New Bike Search: Thoughts on the Jamis Satellite Sport

[Juliegoddess]

Thanks, Catrin! I think the biggest thing I am afraid of is trying out a bunch of bikes at the shop and falling in love with something I can't afford...but I also know I'm not going to settle for something that I will hate later.

And yes, I'm leaning toward a Brooks. I NEVER have trouble with my sit bones, though. I ALWAYS have trouble with the girly-soft-parts. Last year I firmly believe that I would've had nerve damage had the biking season not ended. I'm thinking that I might be okay if I can tip the nose of the saddle down a little bit. I'm liking the B67 to start with, but hoping it'll be okay on a bike that is not an upright seating position.

[sarahspins]

And yes, I'm leaning toward a Brooks. I NEVER have trouble with my sit bones, though. I ALWAYS have trouble with the girly-soft-parts.

If your sit bones aren't actually supporting you, they probably won't hurt I went through a string of saddles last year and everything BUT my sitbones was just killing me.. then I finally stumbled on a saddle that did hit my sitbones (mine are on the wide side) and the difference was like "whoa, so that's how it's supposed to work..." and then at that point they were sore for a few weeks. That saddle was one of the lower-end Selle SMP saddles, and ultimately I decided it was too squishy and too wide through the nose. It was fine up to about 20 miles or so, but much past that I was getting some sore spots and chafing.

I test rode my road bike with the stock saddle on, and it was clear that my sit bones were literally "off" the edges of it... obviously I put one of my brooks on it right away when I brought it home. So I have a b.68 s on my road bike

[Juliegoddess]

Thanks Sarah! After I read your post, I went out for my ride, and I realized that, just as you said, my seat bones are NOT supporting my weight. Nearly ALL of my weight is being supported by the line of "girly bits"...no wonder they hurt so bad! I then decided to try sitting in a more upright position, and immediately felt my sit bones take over the job, and I felt pressure removed from the front. I'ts obvious this saddle was made for a bike with a more upright seating position.

I think I am going to go with the Brooks saddle...I am just curious how it can work on a road bike with such a bent-over riding position. But obviously it does work for many riders here, who have them on their road bikes! Thank goodness for that return policy!

Thank you for all your help!

[sarahspins]

You can adjust the tilt to what is more comfortable for you... you might be surprised though, because the saddle itself is so stiff, your bones are able to support you how they were meant to, rather than the seat squishing and causing soft tissue pressure. It seems counter intuitive, but more padding isn't the answer

[MuttNut]

+1 for Brooks saddles AND Jamis bikes. I'm built a bit like you- long legs and no torso and my Jamis Quest (same geometry as the Satelllite) fits me perfectly. I'm training to do a century on it and as the miles inch up I've experienced no discomfort (besides the usual "wow that was a long bike ride" aches). Of course you should test ride anything, but I think the Jamis bikes are well worth a look. Good luck!

[badgercat]

+1 for Brooks saddles AND Jamis bikes. I'm built a bit like you- long legs and no torso and my Jamis Quest (same geometry as the Satelllite) fits me perfectly. I'm training to do a century on it and as the miles inch up I've experienced no discomfort (besides the usual "wow that was a long bike ride" aches). Of course you should test ride anything, but I think the Jamis bikes are well worth a look. Good luck!

Do you have the Femme model? I ask because I'm considering getting a Quest Femme this year as my first non-vintage-non-craigslist roadbike (I started a thread about it a while back). I haven't ridden a Femme yet but I rode the 51cm "men's" model and it was a bit too long for me in the top tube--I'm a little on the leggy side, but not super disproportionate. I considered the Satellites (which, as you've pointed out, have the same geometry), but I'll have a bit of a windfall from my summer job and I think I'm just going to go all in on the better components.

Juliegoddess, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see what you end up with... have fun with your search!

[Juliegoddess]

Thanks Badger! I LOVE your avatar, BTW...that is SO cool!! ha!

I am going to try out the Jamis on Wednesday. I will be trying both the Femme and men's model, to see which will work. I bet I will end up on the women's. I just don't want too long of a reach...then the saddle issues will come into play, I think. I may be much heavier (215 pounds) than the average "athletic female" on a bike, but I still have the typical female long-legs-short-torso thing going on!

But hey, by the end of the riding season this year, I highly doubt I will still be at 215...I'm looking at most likely 190 or less. Ohhhh I can't wait....!

[Juliegoddess]

Hey Sarah...you know, for some stupid reason, I have not been able to FIGURE OUT how to "tilt" my saddle. It will slide from front to back, but I can't see how it could tilt. Is there a special clamp or mount for a saddle that will allow it to tilt? Or am I just vastly stupid?? (grin!)

[sarahspins]

Some have different adjustments.. but usually you just loosen the clamp bolt enough and you can adjust it... but if you don't know what you're looking at that might not make any sense

[Slowspoke]

Juliegoddess- I am from Michigan too (Redford). Where are you checking out the Jamis bikes? I haven't seen any around. I'd like to try the Aurora.

[Juliegoddess]

Hey Slowpoke! (Although you can't be slower than me!) YES, I'm actually on my way in a few minutes here to try out the Jamis. The only bike shop around that I found with it is in Toledo, and because I'm in Monroe, I'm not far from there!

I'll let you know how it goes!