Proper set up is vey important on any bike, but especially important on a bike where you spend a long time in the saddle! Padded chamois bike shorts are a good idea for a long ride, and Gold Bond Medicated Powder is a gift from above for after a ride!

My mountain bike is a full suspension 2007 Giant Trance 2, my commuter is a Giant Sedona and I am getting the Giant Seek1 for my road(ish) bike.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us...k.1/3924/36626/

The Seek1 looks like a sweet bike, clean, light, stripped down.

I've been hesitant to buy/wear bike shorts, due to body image issues, even though I know they would benefit me. I've been putting off buying a pair until I get to a weight where I might look 1/2 way decent in them. I never imagined at 200#'s i would be riding the distances I do.

I RESOLVE to order myself a pair in the next day or 2. Any hints/tip/suggestions on what to look for in a pair?

And thanks for the Gold Bond tip.

Even with proper seat set-up, a long ride, without the biking shorts, especially if you haven't done it a LOT, will hurt "down there" LOL

The biking pants I've found do help a lot though. As the Prof said, chamois inside. I think most of the ones I looked at were pretty close to the same inside. I tried a pair once that had a lot of gel foam.. I thought that would be better, but it turned out to be much worse, mostly because the gel foam didn't stay put.

Oh.. btw.. you don't have to order the skin tight ones that a lot of people used to order, I order the ones that look from the outside like just a pair of black shorts. Here is a similar looking pair for women.

http://www.rei.com/product/782430

Mike

Thanks for the link, I didn't realize they made them that look like regular shorts. Ill be going right by an REI today so thinK Ill stop in and see what they have.

I ride recumbent bikes. We bentriders sometimes refer to upright bikes as "ass-hatchets." Often a pack of racers will pass me- I am not fast- and one will yell at me to "get a real bike." To which I enjoy responding, "get some real pants." I used to ride uprights, and miss some aspects of it, but I do not miss monkey butt and numb nads.

lol Dave good one

but one of the reasons i go on bike rides is to chase the men in the tight shorts....

See, I am just the other way round. There is something magical about the way a lady cyclist wiggle woggles her hiney as she pedals....I know, I am a pig....

With my crappy back, I am sure a bent bike is in my future. If not by necessity, at least for fun! I like some of the trike models with the stick steering, but am curious of the added rolling resistance of the 3rd wheel.

Ok, I'll be a "pigette" I love looking at hard-core male cyclists legs, the definition of their muscles is yummy. If I'd known the most of the guys that work at bike shopes were so hot I'd have started riding years ago. lol

A lot of bentriders are former roadies who had to change due to back problems, neck pain, etc.

The trikes are fun. I do not own one yet but would like to. They are pretty fast, and seem even more so , being so close to the ground. I imagine there is some added rolling resistance, but that is probably made up for by superior aerodynamics. The faster ones have very reclined seats, which I do not like due to neck strain, but a lot of guys swear by them.

A good place to start is here: http://www.bentrideronline.com/

The thread that came back from the dead....



Has anyone been riding? I started a plan last year and this year am keeping a riding journal/log to see just how many miles I do in a year and to motivate me to do it!

I shoot for 100 miles a week between the bike on a trainer in the house, the bike at the YMCA or my favorite, out on the road. Last week I hit 47 miles with only 5 miles of that being indoors!

And I cannot wait as my new bike is in at the shop and I just have to pay him a little more money to take it home. I did not get the Seek, I went with a Schwinn LeTour Classic as it has a steel frame and is all road bike!

So, any riding stories out there? Other than fellow LCer (Bruce in Alabama ) and me is anyone else a serious rider/commuter?

Prof. Gumby! Thanks for reviving the thread.

I'm still around and biking and logging some pretty decent miles. I try to do a minimum of 15 miles a day right now. Trying to work my way backup to doing the 40-50 mile rides I used to do.

Had 2 wrecks last fall, one of which resulted in a broken wrist, so wasn't able to ride for a while.

I do all my miles on the road, Phoenix has a canal system with bike trails along them that takes me just about any where in the city.

Ride On!

I wish we had a trail system here. And I miss that in Milwaukee from when I lived there. But alas, here it is everyday surface roads, dodging the lunatic drivers....

So I take it the wrist is better?

Wrist healed well (no complications etc). One funny thing, Couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting the speed out of my bike that I used to get. Broke my bike down, cleaned every nook n cranny and re-lubed it all up. No difference.

Seems I forgot how to pedal during the time I was not riding. LOL I know that sounds ridiculous, but it happened. I use the technique where I'm pushing down with one leg and at the same time push back and up with the other leg. Well I had been lazy and just using the down stroke. Finally figured it out yesterday. Whee! It takes a lot of concentration to keep it up but it definitely improves my speed.

I give you props Prof. Gumby for getting so many miles in outdoors, living where you do. Gives me hope I might be able to do ok next winter. I might be moving to up-state NY and was thinking I might have to take up x-country skiing to get my daily exercise in the winter. I loathe going to a gym and working out.