 miles. I had NO IDEA I would love long rides.) I'm thinking shoulders, back....
He stated, clinically, "be sure there is no saddle pressure on your soft vaginal tissues."
THe youngster mechanic nearby walked away fast ;P but dude, that was what I needed to know!
@geonz @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer Yeah, 80's saddles were like sitting on a coffeecan, I can't believe we did that. Modern ones with flares up to your sitbones with a nice valley in between for reduced pressure are heavenly. (This is in fact why I don't like Brooks as much as my titanium enema saddles, because they're excellent about avoiding unwanted contact.)
@smellsofbikes @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer
I liked the Brooks that my friend got, didn't like, & gave to me, okay.... but I suspect I mold saddles to me.
I liked the Brooks that my friend got, didn't like, & gave to me, okay.... but I suspect I mold saddles to me.
@smellsofbikes @ai6yr @W6KME @dsacer (OK OK OK Now I really remember. It was a Selle Anatomica. Supposed to be as good as a Brooks :P :P It was a gift saddle, I didn't pay that much attention.)
@geonz fwiw i quite like Selle stuff.
@smellsofbikes Agree ;) So many seats, I just don't remember them all even though we were in imtimate contact.
@smellsofbikes I *think* I wore it out faster than I thought was worthy of its cost. I just don't do as many 50 + mile rides now. Mebbe when I actually retire :P
Darth Osler@smellsofbikes @W6KME @dsacer @ai6yr i tried that while skiing moguls once
My sit bones hit the saddle so hard my toque bounced off my head
PhilSalkie@smellsofbikes @W6KME @dsacer @ai6yr
I have a skinny little Quintana Roo saddle that I keep angled downwards so the only contact patch between me and saddle is my sit bones. I can ride on that all day, no soreness, no chafing, no pressure.
People look at it funny, but it works for me.