ammodave

I'm an older rider with an all aluminum Jamis Commuter that I ride purely for recreation. The combination of the aluminum forks and 28" narrow tires (700X32C) are beating me up on poorly maintained asphalt. I like the bike; is there anything I can do to smooth things out a bit? Different tires? Suspension forks? The frame is a little big for me so a suspension seat post is not a solution.

upthywazzoo 

You may wish to try 700x32c tires at a lower pressure. Fork changes can be pricey and complicated, but there are very soft-feeling steel and carbon forks. Some can feel even too soft, when riding at high speed. I would try the tires first, since that is probably the cheapest and easiest solution.

shoota 

Narrow?!? Try 23s. Take your bike to a shop and have them figure out if you can run wider tires. Then run them at lower pressure. That'll do fine.

TheElectronKid

I'd agree that lower tyre pressures are the best way to achieve a bit more comfort.
Instead of 100 psi front and back you could use 80 psi front 95 psi rear.
Lower pressures work for me on an aluminium Cannondale frame particularly on bad road surfaces.
Hope this helps

lostarchitect 

+1 on lower pressure. You could also try wider tires if you can fit them. Also consider the quality of your tires--not all tires are equal. What are you riding now?

Aceldama

Everyone has mentioned tires, which is a great suggestion. Also consider a more comfortable saddle.

Where are you getting beat up? Hands/wrist? Scranus?

Tim_Iowa

Wider tires, lower pressure. 32mm are decently wide tires, but ones with softer sidewalls may be more comfortable. The Pasela is a good, cheaper, comfortable tire. Soma/Rivendell tires are a bit softer, and Compass/Grand Bois tires are among the softest. The prices go up accordingly.

Here's a handy calculator for tire pressure. It will give you a pressure that is optimized for max comfort. You'll notice that it suggests a lower pressure in the front tire, which makes sense because it carries less of your weight.

Let the tires be your suspension. A suspension fork seems like a good idea, but adds weight and saps some of your pedal effort.

I find Brooks saddles to be the most comfortable. They're expensive, but worth it to me. The B68 is good for casual, upright riding. The B67 is the same saddle with springs, which are nice if you're heavier.

Lastly, consider new hand grips.

repechage

I am wondering if there is a typo. 32's are reasonably wide. But there are differences in tire brands. So, what make and model of tire? And what pressure do you run? And last, how do you check it?
That all written, some guys just ride "Heavy", do you lift your weight off the saddle much? My son is just learning to with my coaching him, he is quite light but whams into upsets in the pavement unless I warn him. Until I saw that and advised him, I forgot how second nature it is for me to just take the full weight off the saddle when I see a problem coming.

OldsCOOL

Scra.....wut?

What would be ideal is fitting a set of vintage Weinmann concaves with a clunky set of old 1 1/4 gumwalls. Now that is smooth.

auchencrow

I didn't know they made tires wider than 32!
Good suggestions in this thread though... I'd second @Tim_Iowa 's Pasela recommendation. Forks are just heap big medicine, as @upthywazzoo duly pointed out.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Get some Grand Bois Cypres tires…if its still to harsh get a steel frame….or just go full suspension

Chombi

You know, a smooooother ride is usually just a tubie wheelset away........

Velognome 

+1, spend a dime on some supple tires, wider is better. Get a widest tire your frame will take and drop the pressure. Want more? Buy a steel frame.

rms13

Don't put a suspension fork on it unless you plan on riding off road over 90% of the time. Carbon fork maybe. You can pick up one on ebay for $100 or less. But it would have to be a fork that's compatible with your bike. It looks like most of the Jamis Commuter come with 700x32 stock so you can definitely run those. But take it to the shop and have them see what the widest they can fit on it and run it at low psi like others have said.

Dave Cutter

Interesting! I see you've been a member here at the forum since January of 2009. Has that same bicycle been beating you up for the last five years? Or... is the discomfort your feeling something new and you think it might be partly the "poorly maintained asphalt" to blame?

I have caught myself on occasion so carefully monitoring, charting and logging my cycling activities... I can find a connection to almost anything in my life to my cycling. Even it that isn't the case.

But it turned out that sore throat wasn't from cycling in the cold... it was infected and inflamed. And my bad back took years of abuse to develop... and was likely recently aggravated by my bumpy lawn mower. Lots of ailments can leave a guy (or gal) with a beat-up feeling.

ammodave

Well, I bought the bike and then my neighbor riding partner passed away suddenly and I banged up a knee so the bike has been idle til last year. I'll try less tire pressure and then maybe steel or carbon forks. Most of my riding is sitting just enjoying the outdoors.

gaucho777 

Lot of good suggestions...widest possible supple tires, comfortable saddle, new handlebar wrap (have you tried Cinelli or similar cork tape? Padding under the tape?), "riding light" as repechage suggest. Another consideration is position/fit. Some older riders prefer a more upright position due to back/flexibility issues. This can also contribute to "heavy riding" since it takes a bit more effort to get your butt up off the saddle to absorb the bumps rather than shifting forward in a more balanced/racing position where your arms do more of the work. All that said, some frames are stiffer than others, and aluminum frames have a reputation for punishing rides.

Oh, just noticed...I see you have some sort of electric setup on your bike? What kind of speeds are you averaging? Faster speeds will give some extra thump to the bumps.

repechage

Note all those "29er" tires are really 700c in disguise.

ammodave

Busted! Yes I do have a front hub motor that I use when my legs wear out. It'll do about 20mph on level ground without pedaling (I can't pedal fast enough to keep up with the motor).

krobinson103

Yes, but the majority of mtb tires won't fit a road frame. You might fit a 1.5 mtb slick in there (depends on the frame and brakes of course). Those things can be comfortable.

Lascauxcaveman 

Jeez. When I can't ride a 32mm tire at 90 or 95 psi with a plastic Unicanitor or a good, stiff Brooks Professional under my butt, just drop me in my grave, please.

(Could be next month, who knows?)

Although switching over to a steel framed bike could stave off The Reaper a few years.

RobbieTunes

To get softer riding in frame changes can be expensive.

Try thinking of the "contact points" only:

A-Your saddle and seat post. There are shock-absorbing seatposts available,and they're a lot cheaper than frame mods.
B-Your bar/wrap situation. Gel absorbers and padded wrap can go a long way, as can a good pair of gloves (which can involve trial and error).
C-Your tires contact the ground. If you're already running 700x32's, it comes down to tire pressure and then tire brand.

OldsCOOL

Or a full suspension MTB from Wallyville rockin' 45psi in the knobbies.


(Not that there is anything wrong with that)

RobbieTunes

A Pugsley with slicks. That's the ticket.