revlives

Hi Everyone,

I'm an American grad student who is currently living and studying in the Netherlands. I doubt you can find a more bike friendly environment and I hope everyone can visit here at least once to see the difference from most places, including my hometown of Yonkers, NY.

But, unfortunately, the consequence of the daily and extended bike riding seems be rapidly wearing out and fraying of my pants - the part in contact with my bike seat. I ride two practical three-speed road bikes, a Rambler Voyager and Union Safari. One of the seats is a gel seat, the other is basic rather soft seat. Both came with these bikes. This problem has been especially noticeable with a pair of khakis that developed a tear but is also found with my jeans.

I have asked some Dutch friends about this phenomenon and they have confirmed that this happens regularly with many riders. (I had initially thought it was more a issue with shabby pants or overly violent washing machines!) I imagine it's a friction problem caused by the seat.

So, is there anything that can be done to minimize this? Due to the reality of bike situation here, I can't buy an expensive seat (theft is very common and it would disappear real fast) or use specialized pants (In this context, it would be unheard of and inconvenient as the bikes are used almost every time I leave my room).

I'm curious to hear if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks in advance for any insight.

Best regards,

Rob

PS I tried searching in the forums for this question, but couldn't find anything. Sorry if this has been covered before.