Saddle sores (ewww)

secretsam

Sorry about this, but I've got one and it's not nice.

How do you treat them (I use saddle cream, padded shorts, had bike fit, etc etc - hot day, fat ar53...)

keef66

Good soak in a hot bath, give it a thorough scrub, dollop of sudocreme, witch hazel or maybe tea tree oil. Every couple of hours give it a good boiling with a flannel dipped in water as hot as you can stand.

Stay off the bike till it's cleared up

k-dog

And if that doesn't work steroid cream does the job - most don't need that though.

Druidor

sudocreme IF it's good enough for a babies botty its good enough for a cyclists

too slow to go

Or you could MTFU....

All joking aside, i know your pain all too well as i have a recurring saddle sore... yes i wash my shorts after every ride, yes i shower daily, yes i have a good saddle, yes i have tried chamois cream... but still this thing apears every every 5/6 months and has done (in the same spot) for 5 years now.

jgsi

Personally convinced that sores appear .. re appear if you up the hours spent on the bike as happens in summer naturally.. but combined with ill fitted inserts in your , what you might think are your best bibs because they cost an arm and a leg.
Cheap shorts with basic pads and you are just asking for trouble.
I am interested in the new FS260 Endura that not only have sizes for length but also 3 insert sizes as well.
Finding a retailer that stocks them isnt so easy. If you think about it, then even a slight excess of material in the wrong place will cause irritation leading to a possible sore... and you can apply a tub of cream and it will ultimately make no difference.
http://www.endurasport.com/products/?ProductID=405
afaik even Assos do not offer this... but may be wrong and guaranteed anyways to 3 times the cost.
If I want discomfort all I need to do is do excess of 40 miles in a pair of Castelli aero bibs that are now too big for me essentially.. so they have been relegated to turbo work or 20 milers.

bagz3

i recently discovered i was geting saddle sores due to my seat being a tad high. I've lowered it 3mm and its seems to have done the trick.

ben@31

Bizarrely I only got a sore on one side, in the crease where the butt cheek joins the thigh.

But heres my advice...

1. Clean bib shorts / bib tights. The sweaty things a heaven for bacteria that causes sores.

2. Remove the bib shorts straight after a ride rather than sit around in them.

3. Rest days. Maybe my sores were caused by over training? Takes a week of rest for it to go down.

4. A tube of Conotrane. Antispetic soothing cream for nappy rash, pressure sores and irritated skin. Can be bought from the high street chemist. Apply this a few times daily while resting the sore spot.

5. Lots of Assos chamois cream.

slowmart

Try some incremental improvements which I found beneficial.

Ensure a good scrub of the affected area. Then scrub and rinse again to be sure

Apply copious amounts of which hazel day and night to the sore

Chamois cream is your friend. Use it like you stole it.

Your shorts. Make sure they're in place correctly when you ride. I hitch mine up to ensure the padding is correctly placed.

No cure yet as it disappears when I'm off the bike for a couple of days but it makes the situation manageable.

ben@31

Oh I forgot...

6. Every now and again stand up out of the saddle for a few secs. For example when cresting a small hill or hump back bridge, or when pulling away from a junction, or straighten one leg on a descent. I found climbing out the saddle hard for more than a few secs when I first started cycling, but it can only make you stronger and with a bit of practice you gradually end up lasting longer. You can even turn standing up out the saddle into a game / challenge by aiming for a sign post or tree then trying to go a bit further next time.
There's a possibility that if you go out the saddle, when you sit back down again you'll sit sightly differently (without trying) so you'll won't be rubbing or having pressure in the same place for the entire duration of the ride.

PTestTeam

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19623420#p19623420]SecretSam[/url] wrote:

Sorry about this, but I've got one and it's not nice.

How do you treat them (I use saddle cream, padded shorts, had bike fit, etc etc - hot day, fat ar53...)

It's wise to look at preventing saddle sores as well. As well as being hygienic, there are other various things you can do:

1. Is your bike set up properly? A common cause of saddle sores are saddles that are too high

2. Is your saddle right for your anatomy and flexibility?

3. Do your bibshorts fit correctly? Another cause of saddle sores are pads/inserts that don't sit correctly and move while your riding, causing chafing. If your shorts are good quality and fit perfectly, the insert shouldn't move and you won't be moving around in the saddle.

If you can get all of the above correct, you could go riding without the need of chamois cream!