Sore bits

stevepj

Hi,

I've been riding twice a week for about 4 months and to put it bluntly......it bloody hurts!! It's getting to the point where within about 5 minutes of the ride i'm in agony and really feel like giving up.

When i go out i wear a pair of padded shorts (bought cheap from Tesco's) with something under them and a pair of baggys on top, i also have 2 gel pads on top of my existing saddle.

Can somebody give advice on a new (comfy) saddle and the best sort of garments to wear, i really don't want to stop but it's hurting!!

Cheers

Ditch Witch

Oh man, seat ache sucks.


Seats are so personal that you really need to try some out. I went through about 5 (based on recommendations) until I found one I liked.


It'd be worth investing in better shorts, too, but the seat will make all the difference in the world. Don't worry, you'll find the right one.

Some shops can measure you for a seat. Ask at your LBS.

mrdales

Firstly I'd suggest not wearing anything under your cycle shorts and maybe invest in a slightly better quality pair.

Secondly check your set up - seat height and angle etc.

What kind of riding are you doing?

.blitz

Lose the gel pads and underwear - a lightly padded saddle with springy rails will be much more comfortable. The Charge Spoon is only £20 and works for a lot people. The Ti version is £35.

mrdales

+1 for the charge spoon. I've got one and its a bargain.

bails87

I'll second that, get rid of the gel pads, lose the underwear :shock: and get some half decent padded shorts, like the dhb ones from wiggle.

Also, might sound obvious and you may well be doing it already, but try to anticipate bumps and lift off the saddle as you go over them, stops your backside "taking a pounding" for want of a better phrase!

stevepj

Hi

Thanks for the great advice, i'll be taking it all onboard in the hope it makes my next ride better!!

mrdales - I'm riding off road through woods etc, guess that's XC and/or Singletrack.

mrdales

Then something like the charge spoon as suggetsed above should be ideal.

Hope I'm not teaching egg sucking but most probably find a completely level saddle a good starting point. With the pedal at the bottom of the stroke in line with the seat tube and your heel on the pedal your leg should be straight. Then with the ball of your foot on the pedal your knee should be slightly bent. That's a general rule of thumb (or bum :? ) Apologies if you knew all that already!!

stevepj

I appreciate all advice so don't worry about the egg sucking.

I'd say my bike is set up the way you have suggested but i shall double check, some people suggest tilting the saddle down slightly, would you go along with that?

I don't suppose it helps being a lardy arse either!!

Daz555

Gels & pads etc are not really the answer in many cases. Saddle comfort is about the size, shape, height, and angle of your saddle, as well as how often you find yourself smashing into it on a ride! Some people can be comfy on just about anything but others are only comfortable on a narrow range of saddle fits.

It might be about angles so that's worth a try, but you might also simply need a new saddle. Get down your LBS and have a chat about the problem.

mrdales

personal preference really. Personally I like mine to be level off road and on but as we're all different it comes down to what's right for you. Think it's worth starting like that and then moving it thru a few degrees until it's right. Might be worth checking it's front to rear adjustment as being too close or too far from the bars can exert more pressure on either your sit bones or perenial nerve. Theres a lot of debate over the knee over the pedal spindle thing but it's generally about right I think. It can take quite a few rides to get whats right for you so don't give up!!

stevepj

I've ordered the new saddle (as recommended) and i've ordered some new shorts (again as recommended), i'll have a play around with the saddle height and the front rear adjustment and see what happens.

i'm determined to keep going as i'm enjoying it so much........apart from the pain!!

Thanks for all your help.

robmanic1

+1 for above, less is more with saddles.

You could try some butt-grease like this;


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Assos_Chamois_Cream/5360031286/

Will prevent chafing and incorporated hair-stretch (works for me anyway).

bails87

Maybe have a week off riding too, just to make sure you're 'recovered' before starting your new comfortable biking life!

SiLanc

StevePj...looks like I'm a little late to mention it but you can get most decent bike shops to measure you for a new saddle. This ensures that your sit bones are actually sat on the saddle, if they're not then you get no support and your sit bones sit wider than the saddle and then rather than the sit bones taking the weight of your upper body, your delicate bits then take full load...not good and very uncomfortable.

Hope the new seat works out for you.

miss notax

Definitely don't wear anything under padded shorts - you'll get all sorts of nasty things happening then :shock:

Chaz.Harding

sarah75 wrote:

Definitely don't wear anything under padded shorts - you'll get all sorts of nasty things happening then :shock:

+1 (You speaking from personal experience sarah75? )

*Ahem*, anyway... As someone suggested, invest in some decent chamis (spelling??) cream. The Assos stuff is literally, some of the best you can buy. Also, again, decent cycle shorts. I quite like the Gore shorts. Got some baggies, that came with a removable pair of lycra padded things too - SUCH a wise investment!

If your new saddle doesn't work out, visit a bike shop (the Specialized shops certainly have this), and sit on a ass-bone-measuring-gel-paddy-thingy (technical!!), and you'll get the ideal width for your saddle. I happen to really like the Specialized 'Body Geometry' range. Also, the Fizik saddles.

But it is totally personal.

Hope it works out for you buddy!!

Northwind

How would you describe the pain? Is it like chafed skin? Or more like the feeling when you sit still for too long in a chair, that dull throb?

stevepj

it's certainly the chaffing pain rather than throbbing, i have to stand up as much as possible to ease it!!

Northwind

Ouch! Well, in that case, all that advice about losing the pads is right Soft seats actually cause more chafing by collapsing under you and wrapping around you, harder seats support you so you get much less rubbing. Strange but true. My old mtb seat on my first bike was comfier after I ripped all the padding off.

joshtp

try a SDG bel air saddle, i swear by them, althought the charge spoon is also very good

Ditch Witch

stevepj wrote:

it's certainly the chaffing pain rather than throbbing, i have to stand up as much as possible to ease it!!

Ah, chafing. That's different. As said above, lose the extra layers, underwear and use a good "lube" *ahem* such as chamois cream or body glide.

Too many layers will make you sweat more, causing more chafing.

dunker

chafing may indicate too high a saddle creating hip rock? as others have said, nothing under the padded shorts and try a bel air or spoon saddle. a good quality short may help, assos, gore etc and a dab of chamios cream on the chafing area might help too but try to let it heal well before riding any more. good luck

k2rider

for cheapness try an e45 cream, basically anything that lessens friction between skin and chamois will do and dont be afraid to slap it on thick, i find its as good as the labled brands at usually a 1/4 of the price. if you start doing long rides of several hours then the more expensive brand will be better but for rides of a few hours you can save yourself a few bob by using it. as for shorts, never wear anything under them and wash after every ride. as for saddles, hmmmm its a very personal choice, what works for some may not work for you, i hated my bell air with a passion it was just the wrong shape for my arse if you get the chance have a ride on or a sit on a few of your mates bikes, even sitting on them will tell you if theyre comfortable. good luck.

rudedog

is it reccomended to 'go commando' even if you are wearing shorts without a padded insert?

k2rider

if theyve got a liner in then yes if not i would wear boxers as theyve got a bit of leg length so theres less chaffing possibilities around your under carriage.

Ditch Witch

If you're a bloke, I guess, but I wear knickers in my bike shorts, but they're much thinner than y-fronts.

kopite1979

i think the only reason people recommend you don`t wear underwear is that cycling shorts are seamless, underwear has irritating seems. must admit, im obviously very lucky in that i`ve never experienced chaffing... ouch! :shock:

stevepj

I just thought i'd give you a quick update (if anybody's interested)

I took on everybody's kind advice and bought a new saddle, new undershorts some butt cream and took a week off, what a difference it all made except...............

After 15 minutes of pain free riding my new saddle came loose from it's housing and i had to stop to tighten it up (lucky i always ride with spare tools), back on the bike again but after about 10 minutes and general riding through woods it happened again. Again i tightened everything back up and away i went, after 30 minutes of riding and a 3rd stop i gave up and came home!!

I've taken everything apart again (and put it back together) but i'm worried it's going to happen again when i go out. Is buying a new stem (with new brackets) the answer or is there another way of stopping your saddle from moving about?

Sorry to be a pain.

Cheers
Steve

k2rider

what kind of saddle did you buy? does it have the same size (diameter) rails? as i think they can come in 7mm and 8mm it could be that the one youve bought has smaller rails and as such doesnt sit in the clamp correctly. try taking it to your lbs and see what they have to say.

stevepj

I bought the Charge Spoon and to be honest i have/had no idea about rail sizes, my bike is a GT Agressor 3x (2008 model) and it had the standard GT saddle on.

My LBS is only open Mon - Fri (09:00 - 17:00) but luckerly i have a couple of days off next week, if the saddle moves about on Sunday when i'm next out then i'll go down and speak to them.