Sybarite the syklist

On 12/18/2010 2:55 PM, Tosspot aka Frank Leake wrote:
On 18/12/10 16:15, AMuzi wrote:
Tosspot wrote:
On 18/12/10 00:59, Andre Jute wrote:
On Dec 17, 4:48 pm, Lou wrote:
Op 16-12-2010 22:17, Andre Jute schreef:





The street was dry, the temperature 3 degrees, so I put on my
wraparound yellow glasses to keep the breeze out of my eyes and went
shopping for a DVD writer just as dusk fell.
I was amazed after several weeks off the bike because of ice on the
roads to discover that the instant I sat down on the Brooks saddle
(c4000km, ca 2500m) I sank comfortably into it. And the 60x622 Big
Apples settled further under my weight, and I never even noticed that
the road was gritted.
A proper comfort bike is really very comfortable.
Thanks to those who helped me choose a good bike to start with, and to
those who helped me develop it to such a high stage. My Utopia Kranich
is definitely the most successful bike I've ever owned, with
successful meaning comfortable, secure, safe, powerful and even fast.
It's a bike you really want to ride, and miss every time you're not on
it.
The roadies among you should try it sometime.
Can hardly wait for the spring...
Spring? I test drove my studded tires. They were wonderful. No reason
not to ride in these circumstances anymore

http://picasaweb.google.com/LoetjeH/Spijkerbanden#

... and yes I was comfortable on that bike.

Lou
Sybarite the Sykilist is now Sybarite the Sitting Down in Front of the
Fire.

We just had half an inch of snow, which here is a big deal. Studs or
not, I don't think I'd make it up the hill on my bike if my roads were
to be as icy as yours. You keep them all for yourself, thanks all the
same.

I road to work yesterday with the pedals gouging grooves in the snow at
the bottom of their travel. An experience it was. The bikes still in
work, I *hate* ****ing snow.



Yeah but snow is nicer than the following day's salted slush. Yecch.

No way! You have to wait till that ****e freezes for the "****it, I'll
drive scenario".

Makes the 4WD work truck look tempting.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

On 12/18/2010 5:07 PM, Chalo Colina wrote:
Michael Press wrote:

Pedal hard enough on a
drop bar bicycle and there is not enough weight on the bars
and saddle to induce discomfort.

That sounds a lot like "if you are running just as fast as you can,
you won't notice bothersome chafing of the thighs". Maybe pushing
hard enough to offset the discomforts of an uncomfortable bike are not
what most people have in mind.

Indeed.

I've said it before and I'll repeat: A bike that isn't comfortable
for a short leisurely ride to the corner store is not a comfortable
bike, even if it's "less worse" after a long hard day in the saddle.
You wouldn't choose your everyday shoes based on what was best for a
20-mile mountain march with a heavy pack, would you?


Most bicycles are comfortable enough for rides of less than 5 km.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

"Chalo" wrote in message
...
Michael Press wrote:

Pedal hard enough on a
drop bar bicycle and there is not enough weight on the bars
and saddle to induce discomfort.

That sounds a lot like "if you are running just as fast as you can,
you won't notice bothersome chafing of the thighs". Maybe pushing
hard enough to offset the discomforts of an uncomfortable bike are not
what most people have in mind.

I've said it before and I'll repeat: A bike that isn't comfortable
for a short leisurely ride to the corner store is not a comfortable
bike, even if it's "less worse" after a long hard day in the saddle.
You wouldn't choose your everyday shoes based on what was best for a
20-mile mountain march with a heavy pack, would you?

I wear wingtips in the boardroom. They're comfortable, all day long. Heading
out the door to the bagel bakery a mile away, I invariably choose the hikers
instead instead.

I don't understand what the beef is. If you like a wide, soft, springy
saddle, buy and ride a wide, soft, springy saddle. To rant on about someone
else's saddle is completely pointless. I like my saddle. I likely spend way
more time on it than you do on yours. In other words, I think I know a thing
or two about it that you don't. The fact is, I don't know a single person
who cares to ride 6 hours or more on soft, springy saddles. Everyone I know
who does so has a skinny hard saddle, like mine. It seems to me these rants
only show a deep level of ignorance. Yes?

On 12/18/2010 6:14 PM, MikeWhy Who? wrote:
"Chalo" wrote in message
...
Michael Press wrote:

Pedal hard enough on a
drop bar bicycle and there is not enough weight on the bars
and saddle to induce discomfort.

That sounds a lot like "if you are running just as fast as you can,
you won't notice bothersome chafing of the thighs". Maybe pushing
hard enough to offset the discomforts of an uncomfortable bike are not
what most people have in mind.

I've said it before and I'll repeat: A bike that isn't comfortable
for a short leisurely ride to the corner store is not a comfortable
bike, even if it's "less worse" after a long hard day in the saddle.
You wouldn't choose your everyday shoes based on what was best for a
20-mile mountain march with a heavy pack, would you?

I wear wingtips in the boardroom. They're comfortable, all day long.
Heading out the door to the bagel bakery a mile away, I invariably
choose the hikers instead instead.

I don't understand what the beef is. If you like a wide, soft, springy
saddle, buy and ride a wide, soft, springy saddle. To rant on about
someone else's saddle is completely pointless. I like my saddle. I
likely spend way more time on it than you do on yours. In other words, I
think I know a thing or two about it that you don't. The fact is, I
don't know a single person who cares to ride 6 hours or more on soft,
springy saddles. Everyone I know who does so has a skinny hard saddle,
like mine. It seems to me these rants only show a deep level of
ignorance. Yes?




The point is get more people to Ride Bike. Telling newbies that is
their fault if they are not comfortable on a drop-bar road bike is *NOT*
helpful.

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

"Tºm Shermªn™ °_°" " wrote in
message ...

I don't understand what the beef is. If you like a wide, soft, springy
saddle, buy and ride a wide, soft, springy saddle. To rant on about
someone else's saddle is completely pointless. I like my saddle. I
likely spend way more time on it than you do on yours. In other words, I
think I know a thing or two about it that you don't. The fact is, I
don't know a single person who cares to ride 6 hours or more on soft,
springy saddles. Everyone I know who does so has a skinny hard saddle,
like mine. It seems to me these rants only show a deep level of
ignorance. Yes?




The point is get more people to Ride Bike. Telling newbies that is their
fault if they are not comfortable on a drop-bar road bike is *NOT*
helpful.

Taking my son bike shopping for his last one - he was about 12 then, all he
was interested
was how high he could jump it. Comfort had very little to do with it, nor
did speed.
He's on it all the time though.

MikeWhy wrote:

Chalo wrote:

I've said it before and I'll repeat: *A bike that isn't comfortable
for a short leisurely ride to the corner store is not a comfortable
bike, even if it's "less worse" after a long hard day in the saddle.
You wouldn't choose your everyday shoes based on what was best for a
20-mile mountain march with a heavy pack, would you?

I wear wingtips in the boardroom. They're comfortable, all day long. Heading
out the door to the bagel bakery a mile away, I invariably choose the hikers
instead instead.

Complete with rigid crampons, I'm sure.

I don't understand what the beef is. If you like a wide, soft, springy
saddle, buy and ride a wide, soft, springy saddle. To rant on about someone
else's saddle is completely pointless. I like my saddle. I likely spend way
more time on it than you do on yours. In other words, I think I know a thing
or two about it that you don't. The fact is, I don't know a single person
who cares to ride 6 hours or more on soft, springy saddles. Everyone I know
who does so has a skinny hard saddle, like mine. It seems to me these rants
only show a deep level of ignorance. Yes?

Two days on a skinny hard saddle (Avocet Gel 30 Racing) left me numb
in the pecker and bleeding from my ass. I finished the rest of that
500-mile ride on a wide, firm, well-shaped saddle (Vetta ATB). I do
know a thing or two about the subject of uncomfortable bike saddles.

For what it's worth, I favor wide, firm, swaybacked saddles, with or
without springs, for rides of whatever length. The Brooks B90/3 and
the Electra Townie both make my short list.

Chalo

Chalo wrote:
MikeWhy wrote:

Chalo wrote:

I've said it before and I'll repeat: A bike that isn't comfortable
for a short leisurely ride to the corner store is not a comfortable
bike, even if it's "less worse" after a long hard day in the saddle.
You wouldn't choose your everyday shoes based on what was best for a
20-mile mountain march with a heavy pack, would you?

I wear wingtips in the boardroom. They're comfortable, all day long.
Heading out the door to the bagel bakery a mile away, I invariably
choose the hikers instead instead.

Complete with rigid crampons, I'm sure.

I don't understand what the beef is. If you like a wide, soft,
springy saddle, buy and ride a wide, soft, springy saddle. To rant
on about someone else's saddle is completely pointless. I like my
saddle. I likely spend way more time on it than you do on yours. In
other words, I think I know a thing or two about it that you don't.
The fact is, I don't know a single person who cares to ride 6 hours
or more on soft, springy saddles. Everyone I know who does so has a
skinny hard saddle, like mine. It seems to me these rants only show
a deep level of ignorance. Yes?

Two days on a skinny hard saddle (Avocet Gel 30 Racing) left me numb
in the pecker and bleeding from my ass. I finished the rest of that
500-mile ride on a wide, firm, well-shaped saddle (Vetta ATB). I do
know a thing or two about the subject of uncomfortable bike saddles.

It took a few adjustments to fit mine. FWIW, I don't know for fact that I
wouldn't be bleeding, chafed, and crushed after a 500 mile weekend. But why
blame the seat?

For what it's worth, I favor wide, firm, swaybacked saddles, with or
without springs, for rides of whatever length. The Brooks B90/3 and
the Electra Townie both make my short list.

More power to ya. I'd understand the rant if those other options weren't
available. How does the Brooks work on those 500 milers?

In article ,
Tºm Shermªn™ °_° " wrote:

On 12/18/2010 3:05 PM, Michael Press wrote:
In article
,
Andre wrote:

The street was dry, the temperature 3 degrees, so I put on my
wraparound yellow glasses to keep the breeze out of my eyes and went
shopping for a DVD writer just as dusk fell.

I was amazed after several weeks off the bike because of ice on the
roads to discover that the instant I sat down on the Brooks saddle
(c4000km, ca 2500m) I sank comfortably into it. And the 60x622 Big
Apples settled further under my weight, and I never even noticed that
the road was gritted.

A proper comfort bike is really very comfortable.

Thanks to those who helped me choose a good bike to start with, and to
those who helped me develop it to such a high stage. My Utopia Kranich
is definitely the most successful bike I've ever owned, with
successful meaning comfortable, secure, safe, powerful and even fast.
It's a bike you really want to ride, and miss every time you're not on
it.

The roadies among you should try it sometime.

I had a sit up an beg bicycle in my youth. Longer trips
were doable, but painful. Then I got a drop bar bicycle and
never looked back. Presumably there are sit up and beg
bicycles that are more comfortable than the one I had, but
they only ameliorate the problem. Pedal hard enough on a
drop bar bicycle and there is not enough weight on the bars
and saddle to induce discomfort. If I can do it, anybody
can---anybody without chronic range of motion impediments.

Opinion stated as fact.

It's true. Anybody with normal range of motion can be
perfectly comfortable on a drop bar bicycle.

--
Michael Press

In article
,
Chalo wrote:

Michael Press wrote:

Pedal hard enough on a
drop bar bicycle and there is not enough weight on the bars
and saddle to induce discomfort.

That sounds a lot like "if you are running just as fast as you can,
you won't notice bothersome chafing of the thighs".

Not what I said. A moderate effort on a well set up
drop bar bicycle is easy to maintain comfortably
for a mile or 60 mile.

Maybe pushing
hard enough to offset the discomforts of an uncomfortable bike are not
what most people have in mind.

I've said it before and I'll repeat: A bike that isn't comfortable
for a short leisurely ride to the corner store is not a comfortable
bike, even if it's "less worse" after a long hard day in the saddle.
You wouldn't choose your everyday shoes based on what was best for a
20-mile mountain march with a heavy pack, would you?

I do not see what you are getting at.
A drop bar bicycle is eminently well
suited to local errands.

--
Michael Press

On Dec 19, 5:44*am, Chalo wrote:

For what it's worth, I favor wide, firm, swaybacked saddles, with or
without springs, for rides of whatever length. *The Brooks B90/3 and
the Electra Townie both make my short list.

For swaying, you can't beat the Brooks B73, which has a helical-wound
coil spring at the front as well as the two at the back corners. Only
joking, trolling MIke. Those springs are too stiff to sway -- most of
the give is in the leather.

After over 4K, my B73 is still rather firm to the hand -- hard in fact
-- but sitting on it is really comfortable.

Andre Jute
Blessings on Mssrs Brooks & Pedersen