Scott Martin

What's the most troublesome, annoying bicycle component ? I'd bet a vat of chamois cream most cyclists would say the saddle.

Some riders go through oodles of saddles -- saddles with holes, saddles without noses, saddles filled with goop, saddles that look like tractor seats -- and never discover one that's comfortable.

Other roadies find a magical saddle and buy every one they can unearth before the manufacturer discontinues it. "You've got an '84 Derriere by Selle Royale ? I'll give you 300 bucks for it. No, I don't care if it's used. Or pink."

Then there are cyclists like me. My butt can handle just about any saddle, straight from the box. Cutouts ? Sure. Gel ? Why not. Carbon shell with less padding than a supermodel's hips ? Bring it on. I would've made a fantastic Soviet bureaucrat, easily able to sit through six-hour Politburo speeches extolling Siberian salt-mining quotas.

No, my component bete noire lurks elsewhere. A few years ago, I would've said headsets. I could never get them adjusted properly. My motto : "Tighter is righter." You've heard of indexed shifting ? I had indexed steering. Other motto: "It's not just a corner; it's an adventure."

Finally I hit on the answer : Pay somebody to work on my bike. Coincidentally, most of my other component demons disappeared around this time.

But one bugaboo remains: pedals. I've tried most major brands. They all drive me crazy. Some squeak. Some click. Some release during sprints. Some don't have enough float. Some have too much. Some are too hard to get into. Or out of.

I've replaced cleats and face plates. I've tried fingernail polish and Armor All. Nothing works for long.

We need a radical solution. Perhaps some sort of metal holder with a leather strap.

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