Cycling is a PITA

[vickster]

Why not mix it up with some outdoor cycling? It's not that cold if you have the right clothing. Unless you live in Minnesota

If using the TT spend some time every few minutes riding out of the saddle

 

[HLaB]

I take it you are going commando (no underwear) and not sitting about in the shorts post session but as others have said things will toughen up fit can make a massive difference if your current fit is causing you to move about.

Bibs are my choice but there isn't much difference pad wise however the bibs will ensure the position of the pad is more constant if you are moving about. The big difference for comfort is round the waist where you have an elasticated waist potentially digging in.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've never ever felt the need to wear specific clothing just for riding a bike. That means 99% of the time wearing an old pair of jeans or poly cotton work trousers. Real riding is different from turbo trainer use, as in real life a rider will move differently and get their weight off the saddle and put their feet down etc when stopped. I don't think there's much relationship between saddle comfort and price either, if you leave Brooks leather ones out of the equation. One of my bikes came with a Selle Royal that I think the previous owner fitted as an upgrade, a wider version for those with a larger posterior - which I don't have. I don't find it especially comfortable, so as an experiment I swapped it for a low-budget MTB saddle taken from a scrap BSO I happened to have spare. That fits me much better than the more expensive one.

 

[raleighnut]

With my heel & peddle down I have a slight bend in the knee, knee level with peddle axis when peddle at 90, saddle is level & i raised the handle bars 8mm. It might need some slight tuning though i suspect.

Your saddle is still too low IMO, with your heel on the pedal your leg should be straight. This allows for a slight bend when the ball of your foot is on the pedal.

 

[nrosko]

Your saddle is still too low IMO, with your heel on the pedal your leg should be straight. This allows for a slight bend when the ball of your foot is on the pedal.

ok i will check this, i'm going over it all again tonight.

 

[nrosko]

Why not mix it up with some outdoor cycling? It's not that cold if you have the right clothing. Unless you live in Minnesota

If using the TT spend some time every few minutes riding out of the saddle

At the weekends i will unless it looks slippy or too grim, its very dark after work & don't fancy riding at night. I will try & get out of the saddle a bit more as well.

 

[boydj]

It could be your bars are actually too high. Your arms should be bearing some of your weight, so that it's not all going through the saddle. This may seem a bit awkward to a beginner, so you should start with the bars level with or just below saddle height, then drop it gradually as you build up some core strength and get used to the position.

 

[mjr]

It could be your bars are actually too high. Your arms should be bearing some of your weight, so that it's not all going through the saddle. This may seem a bit awkward to a beginner, so you should start with the bars level with or just below saddle height, then drop it gradually as you build up some core strength and get used to the position.

Only enough weight to stabilise the steering should go through the arms else you'll trash your wrists in short order. That's why building up core muscles is important for leant- forwards positions, to keep weight off the wrists.

 

[nrosko]

I really don't think it's the setup, i checked the hight again & its fine. Managed 10 miles & was starting to hurt around 10, i'll use that as a marker & see i progress.

 

[Alan O]

Managed 10 miles & was starting to hurt around 10, i'll use that as a marker & see i progress.

I'd say that's actually not bad going when you're just starting - and you could progress pretty well from there.

One other thing worth checking if you're happy with your saddle height is its angle. I got a bike back recently that I'd lent to someone for a day, and my first ride on it afterwards hurt my bum a bit - I hadn't realised he'd angled it up a fraction.

 

[Tin Pot]

ok i will check this, i'm going over it all again tonight.

Bike fit is definitely worth seeing someone about, if you can afford it.

Separately though and despite professional fitting, it took me a few years (!) to realise how to sit in the saddle properly, resting on your sit bones. World of difference.

 

[boydj]

Only enough weight to stabilise the steering should go through the arms else you'll trash your wrists in short order. That's why building up core muscles is important for leant- forwards positions, to keep weight off the wrists.

Depends to some extent on the type of bike and the saddle to bars drop. I'm using road bikes with about 4" drop from saddle to the bar tops. I've never had a problem with my wrists and I would guess that something like 10% to 15% of my weight is going through my arms. MY core strength is pretty good, though, for my age, which is why I can outdrive most of my golf partners.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Your comfort on the bike depends on a lot of things, but regarding saddles, it’s a very individual thing. Generally speaking, from a purely cushioning point of view the more ‘natural padding’ you carry, the less padding you’re likely to need in the shorts / saddle, in fact a more ‘padded’ rider, will actually cause more problems with saddle / short over padding than they solve. If you’re ‘bony arsed’ more shorts / saddle padding will be more advantageous. It’s a spectrum you find yourself on, so to speak. The size and profile of the saddle are also important, it’s trial and error as far as that goes.

 

[mjr]

If you’re ‘bony arsed’ more shorts / saddle padding will be more advantageous.

I am and it's not. I still want the right padding in the right places, not more padding.