When will my backside stop hurting?

Max A

I'm new to MTBing, my fella got me into it a few months back and i've been pottering along ever since, nothing too interesting i'm still keeping mainly to cycle paths and flat bits at the moment. I do have a female friendly bike.

But ( mind the pun) my backside is still bleedin sore, the OH keeps telling me to keep riding through it and it'll get better...when?

We're due to do the C2C in a few weeks and the only bit i'm worried about is having a really sore backside!

supertwisted

Bum pain goes away quicker than you expect. I used to get it after a relatively short ride, but nowadays I can do 4hr jaunts with no discomfort.

That said, your posture on the bike and the saddle can play a part, so make sure you're comfortable with your riding position and give some thought to how supportive the saddle is and whether it needs any adjustment. There are some good articles on saddle adjustment, but I forget where I found them i'm afraid.

Out of interest do you sit quite upright while riding? Leaning slightly forward and supporting some of your weight with your arms will reduce the strain on your bum and will make is easier to soak up bumps in the road.

ride_whenever

pedal harder so you're supporting your weight with your legs rather than your bum! Added bonus is that you'll be a lot faster! 8)

Have you got padded shorts?

I would pop along to your lbs and get them to cast an eye over you on the bike, it could be the saddle just doesn't suit you. Are you sitting on your sit-bones or on the fleshy bits? It could be the saddle isn't the right width for you as well. Whereabouts are you getting the pain?

Max A

supertwisted - Thanks.

4 hours of pain free riding sounds bliss!

The OH has messed about with the saddle height a few times ( he said i was riding it to low for my legs to stretch properly and actully my legs feel better but my backside is worse!)

I was told that when i'm cycling i should sort of stick my bum out on the saddle..it was discribed as a jamacian girl's dance :shock: so i've been trying that..although it's a weird position to sit in! lol

I'll try and lean forward a bit when i'm out tonight and see if that's any more comfortable.


ride_whenever - Thank you too.

Geez I'm still having great fun with killer leg burn at the minute i don't know if i can ride any harder!

I don't have padded shorts...do those actually make a difference?

I'm trying to sit on the fat bit...( no jokes now thank you :-p) like sort of pushing my bum back a bit.
I'm getting the pain on my bones just below...and ouch.

How'd you tell if the saddle is the right width?

cgarossi

Good padded shorts = No bum pain! Seriously. I'm surprised your not using them. This might sound perverse but you wear them without pants/knickers and they are ultra comfy.

Wider saddles suit women best but thats only because erm, they are slightly wider in that department... usually. Also maybe adjust the saddle so its tilted slightly forward too.

ride_whenever

From the sounds of things, padded shorts, the endura ones are quite nice, sound like a really good place to start.

Now you say you're getting your sit-bones onto the saddle and are getting a bit of pain in them, so perhaps you want a different firmness saddle. Possibly a firmer saddle with more flex. But try the shorts first.

Max A

cgarossi - Right I really need to get some padded shorts then and I'm pretty sure the OH will love the commando part ...i don't want to pay a fortune for them, any recommendations as i've no idea what i'm looking for?



ride_whenever - I'll go and google those shorts just now...give those a try and see if that's any better then i'll go annoy the people at the LBS about saddles.
Oh and I'll try tilting my saddle a little too.

Fingures crossed riding will become less painful....

cgarossi

Max A wrote:

cgarossi - Right I really need to get some padded shorts then and I'm pretty sure the OH will love the commando part ...i don't want to pay a fortune for them, any recommendations as i've no idea what i'm looking for?



ride_whenever - I'll go and google those shorts just now...give those a try and see if that's any better then i'll go annoy the people at the LBS about saddles.
Oh and I'll try tilting my saddle a little too.

Fingures crossed riding will become less painful....

Depends on what look you're after. I go for the casual look so I tend to go for baggy shorts that have padding and lycra on the inside. I have a paid of Endura Humvee shorts with removable inner liner. Very comfortable and picked them up for £35. I also have some Endura lycra shorts I got for £20. If you choose lycra then 8 panel shorts are good and give plenty of flexibility.

I know theres a lot of choice out there but I have mainly plumped for Endura gear which are generally good value.

I think you'll find the padding a revelation!

landranger

Hi,

I percevered with my saddle for months. I wore padded shorts all the time, it still did nothing for me, I was in agony. I too thought one day it'll get better, I'll get used to it.
Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a Charge Spoon. It was a revelation and transformed my riding.

I don't know what specific saddle would suit a woman that does the kind of thing a Spoon does but if the help on here seems a little slack, try the womens section of this forum.

Good luck

Si78

I read in the Womans Forum that Specialized Concept stores measure ladys bums!

Apparently you sit on something that shows pressure points and they get the right sized saddle for you.

I think I described it as my perfect job lol

And +1 for Padded cycling shorts and no underwear. Makes a huge difference to comfort.
I have a couple of pairs, and wear them under my Altura Boulder 3/4 baggy shorts (which came with some padded inner shorts too)

TimesLikeThese

We put together a faq about this and other stuff the other day here
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12636300

Oh and I'm sure I read a review on this site about the spoon saddle being tried out by a female reviewer and she loved it so may be worth a try. Looking to buy one of them myself soon.

Personally I found padded shorts and adjusting the seat made a huge difference to my usual 18 milers. Then after a month, I stupidly changed my regular to a 42 miler and I''m back in agonyville and looking for a new seat.

dave_hill

Si78 wrote:

I read in the Womans Forum that Specialized Concept stores measure ladys bums!

Apparently you sit on something that shows pressure points and they get the right sized saddle for you.

That's rubbish, they just have very big tape measures.

I'll get my coat. :shock:

Si78

dave_hill wrote:

Si78 wrote:

I read in the Womans Forum that Specialized Concept stores measure ladys bums!

Apparently you sit on something that shows pressure points and they get the right sized saddle for you.

That's rubbish, they just have very big tape measures.

I'll get my coat. :shock:

lol.
You had better start running mate

tjwood

Make sure your seat is set up right. It adjusts at least three ways - height, fore/aft, and tilt.

When I started I didn't adjust the fore/aft and only touched the height. Got quite painful. So I adjusted the tilt. Was less painful but still a bit, and resulted me putting too much weight through my arms, which caused hand problems. Adjusted the fore/aft properly (I was too far back) and put the tilt back level, which cured the seat pain and made the hand problems much better (locking grips solved the other part of the hand problems).

dunker

depends what type of soreness you have, if it's sore from pressure so on the next ride every bump you feel hurts like you've been kicked in the backside then that's pretty normal and will get better as you start using more power and your bum gets used to it.

if it's sore stinging from abbrasion then maybe a bad riding position and it's best to let that heal up before any more rides, and you'll need to start messing with your riding position. too high a saddle will cause hips to rock more, lower it a bit and tip it nose down a little to get more weight on your arms.

every now n then get out of the saddle and pedal standing up, more you do that less it will hurt

saddle back/forward so the tip of your knee is inline vertically with where your foot puts down the power on the pedal at driveside-3o'clock crankarm angle.

Max A

Thanks for all the replies guys and gals , very imformative.

I went out again last night, ( i haven't got the shorts yet) done 15 miles and by the time i was on my way home i was not a happy bunny in the pain stakes, I spent the best half of the ride home whining constantly lol to my poor OH just looked on sypathetically. Oh and i do think it might be pressure pain purely as every single bump was really sore.

Before we left, I fiddled about with the saddle so it tilted down a little and tried to put more of my weight on my arms..but..as i said my backside is so sore today I'm contemplating sitting on a rubber ring...i also had the added bonus of having a sore neck and a claw like left hand by the time i got home.

I'm now beginning to think that 4 days solid on the bike for the c2c is not going to happen unless i sort out what on earth i'm doing wrong out.

do you reckon i could pad my bike saddle with a pillow lol

cgarossi

I would rest for a couple of days first.

Instead of padding your saddle, pad your arse. Go get those shorts and I assure you will have less of a sore backside next time.

andyonwight

Padded shorts are the way to go. Whe I first started I had the same problem however with the new padded shorts no/minimal pain after 3-4 hours out and about.

I use http://www.evanscycles.com/products/altura/tempo-undershorts-ec002013 these as I prefer wearing a baggy style of short.

dunker

agree with cgarossi, give riding the bike a break till it does'nt hurt too much, keep it fun

dave_hill

cgarossi wrote:

I would rest for a couple of days first.

Instead of padding your saddle, pad your ars*. Go get those shorts and I assure you will have less of a sore backside next time.

And whatever you do, DON'T be tempted to use vaseline - because it's oil based it actually dries the skin out and can cause cracking.

I nearly made this mistake in Italy a few years ago during the heatwave. After three days walking in the Dolomites I developed a bad case of sweat rash in an unfortunate place. I was going to slather it with Vaseline for the following day but there was a nurse in our party who advised against it for the above reason.

She suggested instead that I use lanolin cream - a quick visit to the chemists in the town the next day and I was all set up. Lanolin is a natural oil found in wool (it's what causes sheep/newly-sheared wool to feel greasy) and is actually the base for most lipsticks. As well as soothing any soreness it also keeps the skin supple and lubricated.

Also, one thing that nobody has metioned yet (and I'm sure that it goes without saying) but you need to keep everything down there spotlessly clean at all times...and slap on some aloe gel after showering.

Dazzza

Have a nose for udderly smooth, it's a cream you slap on your undercarriage to reduce chaffing and it works very well, the old assos is good but that has menthol, camphor oil and eucalyptus so it has a nice tingly sensation, however the new all white tubs don't have that formulation, the older red ones did though.

Worth giving chamois cream a try along with the shorts, at least to ease your tender bits.

Mrs Toast

landranger wrote:

Hi,

I percevered with my saddle for months. I wore padded shorts all the time, it still did nothing for me, I was in agony. I too thought one day it'll get better, I'll get used to it.
Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a Charge Spoon. It was a revelation and transformed my riding.

I don't know what specific saddle would suit a woman that does the kind of thing a Spoon does but if the help on here seems a little slack, try the womens section of this forum.

Good luck

The women's equivalent is the Charge Ladle. I like their utensil themed names!

The Specialized measuring service is pretty good - you just sit on a pad, and your sitbones leave two impressions - the distance between them dictates the width of the saddle.

Unfortunately it's pretty hard to recommend a saddle (for either men or women), as its quite a personal choice - what suits one person's delicate reasons and riding style might be agony for another.

clodhoppa74

i do know that women's pelvis' are wider and flatter than men's, meaning a woman specific saddle might help loads.

can't advise the benefits of a padded short enough. my OH is starting riding too, and if it weren't for the padding she'd be in some serious pain!

tjwood

Max A wrote:

Before we left, I fiddled about with the saddle so it tilted down a little and tried to put more of my weight on my arms..but..as i said my backside is so sore today I'm contemplating sitting on a rubber ring...i also had the added bonus of having a sore neck and a claw like left hand by the time i got home.

The hand problem will be related to putting too much weight through your arms and the neck problem is probably also a posture issue. Try keeping the saddle level to start with but adjust the fore/aft position.

Being fairly new to MTBing myself I learned the hard way at first a bit about bike setup: The majority of your weight should be supported by your feet. Your saddle is something to lean on for support and control but it's not meant to take most of your weight. And you hold the bars for control, your arms shouldn't be bearing any more weight than is necessary to control your bike. To demonstrate the difference setup can make, sit on the very edge of a standard office or dining chair with your arms out in front of you and your feet flat on the floor, knees and hips at 90 degrees. Sit upright - feel how most of your weight is supported by your buttocks and a bit by your feet. Now lean forwards so your shoulders are over your knees. Feel how your weight shifts so that most of it is supported by your feet now? (And note your hands aren't supported by anything!) Finally move your feet forward a few inches - feel the weight shift back towards your buttocks? Now of course when your riding your hips and knees aren't at 90 degrees but the same principle applies, most of your weight should still go through your feet...if your weight is too far back or too far forwards relative to your feet then it will be supported in the wrong way and you'll become uncomfortable.

If you can't find the right adjustments to suit you then I guess finding an expert who can help you set up the bike right is the way to go.

deffler

I cant believe somebody who was built to deliver a baby is whining about a bit sadle sore

Seriousley tho padded shorts are a must, if your still having probs then a cream as mentioned such as udderley smooth or even sudocrem does the job apparently.
These coupled with correct sadle set up and good balance will have you sorted.

Good luck with the C2C by the way. Which one are you doing?

antfly

You should be able to do short rides without pain even without padded shorts, it could be that you and that saddle are just totally incompatible so try some others if you can.

chuckbiker

try a gel seat, it worked for me

Druid \'64

Suspension seat post did it for me when i started.
Don't use one now but it helped.

Just my two penneth worth!

Max A

I disappear for a few days and on my return there are loads of replies, what a helpful bunch you are

Thank you guys and gals. Well after last weeks pain, pain and well more pain i haven't been on the bike at all, not just the sore factor but the fact it's been the most miserable weather and the motovation to go out has been sorely lacking.

However, I have just ordered a lovely pair of 3/4 baggies from Fox and a spiffing new helmet too ...
http://www.foxeurope.com/Store/Products/3/Bike/Girls/Pants/Sierra+Capri_26071_028.html

No i didn't just spent that much money or trousers, my fella gets a 65% discount. I have also invested in some sudocrem :? lol just in case but i'm hoping the padded comfort will solve the problem.

As for my posture on the bike, there is no doubt i'm sitting the wrong way, i shouldn't be getting sore hands/arse/neck lol it's my fault and i know it so i will fiddle about until i get a more comfortable posture.

If all else fails i'll be looking for a new saddle, but one step at a time eh.

I shall keep you informed.

Thanks again for all the tips and advice, much appreicated.

Guss-81

Go to your LBS they should be able to set it up correctly first time. That's got to be better than guessing and it shouldn't cost much, expesially in relaition to prolonged soreness.

My OH is having the same problem but she definatly needs a new saddle. I will be taking her to Mitchells Cycles in Swindon with the bike for a new saddle and setup.