I disagree with the previous statement. I've done many century rides in good quality (Assos) lyrca kit on a number of saddles. Usually around the 60 mile mark I'll start to get a bit sore. By the end of the ride, it's a constant dull ache. Doesn't matter if I use different brand of bibs/chamois, saddles, etc.
Last summer I did three long rides in a row (180km, 130km and 110km back to back) in the thinnest merino boxers and cotton shorts I could find. I was next to naked. Riding on a B17 Special that was only a few months old. My body felt fantastic the whole way, except for one section of trail filled with hidden gopher holes...ouch. I was amazed. I think the key to comfort definitely hinges on selecting the 'right' clothes and saddle, but what is 'right' does not ever *have* to be lycra/cycling kit. Nothing wrong with riding in that stuff, I do it all the time too. However, I've ridden 100km rides in Levi's and leather boots, felt fine. On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 9:52:58 AM UTC-6, Steve Palincsar wrote: > > On 02/25/2015 10:30 AM, Will wrote: > > so... was all that discomfort related clothes... or related to position on > bike? > > > Clothes. Cycling shoes eliminate foot pressure, cycling shorts have > padding and no seams to create pressure ridges. The following year with no > changes other than clothing I did my first century in comfort. > > Also, I did not mention because it wasn't a critical factor in that > failure, but comparing lycra jerseys with cotton T shirts in hot and humid > conditions such as metro-DC area summers, it's clear that lycra is far > cooler and more comfortable. > > The longer distances you ride and the more difficult conditions, in > general the more clothing specific to the sport benefits you. > > That's not to say it's absolutely essential: on the first century I did > complete, there was a kid who ride the whole thing barefoot on rat trap > pedals. Don't ask me how, my feet would have been raw meat. > > > > > On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 8:53:57 AM UTC-6, Steve Palincsar > wrote: >> >> On 02/25/2015 09:41 AM, Will wrote: >> > Why do you need to wear special clothes to ride? Not arguing, just >> > curious. I've been riding for about 50 years. Newspaper bikes as a >> > before teenage years, then Raleigh racers in college. Shorts and tee >> > shirt have always worked for me. What's the advantage of bike shop >> > attire? >> >> I will never forget the first time I tried to ride a century. It was >> 1973, and I had a P15 Paramount. I was wearing a T shirt, BVDs, cut off >> denim jeans for shorts, some kind of sneakers and no gloves. By the end >> of the ride I had branded into my memory the true meaning of the Johnny >> Cash song "Ring of Fire" -- blazing lines of pain on my backside from >> the seams on both underwear and denim shorts, parallel grooves of pain >> in my feet where the edges of the pedals had transmitted their pressure >> through the soles of my sneakers. My hands felt as though they were on >> fire as well. Every 10 miles or so I'd stop and lie down on the ground >> and try to will the agony away, but by mile 75 I realized I'd been >> wishing a dog would run out in front of me so I could crash and just lay >> down on the pavement. At that point I stopped and waited for the SAG >> wagon. It's the only time I've ever SAGged back from a century. >> >> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com > <javascript:>. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
