briggsandstratton
New Member
my bikes pretty comfortable but after about 20 miles it gets a little uncomfortable. how about your bike? any ideas on making a more comfortable ride?
how comfortable is your bike?
- Thread starter briggsandstratton
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ocho ninja
Member
Same with my bikes... One of bikes makes my butt uncomfortable after 30 min and my other bike does the same along with vibrating my hands numb lol
The butt issues Ive been trying to solve by playing around with different seats, angles, and heights
For vibrations I just gloves with more padding
The butt issues Ive been trying to solve by playing around with different seats, angles, and heights
For vibrations I just gloves with more padding
briggsandstratton
New Member
my hands use to go numb real fast but gloves solved that for me too and yep i hear the workman's seats are comfortable
Build your own seat and then add padding, padding and a little more padding. Standard bicycle seats were never meant for the kind of riding we typically do on our motorized bikes. We sit more than stand on the pedals so we need something more like motorcycles have.
I've built a couple and I use what the upholstery guys call "motorcycle foam". It is high density foam rubber, much firmer than what is used for pillows and sofa cushions.
Leave those skinny, hard saddles for Lance Armstrong and the rest of the the roadies. Build yourself something that won't bury itself in your backside after ten miles.
Tom
I've built a couple and I use what the upholstery guys call "motorcycle foam". It is high density foam rubber, much firmer than what is used for pillows and sofa cushions.
Leave those skinny, hard saddles for Lance Armstrong and the rest of the the roadies. Build yourself something that won't bury itself in your backside after ten miles.
Tom
briggsandstratton
New Member
nice i never thought about that. how much does the padding set you back?
bairdco
a guy who makes cool bikes
pay the extra cash and buy a brooks saddle. you can find good used ones online. i've got the B66S and the B77 on different bikes and can ride all day with absolutely no discomfort. and you get an old timey motorcycle look with the aged leather.
my wrists, on the other hand(s.)
i've crashed on my skateboard too many times. i don't wanna call it arthritis, because once you start believing you're old, you get older quick. but after long rides, my fingers don't work too well.
after a day of racing, it's hard to hold a beer and a cigarette. until about the 6th beer. then i'm ok...
my wrists, on the other hand(s.)
i've crashed on my skateboard too many times. i don't wanna call it arthritis, because once you start believing you're old, you get older quick. but after long rides, my fingers don't work too well.
after a day of racing, it's hard to hold a beer and a cigarette. until about the 6th beer. then i'm ok...
Check your local yellow pages for upholstery supplies. Motorcycle foam, or high density foam rubber isn't cheap. The seat on my Norton bike cost me about $40.00 in materials. I did the sewing, hand stitched.
The one on the Captain America chopper was $200. but a pro did the upholstery, with foam, black vinyl stitched in a waffle pattern and chrome buttons. Ya pay for what ya gets, I guess.
Tom
Nashville Kat
Well-Known Member
The basic comfort is the one aspect I haven't given over to the efficiency I bring from road racing-
I use a good BEll cruiser saddle on eveything right now- even my 67 Peugeot PX10 roadbike- It's fairly wide and padded and surprisingly light-
On the motor bikes I always us a sprung seat post as well- between the two I never have any tush problems
One build I have a shock fork and the slower 50 still has a regular fork- the suspension fork is heavy, but really smooths things out and I think may help you stay ahold of the bars- alloy BMX 8 inch rise with a perpendicular grip- A lower bar would get a little more speed but I don't need it- but VERY comfortable- I ride alloy BMX bars on the roadbike now even- because I have back problems - I grew up largely riding a Sting Ray and really like em!
I use a good BEll cruiser saddle on eveything right now- even my 67 Peugeot PX10 roadbike- It's fairly wide and padded and surprisingly light-
On the motor bikes I always us a sprung seat post as well- between the two I never have any tush problems
One build I have a shock fork and the slower 50 still has a regular fork- the suspension fork is heavy, but really smooths things out and I think may help you stay ahold of the bars- alloy BMX 8 inch rise with a perpendicular grip- A lower bar would get a little more speed but I don't need it- but VERY comfortable- I ride alloy BMX bars on the roadbike now even- because I have back problems - I grew up largely riding a Sting Ray and really like em!
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Allen_Wrench
Resident Mad Scientist
pay the extra cash and buy a brooks saddle. you can find good used ones online. i've got the B66S and the B77 on different bikes and can ride all day with absolutely no discomfort. and you get an old timey motorcycle look with the aged leather.
my wrists, on the other hand(s.)
i've crashed on my skateboard too many times. i don't wanna call it arthritis, because once you start believing you're old, you get older quick. but after long rides, my fingers don't work too well.
after a day of racing, it's hard to hold a beer and a cigarette. until about the 6th beer. then i'm ok...
I think Bairdco here nailed it. I don't have a Brooks, but my leather saddle wasn't cheap. It's way more comfy than I would have given it credit for, being that it has no padding. I gotta say: my butt NEVER hurts. And if I know I'll be riding for a while, I wear my biking gloves.
No saddle sores. No numb hands. Just pure riding satisfaction.
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briggsandstratton
New Member
thanks for all the replies i never would of thought to try a brooks
There are some statistics on the consequences of aggressive seat-posture on male, er, function... so I have a wide, cushy gel-foam and spring-cushioned saddle on my bike that supports me with my butt, not my mons pubis. I'm not taking any risks in that department, some things are too important =) It's not just about comfort for me. =)
MotoMagz
Well-Known Member
Bigger is not always better.A couple of my favorites have been a vintage long spring saddle and a wide 12" x 13".Both were troxel saddles that gave a comfy ride.Then I purchased a much smaller leather Gyes saddle that fits like a glove.....and it's not even broke in!!!
maniac57
Old, Fat, and still faster than you
You can reduce vibrations in the bars by filling them with sand, shot or something similar. Makes a HUGE difference...A good source of cheap comfy seats is from exercise or stationary style bikes, and also from small, electric scooters. You see them all over the place down here in Memphis. Kids tear them up fast and they are to cheap to bother fixing.
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bigbutterbean
Active Member
I have a suspension fork and a Schwinn comfort seat that I loosened the springs as much as possible on. Its fairly comfortable, about as comfortable as it will ever get.
CubanIngenuity
New Member
Don't longer handlebars reduce vibration?
That sand in the handlebars solution sound good too
That sand in the handlebars solution sound good too
biknut
Well-Known Member
In the last 2 years I've changed my bike from a torture rack, into a very comfortable ride. The night before last I rode it over 40 miles in one sitting like it was nothing. This is how I did it.
Here's before, and after views to help explain the changes.
Get rid of rigid forks. I've tried rigid, cheapy suspension forks, and springers. The springers are by far the most comfortable.
2", and wider tires are best
A low seat height is important. I got my seat height so low that when sitting with both feet flat on the ground, I have to bend my knees. This was achieved not only by lowering the seat all the way down, but also installing bent fork springers, which lower the front of your bike 3". For MBs that are only going to be street ridden, most bicycles are too tall.
A spring seat is better than a gel seat without springs, for long rides, but you may not think so at first. Give it about 10 or 20 miles, before you decide. My seat is a very inexpensive, walmart spring seat, common on many MBs.
Change your handle bars. It's essential to have comfortable handle bars. Exactly what's comfortable is going to be different for everybody. I don't like leaning on my wrists, so I like tall bars that allow me to ride sitting up doggie style. Soft grips are nice too, especially the kind with broad flat surfaces for your palms.
The best way to control vibration is to lower rpm. You can't expect not to have a ton of vibration if you're cruising at 7000+ rpm. Gear your bike to cruise at no more than 6000 rpm. 5800 is even better. My bike is geared such that 5800 is equal to 30 mph. This gives me enough reserve, to go 35 mph for short bursts if I feel the need, because of traffic situations. For extremely long rides I might cruise at 26 mph. That works out to about 5000 rpm. Right in the torque sweet spot of a stock motor. That's where you'll get the best gas mileage, and throttle response, and vibration is almost nonexistent.
One last thing I reccomend is good brakes. It's hard to be truely comfortable if you're always worried about getting run over.
As far as comfort is concerned, I give my bike a 10 out of 10.
Here's before, and after views to help explain the changes.
Get rid of rigid forks. I've tried rigid, cheapy suspension forks, and springers. The springers are by far the most comfortable.
2", and wider tires are best
A low seat height is important. I got my seat height so low that when sitting with both feet flat on the ground, I have to bend my knees. This was achieved not only by lowering the seat all the way down, but also installing bent fork springers, which lower the front of your bike 3". For MBs that are only going to be street ridden, most bicycles are too tall.
A spring seat is better than a gel seat without springs, for long rides, but you may not think so at first. Give it about 10 or 20 miles, before you decide. My seat is a very inexpensive, walmart spring seat, common on many MBs.
Change your handle bars. It's essential to have comfortable handle bars. Exactly what's comfortable is going to be different for everybody. I don't like leaning on my wrists, so I like tall bars that allow me to ride sitting up doggie style. Soft grips are nice too, especially the kind with broad flat surfaces for your palms.
The best way to control vibration is to lower rpm. You can't expect not to have a ton of vibration if you're cruising at 7000+ rpm. Gear your bike to cruise at no more than 6000 rpm. 5800 is even better. My bike is geared such that 5800 is equal to 30 mph. This gives me enough reserve, to go 35 mph for short bursts if I feel the need, because of traffic situations. For extremely long rides I might cruise at 26 mph. That works out to about 5000 rpm. Right in the torque sweet spot of a stock motor. That's where you'll get the best gas mileage, and throttle response, and vibration is almost nonexistent.
One last thing I reccomend is good brakes. It's hard to be truely comfortable if you're always worried about getting run over.
As far as comfort is concerned, I give my bike a 10 out of 10.
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