konflict

Following this thread, please continue to post updates. I'm a large new rider also, 6'1" and 300 area.

I'm riding a Cypress DX and every single day it's getting better.. But I'm with you on the ass and especially nutsack pain. the nose of the saddle is pissing me off and rather uncomfortable, regardless of which seat I've tried. I didn't know noseless saddles existed, I'd like to hear more about that

ColonelSanders

Are you able to tilt the nose of your saddle a bit by changing the angle of your seat?

You might need to have your stem raised to bring up the height of your handlebars, in case changing the angle of your seat makes your body want to slide forward.

konflict

I would definitely like to angle it downwards slightly, but I'm not sure if the stock seat permits that. I really like this suggestion and it's something that's crossed my mind; but I'm not sure how/if I can change my seat angle

thanks for the post

ColonelSanders

Normally one change change the angle of their seat by fiddling with the part that attaches the saddle rails to the seatpole, but of course in doing so, every part of the saddle has its angle changed, so clearly there will be limits to how much adjustment can be practically made.

corwin1968

Velo-Orange sells a seatpost that has two bolts for adjusting saddle tilt. Alternating between tightening and loosening each bolt, you can get a very precise setting for saddle angle. It takes a bit of playing with it to figure it out (sometimes you have to slighten loosen one before tightening the other or vice versa) but it's pretty simple. They are a bit pricey and make sure it's long enough if you consider going this route. Mine was plenty lone enough for my bikes until I got MTB with a really short seat-tube.

VO Grand Cru Long Setback Seatpost MKII, Noir - Seatposts - Components

bakes1

Good thread, good advice.
Keep working at it OP and remember that truly comfortable is a relative term.
There is a reason your favorite and most comfortable lazy chair does not have a saddle in it. You can never attain 'true comfort' on a bicycle saddle. If you could, you certainly wouldn't feel the need to spend hundreds of dollars on padded shorts/bibs.

salreus

I have over 300 and was able to ride hours without issue. I have an upright bike and ride with one of those over sized big ole fat seats. I know they say that they may be worse because the weight pushes the padding into to other areas you might not like. but I have tried to swap out for a less padded one and keep returning to my big fat bike seat. Only real issue i have is that if i really want to spin, I have to sit differently as the back of the legs will hit the seat. But we are still talking pain after a long ride. It did get better, but sitting on any seat for hours make my butt hurt and I am glad i can get off. but after 3 hrs of riding.. i feel just as good about getting back on and riding more as I did about getting off the bike.

nfmisso

Me, currently 350lbs, commute 9 miles by bike each way to/from work.

Pedals: MKS Lambda with 21mm Sunlite extenders.
https://www.amazon.com/MKS-Lambda-Ped...=lambda+pedals
Amazon.com : Bicycle Pedal Extenders for 9/16 Inch Cranksets (21mm Spacers) Bike : Sports & Outdoors

Saddle: Pure Fix Cycles Velo Drome Bicycle Saddle
Amazon.com : Pure Fix Cycles Velo Drome Bicycle Saddle, Black : Bike Saddles And Seats : Sports & Outdoors

Shoes: 11W TredSafe from Wal-mart, intended for people who are on their feet all the time, like nurses and restaurant workers. Very supportive, stiff soles with internal padding.
like this: Tredsafe Men's Axle Slip Resistant Shoe - Walmart.com

Saddle is set up so at the bottom of the pedal stroke, my knees are almost straight, and have not quite got to 90° at the top of the stroke.

Handle bars are set forward to encourage a significant percentage of my weight to be supported by my arms - target is 1/3 1/3 1/3 (arms rear feet)

ColonelSanders

I know those pedals have a few fans around these forums, but I gotta say, I don't think I would ever try them out as they are perhaps the ugliest pedals I have ever seen.

rmfnla

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, pointing the nose slightly up might give better results.

When it points down you are pitched forward, putting too much weight (and strain) on your hands and wrist.

Nose up allows you to sit more balanced.

I don't think I have ever seen a seatpost clamp that did not allow this adjustment; any bike shop should be able to help with this and a better shop won't even charge for it...

yooperbiker

1/3 x 350 lbs = 117 lbs on the handlebars. That's way too much! Nobody can support 117 lbs long term on their hands riding a bike - just crazy. That might work for a 160 pound racer, but not a big guy like you. Unfortunately a big problem with heavy riders is that most of the additional weight ends up on the saddle. Unavoidable I think.

corwin1968

For reasons not connected to comfort, I haven't been really motivated to ride lately. I got the new saddle installed and after some minor adjustements, I've got it where I want it for a trial run. So far, I haven't ridden more than a mile at a time and it seems to have helped but that's probably not enough time in the saddle to really tell. I am a little concerned that the saddle is more "springy" than it looks like it would be and I slightly bounce up and down on it, which I feel decreases my pedaling efficiency by quite a bit. The effect seems to have lessened the more I ride so maybe it just took some time to get used to.

Right now, I'm feeling a little stretched out on the bike so I'm contemplating a slightly shorter stem. I could move the saddle forward but my experiments have shown that I'm rarely happy with that result. I have limited steerer tube to work with so I had to make sure how much of the steerer tube a given stem takes up (40mm vs 50mm) and I just got word from Profile Design that theirs is 40mm, which is what I'm looking for. I'll probably order it today. I'm off next week and I'm contemplating hauling the bike out to the lake and taking a shot at 10 miles, single-speed. That would be a first for me but I've ridden the MUPS probably a hundred times over the years and it seems that my neighborhood rides are more hilly so hopefully it won't be a problem.

yooperbiker

The more upright your riding position, the wider the saddle should be. Get the widest saddle available that allows you to finish a ride without excess chafe. Too wide will bother your upper legs/glutes with chafe. Against first reactions, get as little padding as you can stand (your ass is already padded). A lot of the "comfort" saddles are over-padded. The excess padding will balloon up in your crotch when compressed by your sit bones and make your dick go numb (not good!).

As your fitness level increases, and weight goes down, you will likely ride with torso bent further forward towards the handlebars. Expect to need a narrower saddle at that time.

corwin1968

UPDATE:

I'm making progress. In addition to the new saddle, I installed a different stem and rotated the h-bar slight further back toward me and that seems to have provided a better hand position for me. Also, I converted my bike from a single-speed to a 1x9. I can't tell which of these changes has had the most impact but I think all three have. My weight seems better balanced with the new h-bar position and my cadence is much, much smoother now that I can shift to maximize my riding efficiency. When riding SS, I would wear myself out and then either put most of my weight on the saddle (off the pedals) or on the pedals (off the saddle). Riding at a cadence I can maintain allows me to keep my weight on h-bar, saddle and pedals almost all the time and I think that's been the major factor.

ColonelSanders

Honestly Single Speed bikes are something that I just can't get my head around, I'm constantly left wondering what is wrong with the people who ride them.

corwin1968

I think a lot of it is nostalgia for a childhood spent riding single-speed bikes and some people are probably just fit enough to efficiently ride a SS bike. I was always either mashing for all I was worth or spinning my legs like an eggbeater, neither of which is conducive to long periods on the bike. Hopefully it was a phase and I'm done with it. It could have been worse, I could have gone for a fixie!!

Jermon676

I would recommend the Infinity Bike seat if your still having discomfort. I tried several saddles and rode the SELLE SMP Avant for several months bike commuting and assumed it was the best I could get. Still a lot of pressure. Just switched to the infinity. You won't believe the difference. They have a money back guarantee so there's no risk. I know I sound like a salesman but it's really shocking how much different riding feels.

dagray

yes I can get truly comfortable on a bicycle. I am 6'3" and 360 pounds (down from 400). What works for me is properly fitted cycling clothes, cycling shoes (I use Serfas road shoes mostly), and a properly fitted bike.

I ride an Orbea Orca in 60cm with an Ultegra Chain and 10 speed cassette, and the rest of the components are 105.

Drop bars are more comfortable for me, but I can ride my 29er for good mileage too and it has flat bars.

Black wallnut 

Strongly disagree.

sorry for the disruption. Did not think my comments would cause such ire.

Siu Blue Wind

With all due respect, Black wallnut member since 2011 and over 2,598 post, it might do you a little good to go over the forum guidelines that you agreed to when you signed up here, which you should be well aware of giving your amount of posts and years of membership. There is absolutely no need for rudeness here. Please leave this thread.

indyfabz

My GF rides a fixie with brakes for city commuting, etc. Nothing wrong with her. Putting aside the fact that they help develop an even pedaling style, they are very convenient in big city areas with few hills where you don't really need gears. They are also inexpensive to replace if stolen while locked up outside. She even did a two-day, 150 mile, credit card tour on the eastern shore of Maryland on one.

rmfnla

So you don't like cruzors..?

RubeRad

Crocs are not necessarily bad, as long as pedals have enough platform/support across a wide area. The most common pedals with a metal cage making a U around a spindle are like blades slicing into your feet.

Article from Rivendell:

Platformier pedals, or stiffer soles, they both do the same thing, disstribute pressure. Bonus for platformier pedals PLUS stiffer soles. And if you buy "bike shoes" to get the stiffest possible soles, you don't have to put cleats in them to clip in if you don't want to, they come with plates covering the cleat-holes that you can leave in place and just ride on platforms.

Tailor

All due respect to the guys at Rivendell. They make a great bike, and I'd love to have one. But I've seen some pics of their employees, and I don't recall seeing even one who would tip the scales at or above 300lbs. The OP has already said he has foot pain. The fact that someone who is a typical rider can hop on for a ride with crocs and feel no ill effects is, in my opinion, irrelevant to this discussion.

BTW, this is how they started that article. In my eyes that's a clear indicator that they aren't writing for the clyde crowd.

I wasn't advocating clipless, I myself just use platform pedals. My advice is predicated on the idea that what the OP is/was doing wasn't working for him, and these are some changes he can try.

ColonelSanders

I don't like any bikes that have only one gear, it seems antithetical to the reason why one wants a bike in the first place.