new here and some questions

[LittleLune810]

First in sorry if this posts like 3 times. I tried to post on the tapatalk app and it wouldn't work... Here goes.
I have been lurking here for a little while and finally decided to post after completing my first 10+ mile ride yesterday! A little background: I am married with two beautiful wild boys 4.5 years and 18 months... DH and my elder son are bike obsessed so for mothers day this year I told my husband that he needed to get my bike into action complete with child seat for the babe. Its a 1973 Schwinn Collegiate. Originally a 5 speed DH converted it to single speed. After the first ride I was hooked. While I love my classic bike it's basically a cruiser and I want to do more fitness rides on my own without the kiddos. I purchased a (don't judge me) very inexpensive single speed bike from target and have upgraded several parts to higher end parts. I can't afford a nice bike right now but this serves its purpose nicely for the time being. One of my goals is to commute to work. I only work one day a week and there is a paved bike path conveniently between my home and office. So far I have logged several short rides both with the kids and without (anywhere from 1 mile to about 4 miles) but yesterday I did my longest ride at about 11 miles roundtrip - this was my test ride for my commute and I'm so proud I was able to do it!!! My bike does not have a bottle cage so I wore my husband's camelbak. Do any of you ladies have an opinion on water bottles vs camelbak? I really liked it actually. Also the next part I need to upgrade on my bike is the saddle. I definitely need womens specific as trying to get into a more forward position was quite uncomfortable. I'm looking at the selle italia diva. Does anyone have any input or advice for getting the right saddle? Thanks in advance and Happy to be here!

[ny biker]

Welcome and congrats on your rides so far!

We have much info on saddles here. You'll want to start by measuring your sit bones. There's a thread that summarizes a lot of the info, so that's a good place to start.

[Catrin]

Welcome, and certainly search for the saddle info on this site. It is good to keep in mind that not all cut-outs are the same where the size/width/length of the cutout is concerned. For me the Diva was MUCH too large as far as the cutout was concerned but the SI Lady was just right. There will be some trials involved to find out what works best for your body. You might want to check at your local bike stores to see if any allow a demo trial period for Selle Italia or other brands. Usually if you find the saddle works for you they will apply the demo fee towards the cost for the saddle. Good luck, welcome, and have fun!

As for me, I always preferred a hydration pack over a water bottle but that was me.

[lph]

Welcome LittleLune! If you ride your bike and like it, it's a good bike for you :-) Good luck finding a good saddle. There is indeed a lot of info here. It may look a bit intimidating, but it's not so much about finding The Perfect Saddle (though that's nice), but eliminating the types that are painful and make you not want to ride your bike. You'll notice that a lot of uss have our bikes and saddles listed in our signatures. That may give you some indication of the more popular ones.

Commuting by bike is awesome, I love it. Nothing like it to make you feel self-sufficient and free, and I hope you find a good route that you like. I've used both camelback and bottles. Both have their good points.

[lauraelmore1033]

Welcome Little lune! I started cycling as an adult on a bike from Target. Nothing wrong with that! As you can see from my signature line, I didn't stay with it. As the house emptied of kids, it filled with bikes and cats. ( those kids are expensive and it's amazing how much money you have when they leave!). Enjoy your cycling journey!