Beginner Looking for Advice on How to Begin

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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Another - saddle tipped forward. Try getting it level. Little and often with terms of riding - frequency is the thing to build fitness and getting used to the bike. Then when you can, increase the distance a bit at a time.
 

boydj

Legendary Member
Location
Paisley
Don't do that - it will put more weight on your hands. If anything, moving the saddle back to put less weight on your hands, or change the stem to bring the bars higher/closer, and as above, put the saddle level first.

I don't understand your logic. Moving the saddle forward should allow less weight on the hands and more on the sit bones, by allowing the rider to sit more upright. The alternative is to raise the handlebars by moving spacer(s) from above the stem to below, which effectively brings the bars closer..
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I definitely wouldn't move that saddle forward. The seat tube angle is relatively steep on that frame anyway and a forward saddle is going to mean sitting almost over the BB. Leave the saddle fore-aft alone, get rid of the downward tilt, and set the handlebars as high as they will go.
 

12boy

Guru
Location
Casper WY USA
With that bike I second the idea of Ergon grips. Globalti mentioned saddle height which to me is a Big Deal......here's here's why. If your saddle is too low it is like walking in a crouch, which is tiring and hard on your knees. A saddle high enough to allow you to extend your legs as you pedal will mean the effort you make to turn the crank arms is made with a leg only bent a little, like when you stride, and not with a leg bent as in the bottom of a deep knee bend. Much easier on them knees. If you tilt your saddle nose up it will result in your weight going backward and will in turn unweight you hands. Narrow firm saddles soon become much more comfortable than thick, soft saddles which chafe your nethers and put weight on the nerve into your member instead of on your sitbones, where the weight does not pinch that important nerve. You will enjoy riding any distance a lot more if you find shorts that are gusseted so as to prevent putting your,weight on a seam. Or, wear lycra bike shorts with padding. The best shorts and saddles, in my opinion , are those you don't think about when you ride. Happy trails, amigo!
 

Hudson1984

Über Member
I get this too - for me though it's down to core stability, I put most of my weight on my wrists when I ride.
I shouldn't of course, but I do.
That's on a race though, so geometry does make me lean forward and with rubbish core I've nowhere to support the weight other than wrists.

sorry if I missed it but are you riding a hybrid or racer? just a hybrid with a more upright riding style certainly helps me on normal rides, but of course does limit the distance - sort of - I mean you can ride any distance on any bike....i'm digging a hole i'll stop now. :wacko:

*EDIT - Just saw your bike....ignore me entirely i'll go back in my cave :laugh::laugh:
 
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OP
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oakleaf

Regular
I took you all's advice! I tilted the saddle back to make it level. I didn't realize I had such a downward tilt to it. I also rotated the handlebars back towards me a couple inches for a better reach. And finally, I do have ergo grips on it so I spun the grips up a bit so the base palm of my hand rests on the grip's flat portion keeping my wrists unbent when I ride. I did not adjust fore and aft on my seat nor the seat height. But what a world of difference those three changes you all recommended made - THANKS SO MUCH! I sit more upright and the core strength I do have now allows me to keep weight off my wrists/bars as I ride when I desire. Plus I'm not pushing back into the seat to get comfortable. I do have the right shorts without seams. I mention that because it does make a more comfortable ride.

Some of you mention my comfy saddle probably needing replacement after I get more miles. I'm looking forward to getting to that point!
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Some of you mention my comfy saddle probably needing replacement after I get more miles. I'm looking forward to getting to that point!

Be guided by what your backside is telling you about your saddle. When you first start riding, any saddle is going to get uncomfortable after a few miles whether it fits or not, because you need to toughen up. Once you have got used to having your weight on a saddle, then you will find the amount of time/mileage you can stomach before too much discomfort sets in, can vary enormously between different saddles - and whether a saddle is cheap or expensive bears little relation to comfort. My most comfortable bike is fitted with a Selle touring saddle that came from a 99p donor bike. Very cheap can sometimes turn out to be very good.
I am quite happy to ride 25 miles on a wide roadster sprung mattress saddle, just as I am on a narrower padded but unsprung touring type. That's wearing either jeans, regular trousers/cut down shorts, or regular shorts. I don't wear cycling gear, don't see the need to dress up specifically to go for a ride. Now my approach to cycling is pretty relaxed; I'll stop whenever I want to take a closer look at something that has caught my eye, and I don't drink water or eat food on the move. I always stop for that, which means my saddle time is punctuated with short periods when I get the weight off my backside. Someone who is obsessed by maintaining a certain average speed or covering a lot of miles who wants to keep moving all the time and not stop for anything, may well find that their choice of saddle and clothing is much more critical.
 
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Start your riding career with very short rides, even just 10minutes.
Get your saddle and bars in roughly the correct position using standard methods. Aim to avoid hyper extending or locking knees and elbows.
As you get a bit of experience you can fine tune.
Soft saddles are generally not good for regular and longer riding.
Handlebars with a bit of rearward sweep can relieve tension in arms and wrists.
Padded gloves can make a good position more comfortable but cannot cure a poor position. They are essential if you come off the bike and slide along the road surface.
 

All uphill

Still rolling along
Location
Somerset
Start your riding career with very short rides, even just 10minutes.
Get your saddle and bars in roughly the correct position using standard methods. Aim to avoid hyper extending or locking knees and elbows.
As you get a bit of experience you can fine tune.
Soft saddles are generally not good for regular and longer riding.
Handlebars with a bit of rearward sweep can relieve tension in arms and wrists.
Padded gloves can make a good position more comfortable but cannot cure a poor position. They are essential if you come off the bike and slide along the road surface.
As others have said it's about getting going then fine tuning.

As has also been said the obvious answer isnt always the correct one; soft saddles are not more comfortable, in general, and I resolved hand discomfort by replacing padded gloves with close fitting, unpadded, Gore mitts. Wonderful things.
 
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