Multiple questions about saddles, pedals & shorts!

[arielmoon]

BF bought me my first pair of road shoes for my birthday (I had been using his mtn bike shoes up until this point) and speedplay 5X pedals & cleats. I rode them for the first time yesterday and on a easy ride was able to get over 34mph on a downhill that I usually get 29/30mph so YAY!! Now of course I am imagining what I could do on a faster/better bike- oh yes the wheels are spinning on that one.

But let me get to my questions:

1. The left pedal/cleat is much looser than the right and I am guessing that the place to address that is in the cleat. (I have arthritic knees and had surgery less than a year ago on the left.) The left pedal felt great and I would like to have the right as lose. I could not find anything in the material that came with the pedals. If anyone knows offhand how to get them to both be nice and lose let me know.

2. I have a limited budget and need a new saddle. I suspect I would like a cut out and a relatively narrow nose. I prefer a synthetic saddle (I am vegan) and am debating between a Specialized Dolce (cheap) or Jett (more expensive but more racey). I know saddles are ver individual so there is no right or wrong answer but if anyone has experience with either one let me know.

3. I have 2 pairs of PI and ride 5 days a week- you do the math! I have 3 pairs of shorts on my wish list and can buy one. Again on a budget but I dont want to be cheap if a good pair is worth the price. Which would you recomend?

a. Decente Bliss
b. Shebeest Triple S
c. Shebeest Ultra D (I LOVE the look of these but alas they are the most expensive) I live in FL and the back mesh sounds oh so appealing even though they are longer than anything I have currently.

Sorry for clumping several things together but I didnt want to have to check on several threads.

[Aggie_Ama]

1. My LBS will often make little adjustments to cleats/pedals for no charge. What pedals do you have? That might help us!

2. Can't help you with Specialized but I love my Selle Italia Gel, it is a bit pricey my tushy is happy. I think it was $100.

3. Are you doing long distance? I have heard nothing but good things about the Triple S.

[arielmoon]

1. My LBS will often make little adjustments to cleats/pedals for no charge. What pedals do you have? That might help us!

2. Can't help you with Specialized but I love my Selle Italia Gel, it is a bit pricey my tushy is happy. I think it was $100.

3. Are you doing long distance? I have heard nothing but good things about the Triple S.

1. Oops- speedplay 5X

2. Is that the Lady Gel? DIVA?

3. I will be doing a century in Sept and or Oct. Right now we ride at 20 miles 5 days a week and a few times I have done 26-30 on the weekends.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have the Ultra D shorts and they are very high quality and have been great on 50 mile rides for me so far. Haven't tried them on longer than that yet. The foam is denser than my cheaper shorts, but it's not 'puffier', which is good.

[Aggie_Ama]

1. Oops- speedplay 5X

2. Is that the Lady Gel? DIVA?

3. I will be doing a century in Sept and or Oct. Right now we ride at 20 miles 5 days a week and a few times I have done 26-30 on the weekends.

It is the LAdy Gel. Make sure you look at the sit bone width and the nose width, they come in multiple sizes.

[Blueberry]

I have the SSS and the Ultra D. I usually only ride the Ultra D on rides longer than about 60. They're both really nice shorts. The Ultra D is noticeably longer (at least last year's was). Be aware you can burn through the mesh, so you need to put sunscreen there (which kind of defeats the breathability IMO).

CA

[arielmoon]

I have the SSS and the Ultra D. I usually only ride the Ultra D on rides longer than about 60. They're both really nice shorts. The Ultra D is noticeably longer (at least last year's was). Be aware you can burn through the mesh, so you need to put sunscreen there (which kind of defeats the breathability IMO).

CA

Very good point about the mesh & sunscreen!

So... maybe get the SSS for the time being (for training) and get the Ultra D before the century rides?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So... maybe get the SSS for the time being (for training) and get the Ultra D before the century rides?

for what it's worth, I can use my Ultra D's for pretty much ANY ride over 15 miles- for me, they are comfy on shorter rides as well as longer rides.
(But I do have cheaper shorts for shorter rides as well, if say I want a change or wanted to make the D's last as long as possible.)
I personally have not had sunburn problems in the back.

[mayanorange]

REI outlet online has the Shebeest board short and capris for about $40. They have removable 'liners' which are essentially the SSS short- they have the shelastic chamois, same no slip elastic at the thigh, super comfy, etc. They are attached to the outer short by little loops, but a pair of scissors and a seam ripper to get the rest of the loop off the lycra shorts fixes that real quick. Until I can afford the Ultra-Ds for my someday century rides, they are a great deal!

Good luck with the saddle hunt- never found a cutout I liked (including the entire specialized range) because the ridges they create toward the middle/back of the saddle all seem to pinch a nerve/vessel onto my bone right there- not so pleasant. Going to get the Topeak Allay Racing Sport which I think will be the right one- LBS only had the med size so my sitbones were falling off a bit, but it really was great for relieving pressure up front.

[rij73]

Hi...

I just got a Specialized Ruby saddle in 155mm width. Vegan... I'm really happy with it. It has a nice cutout, and it's very firm. I had a Terry Butterfly before (not vegan), and after a while it was too soft for me. I suspect there may be the same problem with the Dolce. A saddle that's too soft might squish your feminine area after a while. With the Ruby I'm propped up on my sit bones. I got the saddle from a shop that had taken it off a new bike. They sold it to me for $75. So... shop around and you might get a deal like that!

[arielmoon]

Hi...

I just got a Specialized Ruby saddle in 155mm width. Vegan... I'm really happy with it. It has a nice cutout, and it's very firm. I had a Terry Butterfly before (not vegan), and after a while it was too soft for me. I suspect there may be the same problem with the Dolce. A saddle that's too soft might squish your feminine area after a while. With the Ruby I'm propped up on my sit bones. I got the saddle from a shop that had taken it off a new bike. They sold it to me for $75. So... shop around and you might get a deal like that!

I agree about too soft being a problem- the same is true of horse saddles where I prefer firm cushioning. I do find that I like to rock onto my sit bones to really crank up a hill, on the bike that is!

ETA: Found a Ruby on ebay for $89. I will consider it!

[ilima]

1. The left pedal/cleat is much looser than the right and I am guessing that the place to address that is in the cleat. (I have arthritic knees and had surgery less than a year ago on the left.) The left pedal felt great and I would like to have the right as lose. I could not find anything in the material that came with the pedals. If anyone knows offhand how to get them to both be nice and lose let me know.

Try some dry lube on the cleats. When my X2s started to get difficult to clip into, I put some dry lube on the cleats and Voila! Good as new. I lube the cleats every few months or so.

[Blueberry]

for what it's worth, I can use my Ultra D's for pretty much ANY ride over 15 miles- for me, they are comfy on shorter rides as well as longer rides.
(But I do have cheaper shorts for shorter rides as well, if say I want a change or wanted to make the D's last as long as possible.)
I personally have not had sunburn problems in the back.

Yeah - I was trying to save the "more expensive" ones for the rides where I really need it. They are comfy from the get go.

I got a little burned and I think MP did too - but I burn if I happen to see the sun, so YMMV (I expect it also depends on the length of your jersey/whether you're wearing a jacket or vest).

CA

[TxDoc]

3. I have 2 pairs of PI and ride 5 days a week- you do the math! I have 3 pairs of shorts on my wish list and can buy one. Again on a budget but I dont want to be cheap if a good pair is worth the price. Which would you recomend?
a. Decente Bliss
b. Shebeest Triple S
c. Shebeest Ultra D (I LOVE the look of these but alas they are the most expensive) I live in FL and the back mesh sounds oh so appealing even though they are longer than anything I have currently.

Well, if you are on a budget and can only afford one pair of shorts... how about you buy one that is really good and will last a few years? Like Assos for example. You might spend a little more right now - but it will likely last 3-5 years depending on what detergent you use to wash it. Also, most Assos shorts and bibs tend to breathe a little better than other lycra shorts - and that is very nice in hot weather.
Good luck!

[arielmoon]

Well, if you are on a budget and can only afford one pair of shorts... how about you buy one that is really good and will last a few years? Like Assos for example. You might spend a little more right now - but it will likely last 3-5 years depending on what detergent you use to wash it. Also, most Assos shorts and bibs tend to breathe a little better than other lycra shorts - and that is very nice in hot weather.
Good luck!

I can afford one pair now and another in a month or two. I figure a basic training pair for now and a nicer pair as I get up to the century rides. I ordered the SSS and I'll see what they are like!

I had never heard of Assos! I did a search... the stitching around the crotch is very prominent in the colored shorts... is that common?