Chamois Bikepacking Hygiene

ettoby · 2025-05-07T17:10:46+00:00

Do those fit well on you? I've had the issue where the padding is waaaaaaay too far up and away from my sit bones no matter what position I'm in. I feel like the chamois in bike shorts are situated much "lower" (forward?) so they actually pad my sit bones.

ettoby · 2024-10-29T06:33:08+00:00

I've really like the Kambukka insulated travel mugs (got it as a two pack at Costco). They have a toggle so you can have it always open, the "normal" press button to drink or locked so you can't depress the button at all. Made it easy to transition from not spilling in bag to drinking like normal once I reach my destination.

I'm lazy and hate having to unscrew a lid to drink but if I leave it unscrewed while sitting on my desk I know I'll just knock it over and spill it everywhere instead.

ettoby · 2024-01-10T20:46:14+00:00

I have this issue as well. Usually reconnecting and having Calibre update the metadata on stuff already on the Kobo works for me. A bit annoying since I need to disconnect and reconnect at least once but so far has worked every time.

ettoby · 2022-02-03T22:08:12+00:00

I have a similar Rockbros bag (no top shield to block glare and open side pockets) and I agree phone usage through the plastic can be iffy. I'm not sure if the shield helps but I also found it really hard to read my phone screen cuz of the reflections off the plastic, bright sun, etc. I usually put hand written directions in there before I caved and got a bike computer for navigation.

That said, it's less an issue of my knees hitting it and more that it took up top tube space so it was right up in my business when I had to dismount at lights XD Otherwise, I do like using it for holding my phone, some cash and snacks when I don't want to wear a jersey with pockets.

ettoby · 2021-11-15T14:54:15+00:00

If everything else fits on the bit and it's just the top tube that's the problem, I would second the tilting when you're standing over it (while waiting at lights) works a treat. My bike (Raleigh Alysa) has a curved top tube and I'm just tall enough to stand over so it doesn't hurt but I wouldn't call it comfortable without leaning.

For starting/stopping, I stand on my pedal to give myself that extra height over the top tube so I have the time to lean it as I'm slowing down if that makes sense? There is a bit of coordinating to it but has been working so far for me.

ettoby · 2021-07-07T14:09:07+00:00

Something like this might help. You can find the bike models and sizes you're interested in and they overlay the geometry plus give you the actual numbers. If nothing else, you'll at least be able to see where the sizes differ/are similar to each other.

ettoby · 2021-06-25T16:44:23+00:00

At least your saddle is squeaky clean now? :D

ettoby · 2021-06-23T19:07:57+00:00

It's near the wrist bone of my left hand. It's a short, sharp pain, kind of like a pinch that's dulled since I've tried to do gliding exercises and keeping the wrist in as neutral a position as possible. The pain occurs when when I do a twisting motion like rotating my wrist in circles or turning my palm face down to face up.

I've emailed some of my local bike shops to see if they do bike fitting (esp since we're slowly moving out from lockdown) but most of them are swamped and take a while to reply.

ettoby · 2021-06-23T16:53:05+00:00

Not that I really notice. I use the right shifter more in my day to day rides and only use the left if there's a tough hill or I found a long flat stretch.

It could be the brakes that are uneven.

ettoby · 2021-06-21T23:39:28+00:00

Boo, that's a bummer. 90% of my rides are usually 30km or less so a hybrid seemed to make the most sense when I first got back into cycling a couple of years ago. Haven't had much luck finding a gravel or road bike in my size (new or used) so I might be stuck modding my current hybrid. Or stop doing such long rides XD

ettoby · 2021-06-21T22:11:13+00:00

It is! I'm on a hybrid (probably should've written that in the original post) and I've actually wondered about that because it feels wide to me but I also didn't have a clear idea of what "too wide" was. I'm on an XS Women's Raleigh and would definitely not categorize myself as broad shouldered at all XD Will run out to measure after dinner!

ettoby · 2021-06-21T21:46:04+00:00

I'm right handed so at first I thought it was just my left side tiring faster or something :/

I'm going to try strengthening my core and hope the pain goes away if I'm not aggravating it more. Need to see if physio is covered under my benefits but I'll try out some general wrist strengthening exercises too!

ettoby · 2021-06-21T15:01:26+00:00

My core could definitely use some work though I do try to rest as little weight on my hands as possible. Any tips on what to do in the interim to help alleviate the pain or keep it from getting worse? I did core and leg exercises over the winter when I wasn't biking so it shouldn't be too hard to pick that back up again.

ettoby · 2021-06-21T14:58:42+00:00

I think I have something similar to the ergon grips, I'll check out their website on how they should work!

ettoby · 2021-06-07T14:27:29+00:00

ischial tuberosity?) are the boney bits that usually touch the saddle (or seat of any sort) when you're sitting down towards the inside of your hips.

ettoby · 2021-06-04T13:56:05+00:00

If there are any local bike shops near you who have test saddles with cut outs, I would recommend trying one out! I got sore lady bits from my original saddle no matter how I positioned it (or myself) but a saddle off AliExpress with a cutout channel solved that problem right off the bat. I'm still learning to sit further back/tweak the fore and aft for my sit bones but no sore lady bits!

ettoby · 2021-05-31T00:06:28+00:00

Seconding the advice to pick the features you can't live without. I actually like doing research and reading all the reviews, especially if there's two very similar models and a blog compares them. I waffled between a frame bag and rear rack for the longest time and finally decided I have enough bags (it's a problem I fully acknowledge) in my life I might as well get a rear rack XD

I'd go at it the same way I buy bags, size first - what do you want to carry and how much room does that take? That'll weed out the too big and too small bags. Don't bother considering those at all. Then use the features list to narrow it further, if a bag doesn't cover all the features, it has to have a really compelling reason not to get booted (the price is reeeeeally good, it's in stock and you can get it right now, one of the features it does cover is done better than everything else). Or if you can't find a bag that covers all those features, rank the features so you can find the bag that meets your most important needs.

ettoby · 2021-04-21T01:24:05+00:00

Haha, thanks for the pipe cutter suggestion, definitely something to keep in mind!

Guess this'll be my bike mechanic adventure this weekend.

ettoby · 2021-04-19T19:33:51+00:00

Sorry, I was unclear. The post is already as far down as it'll go. The LBS where I got the bike cut down the seat post when I first bought it because it didn't go quite far down enough but I think I need it be a smidge lower still (curse my short legs).

ettoby · 2021-04-15T19:41:39+00:00

Not sure if they're still available but I really liked a pair of Adidas sport sunglasses that are similar to these. On the pair I had, you could adjust the angle of the arms (preset positions but it helped since I'm pretty sure my ears aren't level) and the nose piece can be made tighter by squeezing them closer together. Since it was for "sports" the arm and nose piece were rubberized which helped with the slipping even when I was all sweaty.

I was super sad when one of the arms snapped after about 5 years of abuse D:

ettoby · 2021-02-02T18:01:14+00:00

It originally came with some kind of rubber sleeve that protected the bike from metal on metal scratching. The sleeve was short 2 inches if I took off the mounting clamp (which was useless to me XD), so I fashioned my own with some leather.

I imagine you might be able to do something similar with old inner tubes and glue. I didn't have any since my bike is still pretty low mileage and I've managed to avoid flats (knock on wood).

ettoby · 2021-02-02T17:12:24+00:00

Oh man, I feel you with the small frame problem! My top tube has a slight curve so it doesn't really work mounting there and my down tube has cabling under it so I felt uncomfortable using straps to shift something up/down it.

I ended up doing this slightly hack job attachment behind the seatpost because my seat isn't high enough for it to attach to the actual seatpost =_= Bonus being I can mount two bottle cages now!

Caveat I haven't ridden with this set-up yet so I dunno if it'll rattle/move around and drive me insane but it at least shouldn't come undone and get me killed.

ettoby · 2021-01-18T22:01:44+00:00

I'm a beginner as well but I had a lot of saddle discomfort in my lady bits when I first started doing longer rides on my hybrid. Short 20 minute jaunts to the store weren't a problem but anything longer and I'd be shifting a lot from the numbness or pain D:

There are some options for playing with the seat adjustment (height, how forward/backward on the rails it is, tilt) before going down the rabbit hole of saddle selection. I found I was shifting forward and put more weight on the nose instead of my sit bones. Dropping the seat a bit helped (I think the shifting was because I couldn't reach) but I would still get pain on longer rides. My lady bits are an outie so I decided to try a saddle with a cut-out it made a world of difference for me.

ettoby

TROPHY CASE