how long to "wear in" a new bike? (aka Help the saddle is hurting my girly bits!)

[aeiea]

So basically, no, you shouldn't be able to reach the ground at all when you're up in the saddle... If your seat is too low, you're doing waaaay too much work to keep moving, and you probably are stressing your knees... If my saddle's too low, I definitely feel it in my knees.

Thanks so much for this. So basically, if there's no curb to stand on and I can't track stand, do I need to hop off the seat and straddle the frame when I come to a stop, or can I avoid doing this?

Basically, I read somewhere that people should have 1-2 inches of clearance between the straddled frame (wish I knew the actual term) and their ... sensitive area (is crotch the right word?)... but i am right on top of it. I guess this has been the other deterrent for me getting off my seat. I got the smallest frame available though, so I am a bit worried.

Ugh... but as you mentioned, there are other ways to stop (I've been mountain biking it for awhile before I got my road bike so I can apply some of those tricks, but I guess my seat was too low there too) ... I just don't know which method is the safest and least energy consuming -- both elements I'm most concerned about when it comes to commuting in LA traffic.

Basically I don't want to fall from stopping and get hit by an LA driver. I see what they do in their cars... text message... apply makeup... scream at their agents... etc.

[OakLeaf]

Top tube clearance is important on a MTB because you could be putting your feet down suddenly on very uneven surfaces. On the road, if there's a pothole on one side, you can pull up, or put your other foot down. And for obvious reasons it's more important for men than for women. Basically, for a woman, if there's any clearance at all between the top tube and your pubic bone, you're perfectly safe, and lots of riders don't even have that. If you don't have clearance, but the bike fits you otherwise, just learn to lean it a little bit more.

Putting your right foot on the curb is a common habit, but it's a pretty unsafe practice when you're in an urban area. You're way too far to the right. Also, if you have a fear of falling, you're much more likely to fall when you're perched like that.

[chicagogal]

Even with proper saddle height, you should be able to stay on the saddle when coming to a stop, and lean to one side and still get a toe down. I often do this while keeping the foot of the dominant leg on the pedal ready to push off from.

(don't try with clippless pedals/road biking shoes, as you will damage the cleats and possibly slip - in that case, get off the saddle and get a heel down).

If you feel unsteady with only a toe down, apply the brakes while stopped. This will prevent the bike from feeling like it will get away from you, and will allow you to put a little more weight on that upward facing pedal without actually moving forward. This in turn will in turn help you with balance and with pushing off once it's time to go.

I don't advocate stopping on a curb to get the whole foot down, because you won't always have a curb. Ultimately you need to get used to stopping anywhere at a moment's notice. Anyway, once you get used to stopping without a curb, stopping by putting a foot on a curb will likely feel really awkward (at least it does for me).

[tulip]

Top tube clearance is important on a MTB because you could be putting your feet down suddenly on very uneven surfaces. On the road, if there's a pothole on one side, you can pull up, or put your other foot down. And for obvious reasons it's more important for men than for women. Basically, for a woman, if there's any clearance at all between the top tube and your pubic bone, you're perfectly safe, and lots of riders don't even have that. If you don't have clearance, but the bike fits you otherwise, just learn to lean it a little bit more.

I disagree. Aeiea--when you straddle your bike with both feet on the ground, there is no clearance between you and the top tube? If there is no clearance, that bike shop sold you a bike that's too big. Yes, you can learn to adapt like Oakleaf and other suggest, but I'd be pretty peeved at the bike shop.

Getting yourself off the seat at lights does not take any more energy. You do need to get comfortable with handling the bike, though. It will take practice and some time. Gradually raise your seat while getting used to taking your bum off the saddle at stops and leaning the bike. You can leave one foot on the pedal, by the way.

Good for you for commuting by bike in LA! I don't think of LA as a bike-friendly place (but I've only been there once so what do I know).

[Biciclista]

Yes, you need a bit more clearance at the top tube. A lot of us are shorter; we are standing pretty close to the top tube; but really, you should be able to stand comfortably flat footed over that top tube.
THe only time it's a good idea to be able to put your feet both down from the saddle is when you are learning to ride a bike!

good luck

[Cataboo]

I just barely have clearance over most of my bikes. I can stand comfortably over them in bike shoes, but it's still touching or less than an inch. (obviously I have a lot more clearance over my mountain bike). I'm 5'1.

I haven't had any problems with the lack of or minimal standover height, and haven't "racked" myself yet - I just find that with my body proportions, the best way to get a bike that fits me (long top tube, 73 degree seat angle), is to get the biggest frame that I can buy that fits. Smaller frames tend to have shorter top tubes, 75 degree seat angles, lots of toe overlap, and I end up hating them.

Now, one day if I go custom, I'll probably get a bike with more standover height... But till then, standover height is not that big a deal. If you look at rivendell's website, for whatever it's worth, they call standover height the distance up to your pubic bones and don't count all the fleshy pieces in between. and pretty much say if your pubic bones clear, that's fine. Obviously, lots of people disagree with that.

[aeiea]

Yay, this has been super educational. I had absolutely no idea that flat-footed from the saddle is incorrect on a road bike until now. I will raise the seat and practice the toe stop. Glad to hear about the pubic bone vs the fleshy parts controversy; that's a good enough argument for me to not give up.

I stand comfortably over the top tube (there's a tiny bit of clearance but I haven't measured, probably less than half an inch). Basically if I bend my knees, my bike and I get intimate.

Besides biking, I think I'm just going to invest in some ballet classes and do more yoga. Looks like the lean-toe-stopping and dismounting are going to require more balance and flexibility so I can feel 100% comfortable.

Thanks everyone for helping me become comfortable with this and possibly saving me from many falls in front of angry LA drivers. I don't think I'd feel comfortable asking these questions with guys at the LBS (there's one female who works there but I never seem to catch her anymore).