SunnyFlorida

My little red trike are my wheels for now. So I decided to do some modest upgrades to make it more efficient.

1. I changed it from a one speed to a three speed.

2. I put tougher tubes in the tires. Eventually I know I'll get a flat but hopefully this will buy me more bike time before that happens.

3. Replaced tractor seat with a hybrid/cruiser type gel saddle for women.

During the weekend I was able to take the trike out to see if the saddle and the three speed addition really made a qualitive difference in my ride.

And the answer is a yes and a no.

Yes - The three speed and saddle has made my ride faster. The small hills and inclines that use to torture me were a lot more manageable. The new saddle does make my pedaling more efficient than the old tractor style one.

on the other hand....

That freaking saddle is killing me. OOOWWWWW! My LBS did check the saddle and general height of the bike, etc. and made a slight adjustment to the saddle today. I think he pointed the nose slightly down for me. He urged me to give it a chance. In the meantime, he did suggest getting some padded cycling shorts.

Do I really need the cycling shorts? They ain't cheap. Would I eventually get accustomed to the saddle?

Oh well, those were my recent upgrades to my trike, which I've been using for commuting and general errands. Down the ways I'll probably use it as a utility vehicle and get a two wheel bike for commuting and longer trips.

Roody

You probably don't NEED bike shorts, but they are very comfortable. I wear pants or shorts over mine for running errands, and they are still comfy.

Yes, you most likely will get accustomed to the saddle. But proper adjustment is very important. You need to learn how to adjust your own saddle and get it dialed in just right. A 1/8 inch tweak can make a major difference in the way a saddle feels. You need to ride a little, adjust a little, ride a little, adjust a little...until you get it just right. This can take quite a while when you're new at it, but practice makes perfect. Remember you can adjust a saddle in 3 dimensions:

1. taller and shorter (seat post)
2. forward and backward (relative to the pedals)
3. tilt (flat is usually best but try minor adjustments)

cyclokitty 

I changed the cheap rubbery/plasticky platform pedals to nice grippy metal platform pedals. It improved my riding immediately because my shoes were always slipping off the original, crummy pedals.

Added fenders, rear rack, front basket, and lights. Switched the crappy quiet bell with a loud one. Then replaced the loud bell with a different loud bell because the first loud bell broke.

I changed the saddle to a big, bouncy sprung saddle. Turns out big, bouncy sprung saddles make for a terrible ride and I switched back to the original seat.

Things I want to change:

I have a Terry's saddle I want to use but the single bolt seatpost doesn't work with the new saddle. The rails on the saddle are more narrow than the seatpost clamp. I'm getting a Thompson Elite instead. I like that I can easily alter the fore-aft-angle rather than put up with the set up I have now.

Get either trekking handlebars or albatross bars. I have riser bars and the single position is starting to kill my left hand thumb. I have twist shifters and will also have to decide if I keep them or get bar ends or triggers. The trekking bars will take the sram twist shifters but I have to check the albatross bars.

If I have to change my shifters to bar ends or triggers I may just throw my hands in the air and change the rear cassette from the current 7 speed to maybe 9 speed. /sarcasm Oh whoa is me! I may have an easier range of gears to help drag my carcass up hills! /end sarcasm Same with the brake levers since they are currently integrated with the sram twist shifters.

Bike Shorts:

Not essential but very comfy. I wear mine under regular shorts, capris, and pants as well as under loose mountain shorts. They vary in price and quality but Aerotech Design makes some nice, inexpensive shorts in an incredible size and price range. I'm ordering 3 new pairs tomorrow and I think they are $35 each for the classic bike shorts. I prefer the shorts that are made from smooth spandex and not the mesh shorts. The mesh isn't as strong or as stretchy. The thing about bike shorts is they don't have seams that will chafe your butt and tender bits like some underwear and clothing. Nothing NOTHING is worse than an open, weeping sore on your undercarriage. Totally kills your bike rides and sitting for the most part. If you decide to hold off from using bike shorts then pick your smoothest underwear and pants with the least obvious seams (like on jeans) and go for yoga pants or sweat pants. Trust me -- let my pain be your lesson.

serra

Well there's what I've done, what I'm going to do next week, and what I'll eventually do.
I already replaced the tubes with actually good tubes, haven't had a flat since.
Next week, I'm finallly going to install a new stem (it's adjustable, ooooo)
And eventually, I'm going to get a Brooks saddle. The one on it now is too squishy. I like flat, much more comfortable on long rides.

cooker

There's a theory that gel saddles are worse for you than hard saddles - instead of carrying most of your saddle weight on the sitbones, they allow you to sink in and they actually end up choking the blood flow in your tender parts.

Roody

I agree. Even mountain bikers--who take the bumpiest rides of all--use hard narrow saddles. Fat saddles rub on your thighs and that can't be good.

I usually change the tires. In fact, I change them pretty often, depending on the weather and where I will be riding. For commuting, I use slick tires on a MTB. On my road bike, I like not-too-skinny tires because I never know when I'm gonna want to bust loose for a while.

I like to put fenders on bikes but I take them off during dry spells in the summer, or when it's real cold in the winter.

Otherwise I don't like to have much stuff on my bikes. Lights, computer, water bottle in the summer. That's all.

politicalgeek

For the Raleigh police mountain bike I've been using:

Slowly swapped out all the suspension bits, bike now sports a rigid Surly fork upfront and a rigid seat post from Performance.

I have a sprung Brooks on at the moment but I think this will get swapped for an unsprung saddle.

Trekking bars, thinking of how to add bar ends/clip on aeros for some extra positions. Not sold on that yet.

Bike is in the shop right now swapping cranksets. Going from a triple to an Origin 8 single speed crank I picked up off craigslist. 1x8 setup for now, may swap in a different cogset later if the current one causes issues. New pedals as well, MKS GR9 w/ Velo Orange half clips.

Took off the rear rack and put on a set of Wald side saddle baskets. Had them laying around and decided to try it out. I like it and will probably keep them on. Love practicality in my bikes. First time I rode with them I was really sold. Rode over to a meeting-just a quick ride-but it was nice just tossing my sweater and lock in the basket and heading off without a bag to fiddle with.

Tires: 26X1.5 up front and I think the rear is going to sport a 26X1.75

Things I want to add:

Dynamo hub up front. Maybe disc brake.

Maybe change the handlebars. I love the trekking bars, but might play with something else. Dirt drops, H-Bar...who knows.

Fenders

Arcanum

I've only done one thing I really consider an upgrade (changing a fundamental structural or mechanical component). I swapped the original wheel for a wheel with a Shimano Alfine dynohub.

In terms of accessories:
SKS Chromoplastic fenders
RackTime AddIt rack
Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ Cyo R+ Senseo headlight
Busch & Muller TopLight Line+ taillight
Myrricle Mountain mirror
XL Powergrips
Specialized ergonomic grips
Cyclocomputer, the name of which escapes me at the moment

I've been thinking about trying out the Titec H-bar. Haven't quite pulled the trigger yet, though.

gerv 

I'm building an rear wheel for my tourer this weekend. I got the rim last year, the hub last month and just received the spokes. The rear wheel on the tourer has seen about 10-12K miles and the rim is pretty concave, so this one should arrive just in time.

I have an old French Ideale leather seat for it... more like a slab of granite compared to a gel saddle. I wouldn't recommend a gel saddle. Although my Sunday ride partner has a gel saddle and loves it....

Newspaperguy

My touring bike, which is my dominant bike for nine months of the year, has the racks and panniers. Normally I have a rack trunk instead of panniers on that bike. I've made a number of minor changes to set it up for touring, but it's also a great commuter.

My winter bike, used in December, January and February, is nothing more than basic transportation. I've converted it to single speed because I didn't want to fiddle with derailleur issues. I recently swapped the uncomfortable stock saddle with a gel saddle I had pulled from my touring bike. I may later put a rear rack on this bike.

Both my bikes have bells. My touring bike has the mounts for a headlight and taillight. On my winter bike, I have a helmet mount for the headlight and a loop of strapping beneath the saddle for the taillight.

zeppinger

I road across the USA on my Brooks b17 with no bike shorts and little discomfort. Yes, I sometimes had to stand up to get some circulation but it was about once an hour for 15 seconds at most. I hated gel saddles when I tried them. Though, I think you should ride it for at least two weeks if not more before deciding what to do. Consider a hard leather saddle like Brooks. Much easier than wearing padded shorts every time you want to run an errand!

wahoonc

I almost always end up doing some sort of upgrade on my bikes, I have had only a couple of bikes where they were ready to roll the way I wanted when purchased. Also as technology advances I upgrade, especially in some things like lights and generator hubs.

I have 3 "go to" bikes depending primarily on where I am.

My main rider this year has been my Raleigh Twenty, mainly because I am on the road and it can go with me in the truck. For upgrades from stock it got: high end LED head light, fender mount LED taillight, new rims and tires, switched the stock rear hub from an AW to an AG (3 speed to a 3 speed with generator) upgraded brake pads, new loooong alloy seat post and a Brooks Leather saddle.

My 1971 Raleigh Sports Standard lives at my parents' house in town. I use it when I take Amtrak home, it drops me within a mile of their house. That bike just got new baskets front and rear and is getting a sidewall generator set.

My "city" bike is a 2006 Redline R530, that one got upgrades and will get a few more before I quit. I sourced a Shimano generator hub that used roller brakes, so it got a new front wheel, LED head light, LED tail light, new metal pedals, leather saddle, non-suspension seat post, cork grips, ring lock with optional heavy duty chain and a NICE set of panniers.

I treat my bikes like a second car, I want them to be ready to roll for any conditions at any time of the day or night. At minimum my bikes have fenders, lights and some sort of cargo carrying devices.

Aaron

Torrilin

IME, there's a few kinds of butt pain when riding. Type 1 is the soft bits hurt. Maybe the saddle is too narrow, so only one of your sit bones is actually on it. Maybe it is so narrow that neither sit bone is on it! Maybe the saddle has a soft material that you sink deeply into and you get pressure in all sorts of places you ought not. This is bad pain, and you don't want it.

Type 2, the soft bits hurt because they're rubbing. Maybe you're getting chafing on your inner thigh, or along the crease between your glutes and your hamstrings. Maybe a seam in your clothing is rubbing. The rubbed bit usually gets infected and voila you have a saddle sore. It will often look like a boil or a pimple. Very unfun, and bad pain that you do not want.

Type 3, your sit bones and the muscles anchored to them are screaming at you. Yes, bones can hurt. This is ok pain. Not good pain, because it means you overdid things. But it is ok to overdo sometimes. Stretching so your hamstrings and glutes are not tight helps. Rest breaks help. Not overdoing helps. This kind of pain gets better with practice.

crazybikerchick

For my commuter bike (a Kona Dew Plus) which is what I mainly use for every day practical purposes I have attached:
- Mirr Cycle mirror
- fenders with mudflaps
- rack
- folding shopping basket for one side (this lets me have extra cargo capacity while still being able to take a pannier on the other side inside with me)
- attachment for cargo trailer
- kickstand
- Brooks saddle (when its broken in you really don't need padded shorts)

xray1978

The single speed road bike improvements: good pedals with half clips, better tires, better brakes, fenders, rack, and panniers.

The cruiser improvements: brooks b67, better tires, wald 8038 hadlebars, sealed one piece crank bottom bracket, carradice barley saddlebag, and when available i will add a sturmey archer 2 speed kickback hub.

cooker

My main bike is a 1984 Trek 520 tour bike bought used in 2005. Aside from fenders, I haven't upgraded it so much as maintained it. The original Suntour rear shifter broke and I replaced that. The bike came with 1 1/8" tires but I can only find 1 1/4" replacement tires. My add-on Axiom fenders barely allow enough clearance for those tires, but if I place them very precisely it works. New tires generally have little spikes on them from where air escaped from the mold, and those create a buzz for a while until they wear off. At some point I hope to find some 27" X 1 1/8" tires again.

I also have the original rear rack. The original seat broke last year and I temporarily replaced it with a spare junk seat until I get probably a Brooks B17.

I did a ghetto replacement on the rear wheel when the original notorious Helicomatic hub and cogs wore out - I borrowed the rear wheel from my previous even older commuter and managed to replace enough cogs on the old uniglide freewheel (filing the inner splines as per Sheldon) to make it work, with my biggest "Aha!" coming when I realized I could still use the smallest, hard to replace, locking cog, by flipping it around. At some point I have to buy a new 126 mm 36 hole hub of some sort and build (or have someone build) a new wheel, or hold my nose and spread the rear drops to fit a modern hub.

Roody

You must love that bike to invest so much labor!

Doohickie

I'll talk about my most ridden bike- the hybrid I use for commuting (which is about 2/3 of my miles).

Handlebars- came with a flat bar, I changed to an Origin8 Space Bar. I liked it okay but kind of got tired of it and changed back to the flat bar and added extensions. Thinking about Space Bar again.
Saddle- came with a standard vinyl saddle, racing style. I switched to a Wrights W3.N saddle from ebay.
Wheels- It had nominal wheels on it; nothing special. I bought the bike in 2008 but it is a 1994 that had never been ridden. I probably should have had the spoke tension checked because when the bike was just a couple weeks old I taco'ed the rear wheel. I replaced it with the cheapest wheel I could get at the time which lasted for about a year before spokes started popping. Earlier this year I got a new wheelset. It's a lot stiffer than the original wheels and gives much more confident handling.
Tires- Started out with Kenda 700 x 38C hybrid tires and I rode the heck out of them. I recently replaced them with Schwalbe Marathons in 700 x 25C which gives a stiffer ride and less rolling resistance.
Drivetrain- It has a basic Shimano MTB/hybrid drivetrain with twist shifters. I found out the cranks were subject to a recall and so they've been replaced with new cranks from Shimano (free). The recall kit included the cranks plus a new chain, bottom bracket and front derailleur. It upped my gearing slightly.
Commuter Stuff- Added a rack, panniers, full fenders, and lighting, including a CygoLite RoverII that puts out 255 lumens. That was a big upgrade.

As bought:


More recently:

ndbiker

I ride a mid 70's Raleigh Mixte as my commuter/errand bike. I replaced the drop handle bars with Albatross bars. They are swept back and give an upright ride. My commute is only 2.5 miles and the upright ride gives me a better view of the road. I put on wider tires and replaced the seat with a Brooks B-67. It works really well with the upright seating position. I have a rack with two grocery panniers. I like the Mixte frame as it allows me to easily get on and off the bike even if I have the rear rack laden. I am thinking of replacing the 700c wheels with 650 B so I can put fenders on the bike to avoid the dirt when it rains. I'll also have to get long reach brakes.

Cosmoline

Brooks is the way to go for saddles. The soft "gel" type are deceptive.

For my bike, "Fram," I started with a Kona Hoss frame. I've had the rear wheel rebuilt with improved hubs, rims and extra heavy duty spokes. I put BMX style platform pedals on it, an improved seat post, a BOB hitch and a coffee cup holder. It's the ultimate year round utility bike for the north, and probably one of the strongest bikes on the road. Here's "Fram", fully armed and operational:

Newspaperguy

I'm looking around for a late 1980s vintage mountain bike, without any suspension system, to use for a runabout/winter bike. I've got something like this I'm using in winter, but that bike has got a number of issues. (It's terrible what happens when a bicycle is neglected for long periods of time, as happened to this one before I got it.) Once I locate the bike I want, the modifications will be minimal — a good rear rack, fenders, a lighting system and possibly cyclocross or road bike handlebars.

cooker

I guess I am fond of it, but it was more that I saw it as an opportunity to learn some mechanical skills, and defer a decision on how to get a new wheel for an out of date bike.

Newspaperguy

Have you checked Canadian Tire? They tend to carry a fair number of tires in 27-inch sizes.

cooker

Thanks, I will

brad3104

My onle bike is a 2010 Raleigh Rush Hour fixed gear.

*Changed the 46x16 77.6 gear inch ratio to a 46x18 69 gear inch ratio. Made me alot slower on the flats, but now able to get over hills and carry more weight. Starts are now much easier also.
*removed the rear brake
*added a frame pack
* added a handlebar bag
*added 2 strap on water bottle holders
*added a seat bag
*and of course added lights and a computer