July riding

[ny biker]

Re: roads -- they are generally in pretty good shape in the DC metro area. The local DOTs do "pothole-palooza" every spring, where they concentrate efforts on repairing potholes for a week or so, and are generally responsive if you report a pothole to them during other times of the year. But every time I go to NY I am reminded of how bad roads are there. In many cases filling the holes just makes it worse. It's appalling, given how much they pay in taxes.

So the new Rivet saddle has not arrived yet. I went for the fitting on Saturday, where we confirmed that the seat height was okay but found from the plum line test that the saddle was too far back. So we moved it forward, which seemed to be an improvement. I mentioned the impending leather saddle arrival, and he said that changing from non-leather to leather is usually not as straightforward as measuring the position of the old saddle and matching it with the new one. So I will want to make another appointment for that.

Then yesterday I did a 32-mile ride. It was a big multi-class club ride, lots of fun and perfect weather. The distance and terrain were just right after several weeks off the bike. Unfortunately the saddle problem was worse that it was before. I don't know if the new leather saddle will solve my problems but I really can't use the Affinity any more, at least not on this bike. Depending on how things go this week (what day the Rivet is delivered and whether I can schedule a fitting for it) I may just ride my mountain bike next weekend, in the hopes that the different geometry will give me a break from the pain and inflammation.

[ny biker]

The new saddle is here! It's a white Rivet Independent. The leather is harder than I thought it would be. Looking at the photos online, I thought it might be similar in width and overall shape to the Affinity 144. Sure enough, when I put one on top of the other they are extremely similar. I think (hope) this is a good thing, since the Affinity was mostly okay for me until recently.

The big question is, how long will it take to break it in? I will be back at the LBS to have it fitted on Saturday, planning to try it out on Sunday with a short test ride.

Deb at Rivet recommends Obenauf's Leather Preservative but unfortunately was sold out of it. Conveniently, a friend is about to place a large order with Compass Cycles, and he's offered to order the Obenauf's as part of his order so I can take advantage of free shipping. But I think that's more to protect the leather, not to soften it.

And so here I sit, filled with that mix of anticipation and hope that this new saddle will be the key to comfort and happiness. We've all been here before... wondering if the road ahead will be happy or oh, well, at least I tried...

[Crankin]

If this is anything similar to the Brooks saddles, I never felt mine broke in. I hated it. But, I hope the new saddle works for you.
I rode a very steamy short ride this morning. Severe storms were predicted, starting at noon, and although they didn't get here until later, it was already drenchingly humid at 9:45. Twelve hilly miles and i felt like it was 30, although I was not that slow. I spent the whole rest of my day off doing errands and meeting a friend for lunch.
This is my most disliked type of weather. I'd rather be in a blizzard.

[ny biker]

Yes I hope for the best with the new saddle but realize I might end up returning it. Time will tell.

I just checked the weather in Hyannis as my nephew is there for a baseball game... looks like some heavy rain passing through MA tonight, and super humid. We're having a heat wave down here, expecting near 100 tomorrow, but it should break by the weekend. I will ride indoors at the gym tonight.

[north woods gal]

Don't blame you a bit. That is some very serious heat. Way out of my league.

Did 30 plus road miles on the Pugsley, yesterday, plus some trail miles. Pugsley on the road, you ask? Actually makes a lot of sense for what we have happening in the area, this week.


First, we have the big Hodag Countryfest country music festival. I kid you, not, this is a nationally known music festival. Picture some 300 acres literally packed with many thousands of huge RVs and campers. Unfortunately, its right next door to us, along my favorite road route, so the Pugsley gives me the ability to ride in the soft sandy road shoulder to get by this complex. Riding the soft sand on the shoulder presents no challenge to the Pugs, of course. It's happy riding the road or the shoulder. Sure beats sharing the pavement with a steady stream of these monsters. Not an option with any road bike. The sandy shoulders along this mile of road will swallow a road bike


Second, been a lot of logging activity along this same route. Logging is the main agricultural activity in our area. Very few actual farms. Believe me, when you hear a logging truck coming up behind you on these narrow paved roads, taking the road ditch is an attractive strategy. Again, the Pugs can make the transition from pavement to dirt and sand on the shoulder practically seamless. Definitely NOT an option on a traditional road bike.


And, of course, I can never resist going off pavement when I find a new gravel or dirt road to explore. The Pugs can't resist either. The Pugs may be slow, but my pal always gets me home.

[ny biker]

Nice pictures, NWG. As someone who's about to put a heavy leather saddle on a carbon road bike, I support your choice of bike for road riding. Sometimes the typical set up is just not the best for our individual purposes.

This reminds me -- last weekend I rode with someone who is an old-school steel bike rider through and through. The guy who shows up to a big club road road in khaki cargo shorts and a wool jersey. He was riding an Austro-Daimler bike. With a leather saddle of course. It's always fun to see bikes like that in the wild. And he's a very nice man and enjoyable ride companion, too.

As for the heat, I would have ridden outside last night if I wasn't dealing with this saddle pain which takes a week to subside. Riding on very hots days is manageable in the evenings, especially once I get away from the highway and closer to the tree-lined neighorhoods near the river. But, that's not an option this week. I got to the gym late (as usual) but managed to get in a good 30-minute interval workout. Afterwards I sat outside for a while in an attempt to get some acclimation to the hot weather.

[north woods gal]

Based on my September visit to Florida, last year, going from our northern climate to that Florida climate, cold turkey, almost did me in. Oh, I rented a bike, first thing when we arrived, but it took a bit of riding every day, carrying a lot of water, and stopping in the shade or where the was breeze to rest. After one week, I was only beginning to adapt, but felt like I could do it, given enough time. Bottom line is that I have a ton of respect for that kind of humid heat and folks that have adapted to it. Will never underestimate the danger of that kind of heat, again.

Yeah, sometimes we get wrapped up in the latest, greatest bike technology trend, forgetting that people did some amazing things on that old school stuff. Steel bikes and leather saddles have been getting it done since the very first bikes. You probably won/t set any records for time in this all carbon world, but you will get home and do it with some a degree of comfort that is sometimes missing from the carbon bike scene. I'm no retro junkie by any means. Ride carbon and aluminum, too, but still something very special about the feel of a good steel bike, whether on the road or on the trail.

[Sky King]

I ride the Rivet Independence on my Gilles Berthoud touring bike and I have the Rivet All Road on my Surly ECR. They do not soften like a Brooks or a Gilles Berthoud. Note the underneath has the fabric (for lack of a better word) that restricts the sag and splay factor the Brooks tend to do. Also the leather "tie" underneath will keep it stiffer. My independence with the slot is softer than my all road as it does have some give around the slot. I hope you like them. Hopefully the fitter knows that mounting a leather saddle isn't that same as other saddles. You'll want the nose at least level or slightly tilted up. For sure NO NOSE DOWN. These saddles are slippery, another comfort factor so the last thing you want is to be sliding forward. Having a nose tilt keeps your sits where you want them. Given the hardness I am certainly aware of my sit bones after a long day of riding but the next day I can get right back to riding without pain.
Can't wait to hear the results!

oh on conditioning - I have never conditioned either of them. One is 3 years old the other is almost 2. If we are out overnight, I do cover them and if it is raining I cover them as well.