Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Bicycle seat design?

Gents:

As a diesel owner never thought I'd start a bicycle thread on the fire but here goes.

I'm on a major weight reduction/get fit regimen which is actually working so far. Working to ramp up the cardio portion and like the idea of not pounding my body with running and such every day. Swimming is out because of the distance needed just to get to a pool. So bicycle is a logical choice.

I have a 1990-something 10 speed mountain bike which IMO is good enuf for the task, and have been gradually improving it with things like some PB blaster on the gears and a ring/bell thingie on the handlebars. I have started riding it occasionally to get into shape.

The problem is the durn seat, its OEM 1990-something and uncomfortable as h*ll. It also has a tear in the fabric. These are two clues that it needs to be replaced. This is also the opportunity for an upgrade. Just the seat part, not a whole new bicycle.

I'm just an average build guy with a little too much gut that needs to go.

Question for the knowledgeable: is there some seat (or seat design) out there that is more comfortable than the others without breaking the bank? Seems like so many choices out there.

Thanks in advance!

Ordering up a case of jiffy-pop...........

If your gonna really ride a bike, the seat is gonna hurt your ass. The more seat you got, the more ass that hurts. A tear won't work.

I’d go to a good bike shop and tell them what you are doing. Good bike seat fit can be like buying a pair of shoes that fit just right. Also, you may want to get a pair of biking shorts to wear underneath your shorts. The padding may be enough to make your present seat work.

I do a lot of mountain biking. When I first started I didn’t need any extra padding but was going for shorter rides. As my conditioning has improved I’m riding longer and more aggressively. The bike chamois makes all the difference. The two pair that I alter have different thickness in padding. I’m finding that the extra bulk of the thicker ones isn’t necessarily more comfortable.

Good luck with your fitness!

I hope you put some tassels on it also.

Paging Birdie !
Paging Paul Barnard !

WTB Pure, probably a large. Get some riding shorts - yes the spandex with a pad in the bottom. Put a pair of regular shorts over the top and no one will know. Ride ~10 minutes for a few days then work your way up. You have to get your butt in shape as well as the rest of you. Good on you for doing it.
https://www.wtb.com/products/pure

Also be sure to get the height and angle right. Fit can make a world of difference. Most modern seat posts are easy to adjust and there are a million and one videos on youtube.

Bike store is your huckleberry.

I used to race, and have ridden mtb's since the eighties (get over it Gruff ) and have found the best seat for me is a leather Brooks saddle, made in the UK. Everyone has to go through the break in period before things get better and the Brooks B17 took the least amount of time for me. Everyones' butt is different and unfortunately the bike industry takes advantage of this and makes big bucks off of people going through multiple saddles before they find something that might work. The Brooks has no padding for good reason, the leather forms to your crotch and being suspended, does a better job than all the others I've tried. If you're gonna commit to riding bikes for the duration for your health its worth it to spend the $ on a good saddle.

You may be different but I've found the Brooks is the only saddle I can ride on without riding shorts(padded crotch) for any length of time.

https://bikexchange.com/brooks-saddles-review/

I've have a Brooks saddle since 1975. Been on and off of a bunch of bikes.

It does take some getting used to.

Old Toot's bike:

Don't know about the saddles, but I will second on the bike shorts if you actually ride. Takes longer to go numb, anyway. Get some good riding shorts, hide the Spandex with something civilized.

There is no bicycle seat panacea. We are all built differently. I tried a lot of different styles before I settled on the ones I am using now. Some seats that received high praise left me with bruises on my sit bones after a 20 mile ride. Padded shorts make a huge difference...huge. You can always wear shorts over spandex shorts if you want to.

This is what I have settled on. It won't hot link, so copy and paste. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144637095311?hash=item21ad0aed8f:g:~P4AAOSwIFFixjFS&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4MGQmGW7mECYjwLbn%2FuOR3%2BD050xvjm7N1WvMxN0WK34l3cPkxnO4MlXWgYdpFB5noOH5Ps6%2BvveNI8jFCNiYpugnAhPjJulPR7BCPQ6QPqCNi6qf%2Fi9D8KMiRCbHxVF0JUQTK3DSv2H%2By0mIVHR%2F7Kto5RwiOMdgvk8%2FCMBarxvDDJ4oLBYm0FXwXUimIsAViF3YELnqayx1vm6zbl7IgIxkj7Gvix0rfQSAs9QHDPEGmUPuh6FiroShIaiy3IcfgkS5EXmIow9GkEnZrNAnuufza8c6q4Lboq9nEKJBokN%7Ctkp%3ABFBMxPSvn-Ng

Bicycling is a great way to burn calories. Very easy on the joints.

I cycle 4x per week. Go to Walmart and get a gel seat cover to stretch over your current seat.

Too much padding can actually be worse than not enough. You will end up with pressure from the foam in places that you don't want pressure and end up numb.

Gents:

OK got a new seat ordered, thanks for your recommendations.

As to the "Padded Shorts" any preferences? My existing inventory is zero, other than boxers, briefs and clearance shorts at wally world.

Try to get ones without the vent holes perforated in the foam pad. If your riding more than an hour the ridges around those holes create little hardpoints.

Hands down the best shorts made, and made right here in the USA.

https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/ride-with-pride-rainbow-shorts.html

On a more serious note. Same company. USA made.

https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/top-shelf-bike-short.html

https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/modern-elite-racing-short.html