CommutiePatooti

Hi People!

I'm Sami and I am a newb! I bought my first "real" bike yesterday...A Trek 7.2 FX Women's Fitness Bike. Anyone have experience with these?

Today was my first commute by bike (I live in the L.A. area). I was a bit nervous about L.A. drivers, but most were pretty courteous. My commute is pretty short (5 miles each way) but I plan on taking the bike for longer rides once I get used to it.

I had an awesome commute and I'm totally hooked....it was so much better than driving. BUT my bum is totally sore! lol. Do I need a new saddle or is this normal for an out of shape newb like myself? I'm thinking I should give it a bit more time before I decide I hate the saddle, but the ride home was getting pretty uncomfortable.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.

-Sami

exile

Welcome CommutiePatooti (aka Sami)!

Congratulations on your first ride. Sometimes what you read on the forums here about traffic and dangers are more the exceptions then the rule. I don't think cars will part so you may ride through, with pedestrians on the sidewalk cheering you on, and police stationed at every intersection to let you pass, but you can dream.

I wouldn't worry about the saddle just yet. It will take time for your sit bones to adjust (your body as well) so just hang in there and continue riding. After 2-4 weeks of regular riding and you're still having problems then look into a new saddle. If you bought your bike from a LBS then have them look at your position while you are riding. Things like saddle height, tilt, and fore/aft position may help with your comfort level, just don't make changes all at once.

Good luck and welcome.

reptilezs

the saddle will get better with time. but if after a month or so and no improvement then look at other saddles.

dwilbur3

Don't decide about the saddle just yet. Some are awful. But, when you start out your butt is working in ways that it's just not used to. Give it two or three months. If it's still awful, get something better.

By the way, I almost never have issues with drivers or traffic. Ride safe and don't do anything to annoy people. 99.9% of the time you'll be fine. There are a very few jerks out there, but don't let them get you down.

irclean

I've heard that those Bontrager saddles that come stock on the FX's are torture devices, but I've never used one myself. I agree about giving your sit bones (and surrounding soft tissue) time to adjust, and you should also check the fit. If you haven't done so already go back to the LBS and have a qualified tech check the fit of you and your bike. Most shops have one or two guys who specialize in this or they outsource to someone else. Proper fit makes a world of difference in saddle comfort. Just don't let them sell you the latest gel-infused, air-bladder adjustable, battery-powered saddle that they're trying to unload. If you're properly fit to the bike and you still have trouble with the saddle there are many great choices out there. Many in this forum swear by Brooks saddles, the B17 in particular. My personal experience as a Clydesdale (~300 lbs.) is that I was under the false impression that I needed a wide, sprung saddle to support my extra real estate in the rear end. After getting some advice here, and in the Clydesdales & Athenas forum, I settled on the Terry Liberator Y. It took some getting used to but now it's as comfortable as my favorite pair of jeans. Terry also makes an X version for women. (Get it? X vs. Y chromosomes - very clever.) Here's one from Nashbar but it could probably be found cheaper if you're willing to shop around. Good luck and ride safe in that big city. I'm envious of your bike path infastructure and SoCal weather.

JPprivate

Congrats and welcome. A coworker of mine has the same bike and I know she's very happy with it. Good choice!

I remember that when I started commuting there was always some body part that hurt or was sore in the first few weeks. LOL.

Doohickie

Yep, I figured that out right away.

Congrats on the commute. 5 miles is a good distance. You can get warmed up okay but it won't wear you out. On nice days you can add a few miles to the ride home.

I started commuting in L.A. back in '84. Once we could afford a second car I got away from it. When I started commuting again a couple years ago, I was using the same bike I had way back then.

Anyway, welcome to the forums. You did good.

As for the saddle.... make sure the bike is set up properly to fit you before you go changing out things. It might be a simple adjustment. A quick way to adjust the saddle is to make it so you can just reach your heal to the pedal when you're sitting in the seat.

CommutiePatooti

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice. I guess I will wait a while on the saddle and see how it is. I did buy the bike at my LBS; the guy seemed to know what he was doing. If I remember correctly he had me stand next to the bike and checked the frame size and adjusted
the seat height, and also checked the fit with me straddling the bike. Then he watched as I rode it around the parking lot and he seemed to think it fit me. Thanks irclean for all the saddle info. I will check those out too. I did read some reviews also about the fx saddles being uncomfortable, but I'll just keep riding before I make my decision. (Thanks to all for that advice!)

And yes I was really pleasantly surprised about the drivers NOT being huge jerks. When I'm driving my car, every driver on the road seems to be a huge jerk, so I thought that exprience would be magnified on the bike. lol. Maybe it's just my road rage and not the other drivers at all?? Haha!

MilitantPotato

If a saddle hurts, as in feels like your nether region is being pressed in or things go numb, it's doing damage. The saddle needs to be wide enough your bones rest on the flat part of the saddle, if they're on or over the edges, you're compressing some sensitive stuff that can lead to less than fully functional equipment.

If you feel raw/chafed, try some synthetic underwear or something with no seams in the crotch area. Otherwise, slightly tender sit bones are normal for the first few weeks.

7.2 is a great do-it-all bike, tires are junk though, look into some Marathon Plus (for major flat protection and weight,) or Vittoria Randonneurs for good weight and very decent flat protection. 28 or 32C if you're sub 230lbs, 35C if you're not, if comfort matters at least.
Otherwise everything else on the bike is decent in my opinion except the pedals, which are fine till they snap. Congrats on your first commute, here's to many more!

frpax

CommutiePatooti... that's a great nickname, Sami!

It's quite common for your bum to be sore when you get some miles on a first bike. It should go away... for some people, it takes as little as a few days, for others a few weeks. Your 2nd day in the saddle with a sore bum won't be much fun... But it gets better. We've ALL been there. Don't go changing your saddle right away. You need to tough it out through your "bum break in" period.

You're in the LA area, huh? I grew up in El Monte (ages upon ages ago), but haven't lived there for some time. I'm glad your first experience with drivers was not horrible! The longer you commute by bike, though, you'll experience some not-so-nice drivers. Just let that negative stuff roll off you, like water on a duck's back.

This is a great forum, and there are lots of super nice people here that are willing to give free advice. So, welcome & feel free to ask away with any questions!

rumrunn6

love your handle. congrats on the 1st ride and welcome to the pack! :-) I looked at a picture of the bike and the saddle looks good but since it's a straight bar road bike and you're not leaning down so much, you could probably get another saddle. my kids like these very much!

https://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-Adult-...5977532&sr=8-3

I rode it too but when i converted my bike to drop bars my body position changed and so i switched to a thinner harder road saddle.

everyone's body is different and you don't want something so wide that you get chaffing. too narrow or too hard and it's not comfortable

my new mountain bike has this saddle and it's very comfortable too, and I might try it on one of my road bikes:

https://www.safetycycle.com/specializ...us-saddle.html

tarwheel 

Congratulations on your first commute. If you are just starting cycling, some soreness in your rear is inevitable until you've got a few miles under your belt. Saddle adjustment is also important. Make sure that the front or nose of your saddle does not point downward. The saddle should be level or the nose slightly elevated, which shifts your weight toward the rear where there is more padding. If the saddle still bothers you after a week or so, talk the shop where you got the bike. Many bike shops will let your test ride different saddles until you get one that fits your right. Unfortunately, trial and error and is really the only way to to find a saddle that fits you best.

jostan1

I've been commuting on my 7.5fx for a few years now. they are good all around bikes. The Hardcase tires are great all around tires. the saddle issue has been addressed, just give it time. I used to commute in long beach, now i am in ohio commuting year round. Lots of snow right now so I use cx tires in the winter.

Pig_Chaser

Congratulations and welcome! I think it only took me one commute to get hooked too.

Artkansas 

I'm impressed. To start a commute the day after buying the bike is impressive. 5 miles is a good length. It will take a couple of weeks for your body to catch up. Till then it may be hard to sort a bad saddle from out of shape muscles. If it still hurts, time for a replacement.

Well done.

cycle16v

BIG CONGRATS! I'm glad you enjoyed your first commute. Puts a different prospective on life doesn't it? It's just you, your bike, and that great feeling inside that got you hooked to it! Keep it up!

Agree with the rest of the folks though, give the saddle a little while to see if you like it or not. But I do think that if you still feel uncomfortable with it, go into your local bike shop and address your concerns/problems. A good service/sales guy will really try and make sure you're properly fit for the seat and give you some more advise/options on what to do. The worst thing is to not do anything at all. Let us know how that seat is working out next month.

Post a pic too when you get a chance!

Minerva

Good Job! Its a wonderful feeling, isn't it? I have a similar bike to yours - the 2005 Trek 7200 FX (women's model). Now that I've been doing this a few years I'm looking to upgrade, but I have to say, this bike treated me very well during the learning curve. The components were solid and the bike rides well. What everyone has said about saddle soreness in the beginning is true, however, I ended up trading out the stock bontrager saddle after toughing it out for a while because it was too narrow for my wide sit bones. You should be sitting on the two bony protrusions under your bottom, not on the soft tissue. If you find that you aren't, then it will never get more comfortable and you should try a different saddle. The key is to get your sit bones measured. You can go to an LBS to do it, or take a sheet of copy paper and mash your sit bones into it while sitting on an office chair or carpeted floor. Measure the distance between the center of the depressions in the paper and you'll get an idea of the width of the saddle you need. If you have wide sit bones like I do (140mm), you'll more than likely need a different saddle than what came on the bike. If you are already comfortably resting on your sit bones in the widest part of the saddle, then you just need more saddle time If you do decide to swap out your saddle, don't let the guys at the bike store sell you a wide cushy cruiser saddle. You will regret it after the first few miles.

Remember the first few weeks are an adjustment period - you will be tired and sore, but if you persist, you will become addicted like the rest of us!

dellwilson

Congratulations! I know what you mean about hooked. I'm so much happier after cycling to work than driving. And the bonus is that I look forward to the ride home all day long.

atbman

Congrats. As for the saddle, apart from Terry's women specific saddles, Specialised dealers should have adevice which measures the distance apart of your sitbones which enables them to ofer you the correct width saddle. Haven't tried it, but I know one or two who have and say it works pretty well.

5 miles for your first commute is pretty good, by the way.

Welcome to the club

CommutiePatooti

Thanks you guys! You sure are a helpful lot! I don't think my 'girlie bits' are being mashed or hurt at all, MilitantPotato. After taking some time to pinpoint the soreness, I realized it IS just my sit bones. Seems everything else is fine. Saddle fit and everything seem fine too. From what I can tell the saddle position is okay, but maybe it could stand to be moved forward a bit. Thanks to all for the tips on how to check all of that. Although I can't really tell if my bones are resting on the widest part of the saddle or not? But that is some good info about measuring the sit bones, thanks Minerva!

Yes, I feel lucky to be in SoCal where the weather is nice. I can't imagine trying to do this in snow or in any cold weather really! I'm a wimp!

And thanks to all for the kudos on making it the 5 miles. I know it's child's play for some of you, but I'm not gonna lie...I'm out of shape...it took a lot more out of me than I expected! (I did manage to do it again today, yay!)

On the ride home I was thinking it's funny how among cyclists 5 miles is a short commute, and when they ask how far I ride I say "only 5 miles" but when people at work ask how far I ride and I say 5 miles, they freak out like it is some HUUUGGEEEE distance. Haha!

Anyway, thanks again for all the replies and advice! You guys are so nice! I am happy I've found this place!

10 Wheels

Congratulation on you first of many fun commutes.

Took me 500 miles to feel that I was in shape.

Rest when you need to, take off a day.

You get better and stronger the more you ride.

xtrajack

Welcome to bikeforums,
The whole commuting thing is kind of addicting.
I had a lot of issues with saddles and handlebars. Tried about six different saddles, and about five handlebars. I apparently have decided on a no name saddle that came on a Univega mountain bike that I got at a yard sale.
I am currently running trekking/hybrid/butterfly bars.