Saddle stem suspension

chile1987
chile1987 Posts: 10
edited February 2010 in Road buying advice
I got a beautiful old Eddy Merkx bike for Christmas, heavy and rusty but I love it, and I'm new to cycling but now doing a 16 mile circuit in just under an hour, and going to start cycling the 15 miles to work once it gets light enough.
The only problem I've had so far (apart from posture, which I'm working on) is my bum. Not numbness or anything troubling like that, but I get a bit of bruising. I got a new saddle and adjusted my seating position which helped a bit, but the roads round me are a bit dodgy and I'm very skinny (5'11'' and 9 stone) so even with my tyres at <80ps i get a bit of bruising on my seat bones.
My plan is to buy a seat post with suspension to even out the worst of the bumps. However, I know that suspension can make pedaling less efficient. I've visualised it in my head, and it seems like a good idea and I can't see it affecting it like fork or full suspension would - does anyone have any thoughts on this?
As I say, I'm a beginner so any advice is welcome, don't worry about patronising me...
Thanks!

Comments

  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    What width tyres are you using?
    *riding at below 80 psi is a recipe for p*7k3$^3#!
    Do you wear padded shorts?

    I take it that you already avoid potholes where possible, and when not possible lift your weight off the saddle?
    Cycling weakly
  • murraymint77
    murraymint77 Posts: 43
    Sounds more like you need some good bibshorts.
    Assos have fantastic padding (but up there price wise) Altura do some with gel inserts
    at about £45 should be better than a suspention post
  • chile1987
    chile1987 Posts: 10
    Waiting for shorts to arrive, as well as a proper pump, have a sneaky suspicion that the dial on my pump is a bit off as there's no give in them. Cheers for the tips though, how much of a difference do shorts make? (Apart from making me look as though I've had an accident...)

    Tyres came with the bike and look pretty standard to me, if I had to guess I'd say about 2cm at the widest point.

    Thanks
  • ajb72
    ajb72 Posts: 1,178
    Cycling shorts will have a massive impact on your riding comfort. You could also consider 25mm tyres if the ones you currently have are skinnier than this.

    It's also fair to say that your harris will start to get used to riding if you give it time!
  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    Wait for the shorts - these will make things ALOT better. (What shorts have you ordered?) Plus give it a while to let your a$$ get used to riding, it also helps if you lift-off the saddle from time to time and pedal out of the saddle here & there.

    A suspension seat-post is a no-no on a road bike.
    Cycling weakly
  • chile1987
    chile1987 Posts: 10
    By "on the way" I mean "I'll buy them come payday" - anything in particular to look out for?
    Cheers
  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    As you're slim, I'd suggest you look at some of the Santini range from Prendas Ciclismo - http://www.prendas.co.uk/default.asp I'd also suggest 'bib-shorts' over normal 'waist' shorts - much comfier.

    (Waist shorts tend to either dig-in, or alternately slip down).

    Santini's are designed with a slim Italian frame in mind, rather than a USA/UK body shape - sizing is based on height.
    Cycling weakly

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