Seat, Shorts, Handlebars?

[oxysback]

Just curious -- while I agree that this is the correct pronunciation of the word "chamois", I have never, ever heard anyone refer to the "cham-wah" in bike shorts. I've only ever heard it pronounced in that context as a "shammy." Is this a regional thing?

I was going to ask this same thing. I pronouce it "shammy" also.

Cute story...when I was taking riding lessons my trainer had two of the greatest little bull terrier dogs. One of them was the same tan color you see in the chamois' that are used to dry off cars. My trainer had named her "Shammy", so that's what I think of when I pronounce "chamois."

[Kano]

earthgirl -- I posted something like this in the other thread, but just for clarification, your bike is something like this one, yes?

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/fx/71fx/

The saddle may be the right general shape and size, but I keep reading here that the ones on Trek bikes are nasty. Be careful when shopping, because you could really regret those wider, cushy saddles! My poor butt really hated the saddle that came with the "comfort bikes" DH and I bought a couple of years ago. DH's butt didn't either, but he seemed to think that it's SUPPOSED to hurt. Anyway, wide and cushy was really hard on my tail bone -- I didn't sit for days after riding that saddle without wishing I was standing!

The original saddle on my Trek hybrid wasn't too good either (this bike is circa 1988?) but I was happier on something similarly shaped. No gel padding. I'd offer to mail you that one to try, but I can imagine you want to get out and ride! Heck, if you want to wait a week or so for one to arrive, that saddle is just sitting here -- it's in great shape yet!

Since as I recall, $$ are kind of an issue, you might also try that saddle on the Schwinn you talked about having around somewhere -- and you might try playing around with the way the saddle is positioned. If it's at a bad angle, you can change that and may make the ride better that way! (they say usually level front to back is good)

I think it's also important to remember the saddle on your bike may well not be the one for you, but our butts aren't ready for the shock at first either!


The bars, probably not drop bars on that bike, but the bar ends might be just the ticket -- or something shaped a little differently, so they can move closer to you for now, and have a bit more of a rise. My Trek has bars more like the ones on this model:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/

They're turned more upright than what we see in that picture. They might also be a bit narrower -- my "comfort beast" has the same shape handlebars, but they're too wide for me, so those things are varied too, even on the entry level bikes!

Bar ends may be a good option, with lots of opportunity to adjust them to find just the right placement. Or, a different stem, if that's possible on this bike, that has more options for adjusting how high, how far forward, etc. (My Expedtion has this, and I found myself taking a lot of advantage of that) Like I mentioned with the saddle, you might find that you can scavenge parts from that Schwinn and see if its bars work better for you!

Shorts -- gosh, again, maybe I should pack you a box! (I have some tops around here yet too) Perhaps the stuff I have around from when I was your size would help your butt be happy too! (PM me if you're interested) Buy them snug, really snug. You don't want them shifting around. There was pretty much nothing worse than when my shorts started getting too big. (DH and his best biking buddy are in this situation, and I can't believe they're not out buying new shorts!) They don't have to be real expensive, but the padding, at least in enough quantity to keep you from feeling seams, makes a huge difference.

Oh, earthgirl, what a fun thing you're diving into! Have fun, ride safe, and enjoy that your body aches a little here and there from the new activity! Most of that is going to be a good sign!

Karen in Boise