Comments on: Padded bike shorts and other apparel

By: jim

jim — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 03:57:11 +0000

Another thing I’d advocate during the wetter months, e.g. now, is buying a pair of neoprene shoe covers and keeping them on all winter. The $20 pair is a far better deal than the $260 pair of shoes I was seriously contemplating. (However, if there was any amount of winter biking, it’d be an easier sell.)

By: jeff

jeff — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 02:12:30 +0000

Check out… “The World’s Only Real Bike Seat” at http://www.realseat.com.

By: Claire

Claire — Fri, 13 May 2005 21:29:24 +0000

Re: Hole-in-the-seat bicycle saddles — I switched to this style because of (ahem) internal saddle sores, on the advice of my doctor. I have been happy with the saddle since. Everyone’s heinie and crotch is different.

Numbness is due to poor fit. You may need the angle or height of the seat adjusted.

What you don’t want is the no-nose seat. You actually use the nose of your saddle more than you think you do, for steering and balance.

By: jim

jim — Fri, 13 May 2005 17:26:19 +0000

> Does the bicycle seat with the hole in it help with numbness at all?

Some people claim it works well. I’ve never tried it, though, as I’m fairly happy with the seat I have now.

I saw one at a bike expo year before last that took out the “nose” portion entirely – it looked like two pads that your glutes sit on.

I’d love to try a recumbent sometime. Those seats look comfy.

By: Woodstock

Woodstock — Fri, 13 May 2005 14:39:02 +0000

Well…that picture answers a lot of questions I wasn’t sure I wanted answered. Does the bicycle seat with the hole in it help with numbness at all? Our local bike shop recommends them for men but not for women.

By: Fran

Fran — Wed, 11 May 2005 03:41:26 +0000

I just got a chance to look at the not safe for work link and… Eeeww! That’s just way too much information.

By: Director Mitch

Director Mitch — Wed, 11 May 2005 03:35:46 +0000

Change to Tae Kwon Do. We wear pajamas.

By: jim

jim — Tue, 10 May 2005 19:42:08 +0000

Thanks, everyone.

I am in total agreement that riders should be more aware of their situations. Chilly Hilly is a classic example of a long, steep hill that riders bunch up on. It’s been a few months since some were on the bike. Pulsing with pain, they forget to downshift, stay/move to the right, etc. I think the riders racing up are also partially culpable for inadequate spacing and being unaware at how much the rider in front of them is visibly struggling. (Fluctuations in pedaling rate and bike bobbling occurs before the tored rider in front does the Picard Maneuver.) OTO, I’m unsure how one learns group etiquette without actually going in a group. Maybe start out with friends?

Chris: The ergonomic saddle didn’t work well on my new bike, I’d speculate because there’s more flex. I currently use a Brooks B17, all-leather and am pretty happy with it. Though there’s obviously a lot of variety, the saddles are popular with the rando folks.

Claire: The PowerGrips sound like a great idea. I can’t think of any benefit in SPDs, especially if R is happy with the PowerGrips. I may email you privately for ideas on tandeming and how to encourage my kids cycling.

Doug: Over the top.

By: Fran

Fran — Tue, 10 May 2005 18:46:37 +0000

Great commentary Jim! Sounds like you and the commenters have made sensible choices in bike wear (not that it matters what I think). I guess the most important thing is to use good riding etiquette, stay out of difficult group-ride situations until you have enough experience to go with the flow, and not to show body parts that aren’t supposed to be shown ;-)

By: Beth

Beth — Tue, 10 May 2005 17:48:44 +0000

I read Fran’s comments, and I read Jim’s reply. When I was in college and first started riding long biking events, I was VERY stubborn about biking gear. I swore I’d never be caught dead in a pair of those shorts – until I finished a ride bleeding. On casual rides around town with my kids, I generally even wear them under a pair of hiking shorts. On cleats – it took me 25 years to switch to cleats, but once I made the switch, I don’t want to go back. I do have two bikes – a 15 year old mountain bike (no cleats) I use for family rides of any distance and short rides around town, and my newer road bike that I use for training and events. I admit, the road bike is kind of my pride and joy, because I am barely 5′3″, and I bought a WSD bike that is the first bike that has ever properly fit, and it has truly made riding a new experience. Unless you’ve been riding on too-large bikes since the age of 14 or so and finally get one that really fits at 39, you probably can’t relate to how good that feels.

Living in Anacortes, I rode the Lopez ride (on the cleat-less mountain bike) with my family and another one last year. Given the size of Lopez Island, I was a bit frustrated that so many people were trying to turn the ride into some kind of race. It’s too congested for that kind of riding. We had fun, but I skipped the event this year. I can go to Lopez Island and ride any time I want without the frustration of the event! Even on event rides, myself and my riding partner often find ourselves frustrated with much of the biking culture, and I am picky about events because of that. I hope I am not lumped into that category just because of how I’m dressed!

Lots of people do not have good “hill” etiquette, or even good group riding etiquette. I have taken a fall due to someone stopping suddenly, without notice, on a hill. They didn’t stop because they had cleats, or had not shifted gears, or anything else – they were just tired, and unfortunately unaware of (barely) faster people riding up behind them. My point being, I don’t think it’s fair to pin that problem on riders with cleats.