Just got the wife a "new to her" mountainbike

[Indiana Dave]

It's a 1999 Schwinn Moab. In pretty much showroom condition. Guess this is still a very popular bike, and looks well equipped even by todays standards.
The only thing she said about it is the "seat sucks". It's nice because it's coordinated to the bike, but it is hard as a rock.
What seats do you women like? I know every butt is different.
She's 5"-8" and will be about 130lbs once all the post-baby weight is back off. She doesn't have a boney butt, but doesn't have a lot of cushion either. LOL
Hope that makes sense.
I've got a WTB Pure V sitting in my spare parts box that is like new I'm going to let her try out.
I have no problem spending some cash on a great seat if it means getting her out riding with us.

[chuckdlou]

it's not so much the saddle itself but the position and the bike fit...don't get in the revolving door of buying parts to alleviate pain, have her fit...i've had pelvic pain solved by a different length stem, or sometimes as little as raising or lowering the stem...there's also the fore/aft position and tilt of the saddle itself......a good fit will be comparable to the cost of two new saddles and way less headache than a wife with a sore crotch...check with jonathan or tania at bluegrass bicycle

[tjuillerat]

Start with making sure the bike fits first...  if she's still having issues then the best option is to start having her test ride on different saddles.  Also, make sure she has a GOOD PAIR OF BIKE SHORTS!  Don't skimp on these...
 
Feel free to have her contact me... tania <at> sub-9 dot com or tania <at> bluegrassbicyclecompany dot com.
 
Happy to give her tips and help her out!
 
Cheers,
~Tania
www.bluegrassbicyclecompany.com

[Indiana Dave]

Tania,
I'd love to get you alone with her. Talking to you, and hearing how mountainbiking has changed your life makes me SO want to get her out on the trails with me. The bike is a 17" frame, so I think it's a good size. I've got a pile of stems and bars to play with also.
I'll see if I can get her in touch with you.
With a new baby in the house, it seems to dominate her mind though.
She actually is the one who went and looked at the bike, and brought it home though. (after I initially spotted it and looked it over)
As far as paying for a fitting, I know she won't go for that at this point. I can get her pretty close myself. If she gets more serious, I'll see about getting a professional fitting done.

[tjuillerat]

Hey Dave!

Hope things are going well with the new kiddo!

So I know you say your wife won't go for spending the money on a fit and that you can "get her close enough", but nothing will turn a woman away from cycling like seat issues!   As someone who has seen (time after time) these poor women put onto bikes that are improperly fit I can tell you, that if you want to keep her riding, than keeping her pain free is a MAJOR STEP!  ;-)

Maybe for a Mother's Day present you get her the Abridged Fit from us (only $125).   You could easily spend that on a new saddle alone, but if the fit is incorrect, then a new seat isn't going to matter.  Please don't make her suffer! 

If she (and you) are serious about her riding it is definitely something you should consider - whether with me or someone else.  There is not a single person on this forum or any other that is going to be able to tell her what saddle will work.  It's all personal preference  but it all means nothing if it's not setup correctly in the first place.  When it comes to proper bike fit.. MILLIMETERS MATTER!


And since our fit studio is in our home or hours are extremely flexible... just fyi!

[Indiana Dave]

I know... As much as I'd like to think she's going to be riding a lot with me, I somehow think it'll end up occasionally riding around town or on the bike path.
I'm hoping to bring her down to the womens clinic with us, even though there are no spots left in the beginners group. At least, maybe being around other women, and talking to them, and seeing our girls riding with new friends there might give her a little motivation.

[tjuillerat]

Here is a Meetup group that we have...  I'd say 80% of the women on here are casual riders (and mostly mom's!) and she's welcome to join us any time she'd like!  We don't have any regular rides going (yet), but on occasion someone will post something and it will just happen to fit into your schedule.


http://www.meetup.com/Womens-Mountain-Biking/


We'd love for her to join us!


And she's always welcome to email me directly if she has any questions... no charge for talking bikes, that's for sure! ;-D


Put her in touch.  And hopefully we'll see you both at the women's clinic, if not before!


Take care.
~Tania


tania@sub-9.com
317-413-0624