Sore Arse Syndrome

MattK81

Hi guys, relative newbie here. Bit of a punt this one but thought I'd canvas for any opinions... when I'm doing long rides and hopping on and off the bike for breaks etc, towards the end getting back on the bike can be all kinds of agony in the arse region. Blood flowing back etc etc then getting squished again I guess.

I've got a Prologo road saddle which is reasonably firm and don't particularly fancy buying any ugly seat covers with extra padding etc, and I've already got cycling shorts with padding, so what else can I do to mitigate this, if anything? Stuff a sponge down there for extra cushiony-ness? I'm only half joking.

Anything that you do at all?

Or is it something that should go away with time toughening up and all that?

Cheers guys!

StillGoing

Sit in a bath of potassium permangenate? Seriously, I think the only remedy is toughening up the sensitive areas if you don't want to try a different saddle correctly measured for your sit bones. I know what you mean though, sometimes the blood flowing back into those numb parts is more painful than sitting still on them.

Omar Little

You dont want anymore padding on the saddle - the softer the saddle the more painful it will likely be for a medium / long ride because it doesn't support your sit bones properly.

You could try some chamois cream - assos, udderly smooth, chamois butt'r etc. Basically it is a cream you rub on your arse and put on the pad of the shorts, and it is pretty effective.

How long have you been cycling for? If you have only recently taken it up then it might just be the case of having to put up with it for now but it will get better and you will toughen up over time.

Herbsman

Get your arse bones measured and buy the corresponding specialised body geometry saddle.

Also ensure your saddle isn't too high, too low or tilted too far back, or you may be putting excessive pressure on the rear end

MountainMonster

Just a quick question.

Do you have proper cycling bibs, or just a cheap pair of shorts?

If it's just a cheap pair of cycling shorts, you will want to invest in a decent pair of bibs, as the padding is better, and with the bibs, they get held in place properly.

Bar Shaker

Buying very good shorts and bibs sorted it for me.

A few companies make shorts with gel impregnated chamois and these are uber comfy.

MattK81

Cheers guys, getting a proper bibs with the gel stuff sounds like a plan. Got a couple of Altura baggies with separate inner lycra wotsit at the moment, padding isn't that great to be fair. Pretty sure the saddle's set correctly but a body geometry one might be worth thinking about if necessary. Used to work for RCUK so have heard good things about that 'range'.

Don't usually ride more than 35 miles in a stint, and not really been doing it for that long, so I guess a bit of toughening up for the longer rides will also need to happen.

Ta!

MattC59

+1 for good quality shorts, and letting your ass toughen up. A few rides will soon toughen up your ass.
I'm sure I've said that to a few girls in the past ?!?!

I'm not a big fan of my current saddle, but I've just bought a rather nice pair of Craft bib shorts and any soreness has all but gone. I find that a chamois cream works too, but to a lesser extent.

raymondo60

Being an old fart, I love being comfortable, so I wear a pair of padded undershorts AND proper padded bib shorts, which keeps me pretty protected in that region. Last year I was riding in France with mates - some all-day-long rides in very hot weather. At one point we stopped at a lake and derobed (to a point) for a cooling a swim. Much fun was made of my 'double protection' - I can take a bit of ribbing in good humour - but later that day pretty much every one of my companions complained of sore backsides, so I'll stick to my underpants - dhb do great ones for about £14.99.

MattK81

ha ha well I did consider wearing both my pairs of padded undershorts...

denzzz28

Give your bum a chance to adopt with the contour of the saddle. if its a bearable sore then just ignore it, it should disappear if you cycle regularly. sore bum is normal when you just started riding or went back to riding after a long while. even i have sore bum if I dont cycle for more than 3 weeks. but if the pain is unbearable and soreness doesnt go away then you might want to consider trying different saddles.