Padding in shorts. Why not in the saddle?
05-05-17, 07:04 PM
#226
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First of all, let's talk about padded shorts vs padded saddles. Really, whatever works for you is fine and dandy. Life is too short to worry about it.
We have to consider the quality of the rider here. I am about as low as it gets as far as climbing ability. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Heck, I might have to go up a cog just to get over a speed bump in the parking lot. Where others see a mole hill, I see a mountain.
The chain dropping and poor reactions are from other riders. I see it every year at the same place on the same ride. It could be rider/route inexperience there. Nice fun rolling descent, then a 90 degree right to an immediate out of the saddle to start up the hill. After that turn, you are barely moving. People look up and start going through the gears. If they haven't got to the gear they need it about 5 or 10 yards, it is too late. They try to stand and grind it out, but momentum is gone and they fall over.(after a few front wheel waggles) 2 years in a row my rear axle slipped in the dropout at the start of that grind. I finally wised up and always make it extra tight before we start going down the hill before that turn.
We have to consider the quality of the rider here. I am about as low as it gets as far as climbing ability. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Heck, I might have to go up a cog just to get over a speed bump in the parking lot. Where others see a mole hill, I see a mountain.
The chain dropping and poor reactions are from other riders. I see it every year at the same place on the same ride. It could be rider/route inexperience there. Nice fun rolling descent, then a 90 degree right to an immediate out of the saddle to start up the hill. After that turn, you are barely moving. People look up and start going through the gears. If they haven't got to the gear they need it about 5 or 10 yards, it is too late. They try to stand and grind it out, but momentum is gone and they fall over.(after a few front wheel waggles) 2 years in a row my rear axle slipped in the dropout at the start of that grind. I finally wised up and always make it extra tight before we start going down the hill before that turn.
05-05-17, 07:42 PM
#227
Senior Member
Normally I'd agree, but if it matches the riding you're doing, why?
Seypat is using downtube shifters. Most bikes with downtube shifters are vintage steel. Nearly all vintage steel uses horizontal dropouts.
So, probably.
Seypat is using downtube shifters. Most bikes with downtube shifters are vintage steel. Nearly all vintage steel uses horizontal dropouts.
So, probably.
05-05-17, 08:29 PM
#228
Senior Member
Yes to old steel and horizontal dropouts. No to downtube shifters. I much prefer bar ends to downtube shifters. I have big guads and beefy forearms. There is not enough room there to shift a DT. I have to stop pedaling, splay the legs out and try to get an arm in there. That's when it gets squirrely.
05-06-17, 06:04 AM
#229
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It's only silly when people refuse to give something consideration and suffer because of it. Not all mousetraps are better, but many are!
05-06-17, 06:04 AM
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Yes to old steel and horizontal dropouts. No to downtube shifters. I much prefer bar ends to downtube shifters. I have big guads and beefy forearms. There is not enough room there to shift a DT. I have to stop pedaling, splay the legs out and try to get an arm in there. That's when it gets squirrely.
05-06-17, 06:49 AM
#231
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Yes to old steel and horizontal dropouts. No to downtube shifters. I much prefer bar ends to downtube shifters. I have big guads and beefy forearms. There is not enough room there to shift a DT. I have to stop pedaling, splay the legs out and try to get an arm in there. That's when it gets squirrely.
05-06-17, 07:02 AM
#232
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05-06-17, 07:02 AM
#233
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I imagine you could go back far enough on many things, but at the end of the day, you have to appreciate it when something good comes along, like padded cycling shorts. Ah, it's about the little things in life, haha
It's only silly when people refuse to give something consideration and suffer because of it. Not all mousetraps are better, but many are!
It's only silly when people refuse to give something consideration and suffer because of it. Not all mousetraps are better, but many are!
In case you don't remember, before internet forums you never heard anybody complaining about bike comfort, and it wasn't because of steel frames, I assure you. Many of those were just as uncomfortable as anything ever made. No, it was because they knew how to ride a bike. I cannot remember a riding buddy ever saying that his ass hurt or he was tired out by the beating he was taking. And guess what, that was on 19 mm tires inflated to 120 or more pounds. No carbon, no laterally stiff but vertically compliant BS. Carbon and Ti frames, heck even aluminum, are so much more comfortable now than anything we had back then, and that doesn't even begin to take into account the wide tires, low pressures, carbon rims, carbon seat posts, carbon saddle rails, carbon handlebars, etc. So all this talk about needing heavily padded shorts and/or saddles is just comical. And get off my lawn, dammit!!!
05-06-17, 08:47 AM
#234
Junior Member
years ago I made the mistake of buying some "mountain biking" shorts with a built-in padded liner (remember old swimsuits???). anyway, I wore the shorts a grand total of about 200 yards, turned around, came right back home and into the trash they went. it was like (I imagine!) wearing a diaper with a full load.
05-06-17, 01:15 PM
#235
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years ago I made the mistake of buying some "mountain biking" shorts with a built-in padded liner (remember old swimsuits???). anyway, I wore the shorts a grand total of about 200 yards, turned around, came right back home and into the trash they went. it was like (I imagine!) wearing a diaper with a full load.
05-06-17, 04:48 PM
#236
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Lemme get this right, "I'm too ripped to use downtube shifters"?
...but without the guads to torque through the slow gear changes of STIs. 
Summary: Compared my body size/build/makeup to Mark Cavendish + 45-50lbs. Even at the weight/fitness I played basketball in college 30 years ago, too bulky/heavy/wrong type of muscles to be a decent endurance athlete. Yada yada. It causes cramping problems on distance events throughout the body including the muscles controlling the STI levers and that's why I use friction. Blah, Blah, Blah.
It also included a great story about females applying body numbers at dus/tris copping a feel on my arms/legs and getting caught by my wife. I included that so you wouldn't think I was blowing smoke about being "ripped" or big gauds. That was lost also. It's a good story, and it gets better every time I tell it!
It's a lot better than talking about padding in shorts/saddles and STI/friction.
05-06-17, 05:47 PM
#237
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Well, I had this long, detailed(boring) reply written out. Hit the wrong button and lost it all. Probably a good thing.
Summary: Compared my body size/build/makeup to Mark Cavendish + 45-50lbs. Even at the weight/fitness I played basketball in college 30 years ago, too bulky/heavy/wrong type of muscles to be a decent endurance athlete. Yada yada. It causes cramping problems on distance events throughout the body including the muscles controlling the STI levers and that's why I use friction. Blah, Blah, Blah.
It also included a great story about females applying body numbers at dus/tris copping a feel on my arms/legs and getting caught by my wife. I included that so you wouldn't think I was blowing smoke about being "ripped" or big gauds. That was lost also. It's a good story, and it gets better every time I tell it! It's a lot better than talking about padding in shorts/saddles and STI/friction.
Summary: Compared my body size/build/makeup to Mark Cavendish + 45-50lbs. Even at the weight/fitness I played basketball in college 30 years ago, too bulky/heavy/wrong type of muscles to be a decent endurance athlete. Yada yada. It causes cramping problems on distance events throughout the body including the muscles controlling the STI levers and that's why I use friction. Blah, Blah, Blah.
It also included a great story about females applying body numbers at dus/tris copping a feel on my arms/legs and getting caught by my wife. I included that so you wouldn't think I was blowing smoke about being "ripped" or big gauds. That was lost also. It's a good story, and it gets better every time I tell it!
It's a lot better than talking about padding in shorts/saddles and STI/friction.
05-06-17, 06:00 PM
#238
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05-06-17, 06:09 PM
#240
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05-06-17, 06:12 PM
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05-06-17, 09:07 PM
#242
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05-07-17, 04:12 AM
#243
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BAM!!!
woodcraft for the win!
of course the judges padded his scrorecard just a bit...
woodcraft for the win!
of course the judges padded his scrorecard just a bit...
05-07-17, 04:23 PM
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Interesting, I find that asking for advice and then arguing with those offering it at my request is somewhat counterproductive. But that's just me....
05-08-17, 05:10 AM
#245
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Its like work pants with padded knees. Sitting on you knees on a hard floor is immediately uncomfortable because pressure is concentrated to a small spot, but Sliding 1/2 an inch hard foam under you knees instantly releaves the pain. To my mind this i no different than sitting directly on a hard surface with your sit bones. I get that if a saddle i very thick and soft you may "sink in" and move the pressure to the perineum, but Im guessing that is the reason many saddles now come with cutouts to prevent this from happening.
Having more padding in the saddle and none in the pants seem, to me, like the best solution to get rid of heat and wick away sweat that otherwise softens the skin. Just like any other sports garment I can think of.
Having more padding in the saddle and none in the pants seem, to me, like the best solution to get rid of heat and wick away sweat that otherwise softens the skin. Just like any other sports garment I can think of.
Since this is pages and pages old...there are padded saddles. Some ridiculously so. Even tri seats have more padding (mostly in the nose) because tri shorts have less so you can swim in them.
That being said...the padded seat (as has been mentioned ad nauseum) does not conform to your body. The padded short will.
I did not read all the posts...but the smaller harder seat is done that way for pedaling efficiency, too. Bouncing up and down, even slightly takes away from pedaling efficiency.
So...that's why they make all those seats. And that thin nose on a road seat is done that way for a reason, too.
There are padded road seats.
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