Was feeling like another 40+ mile ride today despite doing my first one just this past Friday...because I'm an idiot. I was taking it nice and easy when the winds kicked up. They kept kicking me all the way up Balboa. Then the saddle started making me sore. Then the fatigue from the previous two days' rides kicked in. As I approached the top of Balboa I decided this wouldn't be my day for another long ride so instead of making a left I made a right and headed home. Maybe two long rides in a weekend isn't such a good idea for me at this stage. Still, it was a 29-mile ride, which means I had a 75 mile (three-day) weekend.
I cannot continue to do three- and four-hour rides with the old saddle that came with my bike:
As you may be able to see, it has seen better days. So, after fueling up, resting, and rinsing, I headed over to Montrose Bike Shop because they have quite a selection of saddles. They're all Specialized, of course, but, still, it's quite a selection. First, I got my butt measured (I'm a 143mm, FYI). Then I chose a Phenom based on the recommendation of the guy helping me. Man oh man do I need that split-down-the-middle design. Came home, swapped saddles, tweaked things a bit to get the fit right (and, in the process, found out that my handlebars were too low) and took it for a quick spin. Seems promising. I will know much more next weekend when I plan to head into Santa Clarita for my long ride.
Also did some basic bike maintenance with my spiffy new toolkit. That Chain Scrubber is pretty nift but it's hard to use without a repair stand. I think I'm making that my next purchase.
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