I haven’t been on the bike enough recently. I’ve been riding the new folder on short rides, but that’s about it. The month of July was set to be a record mileage month, but not now.
My numb hand is back to normal. I rode the LHT into work today with the stock saddle. My poor Brooks saddle is sagging and causes numbness. The stock saddle wasn’t great, but didn’t cause numbness.
Now that I’ve ridden the LHT almost 40 miles for the day, I know that I still have fit issues. I tweaked the saddle position some, and rotated the handlebars forward. I’m going to ride again tomorrow and see how much improvement there is.
Not riding to work causes me stress. It’s weird. I drove to work every day for many years. I even had a hellish 35-mile one-way commute for a couple of years. Yet I felt that sitting in the car with creature comforts made it okay. I don’t feel that way anymore. I don’t like throwing away money on gas, parking, and car maintenance. I don’t like gaining weight.
I do like the fresh air, sunrise, weather (except headwinds), adrenaline rush, and the overall alive feeling I get when riding my bike to work. It gives me something to look forward to twice a day.
Interestingly enough, I was noticing that my commutes have NOT been much fun recently. It’s just been too hot. I don’t mind riding in the heat, but I don’t like being sweaty when I show up at work, and again when I get home.
Have you tried tensioning your Brooks? I have had sagging problems with mine as well, that are leaving me wondering what I should do with it. I might end up going with a non-leather saddle (gasp!). I love my Brooks, but it’s been trouble lately. Let me know if you figure anything out.
I have to admit that the feeling when finishing a bike commute is often better than during the commute. Traffic can be stressful at times.
My Brooks has sagged pretty badly. I need to try to lace it. Just adjusting the tension isn’t going to be enough.
I’m currently using the WTB saddle that came with the bike. I don’t love it, but it doesn’t make anything numb either.
Whether I fix my Brooks, or buy another, I need to quit getting it wet. I just couldn’t bring myself to ride it while covered in a plastic grocery bag, but if I’m going to use a leather saddle, I may need to get over that.