yankees2019

Hi, new to the board.

Also, new to biking.

Last time I rode was before I got my learner's permit.

I purchased a Specialized Sirrus early in 2018 (invoice cites it is a 2017, but when I contacted Specialized they told me it was a 2016). The bike has 8 speeds, but what is confusing me is the Shimano v-brake, which has 3 settings. I am clueless what they do.

I have ridden 7 or 8 times over the last 2 weeks, today I did 20 miles.

The other issue I am trying to overcome is saddle soreness.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance.

DadBod79

Saddle soreness...are you wearing gel-padded bike shorts? Does your seat have an add-on pad, or are you riding what came on the bike?

Saddle soreness takes time and miles to conquer. Your muscles will toughen and your bones will callous. Don't underestimate the power of zinc oxide for chafing between the thighs and under the tenders. That stuff is magic. Apply liberally. And wear riding shorts to help prevent chafing.

The Sirrus is a flat-bar bike, right? You might consider adding bullhorns or drop bar-ends to it to give you some additional hand positions so you can move around a bit to help distribute the fatigue and prevent soreness.

tyrion

3 settings on a v-brake doesn't make any sense to me. Might you be talking about the front shifter (which would be near the left brake lever), which would shift between the 3 front chainrings (sprockets)?

1) Your butt does toughen up when you ride regularly. Getting sore after your first 20 mile ride isn't surprising.

2) Different people like different saddles. When starting out it's difficult to figure out what will work for you. Maybe a bike shop will let you try out some different ones.

3) Those thickly padded saddles might look comfortable and be comfortable for a short ride, but they generally aren't comfortable for long rides.

Maelochs

A lot of saddle soreness for new riders comes from the fact that they actually sit on the saddle. As your legs get stronger, you will put less weight on the saddle, which really helps. No amount of padding can make a couple hundred pounds pressed on a couple square inches for a couple hours feel good. The more you ride, the less you will actually sit.

That said, good shorts with a good pad) do help, and also help prevent chafing. Even more important is getting a saddle that fits, but that can take a while---until you dial in a comfortable riding position, you won't know if your current saddle works or not. Moving the saddle up or down a couple millimeters can make a big difference once your body learns where it likes to sit. Moving the saddle forward or back can offer more support or stop the wide parts from rubbing your thighs. Tilting it a little can move pressure off the most sensitive bits. But until you put in enough miles to know what feels best, it is just going to be a little sore somewhere or another.

Don't worry. If you pay attention and make little physical adjustments (move around on the bike while riding) you will eventually naturally find where you fit,and can adjust the bike to fit you.

Most important part of cycling is to stick with it. The fun just keeps increasing and the downsides keep shrinking.

yankees2019

It is the seat that came with the bike.

It is not uncomfortable, just after a long period, say 7 miles, I need to stop as it is sore.

No chafing. No riding shorts.

Will look into a bar. Sometimes I stand for a second or two, today I leaned further into the back of the seat for some relief.

yankees2019

It is on the left handle, says Shimano V-Brake. Has 3 settings (1, 2, 3) when engaged it appears to bring the chain either closer or further away. Sorry I am a novice.

Been riding for about 2 weeks. 3x per week. The longest I have gone without needing to stop, due to the saddle soreness was 10 miles. Today, I did it in intervals 7 miles, got off the bike for a few, another 7 miles, again got off, then the final 7.

I can feel it is getting better, but unsure of how long it might take. I want to see if I can't stay on the bike for the full time.

I did look to see about different seats, like pads, but understand they come with their own issues, so going to gut this out.

yankees2019

That begs the question.

Like I said, last time I rode was before I got my learners permit...

So instinctively I wanted the seat height to allow me to put my foot on the ground while standing. That is not the case, so I looked online to get the correct height for the seat, which I think I have (I have no pain in my knees, etc). I do wonder if I have the seat height correct, as you state riders spend little time sitting while peddling.

Do you know how best to get the correct seat height?

The video I saw said to get book, put it between your legs, then measure, From there is was multiplied by, I forget now, to get to the perfect seat height.

Any other methods?

subgrade

Sounds like you have combined shifters and brake levers. The one on the left has the front brake (usually; some people prefer it the othet way around) and the shifter for front derailleur. Front derailleur works in similar manner than the rear one, in that when engaged while pedalling, it moves the chain from one chainring to another, thus changing the gear ratio.

As for saddle soreness - it should get much better after a few weeks of riding.

Gconan

Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB) makes nice seats that instantly took away my saddle discomfort.

WTB saddles

I like the Pure model.

livedarklions

I never put a foot down to stand while in the saddle because I stand over the bar. The height of the saddle is best determined by how it affects your pedaling motion. You want it positioned so that your knees stay slightly bent at the bottom of your pedaling stroke while you're sitting on the saddle. You never want your knees to be completely straight or you'll regret the repeated hyperextension later. Rather than trying to find the perfect measurement for this, I find the right height for each bike by trial and error. If my knee is so bent at the bottom that I feel I'm not getting enough power, I put the seat up a little, if my knees get too straight, I adjust down.

On the road, when I stop at an intersection, I often keep one foot on a pedal and the other on the ground. The bike is tilted, and my body is actually over the bar, not the saddle. This position lets me jump back on the pedal and accelerate while standing.

I-Like-To-Bike

I wonder about the statement that "riders spend little time sitting while peddling". I wonder what percentage of riders follow that sort of routine, I suspect very few, and wouldn't let that statement (one poster's opinion) guide your decisions on finding riding comfort.

Flip Flop Rider

the 1-2-3 is the front derailleur gear (big ring, middle ring, small ring) and has nothing to do with the brakes. For brakes just squeeze

Lemond1985

Low enough to have both feet on the ground while sitting in the saddle, will result in far too low a setting. Saddle height should be adjusted while pedalling, not while standing stopped. Though for some, it's perceived to be safer, which it may well be, but you'll trash your knees riding too much in that low a position.

I have a half-dozen different bikes I ride, and saddle height is extremely critical, and something that can be difficult to get just right. Fortunately, I listen to my legs intently. If I get knee pain in the front, under the kneecap, that means the saddle is too low. If I get hamstring pain, it's too high.

I have about 1/4" of "pain-free zone" that I'm looking to find while adjusting, and that may take quite a few educated guesses to locate.

wphamilton

Less pressure on the seat because more pressure on the pedals. It's not that big of a factor. We - as in almost all cyclists - don't ride around everywhere with our butts hovering over the saddles. If we did that we wouldn't care much where the saddle is, yet you often hear that in passionate arguments about saddle positions measured with micrometers. It's all exaggerated.

By all means, get the saddle height into the normal reasonable range. It won't help with saddle soreness, but it's a good idea regardless.

IME we will have saddle soreness at first regardless of what saddle you buy, where you put it and how much you stretch out, so it isn't reasonable to focus on those things first. It's more usually time dependent - you get to where you're good for an hour, but an hour and 15 minutes is uncomfortable. If you only ever ride an hour no further action is required. Gently increasing the duration of rides seems to reliably increase that time however.

If you're aiming for double centuries or 24 hour challenges then sure, you probably will want extreme measures to give yourself every possible chance. Two hours of riding though, it's best to get the position right and then take two hour rides. The discomfort will diminish.

indyfabz

I think the OP should form a relationship with a local bike shop who is willing to provide answers and advice, especially as to fitting.

BobbyG

+100

livedarklions

No insult intended because, as you say, you are a novice and we shouldn't take any knowledge on your part for granted, but this makes me think you really don't have any idea how the gears work. I suspect 5 minutes of talking to any reasonably experienced bicyclist while you're on the bike will teach you more about shifting and when to do it than page after page of BF posts about gear ratios and links to reading assignments.

Did you buy your bike at a bike store? I'm sure they'd be glad to walk you through it.

Every once in a while, I run into a novice rider who can't figure out why they're always ending up walking their bike uphill and I find out they're trying to do it on the big chain ring (the gears up up front).

livedarklions

Right, especially since I don't think anyone could ride a Sirrus without spending most of their time sitting on the saddle. It's an extremely upright bike.

I'd encourage OP to try some standing on the pedals from time to time for relief, however, but no way is spending most of the time riding it like that practical.

yankees2019

Place I bought my bike, on the invoice states it is a 2017. When I contacted Specialized it is actually a 2016.

When I purchased it, they set the seat height too high, so, needless to say, my trust in them is kinda zilch.

I know how gears work on cars, motorcycles, but still figuring this out.

Going uphill, well, you guys would pass me like I am a 90 yr old woman with a shopping cart.

My bike has 8 speeds, so I end up somewhere around 3rd gear, the v-brake or whatever it is, is at 2, and I am spinning far faster then I am going. So, no, I don't have a firm grasp on that.

Maelochs

Most likely your bike has 24 speeds, or at least 16, and once you figure out the left-side shifter you will be a little faster up hills or down.

https://www.eriksbikeshop.com/Specia...3E5320/Product
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Spe...Bike-2016/872G
https://www.eriksbikeshop.com/Specia...3E8749/Product

The first bike shown here appears to have a front triple (three chain rings) while the other three have two up front and nine or ten in the back.

NomarsGirl

Keep on riding. I would suggest bike shorts - they really make a difference. Not only don't you get a sore butt, but they prevent chafing too.

The gears aren't that hard to figure out. Since you have a triple in the front (the left shifter), I would keep it in the middle (2) most of the time and just shift the back derailleur (right shifter) as needed. If you are pedaling too fast, shift to a higher gear. Too slow? Shift to a lower one.

If you are going up a big hill, that would be the time to drop that front shifter to the small gear (1). Then when you go down that hill, try the big one (3). In the front, the smaller cogs are easier to pedal. It is the opposite in the back. The big gears are easier and the small ones are harder. The goal is to keep your cadence (rpm) the same.

When I first started out, 3 miles seemed like a long way. Last summer, my "big" rides were averaging 20-25 miles. I recently did a 50 with no pain. Would have gone longer, but ran out of daylight. If you keep at it, your distance will increase. You naturally get faster too - but you do need to work at speed if it's important to you.

Oh, and Yankees 2019?? GO ASTROS! (Sincerely, a Red Sox fan).

sheaffer

Something no one mentioned yet...you can move the seat forward and backward about 2 inches either way. Look under the seat you will see an allen bolt or 2. Make these adjustments and see if you can relieve your butt pain. I cycle 40 to 100 miles a week with no monkey butt shorts (gel padding shorts) and have minimal butt pain. You might also want to get compression shorts or leggings for MEN to tighten your "men parts" and definitely do not ride in loose boxers or briefs kind of underwear in jeans. Get yourself some sports shorts with built in compression or get those prior mentioned men tights :-) Stay hydrated too.

livedarklions

Well, the last part is kind of easy--try setting the rear gear at a smaller (higher number) gear, you'll spin less and get more feet per spin. The trade-off is it's a little harder to pedal every time you go up a gear, but you go faster for the effort. On the front one (the left shifter), you're probably fine with 2--where you have it--as long as you're not going up or downhill. If you're going uphill, try 1, and if downhill, try gear 3.

The right gear is going to depend on your fitness and strength. In general, spinning is harder on your heart and lungs and pushing a higher gear is harder on your leg muscles. My advice is to play around with different gears in the back (right shifter) until you find the combination you're comfortable riding on level ground for the longest time.

yankees2019

Unfortunately I wear boxers and performance shorts...

Will look into the seat adjustment.

subgrade

I have done 60 mile rides in regular jeans and briefs without any problems. The most important thing is to not have hems in places where they would cause chaffing and pressure, Apart from that once your butt has gotten used to hours in the saddle, it doesn' matter much what you wear, as far comfort goes. At least in my experience, YMMV.