Ouch !! Bit sore tonight

Ezy Rider

When i got in from work at 5pm , i had a big baked potato and various bitsnbobs for dinner and put some chamois cream on my newly acquired altura progel lycra shorts and headed out for a ride. Conditions were a lil bit windy ,but not too bad and off I went. For the first 25 miles or so, I was whipping up hills and tearing along flats and all was very comfortable indeed, after this distance it felt like somebody was using something abrasive on the soft tissue between the nuts and the anus. Id get out of the saddle from time to time to stretch the legs and this would help with the discomfort,but when I sat back down, after a while it would feel again like abrasion of the soft tissue

The saddle is a ritchey pro biomax 131mm wide and with cutout , im confused as to why its total bliss for 25 miles and the dr jekyll side shows its face after that :? Would a tilt upwards or downwards be a possible remedy ? Id rather experiment with this route before having to check out other saddles or bib gel shorts.

I did 45 miles , pain or not , it took me 2 hrs 30mins , or avg 18.1 mph and it could have been a lot quicker if i was pain free. 3 hours after the ride and I feel quite tender down there

Bobbinogs

Did you wash the shorts before using for the first time? I have read about some folks having a reaction to some of the cleaning chemicals that the manufacturers use.

If you still get sore the next time then it might be worth just doing 25mile rides for a month and then work your way up as your body gets used it all and toughens up again.

I have the Altura Progels and they are OK (still use them for the turbo, etc.). The chamois does soften over time but no need to worry about that now.

I bought some Castelli Free Aero bibs a few months ago after NapD raved about them...and they really are great. I don't think you have to spend a fortune to get decent shorts or a ride free from pain, but this is one area where I appreciate the feel of quality/luxury and the money was well spent (Ribble were doing a special offer).

MountainMonster

Told you about the cheap shorts!

Only joking, could be a problem with the saddle, as when they are not wide enough they can cause damage, and errr "numbness" in "that region". It could also be because you don't have bibs, just shorts, that they slide around alot, and after a while the discomfort kicks in. I had that same problem when using some relatively cheap shorts, got my bibs and have been so happy since then!

MattC59

Good quality bibs, it's the only way to go if you want to put in any distance.
As Mountainmonster mentioned, shorts move around a lot more than bibs, add to that a new, cheap chammie and you're asking for soreness after a while.

Ezy Rider

my right knee is hurting a bit, if my saddle was a bit too high, could this be in a factor in the perineum and knee pain. would a 5mm drop in height be worth a punt ?

gaddster

Ezy Rider wrote:

I was whipping up hills and tearing along flats and all was very comfortable indeed, after this distance it felt like somebody was using something abrasive on the soft tissue between the nuts and the anus

I think 'The Gooch' sounds much nicer hehe

Pain in front of knee can be saddle too high...

Ezy Rider

but could it be a factor in the t`ar$e pain im getting :?:

P_Tucker

Its probably because you don't race. Enter a 3/4 on a fast circuit and you won't care about how sore your ar$e is.