What is realistic?

[Catrin]

If you have that much difficulty to loosen the saddle bolt you would do well to have a session with an occupational therapist who can teach you tricks to do the tasks that tax your hands. (OTOH, it's always possible that your saddle bolt is simply torqued too tight to begin with.) Loosening the saddle bolt shouldn't be any harder than pumping your tires.

If you crash, or even hit a pothole, your seat post and /or handlebars could shift significantly and you may not be able to ride home unless you can fix it. Same for a flat tire, which does take some hand strength to remove and replace the tire to get at the tube.

If you have the tools, you may be able to "borrow" the strength from a passer by. But having the tools, and the ability to deal with these little inconveniences will be quite liberating. Really, adjusting the saddle may need only a bigger wrench to give you more leverage. It should not require herculean efforts. Surely less effort than say opening a jar of pickles.

I can't open most jars with wider lids, regardless of what I use to try and open them I have been doing some pretty intensive strength training since November and while I have really increased both upper and lower body strength, my grip is no better. No worse though

I had not thought about an occupational therapist however, I will consider this and see if my insurance might be willing to pay for it - or at least a portion of it.

Withm makes some good points, Catrin. Have you practiced mounting your tires such that you could fix a flat? The saddle bolt aside, changing a flat IMO is something you need to be able to do, especially for purposes of your brevet.

I also agree that a bottle of lube is a small price to pay for some additional comfort. While I get that it's not for everybody, it is often an effective way to prevent chafing and saddle sores.

I have indeed practiced on my Trek. Once. It took a looooong time to get the last 6 inches of tire back on the rim but with patience and stubborness I did succeed. I have not, however, practiced on the LHT. I will do that soon, I do have the tools and know how to use them.

I have been experimenting with the lube, and it does seem to help. So far have been using samples of different kinds until I decide what to buy - my skin is very sensitive to certain ingredients. Now that I've chosen a replacement for my already-sold Brooks I can focus on the fit and using the lube for the extra comfort

I appreciate everyone's comments, they have been very helpful!