Road Cycling - Increasing Comfort Without Using Sus Post.

Can any one help/
I own a GT rave road bike.The problem is that i have no room for a suspension seat post.No room for wider tires.
When riding on normal tire pressures 90 to 100 psi every single road shock is transmited to my hands and rear.Its like the frame
is solid.
Is there a solution?
Would a change of wheel set help?
Or would i be better of buying a touring bike?
:beer:

Ride more often.

Thanks alot

I wear two pairs of riding shorts. That seems to take a lot of the shock away.

Some thoughts that may help:

Double wrap the handlebar. Get a Brooks B.17 saddle. Shove the saddle all the way back. Raise your handlebar until it is level with the saddle, or as close to that as you can get.

Different saddle can help.. titanium rails might absorb some of the vibration.. carbon fork.. handlebars.. seatpost. Alot of options available. Cinelli also makes a gel handlebar tape that might help.

Hi Orbit,
what size and model of tire are you using now? Hutchinson used to make a tire called Profile U; I lover that tire. It was wasp waisted, and the narrow part dodged the brakes. The bike couldn't take a 28 in anything but the Profile U. If you don't weigh much more than 150 pounds; a titanium railed saddle might be just the ticket. When you ride, do you ever get the feeling you'd like to get your butt back beyond the end of the saddle?

No my position feels fine.It just feels like i only need to get onto a slightly rough road surface and the bike feels like it wants to shake apart.The bike i had before(sadley gone) used to positively
spring out of pot holes and uneven surfaces,and i could not feel no road vibration.
Its either the stiffest frame in the world or im missing something.
Even when standing on the pedals vibrations and heavy thuds
are felt.Iv even had my teeth knocked together.

You might want to try one of those saddles with the elastomer rail-bumpers or possibly even springs. I do know what you mean about the GT being a little harsh. I've haven't ridden the Rave but I have ridden the ZR series bikes as well as their hardtail MTBs and the triple-triangle really does stiffen up the back end. Great for sprinting and hill climbing though. However, I thought the Rave had a steel rear triangle so I would have expected it to be a little more compliant but I guess it all depends on the guage and the design.

if you don't have a problem with carbon, i think it really helps- i rode a specialized sequoia and the carbon fork really dampened out a lot of vibration for a very smooth ride. the carbon handle bar on my mountain bike works well, too.

Yes you are right the triple triangle does stiffen up the back end,i would bet that this steel frame is as harsh as a cheap aluminium
frame.Power transfer is good yes,but if you have to stop pedling
every every time the road gets a bit uneven it does defeat the object.
The way its going i will have to buy a new bike,one that dont beat me up.This bike is like trying to ride around on the rims with no tires.

Just to expand on what CylcoTourist mentioned concerning a Brooks B.17 saddle.

Brooks makes the B.17 with springs. The springs should be sufficent to dampen out the shocks without the elastomers on a seat post. I beleive the saddle is the Champion or Flyer. One has a single rail for microadjustable posts and one has a double rail for standard clamps.

See Wallingford Bike in New Orleans, http://www.wallbike.com

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ

I am sorry, I guess my post was a little short. Of course I mean that with more time on the saddle you will have less discomfort, provided you have a good fit with your bike in general.

If you have a harsh frame with tight clearances, you could soften the ride with a carbon fork and seatpost, a TI railled saddle with maybe some gel, some box-section rather than V section rims.
This can work out to be quite expensive. Have you considered a more suitable frame ?

MichaelW is right about the V-section rims. Those things can make a bike ride really harsh.

Yes i have considered a different frame.But i have now decided to go the hole hog.Im buying a audax bike.With a double butted steel compact frame with plenty of seat post sticking out the frame.Im convinced the ride is due to the fact its a triple triangle with only 2.5 inches of seat post clearing the frame.
Ill let you know how i get on.

>>>>I own a GT rave road bike.The problem is that i have no room for a suspension seat post.No room for wider tires.<<<<

If there is no room for a suspension seat post it means the frame is too big for you. I agree with the Brooks solution but buy the heavy duty one like B90/30


http://www.brookssaddles.com/index.php?type=mens_heavyduty

No if you look at the way the frame is designed ,the top tube is well below where the tube that holds the seat post finishes,hence you dont bet much exposed seat post.If it was like a normal framei would have over 4 inches of exposed seat post before the top tube.

OK, here are the things that can help:

Brooks Saddle: A Team Professional is probably the best to use on a road bike. It is absolutely the most comfortable saddle availible in it's size.

Cross-laced spokes: Radial and semi-radial wheels transmit a lot of impact. a set of wheels 3x front, 3x or 4x rear is not only comfortable, but stronger, too.

Tubular Tyres: Yeah, they can be a royal pain in the @$$ to fix, and they are more expensive, but they do ride better.

Lower tyre pressure: You don't need to inflate them to maximum pressure. Tubulars can even be run at very low pressures (sometimes I will run my front as low as 70 psig) without risking pinch-flatting.