# Let The Upgradeitis Begin



## RicKaysen (Mar 19, 2011)

Picked up my Domane 4.3 this past weekend. All the common upgrades are planned, but I'm still getting used to a road bike after years on a 6 series mountain bike. I feel very unstable much of the time and the brake handle position isn't very intuitive for me. That and I seriously need to invest in some padded shorts for my bony rear end.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

"All the common upgrades", will only net you lost money. You have a decent enough bike as is. About the only thing maybe worth replacing are the wheels.

Be happy with what you have, and ride more (lots)


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## RicKaysen (Mar 19, 2011)

I wasn't planning on going nuts. I want the Bontrager bluetooth unit for the frame and wheels are on the table although the number of choices is daunting. First thing to go are the noob pedals.


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

Ride it for a week or two to see whether your ass likes the Affinity saddle. I had a lot of miles under mine when I bought a new Madone last year, and that Buttraper ass hatchet lasted less than two weeks. :lol:


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

The saddle was the first thing to go on my Domane - it might have been a week before I had another one ordered. If it works for you great, if not start there to improve your overall riding experience.


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## RicKaysen (Mar 19, 2011)

Srode said:


> The saddle was the first thing to go on my Domane - it might have been a week before I had another one ordered. If it works for you great, if not start there to improve your overall riding experience.


Did my first long(er) ride today. Lapped Central Park, then uptown to cross the George Washington bridge and into New jersey...after the return trip back to my upper west side apartment, my rear was screaming for a gel saddle


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

RicKaysen said:


> Did my first long(er) ride today. Lapped Central Park, then uptown to cross the George Washington bridge and into New jersey...after the return trip back to my upper west side apartment, my rear was screaming for a gel saddle


If you are new to riding, it may not be the saddle, might be you just need to get your rear conditioned to riding - that can take a couple months. For me the saddle fit problem was pressure on the perineum.


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## RicKaysen (Mar 19, 2011)

Srode said:


> If you are new to riding, it may not be the saddle, might be you just need to get your rear conditioned to riding - that can take a couple months. For me the saddle fit problem was pressure on the perineum.


The pain I feel is from pressure on the ischial bones. I just don't have enough padding there. Rode a MTB for years as mentioned in my original post, but that didn't seem to be as much of a problem.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

Being saddle sore for the first few days of riding is not uncommon. 
Give it some time. 

If it doesn't start getting better in a week or two, then you can start looking for a different seat. Some people have mentioned that seats with lots of padding may in fact be worse than seats with no padding.


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## softreset (Sep 10, 2013)

My general rule of thumb to customers when they come in our shop: 'Less is more' with regards to padding. If you're going for short, flat rides in shorts than a big, pillowy, gel saddle is fine. But the longer the ride, typically the less padding you want.

Now... investing in a really nice pair of shorts/bibs, that's a worthwhile investment.

By the way, the DuoTrap on the Domane is ANT+ friendly (not Bluetooth). If you want Bluetooth you'll need to go the route of a aftermarket/third party module.

Enjoy the new ride!


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

RicKaysen said:


> The pain I feel is from pressure on the ischial bones. I just don't have enough padding there. Rode a MTB for years as mentioned in my original post, but that didn't seem to be as much of a problem.


Sorry I missed that MTB experience in the OP - it is a different position so still may take some time to adjust. I'd give it a couple weeks like others suggested. Shorts/chamois do make a big difference for me on the ischial bones comfort or lack there of. That said, I do ride with a Romin Evo Comp Gel saddle on 2 of my bikes so I do like the gel on the right saddle. Too much gel can be a bad thing for sure though.


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## Flieger67 (Oct 26, 2013)

My two cents is to maybe consider wheels and possibly a new saddle, but to give some serious thought to getting some good shorts or bibs. Your contact points with the bike are where you should concentrate and from what you're saying, a good pair of shorts or bibs with a quality chamois is well worth your money. Don't short-change yourself by selecting shorts with a thin or poor-fitting chamois but you also don't necessarily need to spend $200-300 for a pair.

As for a saddle, I definitely agree with softreset on not getting a squishy gel saddle if you intend to do any sort of distance riding. That extra padding will be counter-productive in terms of comfort. But after several more rides wit a good pair of cycling shorts/bibs if you still feel that the saddle doesn't fit your body, then consider looking into a replacement saddle.


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