Put Interrupter levers on MTB Drop bar bike and drop bar levers nowfeel spongy

On 12/21/2018 2:23 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 12/21/2018 12:09 AM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:05:12 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

What I didn't tell them was how long it took :-)

I went on a four-hour ride the day before yesterday.

Google Maps tells me that I went 8.8 miles (14
kilometers), and that
was probably an over-estimate -- I decline to tell Google
my exact
location.

I could have used some padded shorts on that ride.

So what's the difference between padding in shorts and
padding in a saddle?

I suspect that for most people who use them, the main
benefit of cycling shorts is the lack of seams (as present
in some underwear and some pants). Beyond that, I think the
"padding" acts more as stiffening, to ensure that the shorts
fabric doesn't fold and wrinkle between the bike seat and
one's butt. Likewise, I think the benefit of lycra is mostly
that it stretches to reduce the possibility of wrinkles.

Although I've never tried it, I suspect that tight lycra
shorts without padding, plus the proper amount of padding in
the saddle itself, would work as well as the oddball
"chamois" things in most bike shorts.



Joy has enough cycling experience that I take her word on
her opinions of her needs.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 12/21/2018 3:46 PM, AMuzi wrote:
On 12/21/2018 2:23 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 12/21/2018 12:09 AM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:05:12 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

What I didn't tell them was how long it took :-)

I went on a four-hour ride the day before yesterday.

Google Maps tells me that I went 8.8 miles (14
kilometers), and that
was probably an over-estimate -- I decline to tell Google
my exact
location.

I could have used some padded shorts on that ride.

So what's the difference between padding in shorts and
padding in a saddle?

I suspect that for most people who use them, the main
benefit of cycling shorts is the lack of seams (as present
in some underwear and some pants). Beyond that, I think the
"padding" acts more as stiffening, to ensure that the shorts
fabric doesn't fold and wrinkle between the bike seat and
one's butt. Likewise, I think the benefit of lycra is mostly
that it stretches to reduce the possibility of wrinkles.

Although I've never tried it, I suspect that tight lycra
shorts without padding, plus the proper amount of padding in
the saddle itself, would work as well as the oddball
"chamois" things in most bike shorts.



Joy has enough cycling experience that I take her word on her opinions
of her needs.

I'll certainly take her work on her opinion, too. After all, why would
she misrepresent her opinion? ;-)

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:23:48 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 12/21/2018 12:09 AM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:05:12 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

What I didn't tell them was how long it took :-)

I went on a four-hour ride the day before yesterday.

Google Maps tells me that I went 8.8 miles (14 kilometers), and that
was probably an over-estimate -- I decline to tell Google my exact
location.

I could have used some padded shorts on that ride.

So what's the difference between padding in shorts and padding in a saddle?

I suspect that for most people who use them, the main benefit of cycling
shorts is the lack of seams (as present in some underwear and some
pants). Beyond that, I think the "padding" acts more as stiffening, to
ensure that the shorts fabric doesn't fold and wrinkle between the bike
seat and one's butt. Likewise, I think the benefit of lycra is mostly
that it stretches to reduce the possibility of wrinkles.

Although I've never tried it, I suspect that tight lycra shorts without
padding, plus the proper amount of padding in the saddle itself, would
work as well as the oddball "chamois" things in most bike shorts.

I think that the difference is that with padding in the shorts there
is little or no friction between the buttocks and the seat while with
a padded seat there may be.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B95QNIkSAbY
Even in a naked cyclist event the majority appear to want something
between themselves and the seat :-)

cheers,

John B.

On Fri, 21 Dec 2018 00:09:39 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:05:12 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

What I didn't tell them was how long it took :-)

I went on a four-hour ride the day before yesterday.

Google Maps tells me that I went 8.8 miles (14 kilometers), and that
was probably an over-estimate -- I decline to tell Google my exact
location.

I could have used some padded shorts on that ride.

-This- [Yesterday] morning I rode 1.6 miles in fourteen minutes.
Forgot to note the time when I arrived, so I don't know how long the
first 1.6 miles took.

Had to run out for cream cheese, sour cream, and celery for a cooking
frenzy. I'll be using the celery on Monday.

And yes, I did stop on Tuesday's tour, at Our Father's house (to dump
some very thick new socks), International Foods, Warsaw Health Food,
the library, the Re-use Room (to dump a working lamp), Subway (for my
lunch and Dave's supper), the emergency room, and the same grocery I
went to [yester]-to-day.

(The eggs were well recieved at today's party.)

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:23:48 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

So what's the difference between padding in shorts and padding in a saddle?

Actually, I didn't want padding at all -- I wanted real chamois that
can be glued into place with grease.

I complained to a vendor once that the padding in the shorts he
offered me was way too thick. He had just the solution:
thickly-padded tights that I could wear over the thickly-padded
shorts!

I used to make my own, but I don't have time to keep up with my
mending these days, I'd have to do all the fitting over from scratch,
and I haven't seen washable wool for sale in twenty years.

I'll just have to build up calluses.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Sun, 23 Dec 2018 23:48:01 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:23:48 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

So what's the difference between padding in shorts and padding in a saddle?

Actually, I didn't want padding at all -- I wanted real chamois that
can be glued into place with grease.

The real chamois shorts I used to use were rather a bother. You had to
wash them in mild soap and then anoint them with something after they
dried and then I used to slather another layer of grease on them
before I put them on.

I complained to a vendor once that the padding in the shorts he
offered me was way too thick. He had just the solution:
thickly-padded tights that I could wear over the thickly-padded
shorts!

The local shorts maker - I think that they subcontract to many of the
"bigger names" - told me that their customers asked for thicker
"sponge" padding but accepted thinner padding if it is called "closed
cell". There is, perhaps, some logic in this but I have both sponge
and closed cell padded shorts and while the sponge is a bit thicker
when standing it doesn't seem effect the ride.

I used to make my own, but I don't have time to keep up with my
mending these days, I'd have to do all the fitting over from scratch,
and I haven't seen washable wool for sale in twenty years.

I'll just have to build up calluses.

cheers,

John B.

On Mon, 24 Dec 2018 16:42:52 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

The real chamois shorts I used to use were rather a bother. You had to
wash them in mild soap and then anoint them with something after they
dried and then I used to slather another layer of grease on them
before I put them on.

Mine, I just washed with the rest of the clothes and dried on the
line. The chamois dried wrinkled and scratchy, but ironed out and got
soft as soon as I sat on it. Or one could soften and smooth it by
rubbing it together, as if trying to get out a stain.

Perhaps it was because I used car-washing chamois from the hardware
store -- if special bike-shorts chamois was available, I didn't know
where to find it.

Last time I checked, which was about ten years ago, the local hardware
store (which died last summer) still sold real chamois, but instead of
hanging the skins on a nail, they stretched the leather over cardboard
to make a neat package, which meant that I would have needed to soak
it and dry it on a flat surface before cutting.

It was more comfortable on the bike with a good thick layer of grease,
but icky to walk in, so I greased the chamois only when participating
in Century rides.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Wed, 26 Dec 2018 23:39:58 -0500, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Mon, 24 Dec 2018 16:42:52 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

The real chamois shorts I used to use were rather a bother. You had to
wash them in mild soap and then anoint them with something after they
dried and then I used to slather another layer of grease on them
before I put them on.

Mine, I just washed with the rest of the clothes and dried on the
line. The chamois dried wrinkled and scratchy, but ironed out and got
soft as soon as I sat on it. Or one could soften and smooth it by
rubbing it together, as if trying to get out a stain.

Perhaps it was because I used car-washing chamois from the hardware
store -- if special bike-shorts chamois was available, I didn't know
where to find it.

Ah, when I used the term I was referring to goat skin - the real stuff
and it dried hard, as I remember, and needed to be kneaded with some
sort of lotion, or maybe it was neatsfoot oil, before it became
wearable.

Last time I checked, which was about ten years ago, the local hardware
store (which died last summer) still sold real chamois, but instead of
hanging the skins on a nail, they stretched the leather over cardboard
to make a neat package, which meant that I would have needed to soak
it and dry it on a flat surface before cutting.

It was more comfortable on the bike with a good thick layer of grease,
but icky to walk in, so I greased the chamois only when participating
in Century rides.

cheers,

John B.

On Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at 5:54:45 PM UTC-5, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
Hi there.

I put Interupter levers on an MTB Drop bar bike with cantilever brakes and now drop bar levers feel spongy. The interrupter levers feel fine. Any ideas why the two different types of brake levers feel so different? I did NOT have this problem when I did the same thing to my touring bike also with cantilever brake calipers.

Thanks and cheers.

Bringing this back to the original topic.

Do interrupter brake levers come in both Cantilever Compatible and also in V-Brake Compatible? I have a friend who wants to put a pair on his bike too..

Cheers

On 12/26/2018 10:39 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2018 16:42:52 +0700, John B. Slocomb
wrote:

The real chamois shorts I used to use were rather a bother. You had to
wash them in mild soap and then anoint them with something after they
dried and then I used to slather another layer of grease on them
before I put them on.

Mine, I just washed with the rest of the clothes and dried on the
line. The chamois dried wrinkled and scratchy, but ironed out and got
soft as soon as I sat on it. Or one could soften and smooth it by
rubbing it together, as if trying to get out a stain.

Perhaps it was because I used car-washing chamois from the hardware
store -- if special bike-shorts chamois was available, I didn't know
where to find it.

Last time I checked, which was about ten years ago, the local hardware
store (which died last summer) still sold real chamois, but instead of
hanging the skins on a nail, they stretched the leather over cardboard
to make a neat package, which meant that I would have needed to soak
it and dry it on a flat surface before cutting.

It was more comfortable on the bike with a good thick layer of grease,
but icky to walk in, so I greased the chamois only when participating
in Century rides.


I've found a mild soap such as baby shampoo cleans
adequately without leaving the chamois overly dry/scratchy
as detergents can.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971