Jay — Thanks for the intensive descriptors above! I'm in humid Virginia and sweat easily. I get glued to the saddle in the summer time.
I ride leather saddles, Brooks B17 and Berthoud Aspin. When I wear cotton shorts they get soaked through with sweat and stick to the saddle, seriously inhibiting my ability to slide around and get comfortable. I also have difficulty sliding around in nylon shorts (including Patagonia and the Rivendell MUSA shorts). The most comfortable for me have been 100% wool cycling shorts (Kucharik, Giordana, Sergal) or synthetic bib shorts (Ground Effect, Boure). Both are great when it's hot and humid but I prefer the bibs in the summer. They stay up better when they get soaked. Have you tried to lubricate? A little lubrication goes a long way. There are some cycling-specific lubes out there but for my money you can't go wrong with pure coconut oil. I get a $10 jar of organic, virgin, unrefined. Using it just for cycling, it'll last for a super long time. Inexpensive, food-grade, a little anti-microbial and you don't have to worry about the presence of any petroleum. I keep it in the house so it doesn't go to its liquid state. I scoop a dab with my fingers and rub it on my inner thighs, my butt and my chest (to prevent chafing from the bibs). Any friction points. It works really, really well! If I'm wearing my Bedrock sandals for a ride or a long walk I'll also put some on the tops of my feet and it's a huge help in preventing sores and abrasions from my sandal straps. Your mileage may vary, Eric On Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 8:49:34 PM UTC-4 Jay wrote: > Thanks! I'm 6'0 and 160. Funny thing is when I measure sit bones with a > bike fitter, sitting on some gel thing, they're not that wide (they tell me > a 145-155mm saddle width is fine, so maybe 125mm sit bone width?, but > that's when I was riding only road, with bars 5-10cm below my saddle. My > Salsa Fargo with swept back bars is completely different. Plus, when I get > some 'irritation' on the backside, I can see where the fiction is via red > spots (TMI, I know) and seems a lot further apart than say 125mm. I think > the wider Berthoud might work for me, at least with the Fargo. I would > like to ride with wool underwear (seams no where near sit bones), and just > some shorts/pants. This isn't comfortable with the C17. > > On Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 7:23:27 PM UTC-4 Nick Payne wrote: > >> On Monday, 16 June 2025 at 1:31:07 am UTC+10 Jay wrote: >> >> Curios @Nick whether you're a big guy or not? I ask because the width of >> Bethoud saddles is wider than B17, and a lot wider than Berthoud model one >> width less in their lineup. >> >> >> I'm 5'10" and ~140lbs, so not large. However, I've always liked wide >> saddles. I tried a Brooks Swift (which I think is their narrowest model) >> about 25 years ago, and found it rather uncomfortable, whereas the wider >> saddles have always agreed with me. When I was racing, and didn't want the >> weight of a leather saddle, I used to use women's racing saddles, as >> they're wider than those intended for men... >> >> Nick Payne >> > -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/248aa057-7ff2-4712-a825-a09037de994bn%40googlegroups.com.
