How much does comfort matter to you?

[TimF]

So years ago I was all about weight. That resulted in a Tune Speedneedle saddle, the most uncomfortable thing on the planet but very very light. Now I've gone full circle, I still care about weight but care hugely about comfort. On road bikes I find that a jarring ride will slow me down and make me ride less too.

So now my priorities are comfort, weight and aero and I try and get the best from all of these. I won't ever ignore comfort, in fact I will flattly reject frames and wheels that are poor in this regard. I know this can be expensive. Where does comfort sit on your list of priorities?

[kode54]

Comfort is now no. 1 for me as well.

Been through the light baste carbon saddles myself, 23mm tires, etc.

Now, as wide as a tire that fits within the chain stays. 28mm. I have even considered the eeSilk seatpost.

[Beaver]

For me it simply depends on road conditions - which got really worse here. With my old bike (15C rims, 23mm tires, not much seatpost extension) I was just slower on bad roads, so more comfort can also mean more speed, as vibrations will fatigue your muscles sooner or later. If you only ride on perfect roads it's not really a concern.

[kgt]

+1
Where I ride the roads are rarely perfect so comfort matters a lot. And whatever one believes comfort comes from the frameset as well and not just from bigger tires.

[kode54]

Comfort is now no. 1 for me as well.

Been through the light bare carbon saddles myself, 23mm tires, etc.

Now, as wide as a tire that fits within the chain stays. 28mm. I have even considered the eeSilk seatpost.

[kode54]

duplicate post.

But I do want to add that I hardly find perfect road conditions anymore. Yeah, maybe a few freshly paved roads here and there, but the majority of the roads are all chewed up.

[ToffieBoi]

I try to go as comfortable as possible, before I lose the performance.
Lightish saddles, wide enough tires and so on.

Benchmark for me is the roads I usually ride. Not perfectly paved, with cracks and sometimes a rough tarmac. I try to be comfortable during most of the ride.

[PokojniToza]

I would say a combination of both, but comfort still prevails. So it is wider tires, a saddle that fits well (despite the weight), and luckily the frame is rather comfortable on its own.

[wheelsONfire]

Same here!
If discomfort and pain are associated with cycling (perhaps even the first things that pop up), then it's reasonable that you tend to avoid riding.
Perhaps it's even a kill-blow!?
There are guys who simply quit biking due to constant issues.
My solutions have costed way more money than i like to think of.

Some combinations of frameset and wheels might boost the problem.
You can actually build a bike that is too stiff.
Ofcourse it can also be the opposite..

[Calnago]

I try to go as comfortable as possible, before I lose the performance.
Lightish saddles, wide enough tires and so on.

Benchmark for me is the roads I usually ride. Not perfectly paved, with cracks and sometimes a rough tarmac. I try to be comfortable during most of the ride.

I like this post. I definitely want comfort, but I don’t want to be riding on balloons to get it. I like light weight, but not at the expense of riding a noodle. A large part of comfort comes from having a fit that allows that... not beach cruiser sightseeing, and not neck numbing aero... but jussst right. And in all of that, road conditions play into it all as well. So yeah, basically reiterating what @ToffieBoy said.

[Orbital]

Since my SuperSix Evo only allows so much tire width I stay away from some roads. That’s about as far as it goes tho. I’ll still make a few sacrifices in comfort because at this point in life I only have the time for a few hours in the saddle and not as frequently as I’d like.

[TLN]

So years ago I was all about weight. That resulted in a Tune Speedneedle saddle, the most uncomfortable thing on the planet but very very light. Now I've gone full circle, I still care about weight but care hugely about comfort. On road bikes I find that a jarring ride will slow me down and make me ride less too.

So now my priorities are comfort, weight and aero and I try and get the best from all of these. I won't ever ignore comfort, in fact I will flattly reject frames and wheels that are poor in this regard. I know this can be expensive. Where does comfort sit on your list of priorities?

I think that weight and comfort come together. Lightweright components are more compliant and aero frames are beefier and stiffer. There're only a few things that you can update on complicated aero bike to make it more comfortable, since most of the things are propietary now (seatpost, stem, handlebar).

[Beaver]

Since my SuperSix Evo only allows so much tire width I stay away from some roads. That’s about as far as it goes tho. I’ll still make a few sacrifices in comfort because at this point in life I only have the time for a few hours in the saddle and not as frequently as I’d like.

That's exactly where I come from. The 1st generation SuperSix Evo only has hardly 30mm clearance in the back, so 25mm tires on wide rims were impossible.

I really loved that bike, but I didn't use it as much as I should in the end. Maybe just look for a 2nd generation frameset and wheels with 21mm inside width and you will be back on the road without hassle.

[fromtrektocolnago]

I need to be able to do my ride without my bike making me tired or causing me pain the groin. After that no issue on comfort. Only bike that would pose that barrier to a good ride was my Aluminum Trek 1200. That said my Colnago bikes always felt more of a pleasure to ride than even my carbon Trek 5200. Both Colnago's feel comfortable but I'm still new to the C-64

[TimF]

My two Colnago carbons are seriously comfortable. I got my other Merida road bike to be comfortable (ish) after fitting new wheels, wider tires and low psi. Difference for me is that the Colnagos are comfortable without wide tires and low psi. Jelous of the C64 - one of the finest bikes on the planet