[Fl_Gulfer]

Get it welded.

[Parallax]

I have a sign in my shop that says "I repair other people's fixes"

[creampuff]

Get a new seatpost, a two bolt design like the Thomson is very secure.

LH Thomson Co.

[Ratmagiclady]

I have a sign in my shop that says "I repair other people's fixes"

Heehee. As the last fixer items are likely to see, I've seen a lot of bodge-jobs. Always nice to see the, err, ingenuity, but sometimes you're like, "Ah, didn't think anyone was ever going to have *this* apart,did you, laddie?"

(You see, before applying excessive fasteners or gobs of sealant to a problem, consider karma. )

No one's disputing the virtue of new parts here, though, if the cash is there.

[Parallax]

Heehee. As the last fixer items are likely to see, I've seen a lot of bodge-jobs. Always nice to see the, err, ingenuity, but sometimes you're like, "Ah, didn't think anyone was ever going to have *this* apart,did you, laddie?"

(You see, before applying excessive fasteners or gobs of sealant to a problem, consider karma. )

No one's disputing the virtue of new parts here, though, if the cash is there.

One of the things I most like to sell people is spoke wrenches. Not only do I make money on the tool, I usually end up selling the person that bought it a new wheel in a day or two, or at very least get to do a more lengthy and costly truing job than it would have been if they had brought me the wheel in the first place.

[Ratmagiclady]

One of the things I most like to sell people is spoke wrenches. Not only do I make money on the tool, I usually end up selling the person that bought it a new wheel in a day or two, or at very least get to do a more lengthy and costly truing job than it would have been if they had brought me the wheel in the first place.

You robber-baron.

But, still, there's one job I much prefer to hand to someone who's in better practice. Even *my* time has *some* value. My wheels just don't go out very often. (In both senses of the term, currently, but I'm pretty light and always did ride with a certain amount of precision. ) Gods know how long I could be sitting there fussing about what some dude at a co-op or shop could do in five minutes. When my concentration was worse, I wouldn't even bother trying, except in the roughest sense for someone's three-speed or something.

[edl]

Get a new seatpost, a two bolt design like the Thomson is very secure.

LH Thomson Co.

+1 for Thomson if zero setback works for you.

(I know they make setback posts, but they're a little hard on the eyes. Petty complaint but it's true)

[GoremanX]

My wife uses a Thudbuster suspension seat post, it's been working out real well. Instead of being one of those cheap telescoping ones, it uses a 4-point linkage with an elastomer for absorbing shocks. Kind of expensive, but it did wonders for helping her ride longer. Personally, I prefer a rigid seat post. I use a Race Face Atlas, which has been unbreakable despite my severe abuse of it. I ride a hardtail, so my weight really punishes the seatpost and saddle rails sometimes.

A hard saddle shouldn't make you sore. If it does, it's not sized right for your seat bones. I went through a bunch of saddles before I found one that doesn't make me sore. I found that the softer ones stay comfortable for the least amount of time, they cause undue pressure in places that are sensitive. The good stiffer saddles support better and prevent saddle sores, but only if they're the perfect size for you (ass size is irrelevant, it's distance between seat bones that matters).

[Parallax]

My wife uses a Thudbuster suspension seat post, it's been working out real well. Instead of being one of those cheap telescoping ones, it uses a 4-point linkage with an elastomer for absorbing shocks. Kind of expensive, but it did wonders for helping her ride longer. Personally, I prefer a rigid seat post. I use a Race Face Atlas, which has been unbreakable despite my severe abuse of it. I ride a hardtail, so my weight really punishes the seatpost and saddle rails sometimes.

A hard saddle shouldn't make you sore. If it does, it's not sized right for your seat bones. I went through a bunch of saddles before I found one that doesn't make me sore. I found that the softer ones stay comfortable for the least amount of time, they cause undue pressure in places that are sensitive. The good stiffer saddles support better and prevent saddle sores, but only if they're the perfect size for you (ass size is irrelevant, it's distance between seat bones that matters).

There is another advantage to the Thudbuster as well. In compression it travels through an arc which keeps the distance from the seat to the pedals nearly constant and with 3 inches of travel it gives you most of the advantages of a full suspension bike with none of the disadvantages.

[GoremanX]

There is another advantage to the Thudbuster as well. In compression it travels through an arc which keeps the distance from the seat to the pedals nearly constant and with 3 inches of travel it gives you most of the advantages of a full suspension bike with none of the disadvantages.

Yep, as long as you're sitting a lot I tend not to do that much when I'm riding rough trails. But for my wife, who's not an avid cyclist like me, it's been the best thing we did to her bike. Just being able to bike together has made it worthwhile. The quality of the product is top notch too.

[Ratmagiclady]

I'd actually like to tap you guys' expertise at some point on our own bike's saddle. The last time we lived someplace we could both ride, well, sweetie hates our bike's saddle, and I was thinking of setting up one saddle+post for each of us. (Not that I care overmuch for the one we have, but I ride with my weight better-displaced, so it doesn't bother me. ) The intention's been that at some point I will either build something just for her or just for me, and our rather nice just-past-entry-level compromise will go the other way. It's mostly a road bike, technically hybrid.

[Parallax]

Two posts and saddles would be the most elegant solution, though not the least costly. Once you get your saddle adjusted to suit and scribe a line on the post for height reference, switching would only take a few seconds. As far as saddle choices, it is purely individual choice. The biggest caveat is that wider is not necessarily better. If a saddle is too wide you will be fighting to stay on it with every pedal stroke because as your leg comes down it will tend to push you off of the front. Most modern, comfort saddles work well for most people. Adjustment has as much or more to do with comfort as saddle construction when talking about saddles of similar type.

[B Grace]

I suggest bikers read this advice:

Rivendell Bicycle Works: Fit, Sizing, Position (our thoughts)

And this:

Rivendell Bicycle Works: Common Setup Mistakes

I'm no pro wrencher but I do see many of my daughter's friends tooling around the neighborhood on bikes that are poorly adjusted with some even dangerous. For long distances you need a good balance with some of your weight on your hands and some options for different hand positions on the bars. It took several years but I finally talked my wife into trashing her "gel-seat" saddle cover, allow me to install a nice modern women's saddle, and properly set up her bike. She loves it.

Even the bargain bikes from the discount stores can be made to run properly for a little while.

[GoremanX]

I'm no pro wrencher but I do see many of my daughter's friends tooling around the neighborhood on bikes that are poorly adjusted with some even dangerous. For long distances you need a good balance with some of your weight on your hands and some options for different hand positions on the bars. It took several years but I finally talked my wife into trashing her "gel-seat" saddle cover, allow me to install a nice modern women's saddle, and properly set up her bike. She loves it.

Absolutely, the best improvement I did on my own bike was proper setup for balance and power. But the science of it isn't quite so clear cut as the established "rules" imply. There's a lot of personal variation depending on your own proportions, your riding habits, and miscellaneous other things.

[VaughnA]

I suggest bikers read this advice:

Rivendell Bicycle Works: Fit, Sizing, Position (our thoughts)

And this:

Rivendell Bicycle Works: Common Setup Mistakes

I'

Oh gosh, Grant Peterson, the Ken Rockwell of the cycling world...

Actually he has some good ideas, but he goes a little far IMHO. Retro Grouch to the nth degree.

As for seatposts and saddles. Thomson Posts & Brooks or the Velo-Orange saddles work for me.