bike feels spongy

Hey guys,

I have a feeling it maybe my saddle. It's a Koobi saddle and it does
seem a bit soft as of late, maybe it's time for a stiffer saddle. No
cracks anywhere on the frame or saddle.

Thanks for the congrats on the 53 lb drop, I've been working my ass
off...
Robert wrote:
Javier wrote:
Last week during my usual climbing ride the rear of my bike felt
"spongy" in other words I felt as if the rear of my bike sinking a bit
when I put force on the pedals. I got off checked my tires and they
were properly inflated (I pump up before every ride). Everything is
tight and nothing seems cracked or loose.

I've lost a total of 53 pounds since I started riding last August so
I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is also due to my weight loss. I can't
tell if the sponginess is coming from my saddle or rear tire but I only
feel it when I'm climbing in the saddle.

Javier


Hi,

As others have indicated, the cracked frame theory is definitely worth
checking. The only strange thing here is that you notice the flex only
when in the saddle, not when out of the saddle.

About 20 years ago I broke a frame made of Ishiwata 017 at the join
between seat tube and BB, left-hand side. I recall that the sponginess
was more apparent when in the saddle, maybe because the saddle pressed
less against the left thigh when pushing on the left crank due to the
cracked tube. But who knows, so many years down the road ...

Another possibility - do you have spokes loose on your rear wheel?

Most importantly though, congratulations on being able to get rid of 53
pounds in just under a year. That's a fine performance. And if your
frame is indeed cracked, let's hope it's an old one so that you can feel
you're rewarding yourself for your fitness efforts, by buying a nice
replacement.

Cheers, Robert

On 19 Jul 2006 17:39:39 -0700, "Javier" wrote:

Hey guys,

I have a feeling it maybe my saddle. It's a Koobi saddle and it does
seem a bit soft as of late, maybe it's time for a stiffer saddle. No
cracks anywhere on the frame or saddle.

Thanks for the congrats on the 53 lb drop, I've been working my ass
off...

Sounds more like "biking" your ass off. Kudos...

Robert wrote:
Javier wrote:
Last week during my usual climbing ride the rear of my bike felt
"spongy" in other words I felt as if the rear of my bike sinking a bit
when I put force on the pedals. I got off checked my tires and they
were properly inflated (I pump up before every ride). Everything is
tight and nothing seems cracked or loose.

I've lost a total of 53 pounds since I started riding last August so
I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is also due to my weight loss. I can't
tell if the sponginess is coming from my saddle or rear tire but I only
feel it when I'm climbing in the saddle.

Javier


Hi,

As others have indicated, the cracked frame theory is definitely worth
checking. The only strange thing here is that you notice the flex only
when in the saddle, not when out of the saddle.

About 20 years ago I broke a frame made of Ishiwata 017 at the join
between seat tube and BB, left-hand side. I recall that the sponginess
was more apparent when in the saddle, maybe because the saddle pressed
less against the left thigh when pushing on the left crank due to the
cracked tube. But who knows, so many years down the road ...

Another possibility - do you have spokes loose on your rear wheel?

Most importantly though, congratulations on being able to get rid of 53
pounds in just under a year. That's a fine performance. And if your
frame is indeed cracked, let's hope it's an old one so that you can feel
you're rewarding yourself for your fitness efforts, by buying a nice
replacement.

Cheers, Robert

I think it's the saddle and may reward myself by buying s stiffer
saddle. I'd love to reward myself by buying a new Trek 5200 or Cervelo
Soloist Carbon, but my trusty Trek 1200 is less than a year old and it
helped me shave off those 53 pounds (and counting) so I can't bear to
retire it to a lonely life on the trainer.


Robert wrote:
Javier wrote:
Last week during my usual climbing ride the rear of my bike felt
"spongy" in other words I felt as if the rear of my bike sinking a bit
when I put force on the pedals. I got off checked my tires and they
were properly inflated (I pump up before every ride). Everything is
tight and nothing seems cracked or loose.

I've lost a total of 53 pounds since I started riding last August so
I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is also due to my weight loss. I can't
tell if the sponginess is coming from my saddle or rear tire but I only
feel it when I'm climbing in the saddle.

Javier


Hi,

As others have indicated, the cracked frame theory is definitely worth
checking. The only strange thing here is that you notice the flex only
when in the saddle, not when out of the saddle.

About 20 years ago I broke a frame made of Ishiwata 017 at the join
between seat tube and BB, left-hand side. I recall that the sponginess
was more apparent when in the saddle, maybe because the saddle pressed
less against the left thigh when pushing on the left crank due to the
cracked tube. But who knows, so many years down the road ...

Another possibility - do you have spokes loose on your rear wheel?

Most importantly though, congratulations on being able to get rid of 53
pounds in just under a year. That's a fine performance. And if your
frame is indeed cracked, let's hope it's an old one so that you can feel
you're rewarding yourself for your fitness efforts, by buying a nice
replacement.

Cheers, Robert