New bike for my 16th birthday... many things yet to be resolved.

[blahblahblalice]

So I've only got on a few short rides so far on the new bike, and I'm positive I won't be improving much under the current conditions. My dad has been a competitive cyclist for 30+ years now and worked dilligently this past month in building me an ultra speed machine. It sure goes fast but my lower back is intolerably sore after the first mile ( I think I need the handle bars a little closer so that isnt a huge concern) my hands feel cramped and strained right from the start (yet again due to stretching too far to reach the brakes) and I think he got me a unisex saddle, but it such doesnt feel too great on my more feminine parts.

My main concern is the saddle, mostly because I dont think I can confront my father about why a decent Bontrager Race saddle is keeping me off the bike. So basically I was curious about the views of those who are more experienced. Is this a normal discomfort? It's not particularly painful and theres no chafing at least, so I wasnt sure if it was worth looking into my other options.

On a lighter note, I'm thoroughly enjoying the Columbia carbon frame and Dura-Ace cranks

[alpinerabbit]

As a rule, bontrager saddles are *boink* in my book.... get something with a decent cutout. Many even those of the male persuasion ride cutouts these days.
I now ride Selle SMP and highly recommend trying at least the affordable TRK version.

Raise the stem (higher angle), got any spacers left? Did daddy build too big a bike ? (nice of him to get a growing young lady a carbon/dura ace setup) ETA: OTOH, maybe he intends you to "grow into it"? Did he account for female anatomy i.e. short torso compared to legs?

[SouthernBelle]

I bet if you took a poll here, there is not a single female who bought a trek and kept the Bontrager saddle.

Sorry, Dad.

[Tuckervill]

Well, he probably didn't give much thought to the differences between your anatomies. Dads don't like to think of those things.

But yes, the Bontrager saddles are a no-go with most everyone I know. I have THREE hanging up in my bike shop, waiting to be put on an unsuspecting bike.

Karen

[Pax]

I even ditched the Bontrager on my commuter, and it's just a short 2 mile ride.

[mimitabby]

I got a bike with a bontrager on it too. I threw it in the garbage (the saddle)
and replaced it with a Brooks.
I'm not sure what's up with those saddles, but us gals just don't fit them right!

Tell your dad; replace the saddle or I'm not riding...

[alpinerabbit]

I recommend phrasing it as "pretty please": he just got you an expensive b-day present....

[VeloVT]

It sure goes fast but my lower back is intolerably sore after the first mile ( I think I need the handle bars a little closer so that isnt a huge concern) my hands feel cramped and strained right from the start (yet again due to stretching too far to reach the brakes) and I think he got me a unisex saddle, but it such doesnt feel too great on my more feminine parts.

Sounds like you need some position tweaking. Have your dad put the bike up on a trainer and watch you while you pedal. Then it will be easy to evaluate adjustments both from a subjective perspective (how it feels to you) and an objective persepective (how you look on the bike, to him). Usually how it feels should take priority over how it looks, but if you are very new to cycling your body may have to get used to how the position feels. It would be useful to have a variety of stems (with different lengths and rises) and some spacers on hand if that is feasible.

If your back is sore after only one mile, I wonder if part of it may be a conditioning issue as well. I have ridden bikes that were too big or improperly set up before and I would get back pain after 20-30 miles, but if I were to take, say, a 10 mile ride, I wouldn't actually hurt (though I might notice the position being less than comfortable). Core-strengthening exercises might be helpful.

Your hand soreness may also be a matter of getting used to your position. Tightness or tension in the shoulders can cause hand soreness pretty quickly, believe it or not, so if you are not relaxed, that can itself cause hand pain. Check in every couple of minutes or miles and make sure you aren't locking your arms or carrying tension in your neck/shoulders. Do a few shoulder rolls and consciously relax your shoulders -- ideally, rather than feeling like your arms are holding up your body, you want to feel more like your arms are hanging between your shoulders and your hands (of course this isn't literally true, and in some situations, such as climbing or sprinting, you will actively be using your upper body, but imagine how that would feel). Your shoulders should be down, away from your ears , and your shoulder blades should be farther apart rather than closer together (they way they feel if you are standing up and bend over at the waist, and just let your arms hang down, pulled by gravity).

Also, if you have small hands, it may be a good idea to look into shimming your brake levers to bring them closer to the bars, so your fingers don't have to stretch as far.

As for saddles... yeah, Bontrager saddles are not comfortable. Other than that though, sadly, it's a matter of trial and error. Most people go through a couple of saddles before they find one they like. And everyone has different anatomy and different preferences, so what works for one person may not work for another. I personally cannot ride cutout saddles, they cause more issues for me than they relieve, but many people cannot ride WITHOUT a cutout -- the only way to know what works for you is to try. Things to pay attention to when looking at saddles:

1) Cutout vs no cutout
2) width -- if you have wider sitbones, you will likely need a wider saddle (most bike shops, and any that carry Bontrager or Specialized saddles, will have a gadget to measure your sit bones). For a long time I thought the emphasis on sitbone width was hype, since I have wide hips and prefer a narrow (~130mm) saddle, but then I actually measured my sitbones and it turns out that they are like 125 center to center -- so I'm buying the sitbone argument again. Apparently hip width does not correlate well with sitbone width .
3) shape -- many women here distinguish between "t-shaped saddles" (wide back, very narrow nose) and "pear-shaped saddles" (more gradual transition from nose to back). Depending on your individual anatomy, you will likely prefer one to the other. Many women seem to prefer a more t-shaped saddle, though I actually prefer a more pear shaped saddle... again, you just have to try.
4) top contour -- some saddles are very flat, tip to tail, while others have varying degrees of scoop/contour (for example, Fizik Arione is pretty flat, while Fizik Aliante is contoured). Again, you will probably tend to prefer one over the other.
5) firmness/softness

Good luck! Sounds like you have a sweet bike!

[tulip]

The machine may be ultra speed, but if it doesn't fit you, it doesn't matter how cool or fast it looks--in the garage.

Suggest to your dad that you would benefit from a professional fitting by an experienced fitter. Do your homework by checking at several LBS to get a sense of who does professional fittings and how much they cost.

[Ninabike]

Saddles are such an individual thing, and I'm sure your dad, who is so experienced, will understand. I went through several saddles before I finally found the Specialized Jet 143. Fit is the most important issue, and sometimes a very small amount of tweeking will do the trick. A professional fitting is essential.

[Ninabike]

P.S., It's so nice to see a really young person interested in cycling. You are the future of our sport!!

[Zen]

I have two Bontrager's sitting in my spare parts box. Let's put them all together and make a sculpture

[BarbaraAlys]

SouthernBelle wrote: I bet if you took a poll here, there is not a single female who bought a trek and kept the Bontrager saddle.


Yep, first thing I did was ditch the saddle.

Barbara

[Pax]

This would be an interesting thread to forward to Trek, just skip the seat and lower the price of the bike a bit. Test rides could be on any available shop seat.

[alpinerabbit]

I actually tipped off Bontrager and they replied thusly:

Thanks for the link, always great to get feedback. We do have a new line of Inform saddles available with women's specific models arriving very soon. These saddles are some of the most well researched saddles ever. We offer them in three different width in two different models.
They were designed based of actual research data and are engineered to be big step forward in saddle design. The men's saddles which are already out on the market are doing very well so far.
Thanks again,

Chris Long|Trek Bicycle Corporation 801 W. Madison Street, Waterloo, WI
53594 | Technical Services