My arse is killing me

[Horis Karloff]

I have just started cycling again after 28 years.

My seat is killing me and it's very narrow. I am 6'2" tall 16st.

The seat post is up high so my leg is slightly bent at botton dead centre but my bars at their highest are too low, about 4 " below seat so I am leaning forward all the time.

Just ordered a seat off ebay it's a
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....39508601&Category=22693null&_trksid=p3907.m29

Should the bars be at least the same hieght as the seat? the bike I have is a kind of mountain bike, no suspension. I only paid £17.15p from a boot sale.

would welcome any tips for a tall rider.

regards

Horis Karloff

 

[HLaB]

I'm no expert on bar height but according to a bike fit my road bike saddle should be 97mm above the bars but my hybrid should only be 66mm, but I guess we are all different.

 

[Randochap]

There is no "should be" other than "should be comfortable."

If you have a bike that's too small, you will hike the saddle up, leaving the bars too low. Sounds like you need to get the bars up. How to do that will depend on the kind of headset/stem you have.

If you haven't been on a bike in 28 yrs. you will need to toughen up your soft arse. But make sure you have a decent saddle.

welcome back.

 

[longers]

Hello Horis .

I have just started cycling again after 28 years.

That might be the nub of the problem there.

Your bars might be a little low, 4" does sound like a little too much but from my experience that gives me arm, neck and back pain.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Welcome back to the fold, great article to help you here:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

 

[Horis Karloff]

Thank you all for your help and the link.

I will get fitter and save money by using a bike again.

regards

Horis Karloff

 

[peanut]

Don't be tempted to get a wider saddle unless you have tried one first. A wider saddle will cause chafeing to your inner thighs which is very painful.
You should be able to adjust your stem to raise it a few inches and it may pay to consider buying a shorter step so you are not reaching so far to the bars. I use a 90cm stem but you need to be sure that you feel comfortable .

You can move your saddle forward and back also and some experimentation with all these should put you into a more comfortable riding position.

These adjustments are best done on a turbo trainer so you can test and make minor adjustments easily.

welcome to the forum by the way from another 'big guy'

that's a bluddy gud article Fab

 

[ComedyPilot]

Welcome aboard

 

[wafflycat]

Saddles are a very personal thing. What is comfortable for one is agony for another. The key is to have a saddle that fits. Here you go for the definitive article..

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

You may well have done the wrong thing buying the saddle you have on ebay. Big & squidgy in a saddle does not mean comfort the longer you spend cycling. The key is fit and support and big squidgy saddles end up squidging up bits that should be supported, not squidged..

If you haven't already, invest in some padded cycle shorts (worn 'commando-stylee')

Example: cycling heaven for me is a Terry's Liberator saddle and my uprights have these (race-lite on one, Ti-lite on another). I can literally spend all day on the saddle and my nether regions experience no pain - and these are not squidgy gel saddles..

 

[snorri]

If you haven't been on a bike in 28 yrs. you will need to toughen up your soft arse.

Just take short trips in the early days, even two or three short trips in one day. You will find you are able to cycle a little further without pain as the weeks go by.

 

[peanut]

Saddles are a very personal thing. What is comfortable for one is agony for another. The key is to have a saddle that fits. Here you go for the definitive article..

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Interesting and thorough discussion but for once Sheldon didn't actually propose a solution . Having read through the entire discussion twice I can see no real guidance on choosing a suitable saddle rather lots of advice about what isn't necessarily good ?

My experience suggests that comfort has a lot to do with the type of cycling, frequency/ distance of the rides and bike setup. Like anything ,infrequent use causes discomfort in any form of physical exercise so the consensus seems to be to make sure the bike is set up correctly and then get plenty of practice so the body aclimatises itself.

 

[wafflycat]

Interesting and thorough discussion but for once Sheldon didn't actually propose a solution .

That's because there is no single solution apart from get a saddle which fits your own rear end. What he does do is point out the pitfalls, pros and cons.

 

[peanut]

That's because there is no single solution apart from get a saddle which fits your own rear end. What he does do is point out the pitfalls, pros and cons.

yes I think that is what I said .? except I never said anything about a single solution? think you made that bit up waffly

 

[briank]

I've found that the shorts/saddle combo is what makes the difference for my particular rear end.
Assos shorts + Aliante = fine
Assos shorts + Flite = discomfort
Tal club shorts + Aliante = discomfort
Tal club shorts + Flite = fine
Sorry if this complicates things, but there ya go.

 

[peanut]

I've found that the shorts/saddle combo is what makes the difference for my particular rear end.
Assos shorts + Aliante = fine
Assos shorts + Flite = discomfort
Tal club shorts + Aliante = discomfort
Tal club shorts + Flite = fine
Sorry if this complicates things, but there ya go.

darn it thats complicated things a bit !