I rode about five miles the other night with no seat or seat post… and it was rather enlightening. Most notable was that without a seat a bicycle, or my bicycle, anyway, feels extremely unbalanced. This is primarily due to the method that I use to carry my stuff - all in a right side basket. And on that night I was heavily loaded. But that's not unusual. I regularly ride around for dozens of miles with heavy right-sided loads. But I've rarely noticed this sensation… Now, though, the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, and, even though "a" seat is back on, I can't help but notice this imbalance almost constantly, even when unloaded. It took me a while to figure out what my original seat height was, though, and I, at first, installed it too low, but as it got higher and higher the perception of balance slowly returned. So, I guess, the seat really does a lot more than just providing a place to set your butt - it also seems to act as a, what would you call it? a rudder, I suppose. Soon we'll be hammering away again as usual and this whole "incident" will be forgotten…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Unbalanced
I rode about five miles the other night with no seat or seat post… and it was rather enlightening. Most notable was that without a seat a bicycle, or my bicycle, anyway, feels extremely unbalanced. This is primarily due to the method that I use to carry my stuff - all in a right side basket. And on that night I was heavily loaded. But that's not unusual. I regularly ride around for dozens of miles with heavy right-sided loads. But I've rarely noticed this sensation… Now, though, the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, and, even though "a" seat is back on, I can't help but notice this imbalance almost constantly, even when unloaded. It took me a while to figure out what my original seat height was, though, and I, at first, installed it too low, but as it got higher and higher the perception of balance slowly returned. So, I guess, the seat really does a lot more than just providing a place to set your butt - it also seems to act as a, what would you call it? a rudder, I suppose. Soon we'll be hammering away again as usual and this whole "incident" will be forgotten…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
When I read "that night I was heavily loaded," I had to take a minute to figure it out.
JustinM: Ha, yes, well, either interpretation would have been accurate.
Mike and I were just talking about bikes - as much as we're still new to cycling and to our own bikes, there is a familiarity that you develop with it - how it feels and handles and how you feel on it. So, I would imagine that a new seat would take some adjustment.
We'll have to work on your load soon!
Luckily My Lady Friend had just gifted me a replacement that was waiting in the wings - an exact replica, more or less - details to follow…
Post a Comment