And I think I listened.
Donna and I used to bicycle a lot. It was nothing for the weekend to consist of a 50-60 mile ride on Saturday followed by a 15-20 mile easy ride on Sunday. Then we were riding to work, 12 miles round trip, a couple three times a week. But a medical issue for me back in 1993 put a damper on the fun. First it was once a weekend. Then they changed bike parking policies at work so we quit the commuting. Then it moved to 25 miles every other month and so on until our bike mileage decreased to next to nothing. I bet we haven’t even been on a bike in over a year. We still plan a spring vacation around the Tour de Georgia to follow that race and we pay for upgraded cable so we can watch the Tour de France on OLN, but active participation was nil.
On Saturday as we ate our lunch at the Atlanta Bread Company who should walk in but Doug and Alice Walker. Doug and Alice were at the center of the Aiken Bicycle Club when Donna and I started with the club back in 1991. We enjoyed many a ride with them before they drifted away from the Club. Doug was the newsletter editor for many years before he “retired” from it and I took over. We probably haven’t seen Doug & Alice for a half dozen years or so.
Sunday as we left Goody’s, were I was swapping out a shirt I had bought in the wrong size, we ran into Jay Noonkester and June Crawford. Jay and June joined the Aiken Bicycle Club somewhere around the middle 90s are in still members. We chatted a bit before heading our separate directions. I bet we hadn’t seen Jay or June for a couple of years.
The Tour is on TV and just like Sunday at the halftime of an NFL game, watching a sport on the tube, if you are a fan, makes you want to go out and participate. So instead of taking our second hike of the weekend this morning, I dusted off the bicycles, pumped the tires full of air and Donna and I went for an 11 mile ride. Not much compared to the glory days, but it is a start. We both had fun on the ride, now let’s see if those old pains return that sucked the joy out of riding in the past.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/05: 208
Hi
If you are getting back into biking, the best improvement is a simple change of stem to a taller-shorter one, thus less hunched over – I converted my Klein mountain and Masi road bikes a year ago when I realized I was no longer young – fast or flexiable. “Nitto technomic” search on e-bay will fix you up with bars = or > than seat height – priceless ! Trunk bike mount for Miata anyone ?
The problem isn’t in the bending over, that has never been an issue, but in the sit down area. I have tried about a dozen different seats, without success. The day after a bike ride I get hit with a double whammy of burning prostate and the constant feeling of having to urinate. For the amount of transporting of bicycles we do, the Saris Bones fits the bill.
If you’ve tried the seats w/ perineal cutaways so only the ischial bones contact – like Georgina TERRY’s seats and tipped the nose down a few degrees (also equiv. to taller stems) then recumbents with recliner lawnchair seating are probably the last resort. Or possibly full susp. w/ fat low pressure tires to reduce shock.
Experienced the same prob. once w/ a presoftened Brooks that got swaybacked – not fun tho the fix was easy.
Yeah, I’m on my 4th different seat with various shaped cut outs (including the first being homemade using a dremel tool to cut out the plastic base.) Haven’t tried a Terry seat, but that may be my next try. I’d like to try a recumbent, but with the $100 seats it is easier to accept failure than with a $2k bike…
Homemade has worked for me w/ Flyte’s – disk sanding the shell thinner under perineal area and leaving covering intact – present saddle is a WTB mtn bike saddle that has a droopy nose (good) and shell cutaway standard.
Still don’t underestimate the help of taller stem tho. – sitting more erect rotates the front of pelvis upward which is helpful and stems are cheaper than seats.
I’ve alerted a couple women re. Terry seats and they love them.