Advice needed on a BiiiiiiiiiiG ride for a fat man......
- Thread starter thefett
- Start date
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curzons246
Veteran
- Location
- derbyshire
I'm a similar weight to yourself - I like to ride older steel bikes - my first a Carlton from the 70's had Mavic Rims front Mavic Module E2 36 hole rear Mavic MA2 after 1500 miles I was tightening the spokes every 50 miles how are yours hoding out? - Good luck with the ride Bill
Go and buy a Brookes, after all as far as I know no professionals use one but what would they know compared with all the old timers out there.
Bikes are not like they were in my youth, well maybe some saddles are.
Do Brookes offer the same warranty as the Bontranger for instance. The one that says if it is not comfortable send it back for a refund?
Bikes are not like they were in my youth, well maybe some saddles are.
Do Brookes offer the same warranty as the Bontranger for instance. The one that says if it is not comfortable send it back for a refund?
Tbh I don't know how I tell
The bike is part carbon and really light. There are no creaks from the whels and it's lovely and smooth. 6 miles into tonight's ride I had a rear puncture, lessn learned and bought spare inner tubes on the way home!
Should I learn how to tend to my spokes??
I bought the honey coloured brooks standard saddle for £53 today so happy with that price, hope it comes soon!!
Now to find better gloves and shorts........
curzons246
Veteran
- Location
- derbyshire
I found out my spokes were loose when the wheel ran out of true - if yours are running true then I guess no problem
Had my first ride on the brooks saddle today, it felt like a different bike! Very weird.
Definitely more comfortable, I'm just still a tad sore from an unfortunate "padded shorts on backwards" 7am cycle
It's going to take some setting up though, I kept shifting my butt further back when I needed more power, I tried moving the saddle back but still felt like I was slipping forwards. I've got it level so will try tilting it a wee bit, any tips?
Also read on another thread that changing my chainset to a 50/34 will help me drag my fat ar$e up the hills, something else for the shopping list!!
Definitely more comfortable, I'm just still a tad sore from an unfortunate "padded shorts on backwards" 7am cycle
It's going to take some setting up though, I kept shifting my butt further back when I needed more power, I tried moving the saddle back but still felt like I was slipping forwards. I've got it level so will try tilting it a wee bit, any tips?
Also read on another thread that changing my chainset to a 50/34 will help me drag my fat ar$e up the hills, something else for the shopping list!!
What relevance is that to anyone not intending to race? professionals also don't break up their long rides with regular stops for tea and cake either so maybe we should all give that up as well
.For us normal humans the top priority is for comfort and if a 19th century design still delivers that then it is still a valid option.
I am speaking from experience, I lived with a Brookes for a good while, desperately trying to break it in without success. Then I switched to more modern saddles things that were developed with up to date technology, so I would say I was only giving my honest experience of the Brookes saddle.
For sure most new bikes come with a poor saddle, these can be replaced with modern saddles that work well and do not need breaking in.
Not sure about your relevance bit as the pro would need something more comfortable seeing as they do not do the cake stop.
Easiest way to make any saddle more comfortable is to press harder on the pedals.
For sure most new bikes come with a poor saddle, these can be replaced with modern saddles that work well and do not need breaking in.
Not sure about your relevance bit as the pro would need something more comfortable seeing as they do not do the cake stop.
Easiest way to make any saddle more comfortable is to press harder on the pedals.
srw
It's a bit more complicated than that...
There speaks a man who's never been overweight. If you need to press harder on the pedals, the saddle is wrong for you. If you're overweight, pressing harder on the pedals is extremely tricky.
TheFett - try raising your seatpost half an inch or so. A cheap gel saddle is thicker than the finest saddle known to man. If you're slipping forwards, you probably don't have the saddle quite level.
Also, a triple will help even more than a 50/34 chainset!
The Brooks saddle is thicker and it feels like I'm higher up which is definitely comfier, I'll have another play with it tonight and check the level. Maybe it's just that lycra on new shiny leather saddle has no friction even with my bulbous a$$ pressing down on it?
I thought about a triple but that would mean changing more than just the chainset, and at £150 fitted I've already spent next month's bike budget
Scilly Suffolk
Über Member
You might find these two sites useful in setting your bike up: one, two.
Did you get some Proofide/dubbin for your saddle? The oft quoted advice about applying your chosen saddle treatment is "once a day for a week; once a week for a month; once a month for a year; once a year for life."
Only a small amount should be applied, too much will cause a soft, saggy saddle: a generous finger-dab on a soft cloth.
For what are you being charged £150? I might be missing something, but at most I'd have thought you'd need two chainrings and a front derailleur plus no more than an hour's labour.
Did you get some Proofide/dubbin for your saddle? The oft quoted advice about applying your chosen saddle treatment is "once a day for a week; once a week for a month; once a month for a year; once a year for life."
Only a small amount should be applied, too much will cause a soft, saggy saddle: a generous finger-dab on a soft cloth.
For what are you being charged £150? I might be missing something, but at most I'd have thought you'd need two chainrings and a front derailleur plus no more than an hour's labour.
