Quote Originally Posted by kmhurchla View Post
Thanks Kirsten. I think I'll try riding a SuperSix as to not undersell myself. I do love riding in the drops and how much quicker and easier the ride is, and giving my other muscle groups a break that way. On the SuperSix, do you still feel comfortable riding intermittently upright on the bars or hoods? Can you have a bike adjusted so that there's a good balance, at least until you're feeling stronger in the drops in traffic, cars or bike traffic on a ride? On my current Caad 3 ride, I haven't been able to ride in the drops as much on long ride because of discomfort on the seat, and in general feeling like my bike size is a bit of a stretch for me in the length making it feel like I'm holding up too much of my body weight that way with too outstretched arms. Or perhaps that's partly long ride fatigue and definitely needing a different seat. I'm going to check out the seat discussion strings of which I saw a few already, but also hoping even stock seats on the newer bikes and maybe on the women's bike would be an improvement. I think the tilt or lack of on my seat now is part of the issue, it's meant to be riden upright.

My budget doesn't give room for a brand new in the Cannondale line, esp. not one with higher end components, sram red and the like. I'm scoping Craigslist for a model a few years older, hoping I can get a better bike for more around the $2,500 mark or less maybe. I like the idea of trying out and riding a bunch of bikes, and want to be sure what I buy is in good shape and all the components are meant to fit together, not someone who knows just as much as I or less dumping stuff together on a good frame. Though there's no shortage of bike shops in Philly, I can't say I've found any one I trust too much, and don't feel comfortable taking up their energy and time only to go buy cheaper online. But I can't warrant spending more for this year's models now and also don't want to buy out of my class and end up with something flashier than my riding level. My husband and I are DIYers in all other parts of our lives, and both trying to learn more about fixing and building bikes, but I'm not opposed to saving more and waiting until I can afford a better bike than blower a couple thousand and wishing I hadn't. I just plan to take some time doing research and looking, trying and hope to be ready when the right bike comes along. Good used bikes get snapped up quick so I want to know what I'm looking for.
I spend probably 85-90% of my time on the hoods. I almost never ride on the bars and don't ride in the drops a huge amount of the time, mostly only during hard intervals, races, downhill, or into the wind.

You know, you could get a brand new SuperSix Rival 4 with full warranty for about your budget, then upgrade the components later. Or maybe look for one of last year's models with something like Ultegra or Force.

That saddle thing can be quite a saga. I think I may have FINALLY found one that works great for me (Bontrager Affinity RL) after trying a lot of different saddles. Even though it's marketed as a saddle for those who ride with a relatively upright posture, I find that the divet/dent up front and the softer padding through the nose are working MUCH better for me than a cut-out with softer edges. I wish they were still making the RXL with metal rails, though. I can't justify the extra $$ for oversized carbon rails (which I think would require a different seatpost than what I have...ie even MORE $$$). The RL is a bit softer than I like.

What saddles have you not had luck with?