Keep your fingers out of your hole

 Whatever else might be dictated by manufacturers, like shifting systems, bottom brackets, and suspension, the human butt remains stubbornly immune to standardization. The saddle section of the parts catalog has as much -- or more -- variety as ever. Wide ones, skinny ones, hard ones, squishy ones... I mean the saddles, not the tushies.

And of course it goes beyond the buns. There's all that tender stuff that t'ain't going quietly if the saddle is a bad fit.

Saddles with "relief" have been around as long as saddles. That feature has almost become automatic in modern saddles, made of mostly synthetic materials that deteriorate in a matter of months to a few years, depending on initial quality, exposure to the weather, and intensity of use.

You do your best to find what fits your particular specifications. In my case, it was the Avocet Racing II in 1980, which was basically the same as the Selle Italia Turbo. Avocet went away, but Selle Italia remained. But the Turbo faded out, replaced by lighter models that I never developed a relationship with. About the time I couldn't scrounge new old stock Turbos, the model was reintroduced as a retro thing. I snapped one up as soon as I saw it. It turned out to be made of flimsier materials than the original, and I was already able to wear out originals.

Along came the Brooks Colt. The Colt in 2013 was a re-issue of the original that Brooks had offered in the era of the Avocet II and the Turbo, as a similar shape with the legendary durability of real leather. I noted in the months that followed that the saddle did develop indentations where my weight was heaviest on it, which led to a central ridge. Strategic softening of the leather and adjustment of the angle made it manageable, but it was not exactly comfortable a lot of the time. During this summer, I decided it was time to try a relieved saddle.

Brooks offers the B-17 with a cutout, so I got one. The basic B-17 is wider than I have liked, but I could get it for wholesale. And with current shortages of all sorts of components, I felt fortunate to be able to get anything.

It did not feel too wide when I first sat on it. Other saddles, no wider, but shaped differently, have felt totally wrong. The racier saddles can be uncomfortable when I ride at slower speeds, because they don't provide as much support when I'm riding more upright.

When you ride a saddle that is too wide for your bone structure, you get squeezed forward onto the narrower part of the saddle. The bun dents on the Colt indicated a good fit on the wide part of it.

I may put it back on, or move it to another bike after I reform it and condition the leather so that it's soft where I want it to be, but still maintains its shape.

For the first ride with the B-17, I rode to the CSA pickup with the BOB trailer. 

Might as well knock off two objectives at once. And pulling the load meant some heavier exertion on climbs, but also low-speed cruising in a more upright position.

For the CSA runs, I put a pair of black nylon cargo shorts over my tight bike shorts, just to look a little more normal among the other patrons loading their shopping bags with their shares of the produce. Because of the padding in the bike shorts and the extra layer of the outer shorts, I couldn't be quite sure where I was on the saddle relative to that cutout. Coasting along on a bit of an easy grade, I tried to reach in under the saddle to feel up through the cutout to figure out whether it was actually under the trouble zone. That's when my fingers got stuck between the seat rails where they narrowed toward the front of the saddle. I had a tense few moments as I extricated my digits. I laughed at the image of myself in a crumpled heap in the ditch, with my broken fingers jammed in the seat rails under my crotch. Explain that at the emergency room.

I had also wondered about what might get caught from above in the various slots or holes in relieved saddles. I grew up in small sailboats, where we used these things called "jam cleats." Jam cleats have v-shaped slots in them, in which one jams a dangling rope end to secure it. There are other forms with spring-loaded cams, but the simple basic type with no moving parts is a common fixture. I could imagine the notched or cutout seat acting as a jam cleat for anything that might chance to dangle. And, at the end of my ride, back at home with the loaded trailer, my overshorts did jam momentarily in the cutout as I tried to dismount.

Having logged a  bunch of commutes on the B-17, I do notice the width of it on the downstroke. So far, it does not seem to be pushing me forward, which would alter my position over the pedals and also push me forward of the cutout, negating its usefulness. Brooks does make a relieved version of the B-17 Narrow, but I couldn't get that one for wholesale. But the top on the Narrow saddle is flatter than the Colt was, which might make the uncarved version break in without forming a ridge.

Brooks makes molded-shell versions in their "all-weather" line, but then you're back in the realm of laminated materials that wear away.

An update on my crotch

A leather saddle is a long-term relationship. Most people seem concerned about the initial break-in period, but my experience with the Brooks Colt on my Cross Check started deceptively comfortably. I did not have discomfort until early this season.

Sometimes, patience pays off. I rubbed in some extra Proofide in the trouble area and kept riding. The saddle seems to be altering further to reduce the pressure down the center, which has given bike seats in general a very bad reputation among riders and non-riders alike. The narrow saddle is one of the first things a new bike purchaser wants to change without even getting on it.

I picked up a B-17 Narrow in case the Colt did not improve. Now I'm not sure what to do. Put the B-17 on the Cross Check and move the Colt to my road bike? Hold it in reserve for a bike yet to be named? The B-17 has a flatter top profile than the Colt. The Colt was more like the Turbo I was replacing. The difference is the all-leather construction of the Colt versus the plastic shell with dense foam and thin leather cover of the Turbo. A modern saddle wears out. A leather saddle wears in.

I hope things continue to go well. The Brooks saddle wasn't cheap, and it isn't going to wear out anytime soon. I'm prepared to work at this marriage.

Perineal Favorites

The Brooks Colt saddle I started using last year has developed bun dents where the old ischial tuberosities drill into it. That's good. But this has led to a crest down the center of the saddle that puts pressure where I'd rather not have it.

A leather saddle changes shape when the rider is on it, more so than a molded-shell saddle of modern materials. I have no way to know what shape it assumes when I'm on the bike. I did reduce the tension slightly to see if it will get a little swayback shape. I also bought a new seatpost with a zero-setback clamp and a greater range of angle adjustment so I can get the nose of the saddle a little higher.

It seems counter intuitive, but raising the nose of the saddle often cures pressure problems on the crest of the saddle because it helps you stay back on the part of the saddle you want to be on. Sometimes, when a saddle appears level, the  curved shape of it makes it feel like it's tilted forward. You slide to the lowest point and grind.

The Colt had a very straight top line at first. Even now it looks pretty straight when I'm not on it. I had prematurely cranked a little tension onto it after just a few weeks, but backed off quickly when I read a little more about proper care of the saddle.

To complicate matters, all my bike shorts are old and mangled. The kind of "chamois" you get nowadays is a complicated marvel of padding and fabric. As is always the case, the more complicated something is, the more things can go wrong. Padding tears or shifts. Fabric wears or bunches up. Seams fray.

One huge problem is that people got the idea that the chamois in old classic bike shorts was a pad. It was not a pad. It was a chafe guard. The seams of the shorts and the patch of chamois were intended to provide a smooth and durable interface (intercrotch?) between the rider and the leather saddle on the bicycle. The leather saddle was designed to break in, conform to the rider's shape and provide a bit of springiness. If you look at the whole range of leather saddles, many models had springs incorporated into the rails.

A rider in tweed on an upright bike has no need of tight wool shorts with a chamois. The whole bike-shorts-and-chamois thing came in from racing. Longer, more strenuous efforts on a bike with a narrow saddle inspired the evolution. The fact that bike seats can be unforgiving led to the padding of both seats and shorts. But padding is largely palliative care. Like so many single-symptom treatments, it can cause as many problems as it cures.

A few years ago, I received a pair of Sugoi shorts to test. The padding in them was voluptuous. I called them my "flat tire shorts" because the padding imparted a bounce on bumpy roads that felt just like the early stages of a rear tire losing air. The cushion actually caused uncomfortable warmth and chafe on longer rides until it broke down enough so that I was more on it than in it. The shorts disintegrated soon after that.

For a couple of years I was using the cheapest Bellwether shorts. The cut was not bad. They're 6-panel shorts with a modest pad. They seem pretty durable. Unfortunately, the pseudo-chamois has a shape pressed into it that created a weak point. The pad tore in one pair, but the fabric covering it did not, so I had basically nothing in one spot, and then a bunched-up wad right next to that, both right in the grind zone. So those shorts went in the trash. The second pair feels like it may be developing the same problem.

A pair of Pearl Izumis developed a wear hole in the crotchal region next to the pad. Those were 8-panel shorts, not exactly bottom-shelf merchandise. The padding wasn't too obnoxiously thick. I can still wear them when I know I'll have tights over them, or at home on the rollers. Scuzzy shorts, wife-beater shirt, three or fours days' unshaven beard, cranking away in the basement.

Looking to add a pair or two of new shorts, I looked at the Pearl Izumi shorts in this year's inventory. The padding in them was thicker than ever. It felt like cheap, open-cell foam that would turn into a fungus factory and a hot, wet sponge. So I ordered some of the Bellwether O2 shorts I'd liked. When they arrived, the padding had been "upgraded" in them as well. It's not as foamy as the Pearl padding, but still more elaborate than it used to be. I haven't worn them yet, because I want to try the new seat position first. When chasing down a problem, especially a fit or comfort problem, only change one variable at a time.

At the same time I got the shorts and the seatpost I got a Brooks B-17 Narrow saddle to try on various bikes. The B-17 was a contender in my original saddle search. It has a slightly different profile than the Colt, with a flatter top. I want to put it on one of the bikes to compare the feeling after break-in. The Colt is sexier, with its hammered copper rivets and chamfered skirt. I might put it on the road bike and use the B-17 for the daily trudge on the commuter.

After persistent cold weather and lifeless vegetation, bam! We have leaves. Bam! We have black flies. And BAM! The workshop is buried in the bashed, the abused and the incomprehensibly f(ouled) up. No time to write, and plenty of inspiration. If only I did not need food or sleep.

Colt 58

After two commutes of 29 miles each, the Brooks Colt seems to be shaping up nicely.

Very subtle differences in shape seem to make a difference in rider performance. The Colt has a narrower nose than the Turbo. One issue with the Turbo had been the way my thighs wore away the thin leather on the sides of the saddle. On the Colt my legs come in that little bit farther and still rub the sides. And that tiny change in angle may improve pedaling efficiency. I've had my two best commuting times of the year on these first two rides on the Brooks.

Other factors may be at work. Oddly enough, I had my two best commuting times last season on almost exactly the same dates. But the most recent times were faster.  I did not note in my obsessive little record book whether I was rested or tired last year, but I can tell you that this year I'm thrashed. I get to bed too late, drag myself out early and guzzle coffee just to get started. The dog we adopted has been squeaking to go out a half an hour before my alarm is set, thus disrupting even the inadequate amount of sleep I had intended to get. Yet I get on the bike and hammer. I really think that the narrower saddle is putting me in a better position over the cranks.

The saddle is shaping to fit me, as promised. On the first ride it felt comfortable enough. Aside from slithering around on the bit of residual Proofide that had escaped my polishing rag the saddle felt reassuringly similar to the one I had removed. None of the noticeable shape differences struck me as ominous. The second day was only better. So this colt is breaking nicely.

The workshop is filling up with the bikes of triathletes tapering their training ahead of a busy race weekend just over a week away. I hate doing race tunes because if anything goes wrong it will be my fault. When I raced I did all my own work. If I messed anything up I only ruined my own day. Not that I intend to mess anything up, but when lots of urgent jobs come in at once and other riders are also trying to get a last shot at summer fun it can get pretty chaotic. And we're operating on a survival crew of two this week.

Off to work. At least it's rainy today. That should keep the bike rental business quiet.

My bike wears English leather

When you find a saddle you like, buy several of them. For me, the Avocet Racing II was a great fit. When those disappeared I switched to Sella Italia Turbo saddles. Even when Sella Italia quit making the original model I was able to scavenge lightly-used ones and even found a new-old-stock saddle still in a box. Then Sella Italia reintroduced the "Turbo 1980." I bought one.

After only two years, the Turbo 1980 looks like this:

Looking at that I realized that all the older ones had gone the same way. The leather covering is paper-thin. So screw it. I'm investing in real leather. I'd had a leather saddle before. My old Peugeot came with an Ideale leather saddle, but I bought the bike used and the saddle had suffered some abuse before I got it. That's when I started using Avocet saddles on the advice of a friend.

This return to real leather is the end of a research program lasting years. I've almost bought a Brooks several times. Two things kept me from going ahead with it: the weight and the care of the leather itself. At this point I can't claim to care a whole lot about bike weight, with rack, fenders, generator hub and lights. So I'll undertake the care of the leather.

After exhaustive study of the Brooks catalog I narrowed it down to the Team Pro, the Swift and maybe the B17 Narrow. I kept glancing past the Colt. But then I checked the dimensions more carefully on the Brooks site and decided it sounded like a good transition from the saddles I had used before. It's a few millimeters wider than the Turbo/Avocet, but not wide enough to cause problems. A saddle that's too wide for your bone structure will just push you forward onto the narrow part of itself. So choose wisely.

The saddle just went on the bike today, so I have not ridden more than a few yards on it. We'll see how the notorious break-in goes. Some people have a very easy time. Others willingly suffer to achieve the personalized fit for which fine leather saddles are known. Then there are the riders who run as fast and as far as they can to get away from the old leather torture device.

The way the rails are shaped the saddle can't be set very far back, but measuring with a plumb line I was able to get the nose of the saddle the same distance behind the bottom bracket as the nose of the Turbo had been. The saddle itself is taller, so I had to adjust the post height slightly. After just a couple of minutes riding I could feel that the leather had begun to reshape. Rapping on that wood-hard saddle in the box I would not have believed it.

So there it is.