TK asked in the comments of my last blog whether or not they make comfort seats for long rides on a bicycle. The answer is yes and no. Yes, they do make large padded comfort seats for bicycles, but No, you would never use one for a long ride like LOTOJA. The comfort seats are generally marketed to people that ride slow and for really short distances.
Despite being contrary to what one might consider common sense, it's actually better to have a really small seat on a long ride. The difference between a bicycle and a motorcycle is that, on a bicycle, you actually need to move your legs to pedal. A large seat actually inhibits this action. In addition, there are large arteries that pump blood through your crotch area to your legs. Small seats are designed to avoid placing any pressure on these arteries. A poorly designed seat can actually make your legs go numb after 20 miles.
That's not to say that really small seats are "comfortable" by any stretch of the imagination. But after a 50 mile ride your butt is much less likely to be in agonizing pain on small seat than it would be on a large "comfort" seat.
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2 comments:
Interesting. You have so much bike butt expertise. :)
Thanks for answering my question. Interesting.
Also, FYI - even though I saw earlier that you had written this blog, it's taken me nearly 24 hours to connect to it - whatever that means! I thought maybe your site was just too busy to let me in! :)
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