Pilot

Well I did it!! my wife and I and another couple went out last night and did some riding. We went 10 miles out stoped at a local bar/grill and had some tacos and a couple beers. Headed back when it started getting dark good thing we took the advice of our friends and had lights for the bike. Getting back was alittle harder on me but I pushed ahead leaving everyone behind. Felt bad but I was in a zone and didnt want to stop. When I seen the lights of the parking lot I couldnt believe I made it!!!! Rode 20 miles. I learned a few things on my first ride.
1. Buy a new seat. The seat from the factory sucks. My butt is still sore.
2. Never eat alot and drink. I was tried after I had 2 beers.
3. Buy a luggage rack. Had to use my friends to keep some of your stuff in.

Jason

Dirtgrinder

Congrats on your first ride! 20 miles is a great start.
As for the saddle, it may very well not be a great one if it came on the bike. But as for being sore, it wouldn't matter what saddle you had if it was your first ride, you'd still be very sore after 20 miles. I'd try it for a while before I bought a new one. It takes a while for your posterior to get broken-in.

Gus Riley

Yeah those biers do taste good at the halfway mark don't they?! But if you're like me they turn my calves into cows! I definitly pay for the pleasurable taste, sometimes it's worth it though!

Your seat may in fact not be right for you, but it may also be too soon to tell. If this is your first 20 mile ride, you may want to give the seat more time. Any seat will have some hurt time associated with it when you first start riding or begin a season after the winter. After another couple of 20s you'll know for sure.

Congrats on a great day on the bikes! Lunch and bier at the halfway point is a good thing!

uhm...yea.

Also, you may want to check your seat adjustment. Is a certain part of your behind sore? tilt that part of the seat lower. You'd be suprised at how a small adjustment can make a huge difference.

Joe Gardner

Ever? 20 miles is quite a ride! Congrats.

My first ride ever ended up just a few feet from the start, with some major road rash.

OmahaRider

Toughening up the rear-end is one of the dirty little secrets of cycling----give it 2-3 weeks or even a month and see if you feel the same way about the saddle. Before you go out and spend any more money---also realize that if the new saddle is leather its going to take a few weeks to conform to your butt.

A good broken-in leather saddle is like a pair of shoes---don't let anybody else ride that saddle--like you don't let anyone else wear your broken-in shoes-----its broken-in for you-----and nobody else.

That being said---all my cycles have Specialized Body-Geometry saddles----they seem to work good for me. Although I'm going to leave the factory saddle on my new Klein---at least for now.

DnvrFox

20 miles on your first ride?? Most folks are happy with 5-10. No wonder your bottom is a little stiff!!

It is going to take a break-in period for ANY saddle to feel comfortable, especially after a 20 miler the first time. Give it a little rest and ease into things slowly. Don't go out and get a different saddle. The one you have will likely feel perfectly ok after you butt gets used to that strange new thing.