Tag: comfort

March 15th – With the good weather comes the rash of new bike commuters. Spotted in the shed at Telford, this curious, new looking steed: a Dawes Haarlem commuter bike. Aimed at the female market, huge front basket, step through frame, chain guard, carrier and three speed Sturmey Archer hub gears. It weighs quite a bit, and the frame welds are hideous. Also surprised at the rim brakes rather than disc or hub roller ones.

The outward curve of the carrier stays bothers me: stop sharp with a heavy load on and they’re pre-shaped to bend unpleasantly.

An odd bike, but someone loves it.

January 11th – I had to go to a meeting in Leicester, and for some reason felt very low for most of the day. My health wasn’t great and I felt grim and lacklustre.

Only one thing for it – comfort food on the way back. I called in a a favourite asian snack shop, and bought the most wonderful dhokla, patra and five small, crunchy samosas. The whole lot was less than £3 and came with various sauces.

They tasted wonderful and got me home feeling better. Sometimes, you just need a bit of soul food.

April 15th – I seem to be going through a mechanical rough patch. It happens, I guess, but it’s frustrating. My bikes are never the cleanest around, but I like to keep them mechanically tip-top. Thus when you have a rash of failures, it can be really disheartening. Following a spate of punctures last week, and the bizarre failure of the crank, yesterday the tension bolt on my saddle snapped, making for an uncomfortable ride home.

I use Brooks saddles – traditional, made in Birmingham, they’re the best thing I’ve found for my bum, and they give years of service. Lauded and hated equally by the cycling community, there are all kinds of myths surrounding Brooks saddles; you need 500 miles to ‘break one in’, they need constant oiling, they’re ruined if you adjust the tension. 

A saddle is a saddle – it either fits your arse or it doesn’t. If a Brooks doesn’t feel nice when you first get on, it’ll never fit you and you’ll hate it forever. But if it does fit, wearing it in will make it fit even better. I oil mine using Proofide once a year. I occasionally nip the tension up a half-turn when it gets a bit hammocky to ride. Again, about once a year.

I have never been as comfy on a bike as I have with a Brooks between me and the miles. I love them. I can ride all day (and often do) and never feel sore on them. But that’s me. 

Always try a saddle before you buy it.

My only criticism of these posterior wonders of comfort is the tension pins are crap. They snap usually at the point where the thread finishes, as this one has. The head fits in a socket at the nose of the saddle, and there’s a nut (not shown) that tightens against a shackle acting against it, and the rails. This takes most of my weight, and fatigues. The threaded part above has been filed to enable me to get the nut off without damaging it’s threads.

Easy enough to replace, this is the second time this pin has broken on this saddle in it’s ten year lifespan. What’s annoying is they’re a cheap £4 replacement, but postage doubles the price. Fortunately, last time this happened, I ordered a spare, too.

I love Brooks saddles. But they ain’t perfect and they’re not for everyone…