Greetings from CLE

[Imchud]

Hey All... Love this forum! I'm 66 now and newly retired (6 months) - After I retired I found myself with all this time that I didn't know what to do with, so I decided I was going to get back in shape by riding my bike. So, my wife and I broke out our old Mt. Bikes that haven't seen the light of day in literally years. We used to vacation in the Smoky Mts all the time and would take our bikes to ride some of the mountain trails... so I figured, hey if we were able to ride up in the Smokys we could ride anywhere, so I'll just jump back on this thing and pick up where I left off 15 years and 40 lbs ago.
Two weeks later we sold our bikes and said the hell with that noise. With my wife's bad back and my great knees, it just wasn't going to happen. So fast forward two weeks later and we were at a family function talking to my sister... who is an avid biker. She laughed when I told her we sold our bikes and then she recommended we give E-Bikes a try. Not knowing anything about them, we decided to check it out. Fast forwarding another two weeks, after test-riding them we ended up buying two. My wife loved the cruiser style and got a Pedego, whereas I decided on something a bit more sporty and picked out the Magnum Metro 750.
Living in Cleveland, they have some of the best, highly rated Metro Park Trails I have yet to see. So now 550 miles later we are still loving getting out there and exploring the freedom that our E-Bikes give us.
The only problem I was experiencing was a true "pain in the butt", and after reading a lot of these posts, I realized butt pain is a fairly common issue. I ended up purchasing a Brooks 67 Saddle and a Thud-Buster seat post which made a difference. However, the real magic happened when I read about how important it is to find the correct seat tilt and the correct seat height. I played with the tilt for about a week, trying different adjustments but never really adjusting the height. It wasn't until after my wife said when I rode my bike it looked like my knees were sticking out to the side instead of straight up and down. I always felt more steady when I stopped and I could just put my feet flat on the ground. So I ended up raising my seat to the "proper" height and was amazed by just how raising the seat an inch or so made so much difference in seat comfort.

So, thanks to all those who share their comments on helpful ideas making the experience that much more enjoyable. Zoom, Zoom....

Tom

 

[Avg_Joe]

Welcome! Former Clevelander here, and you nailed it - the Metroparks are truly a jewel. We used to take our dog walking in North Chagrin reservation quite a lot, and always made an effort to hit the other parks. And the CVNP. Don't miss the lake effect snow on the East side, but CLE is such an awesome city!

Good on you for taking the time to find the best position - it makes riding so much more enjoyable! Many miles and smiles to you and your wife!

 

[AHicks]

Don't stop at figuring out the seat! There's the handlebars too! Height, angle, and grips can make as much or even more difference. Back and wrist comfort a big deal to a lot of us.

And I couldn't agree more. Whatever it takes to encourage people to get off their butts.....

 

[Imchud]

Today, I was able to move my handlebars up and forward a bit, which had me lean forward a little more than I currently was. It seems to really help to take even pressure off my sit bones, without numbing my hands or arms. I am finding that this is almost an art form of tweaking, fine-tuning and making adjustments. I also realize that butt pain is just going to be a by-product of riding a bike. But (sorry for the pun) I can ride longer with less intensity before stopping to take a breather than I have been able to in the past. I am sure as time goes on I will continue to tweak, but it's all a good thing.

 

[Imchud]

Welcome! Former Clevelander here, and you nailed it - the Metroparks are truly a jewel. We used to take our dog walking in North Chagrin reservation quite a lot, and always made an effort to hit the other parks. And the CVNP. Don't miss the lake effect snow on the East side, but CLE is such an awesome city!

Good on you for taking the time to find the best position - it makes riding so much more enjoyable! Many miles and smiles to you and your wife!

Thank you... Over the last few years, the city has been working on stages 3 and 4 of the bike trails which is making them all connected and expanding them along the lake... such a beautiful ride through the national park that now takes up and connects along the now lake trail. But you are correct... the lake in the winter months can be brutal.

 

[ganther5000]

Welcome aboard

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1​

 

[PedalUma]

@Imchud, Are you willing to post a photo of your saddle? Soft is not necessarily supportive or more comfortable.

 

[Imchud]

@Imchud, Are you willing to post a photo of your saddle? Soft is not necessarily supportive or more comfortable.

Here ya go...

 

[PedalUma]

That Brooks needs glycerin and oil on the rough underside. Do multiple treatments over a couple of weeks, once or twice each day. Horsey leather products (equine) from a feed and tack store in a spray bottle also work. I do not like the amount of water in them. Something like rice bran oil is good, massaged in with the glycerin. You can get glycerin at any drug store. Do not apply to the topside. Right now the saddle is breaking your butt and not the other way around. Pound the sits bone areas of the saddle' top with a soft cloth covered hammer. It will become wonderful.

 

[Imchud]

That Brooks needs glycerin and oil on the rough underside. Do multiple treatments over a couple of weeks, once or twice each day. Horsey leather products (equine) from a feed and tack store in a spray bottle also work. I do not like the amount of water in them. Something like rice bran oil is good, massaged in with the glycerin. You can get glycerin at any drug store. Do not apply to the topside. Right now the saddle is breaking your butt and not the other way around. Pound the sits bone areas of the saddle' top with a soft cloth covered hammer. It will become wonderful.

PedalUma... This is great information, thank you so much. I am going to start the process tomorrow. What do you think of using Saddle Soap - It's a balm-type product that is used for leather treatment. Also, I read some people soaked them in water for 1/2 hour, then rode it around for about an hour so the seat takes a set... have you ever heard of that practice?

 

[PedalUma]

Saddle soap is glycerin bound and is water soluble. That is what the equine leather products do to soften and clean. How you do it is up to you. This is my experience above. Neutrogena is saddle soap! That is why it is that clear amber color. A female friend may have a bar sitting around. It won't take much. Trivia: Dove soap removed the valuable glycerin and marketed it as 'The soap that floats.' It is white, not amber. In Fight Club they made glycerin soap from human fat.

 

[Imchud]

I purchased the stuff today to start the process, so thank you for that. I saw Fight Club but totally forgot about that part. Kinda of nasty-

 

[DocSmith]

Hey All... Love this forum! I'm 66 now and newly retired (6 months) - After I retired I found myself with all this time that I didn't know what to do with, so I decided I was going to get back in shape by riding my bike. So, my wife and I broke out our old Mt. Bikes that haven't seen the light of day in literally years. We used to vacation in the Smoky Mts all the time and would take our bikes to ride some of the mountain trails... so I figured, hey if we were able to ride up in the Smokys we could ride anywhere, so I'll just jump back on this thing and pick up where I left off 15 years and 40 lbs ago.
Two weeks later we sold our bikes and said the hell with that noise. With my wife's bad back and my great knees, it just wasn't going to happen. So fast forward two weeks later and we were at a family function talking to my sister... who is an avid biker. She laughed when I told her we sold our bikes and then she recommended we give E-Bikes a try. Not knowing anything about them, we decided to check it out. Fast forwarding another two weeks, after test-riding them we ended up buying two. My wife loved the cruiser style and got a Pedego, whereas I decided on something a bit more sporty and picked out the Magnum Metro 750.
Living in Cleveland, they have some of the best, highly rated Metro Park Trails I have yet to see. So now 550 miles later we are still loving getting out there and exploring the freedom that our E-Bikes give us.
The only problem I was experiencing was a true "pain in the butt", and after reading a lot of these posts, I realized butt pain is a fairly common issue. I ended up purchasing a Brooks 67 Saddle and a Thud-Buster seat post which made a difference. However, the real magic happened when I read about how important it is to find the correct seat tilt and the correct seat height. I played with the tilt for about a week, trying different adjustments but never really adjusting the height. It wasn't until after my wife said when I rode my bike it looked like my knees were sticking out to the side instead of straight up and down. I always felt more steady when I stopped and I could just put my feet flat on the ground. So I ended up raising my seat to the "proper" height and was amazed by just how raising the seat an inch or so made so much difference in seat comfort.

So, thanks to all those who share their comments on helpful ideas making the experience that much more enjoyable. Zoom, Zoom....

Tom

Hi - 67 and a dedicated ebiker since 2015. Can't say enough good about them. I ride a customized Pedego, and I had serious butt pain issues with my 1st one until I realized that the problems were fit - the dealership refused, which makes me doubt their ethics, so I learned how. It was a reach problem, easily fixed with an adjustable stem plus the addition of a top-end suspension seat post. Amazing the difference it has made. It's 1000s of miles later, and it's never been a problem. All the best to you!