# New bike, new road rider, training for century need advice



## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

Well after 12 years on a mtn bike (riding mostly 10-20 mile road rides) I got the bug and bought this, after many weeks going back and forth between CF and AL.

2011 Specialized Allez Comp Frame with E5 Tubing and a Tapered Headtube. 
SRAM Rival Brakes, Casette, Chain, Rear Der., Front Der. and Shifters 
Mavic Aksium Race Wheelset with bladed Spokes 
Specialized Carbon Fiber Seatpost 
Specialized BG Saddle 
Bontrager Race Blade Alloy Bar 
Tru Vativ Stem 
Bontrager Hard Case 700x23C tires

And my first day out I road 35 miles and at about mile 30 the seat post felt like it was about half way up my...yes no fun.

And after a week straight of storms I haven't been able to get back out, except for riding the stationary at the gym.

When I do it again this weekend, will my butt be more adapt to the seat and not hurt as much? Or what saddle do you recommend? 
Oh, I'm 6'3 and 240 with 205 as my goal.


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## vontress (Jul 19, 2009)

I would recommend you find a professional bike fitter. I know it's hard to drop money on fitting but it's important part of getting comfortable. Next, make sure you have good quality shorts. This generally means they aren't cheap. Then find a shop that has a seat demo program. Many times the seats on new bikes are not going to be right for you. Lastly, it will take a little time to toughen up your back side but shouldn't hurt just be uncomfortable.


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

Thanks...this bike wasnt stock and was built up. I did get fitted with a pretty intense measuring and all these gadgets to get the shoes, handle bars, seat height, and pedals all correct. May need to upgrade shorts. Gonna push for 40 or 45 this weekend, we'll see.


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## DesertDoc (Apr 23, 2009)

*Saddle Comfort*

A new saddle may be an option, but more time in the saddle is more likely the answer. I switched to riding road only 2 years ago after 20 years of mountain biking. (I now do both)

My first few rides were tough while I adapted to a new saddle, but recently I forgot bike shorts on a day I needed to ride home from work and as a result I rode about 42 miles with no chamois and did just fine. (My rolled up khakis got a few funny looks)

Part of it is undoubtedly related to body size and fit on the bike as well. I'm also 6'4, but I stay right around 185lbs. A little less torture on the tushy. Stick it out for a few more rides and see how you adapt.


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## jkyle (Apr 12, 2011)

I'd find a distance/time you were comfortable sitting in the saddle for. 

Make that your starting point for the weekly long ride. Each week, increase that distance by about 5 miles (8km). 

Then pick a century that's around 1 to 2 weeks after you'd hit 80 or 85 miles. So, if you started at 35 you can expect to be saddle ready in 2.5 months. 

I'm training for my first century as well and this what I'm doing. It's been working very well. I can feel the extra miles each week, but never get saddle sore enough to keep me from hitting the trails or doing another ride the next day.

I also plinked down for a decent bib. Not a super expensive one, but a mid range (round 150, found it on sale for under 100). Made a world of difference, like night and day.


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## jkyle (Apr 12, 2011)

I'd find a distance/time you were comfortable sitting in the saddle for. 

Make that your starting point for the weekly long ride. Each week, increase that distance by about 5 miles (8km). 

Then pick a century that's around 1 to 2 weeks after you'd hit 80 or 85 miles. So, if you started at 35 you can expect to be saddle ready in 2.5 months. 

I'm training for my first century as well and this what I'm doing. It's been working very well. I can feel the extra miles each week, but never get saddle sore enough to keep me from hitting the trails or doing another ride the next day.

I also plinked down for a decent bib. Not a super expensive one, but a mid range (round 150, found it on sale for under 100). Made a world of difference, like night and day.


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## Cbookman (Jul 2, 2009)

If you're getting pain after the 5-10 mile mark and trying to stick it out, you might need a different saddle. If it's getting progressively worse as the mileage increases then you likely need more seat time. I rode my first century after my previous long ride was 38 miles. Not something I would recommend, but I also smoked for ~14 years before reconnecting with cycling. Shorts/bibs will help a bunch, but I find my sit bones are tender during the early rides in our season, so I try to limit my mileage a bit just to prevent it from becoming too much of an issue (or preventing me from riding). You've been off for a week, so you should be able to tolerate a bit more, but some saddles just bug me after 30 or so miles. 

As for reaching your goal, ride, and ride lots. I would do a metric the weekend before my planned century to make sure I was ok with the saddle time. 30 more miles after that isn't much all things considered. Then take it easy that week, do some light spinning, low intensity rides, etc. That and make sure you eat/drink plenty on the ride. Anything over 40 miles should require a snack to replace calories burned along with a bunch of water.


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## jkyle (Apr 12, 2011)

Cbookman said:


> Anything over 40 miles should require a snack to replace calories burned along with a bunch of water.


My rule of thumb is 45 minutes, after which I consume about 50 calories every 15 minutes. . . round about. Haven't ever bonked since following that regimen.


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

Well after a few weeks of storms and enough rain to fill the ocean, I'm finally back on the road. I've lost 24 lbs over the last couple mths and am now able to ride 35 to 40 miles at a time. I could probalby do more, but with 2 babies at home, time is my biggest enemy. Gonna do 50 soon and then up it to reach my goal of riding a local century.


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## vontress (Jul 19, 2009)

Great job. The weight loss will make it a lot easier. Why don't you make a goal of a metric century first? It seems a natural goal for you.


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## jkyle (Apr 12, 2011)

prowannabe said:


> Well after a few weeks of storms and enough rain to fill the ocean, I'm finally back on the road. I've lost 24 lbs over the last couple mths and am now able to ride 35 to 40 miles at a time. I could probalby do more, but with 2 babies at home, time is my biggest enemy. Gonna do 50 soon and then up it to reach my goal of riding a local century.



Awesome! 

The only word of caution I'd offer is that 24lbs in 2 months is quite aggressive weight loss. Even assuming you dropped a lot up front due to water weight, that kind of loss indicates you're operating at an average daily caloric deficit of over 1200. 

Healthy, and extended, weight loss should put you at a maximum of a 500 caloric deficit per day. The reason being consistent (prolonged) deficits of over 500 calories causes your body to enter starvation mode. 

When that happens, your body significantly reduces its metabolism to increase caloric efficiency. A counterintuitive consequence is that your rate of weight loss decreases or weight gain can even occur at a significantly lower relative calorie consumption. Your energy levels also go way down and you can experience feelings of "burn out" that can work against your cycling consistency.


Anecdotally, this inadvertently happened to me. If I don't track my nutrition I under eat by quite a bit. It seemed I wouldn't drop weight no matter the level of exercise and when I would reach 150-200 miles/week I'd burn out quickly. When I began tracking my nutrition and discovered I was under eating, I actually _increased_ my "normal" calorie consumption by 1,000 or more calories while increasing the rate that I was cutting fat at the same time.

I use Daily Burn to track my nutrition and exercise so I can make sure I'm eating enough and when cutting keep calorie deficits within reason. It's free. There are a lot of other similar applications for free out there if you don't like it.


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

The weight loss is probably closer to 3 or 3.5 months worth with a trip to the gym everyday. My goal this weekend is 4 hours on the bike with a couple or 3 breaks to switch out water and to eat a snack, we'll see. I've got to find a new place to ride, the same old river trails are getting old, aside from the occasional wrecked boat or dock rolling down stream due to the historic flooding here.


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

Well 2 days before the ride and I can't decide between the metric and the century. My longest ride to date is 50 so I should probably do the metric...unless peer pressure gets me on ride day lol. We'll see and I'll post up my results.


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## RichieRichRK (Apr 15, 2010)

Good luck man! I'm also shooting for a century ride this summer! I did the tour de cure about a week ago and that was 50 miles...I felt good enough to do the metric century. I still want to train a bit more though...a century is a long time to be in the saddle....thats the only thing I dread is my ass hurting about 60-70 miles into it. But keep us updated! I'm hoping you do the century because I want to see how it goes for you! Good luck!


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

Same here, if I could sit on a feather pillow I could do the 100 no problem. My legs or lungs are never what make me quit, it's the ass pain. I tried an Adamo split seat early this week, it didn't work out, and now I'm having trouble getting my old seat back to where it was. Went for a 10 mile stroll yesterday and it's not right. Gonna tinker w it today and hopefully get it back for the ride tomorrow.


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## aingeru (Aug 29, 2010)

prowannabe said:


> Well after 12 years on a mtn bike (riding mostly 10-20 mile road rides) I got the bug and bought this, after many weeks going back and forth between CF and AL.
> 
> 2011 Specialized Allez Comp Frame with E5 Tubing and a Tapered Headtube.
> SRAM Rival Brakes, Casette, Chain, Rear Der., Front Der. and Shifters
> ...


1- Check your saddle height.
2- Buy a SELLE SAN MARCO REGAL.


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## aingeru (Aug 29, 2010)

prowannabe said:


> Same here, if I could sit on a feather pillow I could do the 100 no problem. My legs or lungs are never what make me quit, it's the ass pain. I tried an Adamo split seat early this week, it didn't work out, and now I'm having trouble getting my old seat back to where it was. Went for a 10 mile stroll yesterday and it's not right. Gonna tinker w it today and hopefully get it back for the ride tomorrow.



1- Check your saddle height.
2- Buy a SELLE SAN MARCO REGAL.


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## xjbaylor (Dec 28, 2006)

aingeru said:


> 1- Check your saddle height.
> 2- Buy a SELLE SAN MARCO REGAL.


It really isn't that easy. It works great for you, but you have no idea of that saddle will fit the OP.

To the OP, it sounds like you are making great progress. Go conquer the metric century and get that under your belt. Then spend a month or so demoing saddles until you find a good fit. It will happen eventually. From the metric you really only need to add another 20-25 miles before you are prepared for century. 

Heck, you could probably finish the century today, but you don't want to do that on a saddle that is hitting you in the wrong places. It might just be a need to toughen up, or it could be more serious. Better to find out before you spend that long on the saddle.

Congrats on the weight loss, and good luck.


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

Well, this past Saturday was ride day and at the 32 mile mark I opted to ride the metric century instead of the full 100. I finished at 3:59 including 4 stops to refill water bottles and eat something. I could have done the 100 but with no doubt some butt pain. I started getting uncomfortable at about the 55 mile mark on the seat, but my legs and lungs were fine. I finished doing 19-20 mph just like I started but will definitely take more time when I do 100 at my next one. Being inexperienced I rushed through the rest stops and at the same time felt like there were way too many people at each one and crowded.

It was hot, I was amazed at how many people had flat tires along the way. One guy popped a tire and I though someone was shooting at us it was so loud.


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## Buzzard (Sep 7, 2004)

If you can finish 60-70 miles with mild discomfort at that kind of pace, you should be able to power through 100 miles with some moderate discomfort. After you complete your first century, you’ll wonder what the big deal was. Not to diminish the effort, but I think completing the first century is more of a mental block than a physical one.

I always make it a point to rush through the rest stops. Also, I never stop until I reach at least the half-way point in an organized century. Two water bottles and a snack should get you there with little difficulty. If it’s super hot, throw a small bottle in your middle jersey pocket or pit sooner. If you push through, you’ll stay ahead of most of the “riff raff”.

If it sounded like a gunshot, it may have been a blown tire and not simply a tube.

I just started riding with a club. There’s one guy that rides regularly that goes 6’4 or 6’5 and easily 250. He routinely kicks most of the club’s trash – flats or hills.


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## [email protected] (Aug 30, 2007)

When you do the century, slow down a little bit. I've done 6 centuries in the last 3 years and average 17 to 18 MPH (I'm 56 yrs. old and weigh 180) I always feel like I could go faster at the start but I keep it at the easier pace and find that I'm not that tired when I finish. I also find myself passing a lot of riders later in the ride who went zooming by me earlier. When I started riding seriously four years ago, I did a metric century after about 6 months and did an organized 80 mile ride after 10 months. My first century was 2 months later with no problems. I ride about 5,000 miles a year. Pace yourself at the beginning and enjoy it.


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## Norcal_Mike (Sep 25, 2010)

I had a lot of issues with my saddle too as I increased my distance. The chance that you actually have the correct seat would be pure luck, if you didn't do much research before yyou bought it..

My saddle ended up being too narrow (Terry Fly) and I wouldn't notice until about the 35 mile mark.... then it would feel like all my weight was on my "exit" hole. I then got fitted on a Specialiized Assometer (real name) in order to get the right width. 

I then discovered there were 2 basic saddle shapes.... curved and flat. Many people like curved if they are in a pretty aggressive riding position. I tried several of these and they just didn't feel right.. my riding position is somewhere between aggressive and slightly upright.

I ended up, after trying like 6 different saddles, with a very flat, pretty hard saddle (Specialized Toupe). Sure, it's like sitting on a 2 x 4, but it does not feel like its giving me a cavity search and there is very little friction, as there would be with a soft seat. It just took a week or two for my sit bones to toughen up, but that's all that hurt temporarilly.

Good luck and get saddle fitted and pick out the right shape!


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## jrabenaldt (Mar 3, 2008)

It's really all about the seat holding you up in the right place. My road seat is a Specialized Toupe and my MTB seat is a Specialized Phenom. Yes they are minimalist seats but they support just the right places and no pressure on places that shouldn't have pressure. And it did take a while to find the right models.


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## rdblatch (Jul 20, 2011)

I concur on "assometer" and Specialized Toupe. Made a huge difference for me. Just did my first 2 centuries this year and love the saddle.......but you really need to do the "sit test" in your fitting to determine how wide the saddle should be. Also, everything I've read says that more cushioning could potential contribute to chafing, less efficiency, etc. Lots of cushion sounds like a good idea, but it may make things worse. Good luck.


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## Ian45 (Jun 10, 2011)

Yeah I plan on doing my first century as soon as I have time. I have a vacation house that with a few extra miles added will be 100 miles one way. Probably ride over rest a day or two then ride back. Its at the beach so I might not be in a big hurry to ride back. As for the seat I agree with the Toupe. I had a new Brooks Professional on my new bike but had to take it off because it just did not seem right to me on a racing type bike. I got the Toupe with the carbon rails and it is different but still very comfortable. I figured if I could get a light racy seat that my butt could handle that would be great. So far so good. Also not meaning to put down any part of your bike but my experience with the Aksiums that came on my new bike was less that happy. I am 212 pounds and they did not hold me very well. They went out of true on my first ride, the brakes rubbed when turning corners. They were just way to flexy and I did not feel safe on them. Good luck on your first century!


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## jkyle (Apr 12, 2011)

I'm using a Specialized Romin BG saddle right now. Is the Toupe design actually different or the same thing, but a bit lighter? They look very similar. 

I was thinking of trying a Selle Italia SLC Gel Flow if this one is still not comfortable.


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## prowannabe (Apr 12, 2011)

jkyle said:


> I'm using a Specialized Romin BG saddle right now. Is the Toupe design actually different or the same thing, but a bit lighter? They look very similar.
> 
> I was thinking of trying a Selle Italia SLC Gel Flow if this one is still not comfortable.


Ive been looking at that same Selle Italia but dang 200 for a seat is hard to swallow....on the other hand, if it makes me feel better it will be worth it.


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## jkyle (Apr 12, 2011)

prowannabe said:


> Ive been looking at that same Selle Italia but dang 200 for a seat is hard to swallow....on the other hand, if it makes me feel better it will be worth it.


I'm not a crazy spender when it comes to bikes (crazy being those folks cruising around on 10k+ bikes decked out with di2's and such). . . But 200, at this point, would only be about 5% of the total cost of bike + gear + fittings + registration + race travel costs + goddamn

hehe

And, of course, we're talking the family jewels here.


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