Warmer, Cloudy and My Saddle Stays Put – January 19th Bike Ride
For a change the temperature at the end of my ride was higher than the beginning but not by a whole bunch. My home weather station showed 69 degrees at the start and 71 degrees at the end. I expected some partly cloudy skies but settled for mostly cloudy to overcast sky. The wind was light at 9.2 mph from the SSW and in the trees this did not matter much. I almost overdressed but took off my legwarmers before leaving after I walked outside and noticed the warmth.
During today’s ride I need to test my temporary fix for the moving saddle. Yesterday I added some shims to the saddle rails and then tightened the seatpost clamp. For the first time the saddle felt secure and did not move in any direction. You might recognize the shims as the abrasive medal disk from patch kits. These were just thick enough to fill the void in the clamp gripping.
Seatpost with shims
After biking 19.05 miles today the saddle held firm in the same place I set it when I installed the shims. I stopped several times during the ride to check and each time the clamp held tight. Last evening I sent an email to BikesDirect.com explaining my problem hoping they would be willing to fix the problem. Just before I left for my ride today I got an email from Matt at BikesDirect.com asking for more information and a picture. If the picture confirmed my description they will probably send a replacement different brand seatpost. I sent the information and picture when I finished the ride. Now I will wait for Matt’s response.
I rode at 12.0 mph for the average speed with the speed of 22.5 mph. I almost duplicated yesterday’s average cadence at 74.5 RPM today (- .1 RPM from yesterday). January miles stand at 141.84 so I am making progress towards my 200+ goal for January. Tomorrow’s weather should repeated today but with 76 degrees. If this happens I plan on riding my road bike.
1-19-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map
1-19-2012 Home Weather Station End