indyfabz

Nothing like a little evening wood:

DropBarFan

Interesting since the Brooks Swallow (which roughly resembles the Berthoud Aspin touring) is supposed to be more for leaned-forward riding...however I find that fit is so personal that style/category sometimes doesn't matter so much. Hope the ribs are healing well, that can't be any picnic!

ColonelSanders

What size is your LHT?

DropBarFan

I wouldn't mess with a crow--last week I saw a crow mercilessly chasing a seagull twice it's size. Once I stopped to look at a big flock of geese next to the bike path & the leader walked toward me & honked aggressively, easily convincing me to get back on my way.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bN76TvJspY

Awesome, better than that Bait Car TV show.

Aidoneus

Thanks. It's suppose to be near 60 F tomorrow, and I'm going to see if I can ride without too much pain. The injury really set back my training for a contemplated tour.

dim

well, after much deliberation, I pulled the trigger and ordered a Gilles Berthoud Aravis saddle with titanium rails. It should arrive on the weekend or on monday. I also ordered the rain cover and the wax

elcruxio

I'm seriously a teeny bit bitter that I can't fit on any of the Gilles Berthoud saddles. I'm forced to use a standard plastic seat, which is really quite nice but I still have to stand up to pedal every 45 mins or so to relieve some pressure.

dim

try a Charge Spoon saddle. They get great reviews, and are a very good price. My son has one on his Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike:

Wiggle | Charge Spoon Saddle with Cromo Rails | Performance Saddles

dim

I also bought a Crane mini Suzu stem mountain bell in brass. I had to search far and wide and found one in Germany. There are lots of Crane Sakura bells with stem mount here in the UK, but from what I read, the Suzu is the one to get



next on my list is 2 Klean Canteen Reflect water bottles with stainless steel cages:
https://www.velovitality.co.uk/colle...t-800ml-bottle

elcruxio

I thought about those but even the widest Spoon is too narrow for me (apparently with a great arse comes great sitbones...)
I have a Terry Figura right now. As I said it only starts to feel like any kind of pressure in about 45mins and it can be taken off by standing for a while and then the counter pretty much zeroes and I have another 45min. It also has to do with my weight. Bigger folks need to take more breaks. Aaaand now that I have my cockpit sorted (bar level, brake levers pointing slightly up, less reach, and double wrapped tape) I should be able to level the saddle which might remove all pressure altogether, at least I hope it will.

We have 4 Klean Kanteen 40oz regular bottles and I really like them. Not all that handy to drink while riding (although you can get the sport valve for them), but taking little drink breaks on tour isn't a bad idea. Drinking from them is like drinking from a glass even though it's not even the wide mouth model.

dim

check these Spa Cycles Don leather saddles:

SPA CYCLES Don Leather Saddle :: £45.00 :: Parts & Accessories :: Saddles - Leather :: Spa Cycles, Harrogate - The touring cyclists specialist.

elcruxio

I actually have one of those
Did not work. The Shape of the saddle is too T-like which is suitable for more upright riding positions, whereas the pear shape of the Brooks B17 is more touring friendly (albeit too narrow for me sadly)
Although I did put the saddle on my bolt upright bike and it didn't really work there either...

I'm testing the Terry Arteria currently, which is like the Figura but with a bit less padding and more top shape so it's easier to keep level. The deciding factor is going to be whether the saddle has enough padding for long days in the saddle. I'll do a test run today to see how it performs.

The one thing I absolutely hate in cycling is going through seats. All of the other stuff is really fun even when it's stressful but seat swapping is something I truly do not enjoy.

indyfabz

60cm

ColonelSanders

Thanks.

Aidoneus

No longer pristine

I don't know, maybe I'm just too old and slow for clipless, or maybe I need to walk my bike through trail/road intersections. After missing 32 days with cracked ribs, I rode just under 9 miles yesterday with only moderate discomfort from my ribs. So today I did 26.5. Just one problem. Where the trail I was on cuts diagonally through a 4-way intersection. I come to the road going against the traffic, but there is a green light about 25 feet away, so I figure to cross, wait for a light change, and be back on the trail. However, there is an SUV stopped at the red light that decides to make a right turn into me. Neither her or her passenger bother looking my way. Luckily the guy has his window down and when I yell they stop. But between yelling and braking hard, I don't get myself unclipped in time--though at least this time I catch my fall with my palm. I figure no damge, other than a little scuffing of my glove, but when I get home I notice a notch out of my beautiful saddle.

Aidoneus

I wonder if I could use a black permanent marker to disguise it some.

Happy Feet

Shoe polish.

Your story is why I choose not to use clipless. I get on and off my bike too much and have also done the side plant while trying to wait out a red light. I'm too old to court a broken hip

Aidoneus

Wouldn't shoe polish just rub off on my clothes?!

Happy Feet

?

I would use a bit and actually polish it. I don't notice it coming off my shoes after it's been worked in. Though I suppose it might be risky with white shorts?

I bike with old black cycle shorts so I've never considered it. I'm half covered in grease as it is.

DropBarFan

Bummer about the saddle. Permanent marker sounds like a good idea, perhaps old-fashioned India ink might work too? I fell over at an intersection once when cleat accidentally snapped back in (worn cleats). OTOH once riding w/flip-flops & rode off a curb--foot slipped & I landed a bit painfully on the top tube.

dim

thats why I bought Shimano A530 touring pedals .... SPD mechanism on one side and a concave stable platform pedal body on the other, you can ride with cleats or normal shoes


as for the saddle damage ... look at getting some black shoe dye. That should sort it

DropBarFan

Those A530's look interesting. Lighter than my Crank Bros Mallets (platform) that are OK but not great for street shoes since there's a binding on both sides which sticks up a bit.

LeeG

Not a fan of 530's, the platform isn't wide enough for my size 11 ft in street shoes. The chromed cleat spring blossoms in rust in a salt water environment compared to the 324's

marlowe

Show and tell I guess. Purchased in 2012 and have over the years have changed a lot. Frame is 56cm. Not crazy about the color but that was the color offered that year. Brooks Champion Flyer saddle is just a great saddle and have never, ever, been uncomfortable in it. Of course after a full day in any saddle I think the south end can get tired. I'm 225 lbs and it suits me just fine. Added Jeff Jones H-Bars (love um, I'm old and like to sit up and look around when traveling), tires are now Schwalbe Marathon Plus (heavy but no flats so far). And last Christmas I treated myself to a Rohloff Speedhub 14. Have about 200 miles on it so far. Feels different than the derailleur for sure, but I really like it. And just a few days ago finished installing a Shutter Precision PD-8 dynamo and a B&M Eyc headlight with a B&M taillight. Some other little things I have done but really I think I'm done messing with it. I'm sure that statement will make a liar out of me. This coming June will be my second trek from Montana to Eastern South Dakota to my high school reunion. This year will head south from Bowman, ND to the Black Hills and continue south into Nebraska and then east across Nebraska and then north across the Missouri River about a Springfield, SD to small town of Menno, SD. I will be 65 in a week. Anyway here are some pics. I really like the Surly Disc Trucker and would recommend it. I'm retired and enjoy riding 20-30 miles a day and the LHT disc works for me.

dim

received my Gilles Berthoud Aravis saddle with titanium rails, applied a thick layer of Gilles Berthoud wax (top and bottom) and left that overnight to soak into the leather

buffed the top of the saddle with a microfibre cloth this morning, fitted the saddle (I kept it 100% level/parallel to the ground), and went for a 5 km ride today. Spot on and I don't need to adjust the angle, position or height (normally I end up having to tweak saddle positions when fitting a new saddle). The rails are pretty short, so bear that in mind if you do decide to buy one (you may need a different seatpost if you need to position the saddle very far back)

very comfortable indeed and I'm well pleased, so thank you very much to those who suggested this saddle! I can however say that this saddle is very well made and looks very good on my bike

I will take the Surly for a longer ride during the week. I also ended up buying the Gilles Berthoud saddle cover but have no intentions of riding my bike in the rain. I have read that sometimes the screws become loose on the saddle and that it's recomended that a drop of loctite blue be used.... I will do that shortly.

I also have the new model with the gadget that is fitted underneath the saddle to stop the rails from twisting (see the photo on the left.... its the round adaptor thingy .... the photo on the right shows the older version without it... if you get/have a berthoud aravis saddle without this, you can buy it directly from Gilles Berthoud:



and speaking of saddles, last week my LBS said he had an older Brooks B15 professional saddle in excellent condition that I could have for £10. I snapped it up and have fitted it to my daily commuting bike. It will take a while before I get used to it but hoping that I get on with it ... if not, I should make a profit by selling it on ebay

I'm hoping to get my 2 Klean Kanteen water bottles with stainless steel cages this week .... Inititially I was after the brushed version, but after seeing the polished version, I ordered the polished ones (matches the polished Velo Orange stainless fenders/mudguards) .... I will have space for one more, and am toying with the idea of getting the extra one:



I will post a pic of my bike next week .... it's starting to take shape now, but I still need a few more extras (I have mounted my blue Carradice pannier bags, but will buy the black ones to match .... cost £125 though ($177 USD), so will wait until next month.