Newbie here.....

On Thu, 21 Aug 2003 00:11:22 +0100, Bryan Anderson did issue forth:

Quoted message said:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Difficult one, that. What one person finds comfy, others may find hell. What's worth remembering is
that just because it's big and cushioned, it's not necessarily going to be a comfy seat long term.
Even though they look like razor blades to some people, it doesn't necessarily follow that the
saddle will be incredibly uncomfortable. Your bum is a very individual thing.

Quoted message said:

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

Even with slime, it's worth carrying a spare tube, levers, pump and patches. Slime will only cope
with a certain size of puncture, once you get into the realms of anything beyond small thorns then
you're still going to ruin a tube, and you'll end up having to get rid of a blown tube with slime
oozing out of the puncture to boot. In fact, over a certain size, you may find that the slime will
render an otherwise patchable hole irrepairable as it covers the outside of the tube in goop.

Huw

In "]news:[email hidden], Bryan Anderson
<[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Well - at 32 yrs old, I hadn't been on a bike in about twenty years. I saw this offer at
sterlinghouse for a cheap bike and thought it'd be worth fifty quid to see if I actually liked
biking.....and I did, and after a few evenings out I realised what a pile of junk that bike was.

Welcome to cycling

Quoted message said:

So - set myself a budget and went along to Halfords (I know....) and I think I got something okay
- at least it's fine for me (Carrera Kraken).

But - a couple of trivial questions:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Seats are a very individual item and what is comfy for one is uncomfy for another. In general do not
be misled by soft squishy saddles. Other than for very short rides they are much worse. Your weight
should be carried on your two sit bones which are designed for the purpose. (Sit on a hard flat
surface and you will find them). With soft saddles they sink into the softness and the rest of the
saddle then bears on the surrounding soft tissue which is not designed for and does not like weight
bearing. So go for a firmish saddle and don't be afraid to offer it up in the shop to see how it
matches with your sit bones. Do get some padded cycling shorts though (wear them in place of
underpants or on their own) and if it gets sore use (which it will in the early days) use some
drapolene or sudocrem to ease things.

Quoted message said:

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

No because when you get a puncture that the slime can't repair the leaking slime can make a
conventional puncture repair impossible to do. So you need a spare tube anyway. Learn to repair a
puncture as you are bound to get one sometime. Otherwise, assuming you are street riding look for
toughened tyres such as the Specialized Armadillos or put in some Panaracer liners (soft lightweight
felty feel kevlar liners) if you want to minimise punctures.

Quoted message said:

Bryan - with sore legs from what must have been about fifteen miles today according to Autoroute!

Think about a bike computer if you are interested in distances and speeds. The sore legs are a part
of it. You will find that you can do 15 miles without sore legs pretty soon and then you will think
Hmmmm lets try 30 and the sore legs will return ;-)

Tony

--
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not
dying." Woody Allen

Bryan Anderson said:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

What Huw said, plus: best way to be sure is go to a shop with a selection and try sitting on a few.
If they won't let you do that, you're in the wrong shop! Your bum is indeed a personal thing, but
saddles that are well liked by at least a healthy proportion of those trying them seem to be
Georgina Terry Liberators (note there are men's and women's versions, but try both anyway) and
Brooks B17s (trad leather, which break in and get more comfortable with use, though if they'll work
should be apparent pretty much straight away). Specialized Body Geometry tend to polarise opinion:
some people love 'em, I find them crippling...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"Bryan Anderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Bums are very persdonal things. A good bike shop may have a selection of saddles to try -- find the
one compatible with your bum & buy it.

Remember, set up is almost as important as the hardware. Try changing the tilt and fore/aft
position. On mine one 'click' in tilt turns a torture machine into shear comfort.

T

Bryan Anderson said:

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

I've got some self adhesive patches (from halfords I've lost the label so I don't know the make) -
they make fixing punctures much easier than using glue and normal patches IMHO. They are a bit more
expensive than the normal ones though.

John

Bryan Anderson said:

Well - at 32 yrs old, I hadn't been on a bike in about twenty years. I saw this offer at
sterlinghouse for a cheap bike and thought it'd be worth fifty quid to see if I actually liked
biking.....and I did, and after a few evenings out I realised what a pile of junk that bike was.

So - set myself a budget and went along to Halfords (I know....) and I think I got something okay
- at least it's fine for me (Carrera Kraken).

But - a couple of trivial questions:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Trek do a range of comfort saddles, I think they may be made by Velo. they look more like
'traditional' saddles than the razor jobbies of today and, boy, is it comfy. It's hard do describe
but the cover is closer to alcantara / suede than vinyl. I got mine from freewheel, nottingham

freewheel.interalpha.nethome.htmOpen ↗ who should be able to point you to a stockist near you / do
one mail order as they are nice people. mine cost about £17 to £20 but was well worth it.

the *very* wide, very comfy looking ones they do are for ladies , btw

Quoted message said:

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

never used slime on a bike tube, I carry spare inner tubes and one of those CO2 pumps. punctures are
fixed in a few mins, no fuss, no pumping almost a pleasure to fix.

Quoted message said:

Thanks for any hints,

Bryan - with sore legs from what must have been about fifteen miles today according to Autoroute!

it will get much easier, surprisingly quickly :-)

see you out there

Albert

Bryan Anderson said:

But - a couple of trivial questions:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Not a trivial qiestion at all, Bryan. As others have said, bums are a very personal thing - VPT[TM]

However, you said that you haven't cycled for some twenty years. If I were you I'd stick with your
present saddle at least for a short time. It's quite possible that in your state as a recyclist any
saddle will be a tad uncomfortable.

Also, do as others have said and make sure the saddle is positioned correctly. Correctly means
correct for you, not for anyone else. Get hold of a suitably sized allen key - probably two allen
keys - and take them out with you. Try moving the saddle up/down, front/back and tilt up/down. Don't
just adjust the saddle and try it for comfort when stationary; make sure you ride on the adjusted
perch for a mile or so before you make any more changes.

I trashed my back many years ago in a skiing accident and further damaged it last year when I was
knocked off my bike. The result is that I no longer feel comfortable when stretched out - old age
(38) doesn't help either :-( I have tried moving the saddle around to better my position on the bike
- bad idea. Today, I decided that the only answer is a new, slightly shorter stem, which I've
ordered from my LBS.

James

--
homepage.ntlworld.comLarrau.jpgOpen ↗

"Bryan Anderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well - at 32 yrs old, I hadn't been on a bike in about twenty years. I saw this offer at
sterlinghouse for a cheap bike and thought it'd be worth fifty quid to see if I actually liked
biking.....and I did, and after a few evenings out I realised what a pile of junk that bike was.

So - set myself a budget and went along to Halfords (I know....) and I think I got something okay
- at least it's fine for me (Carrera Kraken).

But - a couple of trivial questions:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

Thanks for any hints,

Bryan - with sore legs from what must have been about fifteen miles today according to Autoroute!

--
Bryan Anderson <[email hidden] | www.bryananderson.co.uk>

Flite Titanium ! the best ! Accept no substitute.

Graham

In article <[email hidden]>, Bryan Anderson
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Perseverance is the answer, apart from the saddle, which others have advised on. Try and do a little
bit every day and build up. I was in my mid-20s when I hired a bike from Strasbourg train station
one holiday after probably more than a year away from the saddle. I was in agony after just five
miles, but we ended up covering over 50km that day. Half way through I realised the seat was too low
and the slant of the saddle not right, so a little adjustment brought some relief.

Quoted message said:

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

I carry a few tools that are enough to get the wheel and tyre off and on, a small repair kit, and a
spare inner tube, as well as a pump. I've never used slime in over 14 years of cycling around town,
and don't intend to start.

--
congokid Eating out in London? Read my tips... congokid.comcongokid.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

(1) The seat kills my bum.....considering I am not going into competition and cycle for pleasure,
what would you guys recomend for a comfy replacement seat (and nothing too expensive....I was
thinking of a max of thirty quid).

Yes, bottoms are very personal things.

I also have a new theory which I'm about to test out this weekend: saddle discomfort might be to do
with your reach to the handlebars as well. I find that I struggle to get a balance between
reasonable ride-height and saddle tilt. I also know (from the "average" shirts I buy) that my arms
are slightly shorter than average. I've noticed that the more I lean forward the more pressure I put
on the affected area - and the less I'm able to use my sit bones. So my plan is to try one more
weekend on my latest saddle then see if a shortened reach to the bars improves my situation at all.

Quoted message said:

(2) Slime....that stuff that you can spray into your tyres to heal up and punctures.....any good?
Better than carrying a spare tube and all the tools?

Call me a masochist but I quite enjoy fixing punctures. I like trying to do it quicker and quicker
each time and I think it's a good way to get to know your bike, because you get to check the
condition of the tyres, try to work out what you did (or what happened) to cause the puncture and
give the rims a once-over.

--
...meandering mule...

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions - now been out on the new bike every night since Tuesday, and
can now do an easy eight miles without even feeling it.

I had to adjust the saddle much higher than I though it out to be. It looks too high, but it's made
my legs much more comfortable and less prone to aching, and made a big difference to my back. Also
adusted the saddle forward and pointed it a couple of degrees downwards and I can now perch very
nicely and not bet sore buns at all!

So - no need for the new saddle (as you all thought!) and I tend to agree with everyone as well
about the Slime.....much better off to go the "right" way and just carry a spare tube.

Now to get a computer - I *have* to know how far I am going on each trip.....though I fear it may be
less than I think/want ;-)

Bryan.