N+1? Do I need one? I want one…

[GovernorSilver]

Commuted home on the Renegade, then picked up the Uptown 8 from Papillon after the free tuneup.

Comparing the saddles of the Uptown 8 and the Renegade, the Renegade’s stock Selle Royal saddle is noticeably narrower, which might explain the soreness I’m feeling between my sit bones. Since there’s a Spokes Etc. near my place I’ll probably just go there and have a sit bone measurement done and watch their marketing emails/website for any sales on Specialized, since they’re a dealer, and that was one brand that got good mentions here and on the saddle review websites.

[hozn]

@GovernorSilver 139878 wrote:

Since there’s a Spokes Etc. near my place I’ll probably just go there and have a sit bone measurement done and watch their marketing emails/website for any sales on Specialized, since they’re a dealer, and that was one brand that got good mentions here and on the saddle review websites.

Also check the Specialized clearance section; there may be something there. (Probably once you figure out the saddle model that works best for you.)

Once you have the width, there is still a fair bit of difference between the different Specialized models. I find the Romin uncomfortable (but this is a favorite for many), but the Toupe works for me on the road bike (for up to 6hrs, anyway; it is a hard saddle) and the Phenom is great for all-day, everyday comfort. There is also a difference in feel between the different levels within the same saddle shape. Maybe Spokes has a loaner program?

I got rid of my extra saddles, but I bet there are enough spares on the forum to also make an ad hoc loaner program.

Finally, these saddles are being sold used all the time around here. Check CL or the FB group. Obviously if you plan to use return policy, that won’t be the best place to start.

[rcannon100]

Check also Phoenix Bikes and Velocity in Del Ray. They have bins of used parts. You may want to ultimately buy a new one – but you could get a cheap one used and ride it for an extended period to see if you like it.

[GovernorSilver]

Thanks guys. I noticed several Specialized saddle models on closeout at Spokes. I’ll go in for the sit bone measurement and go from there.

Today is my non-riding day so my rear end gets a break. For BTWF I’ll ride the Uptown 8 with my thinly lined riding shorts. I’ll also ride it to Tour De Fat on Saturday. If my perineal area is still sore, then maybe I just have to HTFU. If the soreness is reduced then it’s the Renegade saddle for sure.

[ian74]

Those short people test riding blues….

So, I sold off tons of old stuff lying around and now I’ve nudged my budget way up that any of the bikes that were previously out of my range are no longer!

I’ve been at shops test riding. I love all the bikes. I’ve rode the Surly 650b straggler, the Salsa Vaya, Salsa Marrakesh and they were all great. I really dig the Marrakesh the most, but a heavy tourer for long distance commuting might not be the best choice. There are some Kona bikes though I was looking at. Nice thing, Bicycle Space seems to stock a fair amount of 50-52 bikes for me to test out. However many other shops I notice don’t. I wanted to try a Kona Sutra, Kona Rove ST, but a couple of the Kona dealers I’ve been to in the area just either aren’t stocking the Sutra, or Rove ST. Or if they do, it’s not in my size.

Also weighing in on the Volagi Viaje too, Bikenetic had a 57 in stock and I saw it yesterday. Lustworthy for sure, and probably the lightest steel bike I’ve picked up yet. But too big. I hate to buy a bike without test riding, but one of those bikes might be better. Has anyone just bought the bike without the test ride and hoped for the best? Or have you always bought a bike you’ve ridden in a shop?

I get the practicality of not stocking every bike in every size, but sometimes, being on the short end of things can be a real drag.

[KayakCyndi]

@ian74 140185 wrote:

Those short people test riding blues….

I’ve been at shops test riding.

Also weighing in on the Volagi Viaje too, Bikenetic had a 57 in stock and I saw it yesterday. Lustworthy for sure, and probably the lightest steel bike I’ve picked up yet. But too big. I hate to buy a bike without test riding, but one of those bikes might be better. Has anyone just bought the bike without the test ride and hoped for the best? Or have you always bought a bike you’ve ridden in a shop?

I get the practicality of not stocking every bike in every size, but sometimes, being on the short end of things can be a real drag.

Between eminva and me we could probably get you on a Viaje in the “right” size. I’ve got a 53. She has the 50. What do you want to try?

[GovernorSilver]

@ian74 140185 wrote:

Also weighing in on the Volagi Viaje too, Bikenetic had a 57 in stock and I saw it yesterday. Lustworthy for sure, and probably the lightest steel bike I’ve picked up yet. But too big. I hate to buy a bike without test riding, but one of those bikes might be better.

I wonder if it’s the same one I test rode last fall – a red 57 w/ SRAM drivetrain. It was theoretically oversized for me too, but it was such a sweet ride, smoothing out the bumps on the neighborhood roads that were being resurfaced like no other bike, except the 2015 Renegade Expert that was also at the shop. Surprisingly comfortable despite it supposedly being too big.

I have a Renegade now because I couldn’t say no to the sale price that Proteus had during their Small Business Saturday sale. That and the Viaje were my top two favorites out of all the test rides.

[hozn]

@ian74 140185 wrote:

Has anyone just bought the bike without the test ride and hoped for the best? Or have you always bought a bike you’ve ridden in a shop?

I test rode bikes when I bought my first adult bike. And I did try out my first road bike for a couple weeks before deciding to buy it. Since then I have bought all my bikes (well, frames) without test riding them. (4 mountain bikes, 3 road bikes, 1 commuter/cx)

A few observations:
– I have gotten fit wrong both when test riding and when buying blind.
– I don’t buy complete bikes so really it is just a question of frame geometry which is quite quantifiable.
– While the frame plays a role in how a bike feels (besides fit), I think the saddle, wheels, and cockpit setup are at least as important.
– I know pretty precisely what size frame is comfortable right now; comfort changes depending on fitness and aspirations. I have seen it swing one way now and pretty sure I will sill be riding when the pendulum starts swinging back [to taller head tubes, etc.].

It sounds like you will have no problem finding a Viaje to test, so probably the above is irrelevant!

[rcannon100]

@ian74 140185 wrote:

Has anyone just bought the bike without the test ride and hoped for the best? Or have you always bought a bike you’ve ridden in a shop?.

You know the scene in the Godfather with the horse head in the bed……. yeah…….. I came home from work one birthday…… and there was a Green Bike sticking out of the bed on the pillow.

While the Family-Mafia got it right – I did have to confront The Godmother at one point and ask her if she knew how insane she was to buy me a bike that I had never ridden or even seen.

But I mean, what was I gonna do?? Refuse the bike??

[TwoWheelsDC]

I think I’ve test ridden about 50% of the bikes I’ve owned and never had a problem. One bike I had to swap in a shorter stem, and I’ve almost always swapped out stock saddles, but I’ve never gotten on a bike I bought without a test ride and thought “this just doesn’t work.” I think I’m not particularly sensitive to fit changes though, so it just depends on how particular your body is. As long as I get within my usual size range (545-550mm ETT), I’m fine (so far).

[huskerdont]

I must be like TwoWheels in that I seem to be comfortable with a wide range of bike geometries and sizes because, while I like to test ride, I have bought a few frames online and they have always worked out fine, although if in doubt I’ll buy larger rather than smaller. I usually ride a 58, but could do a 56 in a pinch, and I even test rode and bought a Bianchi in a 61. (In the end I sold that after a few hundred miles to get a lower center of gravity off-road.) My old Felt was a bit long for me and I got a shorter stem, but I think that’s the only one I haven’t just raised or lowered the saddle on.

I have test ridden bikes that were too small for me though and been put off by that. Something about being cramped on a bike doesn’t feel right, whereas having one larger than needed mostly feels comfortable.

[ian74]

@KayakCyndi 140187 wrote:

Between eminva and me we could probably get you on a Viaje in the “right” size. I’ve got a 53. She has the 50. What do you want to try?

Thanks for the offer Cyndi! Based on what I’m riding now and the geometry on the Volagi site, the 53 might be a good fit for me. Then again, I might be completely riding a bike too big for me (I’m 5’4). I test road a 50 once (Bianchi that I have now) and it felt kind of cramped.

[KayakCyndi]

@ian74 140246 wrote:

Thanks for the offer Cyndi! Based on what I’m riding now and the geometry on the Volagi site, the 53 might be a good fit for me. Then again, I might be completely riding a bike too big for me (I’m 5’4). I test road a 50 once (Bianchi that I have now) and it felt kind of cramped.

Let’s meet up for you to test my 53 Viaje. We’ll see how that fits. If too big we can try to get you on a 50. I’ll probably be on it Thursday and Friday. Live in Falls Church and commute into DC. Message me and we can coordinate.

[vvill]

I haven’t had too many issues riding different bikes or buying sight-unseen either. I think the main thing is to get the saddle height right, as my knees are my most sensitive part to different sizes.

I keep a spreadsheet with my various bikes’ geos so I can get an idea of what I feel most comfortable on, and I’m average sized/proportioned enough to be well within the common ranges of mass produced bikes. I’ve ridden ETTs from 535mm to at least 550mm (more on MTBs) and been fine on those.

The two bikes I tend to feel a bit odd on are my Wabi (which can feel a tad aggressive despite being a road-not-track geo) and my MTB (which is a modern 29er MTB geo, something I rarely ride). If the Wabi wasn’t a fixed gear I’d try a different saddle, but I like the softer padding of the one I have compared to my go-to saddle (Romin 155), even though it’s a bit narrow for me. I think it’s the low stack (which isn’t listed) but from a basic calculation it seems even less than my main road bike.

Come to think of it the only bikes I’ve really test ridden at all were ~2 mins on my Polygon endurance road bike, maybe 5 mins on my Ridgeback/Genesis flat-bar road bike and the only significant one: at least 15 mins on the Kona Jake. I did test ride a Raleigh RXS before I bought mine but it was a different size.

[Tania]

@ian74 140185 wrote:

I wanted to try a Kona Sutra, Kona Rove ST, but a couple of the Kona dealers I’ve been to in the area just either aren’t stocking the Sutra, or Rove ST. Or if they do, it’s not in my size.

Also weighing in on the Volagi Viaje too, Bikenetic had a 57 in stock and I saw it yesterday. Lustworthy for sure, and probably the lightest steel bike I’ve picked up yet. But too big. I hate to buy a bike without test riding, but one of those bikes might be better. Has anyone just bought the bike without the test ride and hoped for the best? Or have you always bought a bike you’ve ridden in a shop?

I’ve got a 2016 Rove ST in S/M that you can try. I’m almost 5’5″ if I stand up straight and inhale deeply.

[Author]

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