geraldooka profile

Mike, I am really glad you're writing for NSMB. I dig your stuff.

Nah not that personal :) I have measured them at about 120mm. Discomfort was at the sit bones for sure I have luckily been spared other more male specific issues for the most part but I can't remember the last time I have ridden a saddle that didn't have some sort of divot or hole down the centre. I got the 60x in the hopes that it would resolve the steep STA on a very expensive hardtail frame that I otherwise love but since my interests now lie in less driving to trails and more riding to them that steep STA sucks, badly.

How much of a difference in angle (or saddle nose to BB setback) would you say the 60x "corrects" for you? The aforementioned hardtail I have is an actual 75.5deg static and at sag is pushing nearly 77. My acceptable saddle nose to BB setback is in the 30-50mm range with a WTB Pure, I'm feeling real comfy at 45.

Fully on board with the saddle library and I can appreciate how much of a pain in the butt it would be to manage successfully.

Yup, just did the same thing, custom full suspension in my case but ya its so nice having a bike I can ride anywhere that still performs on trails too and I live in the steep and Chucky BC.

Love the SQ Lab 30x bars but I swore I'd never try another SQ Lab saddle after using a 611 Active on a bike packing trip. I eventually nicknamed it Sven and Sven wasn't very nice to me... Since then I went through 5 billion or so saddles looking for my unicorn and found it mostly in the WTB Pure Team (with the exception of the very short saddle rails). I also recently tried a Ergon Core (same bouncy infinergy material) its pretty nice too so much so I'm looking at some of their e specific saddles now, why? Because they have this big curve on the back and while they tout it as being advantageous to motorbikes I can see it being super helpful for geared bikes too. As for SQ Lab I did get one on your recommendation Andrew,  a 60x for a steep SA bike, but it didn't help (and its still not terribly comfortable) I'd love to understand the mechanism of how it has resolved the issues for you.

Have 3 of the original design in active use the first one an early model had the original gasket design that was prone to air leakage which they replaced at no cost, no questions with the redesigned one. Since then I haven't had any issues with any of them and they must be 6+ years old now... One key maintenance change I would recommend to anyone is to clean and lube the stanchion of the post only DO NOT remove the collar every time you do this its simply not necessary. Faster, simpler and may put less wear and tear on the gasket since I have not had a leaking post in years and they just keep working well. The posts are super smooth, simple and cheap to service when needed and reliable.

By contrast a OneUp post arrived with a crap ton of wobble in the head like old school dropper wobble... For another bike that required an external cable I picked up a PNW post and that thing is so clunky and loud in operation its almost embarrassing to use in public. The KS on my sons bike simply stops working if the seat post clamp is at a tightness level required to keep up an adult sized human (thankfully he's not yet). Finally $300 to service a Reverb?

Clever phone pouch design! I have a couple of these from other brands but they are both awkward in use requiring two hands to operate. For those riding areas where I am less familiar with the trails it was useful to have the phone on hand I ride packless now but if my backpacking bag didn't already have a should pouch I'd want one of these for sure.

This. With one exception (silly Shimano brake lever adjustment) my old Lyzene v10 multitool has the things anyone would typically need is tiny and barely weighs anything. Throw in a tubeless repair kit (mod one from a hardware store they are the same but much, much cheaper) a chainlink, a tire lever (still running my fave Michelin) couple zip ties, couple stick on patches for bigger holes, a spare valve core and some duct tape wrapped around the plug tool handle and your good to go for a fraction the cost and searching to find the right bike mounted tool, plus bonus its easy to swap from bike to bike.

I've always appreciated the thoroughness of your content and commitment to your audience Andrew.

Yes ball ends are the one! Fair enough, I haven't had that experience but as the sole bike mechanic in the house (though I am trying to teach my teenage son) my sample size is me and as a former finish carpenter/cabinet maker I'm good with delicate :)

As a fairly committed DIYer I need mores tools as my father used to say “like I need another hole in my head” I did previously use tools for earning a living so I have some excuse for the overflowing capacity :) but those Knipex how did I miss those?

My peg board wall that used to hold more carpentry oriented tools has had to share space with more bike oriented tools over the past several years if I had to pick a few stand out faves they would be:

- The big (I believe) 24” breaker bar that single tool has saved much frustration and I suspect prevented injury or damage to fancy bikes

- Round head hex keys should be the standard for anything bike

- Various sizes and shapes of aluminum or hardwood drifts in combination with a large wood mallet solve many problems effectively and safely

I'd say tru to size in waist.

Posted by: fartymarty

Posted by: earleb

I run the og Soma Dream bars on my Kona Ute E-cargo bike. Comfy for round town cruising. Too much sweep for me to ride technical terrain. 

There is also the Dream Lowdown bar now. 20 backsweep and just 25mm rise. I'd like to build a flat bar gravel bike around these. More sweep than my Hunter's but less sweep than my Dream's. 

https://www.somafab.com/archives/product/dream-lowdown-riser-bar 

Have you tried a SQ16 (Aluminium)?  If so how does it compare flex wise to the Hunter?

Thanks for the notes on the Soma.

I've run both the Hunter is smoother but not by much. I consider both to be in the "comfort camp" of my parts bin.

Posted by: Taz123

Does anyone have first-hand info on the "Forbemk" amazon pants - aka Commencal pants? Looking for a backup pair and curious about quality and sizing.

We got a couple too, they are decent. Very stretchy and comfortable. I thought I'd have an issue with the lack of belt loops but it hasn't manifested in any problems while riding. I would agree with the previously mentioned tight ankles and overall the cut is a little longer than I'd like for my size. For the price compared to most I'd buy again.

The light/reflector/lens design of Dionette lights is leagues better over other ones I’ve tried from Gemini, Light & Motion etc. similar to Vik mine are the XML3 and I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to just get new batteries for them. The little Gemini duo I have does the job and it’s a great helmet light because of it diminutive size but the light quality is terrible in comparison to the XML3 and it many years younger.

Posted by: Ziggy

In the instructions I received with my catalyst pedals the designer of the pedals James Wilson suggests the need for the saddle to come down 2-3cm and forward. That said fit is a tricky elusive beast and I suspect most of us are less than optimized. No surprise two people landed on two different solutions. I wish there was more science and less expensive trial and error we all end up going through.

It makes sense that that would be the thing to do. Surprised it’s by that much something like that could for sure mitigate steeper angle issues.

Ok bringing it back to pedals. Here is a great example of two riders testing out the same Catalyst pedal and needing to adjust fit as a result in completely opposite ways:

Skyler reviewed them for Bikepacking.com here: https://bikepacking.com/gear/pedaling-innovations-catalyst-review/

Cycloscope review here (unsure of the author): https://cycloscope.net/catalyst-pedals-pedaling-innovation-review

Skyler suggested that the pedal necessitating its design intent of a mid foot pedalling position would logically result in a slacker effective seat angle and that it may be necessary on some bike to move the saddle forward. Ok makes sense…

Cycloscope suggested the exact opposite to the degree that the author installed a set back seat post to accommodate the fit change (and a longer stem). They described the issue as reducing reach, and they felt like they needed to increase the length of the bike…

Go figure.

Posted by: Ziggy

This is a little left field- I’ve found that using pedaling innovations catalyst pedals effectively slackens seat tube due to how the foot is placed forward on the pedal. This review from bikepacking.com does a good job of explaining https://bikepacking.com/gear/pedaling-innovations-catalyst-review/. Edit- just went back to OP and noticed that mid-foot pedaling might not work.

This is a good tip and I appreciate you referencing the OP! I do find that having a different pedal can help with comfort for sure. On the steepest bike I run the large convex shaped OneUps which really suit a more forward foot. My other concave shaped pedal the RF Atlas definitely prefer a more traditional forefoot placement. Longer or convex shaped pedals can mitigate steeper angles for sure.

However a phenomenon that until these steeper angles I had not experienced before is the occasional slipping off the pedal entirely usually this happens in slow moving situations seated when I’m tired and the front wheel drops into a hole I did not notice and the bike comes to a sudden stop. It may be the OneUps or a combination of me already being more forward and the convex shape.

Posted by: Kenny

My opinion is the bike industry sometimes latches on to something "cool" and just carpet bombs their entire product range with the feature, regardless of if it's actually appropriate for the different use cases.

Yup. As previously mentioned If your north of 30"ish inseam I suspect these steeper angles (at least on full suspension bikes) may now be just right. I suspect however that had longer chainstays been the first thing to come along ahead of steep seat angles the benefits of steep seat angles would not be so obvious.  I'm not saying I love long chainstays (for other reasons) but they do "add traction" to the front end and mitigate wheel lift which is often cited as a benefit of steeper seat angles. 

And I agree with your description of moving the BB behind you or the seat in front. It will unavoidably rotate the rider when they are seated (which is the whole point of this thread) around the BB tilting them forward. I just don't know how other folks have been able to accommodate this change for door to trail (i.e. flat traverse) riding in a way that doesn't screw too badly with on trail riding. Well I know some now thanks to this thread.

Posted by: Vikb

When you are in full send mode it's unlikely I could get a reasonably clear profile shot given my meager photo gear. At least you are riding a sweet bike. 👌

Both true statements ;-)

That’s the gnarliest terrain photo you could find of me!? Well at least I’m in plaid. 🤷‍♂️