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Brooks B-17 saddle. That is all. When it starts to sag, don't forget to tighten it with a wrench.
Casey thanks for the tips. I just ordered a Selle Italia SLR saddle, its a year or 2 old model but the width is about 8mm smaller than the saddle currently on my Trek, hoping that will fix it.
Casey Carnes said:
IF you're trying new saddles and want something sportier, the brooks cambium and selle anatomica titanico are both good options that are not too narrow and won't completely break the bank.
Saddle sores can be prevented with all sort of creams. I think for commuting you won't notice much difference between different creams but my preference is for Eurostyle. Also use bag balm as soon as sores appear and they will heal much faster.
I'm a husky gentleman, and I sweat a fair bit. Anything over 15 mi and I need padded shorts and anti-chafe balm. I use Body Glide. I like how it goes on like deodorant, no mess. Get yourself some new shorts or bibs that fit, with the antibacterial padded bit. As soon as you get where you're going, get out of them, and clean yourself up (and get DRY). I use basic antibacterial cream when I get a sore, though I don't think I've gotten one since I got better about Body Glide and the riding shorts. If you're riding somewhere you'll be stopping for a while, pack a 2nd pair of shorts. You don't want to be sitting in them.
And btw I never wore padded shorts until I was over 30. Then, bam, saddle sores. One of the great wonders of aging.
Not to take things too far off-topic, but it occurs to me that everyone participating in this thread is likely to start getting a new class of online ads. :-)
Julia how did you determine the seat was over too far?
Julia 3.5/7.5 mi said:
I've used noxema on hot spots as needed, but the worst saddle sore I've ever gotten was from my seat being slightly right of center. It was probably off by 2-3mm and I rode it for 3 months, until I was literally in pain. I actually debated surgery for a while, but the adjustment made it disappear in about a week!
The seat makes the biggest difference for me. I'm currently riding on a selle italia diva gel seat and it feels amazing. Just a wee bit of cushion (for when I commute in non-chamois pants), and super comfy on long rides (30mi +). IMO, worth the investment for a $100+ saddle if you're spending a lot of time on it.
Julia how did you determine the seat was over too far?
Julia 3.5/7.5 mi said:I've used noxema on hot spots as needed, but the worst saddle sore I've ever gotten was from my seat being slightly right of center. It was probably off by 2-3mm and I rode it for 3 months, until I was literally in pain. I actually debated surgery for a while, but the adjustment made it disappear in about a week!
The seat makes the biggest difference for me. I'm currently riding on a selle italia diva gel seat and it feels amazing. Just a wee bit of cushion (for when I commute in non-chamois pants), and super comfy on long rides (30mi +). IMO, worth the investment for a $100+ saddle if you're spending a lot of time on it.
Here's a brief video on saddle adjustment basics. I've followed this general advice for decades, with good comfort:
http://selleanatomica.com/pages/setup
Chitown_Mike said:Julia how did you determine the seat was over too far?
Julia 3.5/7.5 mi said:I've used noxema on hot spots as needed, but the worst saddle sore I've ever gotten was from my seat being slightly right of center. It was probably off by 2-3mm and I rode it for 3 months, until I was literally in pain. I actually debated surgery for a while, but the adjustment made it disappear in about a week!
The seat makes the biggest difference for me. I'm currently riding on a selle italia diva gel seat and it feels amazing. Just a wee bit of cushion (for when I commute in non-chamois pants), and super comfy on long rides (30mi +). IMO, worth the investment for a $100+ saddle if you're spending a lot of time on it.
This discussion is timely for me.
I've never used a cream before either but do sometimes get a bit sore from time to time on longer rides around 100-miles. There are a lot of factors, usually heat and sweat over longer distances. Usually by the end of a century I'm just getting to where there is some discomfort after the ride if I can't access a shower right away afterwards. I distance ride with a Brooks B-17 and have the hoods at just little above saddle height. This gives me about 3" below saddle height in the drops, and a lot of different positions on the bars above, below, and equal to saddle height to move around in. This does wonders for not locking in one exact butt position/angle on the sit bones and perineum to concentrate the abuse.
I ride with bibs and modern chamois on my road bike with a B-17 saddle for any ride over 30 miles. Shorter than that and street clothes are fine for the most part on my city bike around town running errands. It has a wider Brooks B-66 sprung saddle and a more upright position. For bombing around town faster I sometimes ride my CX bike with a modern plastico saddle if I don't need to haul anything but myself and a lock somewhere <10 miles away. Street clothes are fine for that too, with an ankle-thing to keep long pants out of chains if it isn't regular shorts weather. I've never had many butt issues for short rides under 40-50 miles and rarely many for medium rides 50-100. It's only after a long day in the saddle (or consecutive days) that things ever start to go South in that department for me. It's always worse if a pit stop happens in the middle of a ride or showers aren't available when camping. I like to carry a couple wet wipes just for such emergencies to keep things "clean" down there after visiting a toilet on the road before sitting on the bike again. Cleanliness and godliness and all that jazz...
But lately I've been riding with my wife a lot more. I was helping her train up for longer rides this year because we just did the Tour de Shore last weekend. She's not fast, and I found that riding that much slower really was giving me a pain in my ass. Longer times in the saddle combined with much less leg-effort pushing my body weight back up was causing me to put a lot more pressure on that saddle point of contact and for a much longer time too. Riding 50 miles with her was like doing a century according to my butt. By the end of the TdS it felt like I had ridden a 400k.
So on Monday I ordered some Chamois Butt'r from Amazon thinking I could carry it for such emergencies, but when I opened the box I realized the tube was HUGE. I haven't tried it yet, I need to head to REI and see if I can get a smaller reusable backpacking-type tube to carry a half ounce in my handlebar bag pocket rather than enough to frost a large cake. I'm a bit hesitant to try it. What is worse? -Butt chaffing or feeling like my diaper needs to be changed?
Yum, Frango Mints! Hey Bill thanks for helping me put on my chamois cream at the Tour de Cure. You are a true friend.
Bill Nedza said:
I have used many many chamois creams over the years, but Enzo's is the only one I use now. It's made by a local guy, Wayne Simon, and is the best I've ever used. You can use it to ride, and after your ride very easily "clean up" and it's not at all greasy. It also has a faint smell like Frango mints!
At least he wasn't loaning a hat after you had a rotten peach.
DMZ said:
Yum, Frango Mints! Hey Bill thanks for helping me put on my chamois cream at the Tour de Cure. You are a true friend.
Bill Nedza said:I have used many many chamois creams over the years, but Enzo's is the only one I use now. It's made by a local guy, Wayne Simon, and is the best I've ever used. You can use it to ride, and after your ride very easily "clean up" and it's not at all greasy. It also has a faint smell like Frango mints!
Only minor problems with sores so far this year.
Back when the commute was 10 miles each way, I did have problems, and it was because:
Back then, bag balm was my preferred therapy, and it worked really well.
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