will dehne

FarHorizon:
Not so long ago my weight was 240 lb. I am committed to do as many centuries as time permits. Saddle comfort was always an issue and like you, I purchased many different saddles. I cannot say that any saddle was comfortable. My hands and arms were also an issue.
I am now training for a 3000 mile trip and this is serious business for me since I don't want to be miserable for 27 days.
I think I found a solution. I raised my bars about 3" from the normal position. Next I installed Aero Bars and point the hand position relatively high and comfortable.
I use the Aero Bars over 75% of the time on any trip. This position takes most of the weight off the saddle and puts it on the legs and some of it on the elbows.
I did a 50 mile run tonight at an average speed of over 20 MPH. I did use my Brooks Champion Flyer Saddle because it is so slippery that I can sprint and hardly sit on the saddle. This helps to get the blood circulation going again.
Perhaps your problem is that you rest on your saddle for too long?
By the way, I am 63 years and 195 lb. 74" now.

oldspark

Lay on your back and bring knees up to chest and then you can feel the sit bones easily, they can be measured with a tape in this position. Don't let any one catch you doing this as it might look a little odd.

FarHorizon

Thanks, sparky, but I like the "memory foam" option a lot better!

FarHorizon

Thanks for the feedback, dehne! I try to keep my bars up near my saddle height. I know **nothing** about aero bars. Can you give me a brief education?

Dchiefransom

Aero bars are those bars that go on the handlebars of road bikes, so the rider can lean even further forward and almost lay down on the bike between the seat and the handlebars.


https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5255

slide

After spending much time thinking that bicycling over about .5 hr wasn't for me, I got a *thinnner* saddle and some top grade biking pants. That got me ok to about 1 hr saddle time which has expanded as my seat got 'broke in' as we used to say in motorcycles.

Clearly this is a multi part problem which many folks ascribe to a seat only. You need the right fit, you need a good set of pants (even if you think they make you look bizarre as I think of mine), more saddle time means more saddle time tolerable AND you need technique.

I now stand for even slight uphills or starts plus I hover over the seat (pedals at 3 and 9 o'clock) downhills. That gets my circulation going.

I'm now good for 4 hours w/o discomfort. Shop pants first, and then fit next.

will dehne

I strongly recommend Aero Bars if you travel longer distances and do not expect to brake a lot. These bars are very good to reduce wind resistance with or without headwind. This will give you an advantage if you are biking at your energy limit.
Aero Bars are mounted on top of your bars, on either drop bars or straight bars. I find them more comfortable compared to drop position.
You will stir with your ELBOWS. That will take some training. My initial reaction was panic. The benefits are so great that I overcame this panic and now love them.
Your hands are forward and your weight is now on your elbows. Elbows are much stronger than your hands or wrists.
I suggest that you tip the Aero Bars up a bit for comfort. Your knees should not hit your belly or chest, raise the bars if needed. I also set the saddle a bit higher in relation to the crank. (than without the Aero Bars.)
My Aero Bars cost about $150. I was not shopping.
The initial installation was a failure. My LBS had to be educated that the twisting moment on the bars is very high. I use the bars to power up a hill and lift out of the saddle by using the leverage of hands, elbows and my legs. The LBS was able to fix it. I needed new non Chromium bars so the connection does not slip.

All of this is worth it if you want to do serious biking.
If this is not good enough I can post a picture. I have to digitize the picture first.

FarHorizon

Thanks again, Will. I've **seen** aero bars, but I didn't know if they could be retrofitted to an existing bike. I thought bikes with the aero bars had a specific geometry intended to assist with the horizontal position. I also was under the (mistaken?) impression that specific handlebar/aerobar combos were needed to resist the type of twisting slippage you describe. In fact, I thought that handlebar/aerobar combos were actually welded together to avoid that problem. It seems that if bolt on aero bars were added to standard aluminum road bars, stress risers would be created at the attachment point that would (sooner or later) cause catastrophic failure by stress cracking in the aluminum road bars. Is this a legitimate worry?

Finally, are there specific brands to seek out/avoid in aero bar shopping?

Thanks mucho!

will dehne

Existing bikes, no special geometry. I did it to a Trek Hybrid 7700 and a Racing bike by Cannondale.
I found out that chrome plated bars are slippery to clamp on. Standard black oxide bars are fine. Screws must be torque'd to rated torque to make it safe. The Aero Bar screws are not big enough to twist off a bar tube IMHO.
More likely is that the clamps will not hold. I am a big strong guy and abuse this connection to the maximum. I mean I lift up off the saddle using these aero bars as a lever. I am not sure they were designed for that. But it works, I powered up to over
25 MPH Today using this method. My full weight on my legs, off the saddle, and stabilized by the Aero Bars with my elbows and pulling on my hands. It really was fun.
I bought the flip up type Aero Bars. (The ones you mentioned above) They do rattle. So I had to use strong rubber bands to hold them down. No big deal but silly to spend money and not use the flip up feature.

I had them installed by two different LBS. One did OK, the other needed my know-how which I learned from the other LBS.

flatlander_48

Maybe, but I think it is an oversimplification. Comfort depends on how the entire package fits together: Seat, Riding Shorts and your Butt. I understand what you mean about the increase in lb/sq in. And, the spacing of you sit bones doesn't change as a function of weight. Meaning if your weight goes up or down, the spacing doesn't change. However, the seat and shorts must compliment your body.

From you own experience (at 180lb) I could go about 1 hour before numbness with $35 Performance Bike shorts and a Selle Italia Gel seat (thin gel layer over a hard shell). With $85 Sugio shorts the time extended to over 2 hours. My new bike has a Fizik Gobi seat. I'm now up to over 3 hours. I've been riding the Sugoi's since the first of the year. I'm think of upgrading to Assos or Exte Ondo next year. I think it is clearly a matter of you get what you pay for.

FarHorizon

Thank you, flat. I agree, now, that the original hypothesis was a simplification. I still think that there is some truth in it, though. The more one weighs, the more likely one is to have seat/butt interface problems.

I've heard good things about the Fizik saddles also, but I want to finish my trials of the Brooks line before experimenting further. I did, briefly, put my old standby, the Selle Italia "Future," back on recently for a single ride. The Brooks products seem to me to be far superior the the Future (but maybe this is because I've now grown accustomed to the Brooks?).

For the near term, I'll continue to use the Brooks B-69 on my "around town" bike and the B-17 on my "red racer." Once I finish building my fixed single speed bike, I'll maybe try the Fizik line. In the long run, I'm probably recumbent bound...

Thanks again!

will dehne

[QUOTE=FarHorizon] In the long run, I'm probably recumbent bound...
(QUOTE]

Oh No, please! Not you too!!!!

stapfam

It is not only the larger/ heavier people that have problems finding a saddle. I ride two different styles of bikes and each requires a different saddle type. The solo Mountain bike has a Thin, slightly padded "Racing" style saddle and this is fine, where you do on occasions get out of the saddle and hence resting the Backside. If I put this on the Tandem, where I do sit down for longer, then 1 hour and I am in Pain.The tandem has a wider saddle, and this is fine for around 6 hours before it starts to cause some discomfort.Now if that Tandem saddle goes on the Solo, then chaffing and soreness comes in within a couple of hours.

That saddle pain may also be due to the saddle position on height, for and aft position, or even down to bar height, All of which are worth trying in a different position. I know that for me, a too upright position will cause pain on the pelvic bone, And this is different to the muscular discomfort pain or saddle soreness that can be experienced with a new saddle or a new to cycling Butt.

Saddles should not be rock hard, there should be a little cushioning, but NOT gel for a long ride saddle. The new anatomical saddles, with the pelvic cutaway do help a lot with the Bone pain, but not always.
On top of that, saddle position is very important for comfort, so before buying another saddle, try a new position.

bkaapcke

You need to get over having a DF bike and go for a LWB recumbent. Great seats nad total comfort.

FarHorizon

Thanks, bkaapcke - I'll take the nad comfort!