janda

Hey guys...my husband just was able to take his new Giant Roam 1 on a serious ride today. However the bike shop put a seat on it that looked very comfy but he HATES it...it is a very narrow more of a racing type seat. My bike has a bigger almost comfort bike type seat on it and that felt much better to him...can someone suggest a bigger seat for a bigger fella that wont take away from the overall ride of the bike?

Also can someone recommend a wireless computer that is easy to use that we might be able to pick up on ebay or somewhere for 30 or less?

AngelGendy

I'd highly recommend a Brooks B-17 for the saddle and performance bike tiresdirect or nashbar would be a good place to find the computer and saddle.

bikemanbob

The Roam is a nice bike--good choice! If you can list the specific saddle on the bike, I might be able to suggest something. I need a point of reference to suggest something more comfortable. Specialized offers a number of comfortable seats that might work well with the Roam.

I ride with Cateye Strata. I like it very much.

bob

janda

https://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=27 - this is the seat he has now and hates everything about it. He is wanting something bigger and more plush....

Mr Danw

Take him to a Specialized dealer. They will have an "Ass-o-meter", yes "Ass-o-meter", to measure his ischial tuberosities, or sit bones. This will give you a base width to use to start looking for a saddle that fits. Being a clyde is of no matter when saddle shopping because saddle width is based on a skeletal measurement.

Aahzz

Why wireless for the computer? I did some research when buying mine, and consensus seems to be that the wireless are prone to interference, and have to be placed very carefully. I bought the 12-function wired Schwinn at Wal-Mart, and adore it. It does everything I need, which is speedometer, odometer, elapsed time, and average speed. If your looking for cadence/calories/etc, then you're going to want something more expensive - but for basic functionality I don't think you can go wrong with the Schwinn.

tardman91

For a wireless computer, see if you can find a Cat Eye Strada Wireless. I love mine and I got it on Amazon for about $35. It's a great beginner computer.

janda

I had just wanted wireless to avoid all the wires? Or maybe there arent many?

Aahzz

There's only one wire, which can be wrapped nicely around the brake cable. I found a youtube video on installation - it took all of 5 minutes and the wire is out of the way.

Aahzz

Oh yeah - and what bike did you buy? Didn't see a response in your other threads - obviously you went with the Roam for your hubby, what did you decide on for you?

Aahzz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clrn70LWKnM

I also found this site extremely valuable for calculating the wheel size to enter

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cyclecom...libration.html

janda

I got the specialized crosstrail sport....so far we are both happy with them! Ok I will check out those videos!

magohn

I find wires to be a pain. First you have this extra wire dangling around your handlebars/front wheel, then you have the zip-ties to hold the wire in place. Go wireless, before I graduated to a garmin I had this one (planetbike) - nice reliable unit:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...YY8EHQ4558Q2BC
Nicest feature - the whole unit slides up to reset the trip meter. No hassle pressing tiny buttons multiple times as on other units I have owned.

jboyd

I can't comment on the seat. Way to personal. Really, seats are a crap shoot. He may have to try a few to get it right.

Wireless computer: I love my Planet Bike Protege 9.0 It is one of the only computers that I have found that has the Temperature in full display. I like that. i have this computer on both bikes. The batteries last about a year. I have beat the hell out this computer on a mountain bike for the last three years without an issue

Good luck.

janda

Sounds like the Protege may be the one for me!

rschleicher

+1 on having the sit-bones measurement done (at a Specialized dealer), to find out what saddle width it points to. (Specialized saddles for men come in three widths, 130mm, 143mm, and 155mm. There is a at least a decent chance that a 130mm saddle is too narrow for him. Many "OEM" saddles that come with road bikes are around 130mm wide.

If you can't find a Specialized dealer nearby, it is possible to do a "home version" sit bones measurement, which is roughly as follows:

- take a doubled-up piece of aluminum foil, place it on a stair step with a decently-thick carpeting (or on a chair with some thin padding).
- Try to lean forward a bit while sitting - your sit bones will leave two round deeper depressions that should be fairly visible in the foil. (around an inch around, roughly). Mark the apparent centers of the two depressions, and measure the distance between the centers. This is basically what the "Assometer" measurement is (although they use a piece of memory foam to do it).

The basic guidance is to pick a saddle width that is a good 25-35 mm greater than the measured value, at least that is what I recall for a road bike. (Specialized's table for converting the measurement to a saddle width is dependent on type of riding or bike used (road bike versus hybrid, versus mountain. I THINK it is a similar rule for men or women, although women on average will have a larger sit bones measurement.)

One thing about a bike computer - they all do bike speed, and various other stats. But if you also want cadence, then the computer needs two sensors, one on a wheel, the other on the crank. Other extra features that may or may not be valuable to you include an altimeter function to track how much you are climbing and descending (possibly including some form of grade-steepness indicator), as well as heart-rate monitoring (via a strap-on chest sensor, usually, or perhaps a pulse sensor). And of course at the highest end you get real GPS capability for tracking ride routes, etc. Some things can be done with a GPS-equipped smart phone and an appropriate app, with the obvious exception of cadence.

Cychologist

Here is my advice after 30+ years riding.

Getting measured for a saddle is important. The male sit bones are closer than the female, so a narrow saddle will be more comfortable after you body adjust to it. Don't get a saddle that is too soft. Again while this sounds good, it is an invite for saddle sores. Instead invest in a decent set of riding bibs, which has minimal padding in the right place. I also suggest an anatomically friendly saddle which is less pressure on the prostrate. And good bike shop can help you with these issues.

If you are going to get serious about cycling, I strongly suggest you consider a wireless (less problems/hassle) with cadence (for me more important than speed or heart rate). I currently use a Garmin Edge 800 which is a bit expensive. I have used and recommend the Flightdeck and several cateye computers. I really like the Cateye double wireless, simple to use and well designed. (I still have one on my cyclocross bike, but ride exclusively with the Garmin on my Madonej.)

JohnA42

How far did he ride? First ride of the season? Plush/comfy saddles can feel great on a short ride. Not so great on a longer ride. The bottom (no pun intended) line is that it takes your bottom a while to get used to riding. Unless he can return the one he's got I'd say give it a few miles.

bradtx

janda, A short ride isn't really enough to evaluate a saddle. Contributing factors are saddle height, clothing and position. I find a minimal amout of padding, whether in the saddle or in the shorts/bib with a saddle the matches one's rear end the best. Brad

Wogster

In a wired computer the computer feeds a current down a wire to the sensor, which contains a magnetic switch, there is then another wire that runs back to the computer, these wires are often in a single cable, if it has cadence, then this is doubled, but some then put the wheel sensor on the rear wheel and run a wire between the wheel sensor and the crank sensor and then a single wire to the computer. Each time a magnet attached to the wheel passes the switch it closes and opens when the magnet moves away, the computer counts these pulses, say you measure that the wheel is 2161mm for each rotation, if in one second the wheel goes around 4 times, that means you are travelling 8644mm per second which it computes to 31,118,400mm per hour, or 31.118 km/h (19.293 MPH) which is rounded for display. By the same token, as you ride along it keeps a register of the total number of pulses, since last reset and another one for your trip distance.

In a wireless computer, it's a little different, you have a switch as well, but it's connected to a small radio transmitter, so each time the switch closes it sends a pulse, the computer contains a radio receiver on the same frequency listening for the pulses. These transmitters are very low power, a few milliwatts at best, so any nearby radio frequency interference can overwhelm the signal, in one of two ways, it can appear to the receiver as extra pulses received, or can mask pulses so that the receiver doesn't get them. If the wheel goes around 4 times, but the RFI makes it seem like 15 pulses, then it appears you travelled 32,415mm in that second or that your going 116.694 km/h (72.350MPH). By the same token if the receiver gets only one pulse, then it appears your travelling at 2161mm per second, or your only going 7.780km/h ( 4.824 MPH). Since the total distance is the total number of pulses received, this will also be wrong.

Wired computers are also cheaper, the batteries last longer, and there are fewer batteries to replace. Depending on the battery, they are a little like Smoke detectors, you don't want to really wait until the battery dies to replace it. I replace batteries on wired computers every other year. What I do is add a small label on the back of the computer with the date the battery was last replaced or the computer was put into service, so I know, when the bicycle gets it's annual service whether the battery in the computer should be replaced or not.

nymtber

I have found I like the inexpensive bell and schwinn bike computers just as much as my $40 wired Specialized (I didn't pay that much but that was original price). For $12 at walmart, kmart, target, and even some hardware stores, I get a bike computer that does everything I need it to. My mtb and SS mtb both have cheapies on and they work fine.

As for seat, get measured. I have a 143mm Specialized Alias on my mountain bike (yep, its a road saddle...comfy though), and whatever stock saddle is on my Sirrus. IMO, Specialized saddles are very comfy if you get one that fits your sit bones. The stock saddle on my Sirrus is by far THE MOST COMFORTABLE bicycle saddle I have ever had under my butt. I got a killer deal on the Alias from specialized.com, I paid $40 for a $100 saddle, but that was a few years back. It really is comfy

Also, to help with the right saddle, get some good cycling shorts. I have to recommend AeroTech Designs based in PA (yes, USA!) and their "black pearl crotch pad" and any shorts they MAKE that has that pad. You see, AeroTech makes cycling clothing right here in the USA with as much american made material as they can. That alone has sold me on their products, but then using their products sold me even more!

Sorry for the AeroTech rant, but they are a great company that is owned (and probably run?) by cyclists.