[Closed] Comfiest bike

My current road bike. Big saddle to bar drop, 25mm tyres, rock hard saddle and a frame and wheels that are really stiff. But, it fits me like a glove and I can ride it forever without any issues at all.

Is this a trick question? All my bikes are comfy. If I was feeling pained on one after only 25 miles I'd be either setting it up properly or getting rid.

All of my bikes are comfy, although the commuter ebike is a bit harsh. No point owning uncomfy bikes.

Pain is more from being out of shape than anything else. Just musing. Some bikes I’ve had have been great for all day rides, others better for blasting about. Current bike isn’t very bimble friendly, setup more for going down than along or up. Not the right tool for today’s job, but very good at what it does. Downside of having one bike.

Topstone is the comfiest roadish bike I’ve had. All my full sus bikes have been comfy.

Comes down to having a bike that fits and is set up well.

I think my problem might be that I don't do "short blasts". I know I could/should but once I've decided to go out I tend to think "best make it worthwhile" and hence end up riding for 3 hours or more 🙂

If I'd had an enforced break from riding and wanted to build up fitness/stamina from scratch I'd likely take the fatbike.

I think my problem might be that I don’t do “short blasts”. I know I could/should but once I’ve decided to go out I tend to think “best make it worthwhile” and hence end up riding for 3 hours or more 🙂

I do short blasts at the same bimbling pace that I do for 7 hour rides 🤣

For me it's an old Airborne Carpe Diem, Ti "cyclocross" (not really, doesn't have the mud clearance) frame.  I got lucky, bought in the end-of-line sale and wasa size bigger than I thought I wanted but actually it's bang on.

I never really bought into the Ti for life thing but the ride quality - maybe.  The ride of that frame is genuinely different in comparison to old-school steel or posh-but-racy carbon.  Somehow it damps out a lot of road nastiness without being a dull ride at all.  It's CHEAP Ti - no idea what posh frames are like.

I haven't really got a use for it at the moment but definitely will do in the coming few years.

Fair enough what everyone up there said - you wouldn't keep a bike that didn't have a comfy fit, but a really comfy ride is almost weird.

All of my bikes give me wrist pain if I do the longer ride into work. If I do the same route in reverse on the way home , no wrist ache.

Of my bikes without suspension, it’s the one that has 4.8” tyres that’s the comfiest, followed by the same bike with 2.4” tyres, followed by the one with 42mm tyres, followed by the one with 25mm tyres.

None are uncomfortable though.

Pain is more from being out of shape than anything else.

Not really, that's the usual thigh pain. If you have sore shoulders etc then your bike isn't perfectly comfortable. This may be a valid compromise of course, if you want your bike to be faster/racier etc.

My Salsa El Mar is perfectly comfortable. I rode it for 16.5 hours during an 18 hour ride, and all that hurt were my thighs and the balls of my feet. My Trek on the other hand is racy but after a few hours just generally less comfy.

MTB? no contest it's my 17" 2008 P7 with 2.4 shoes, Bel Air RL seat and 720mm hi-rise bars

Of all bikes? Batavus Personal Deluxe with oldskool Spesh Sonoma 175mm perch. It's so comfortable that I can't quite believe it. The Dutch know a thing or two about bikes, it seems...

Back in the 90s I had a Diamondback Apex. I could ride that bike for hours day after day it was so comfy. Mountain bikes were still quite novel back then, and a lot of my friends decided to get one after trying the Apex.
God I loved that bike, and I only bought it second hand as an emergency purchase after my Orange Clockwork got nicked.

Jesus guys 😀 bike fits fine. Just not setup for miles in same position. Maybe comfortable is the wrong word. Best bimble bike then. One where you can sit in the same position and just cruise along like you’re on a settee with wheels 🙄

Fatbike then.

My knees certainly prefer the wider bottom bracket on my fatty.

You did ask...

A 100 mile plus day ride around Wester Ross on this 1935 rod brake roadster in comfort was enough to remind me that the old-timers knew how to do long distance comfort.

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So I set up a modern version with my Pompino. This pic is it on a 120mile audax, again in total comfort.

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I've been thinking of setting up my mtb like that too, but there's probably no need with 4" tyres - I haven't felt discomfort on those.

It seems to come down to most of your weight distributed on your feet and a triple sprung Brooks saddle.

My recumbent trike. Takes a bit of adaptation. Otherwise they are all good. Even the TT bike was comfortable over 12 hrs

Surly Krampus. Got it exactly where I want it comfort-wise now, and it's perfect. For me anyway.
Problem with questions like this is that everyone's needs/wants are slightly different.

Best bimble bike then. One where you can sit in the same position and just cruise along like you’re on a settee with wheels 🙄

That perfectly describes my Dutch bike as mentioned above. I'm a late convert to utility biking always having owned either a road bike or MTB (or both) so the sofa-like comfort came as a shock. If we are talking about bimbling MTBs then I guess the setup counts most of all. I turned a harsh-riding Cannondale F400 into a gliding offroad cruiser by installing On One Mary bars, wide flat pedals, 2.35 Big Apple tyres, and a saddle that suited me perfectly.

Did the same/similar with a rigid steel MTB (M-Trax) expressly for bimbling. Get the seat wide, the back straight, arms wide and head up. Finish with big platform pedals and big-volume tyres.

I was most of the way there as per pic below, just needed to sort the pedals:

Going a frame size larger than you normally would often helps for a relaxed feel. ie above is 19" where I'd normally be 17.5"-18"

Of course, that example is a 90s bike with quite steep angles so something with more modern (or vintage) slack geometry is even more suitable for a relaxed feel. Whichever bike chosen for bimbling it's mostly getting the bar-height and contact points sorted for your preferences. For short distance offroad bimbleage a MTB configured somewhat like a Dutch Cruiser or Beach Cruiser will most likely be the most comfortable. For urban bimbling then a Dutch Bike or Cruiser wins. Unless we are talking recumbents...the original gliding sofas. Have a look at Bachetta...or Kettweisel...

“Current bike isn’t very bimble friendly, setup more for going down than along or up.”

I’ve found that winch and plummet geometry bikes are better with pretty high bars. You lose a fraction of winchability but gain plummetskillz and flat trail goodness. Low bars climb well but with steep seat tube angles and long reach you feel like you’re perched in a low and forwards TT bike position.

Mostly I would say my fatbike.

Although I have been finding drop bars more comfy than flat in recent rides.

I have just returned home after a 3hr ride in the black mountains on my titanium framed 29" hardtail. My opinion where comfort is concerned. Fatbike rules.