On 24 Feb, 03:04, Earl Grey <earlg...@gmail.com> wrote: > I set up my Sam with higher drop bars than any bike I have owned since > 1991 (i.e., bars appreciably higher than saddle) :), and Sunday, > before a 150km O24O (O as in over), I raised them some more, maxing > out the cable housing as I had cut it. Note to future bike builders, > don't go for the "perfect" housing length from the bars if you think > you might raise the bars in the future. Part of the rationale was just > trying it, and part of it was a persistent mild pain in my shoulder > that I DON'T feel while riding, but hey, it's worth experimenting... > > To make a long story short, raising your bars before a big (for me) > ride is not necessarily the smart thing to do, as I got the worst > saddle sores of my life despite generous preventative application of > A&D ointment. The saddle sores were much farther back than any of the > previous trouble spots I have had, making me think that I was riding > on skin that had never before felt the tough love embrace of a still > not quite broken-in B-17. > > So, changing bar height doesn't just change things for your back and > wrists, but your butt as well (duh). I attribute most of the > discomfort to the side-effects of the breaking-in period of the > rearward portion of my "Sitzfleisch", though the phenomenon that the > higher the bars, the more weight falls on your butt, can't be > completely dismissed as a contributing factor. > > Why in praise of drop bars? I finished the last 30-40km of the ride > almost entirely in the hooks, moving the pressure points forward > enough to make the sensation just slightly unpleasant, rather than > painful. Okay, yes, I could have lowered the bars, too, since I have a > quill stem, of course, but the revelation to me here is that regular > change of hand positions on drop bars may help prevent saddle sores by > moving the saddle hotspots around, in addition to preventing wrist, > neck, and back discomfort.
Only ever saddle soreness I had was due to using a saddle too narrow (Turbo). No actual skin breakage or boils. I attribute this to proper cleansing of the area before riding, leaving coal tar/ tea tree soap on for two minutes before scrubbing off with a flannel. Every time a I take a drink or food I consider whether a change of position could be utilised. It does not need to be better suited, as it is to alter the utilisation of the shoulders mostly. A B17 is not a thick saddle so should be good after a single long ride. The front of the nose should be level with the top of the rear frame (never lower). You could try upping it's moisture content by stuffing a damp cloth underneath and wrapping one on top then closing a polythene bag over it for a day. If you dont settle in after 1/2 hour then you've likely got the wrong saddle or some deep set boils. Use olive or almond oil after hot bathing daily for a couple of weeks and you may release them. Acetone breaks down sebaceous plugs, use this between oil/bathing applications. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
