tail bone hurts, what can I do?

I started cycling a few weeks ago (on rides about 12 miles) and my tail bone pain is really making riding a misery. I am 5 ft 10 in woman with long torso, legs, and arms. The bike is a Trek hybrid I bought a few years ago. What can I do?

Buy a woman's specific seat, the Selle Italia Ldy Genuine Gel is a good start. I bought one for my training partner, she is all smiles now.

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Cheers,
George.

The very first thing you can do is take your bike into a good local bike shop and have them "fit" you to the bike. My LBS will do this for $25, although some places will do it for free, and some charge more. They can help make sure that your saddle position is correct, handlebars, etc., as well as giving you tips on your riding position. For example, if your bike is a hybrid it may be set up now for a very upright riding style that may not serve you well on road rides of more than a few miles.

Once you've done that, if you are still having pain, you need to think about changing your saddle. It is normal to have some "adjustment" period to riding, where you toughen up your butt a bit as you spend more time in the saddle. However, pain that prevents you from riding on consecutive days or that has you in agony on such short rides is an indication that something is not right with either the equipment or your riding position. Don't let anyone tell you that you just have to "accept" this as part of riding -- that is NOT true. You can get many recommendations about saddles on this list, but you're going to have to try some out because every body is different. I had serious sit-bones pain when I first started riding seriously, and eventually got a Brooks saddle, which I LOVE and which has basically solved the problem (I now only have mild butt soreness after consecutive high-mileage days). But other women have had similar success with other saddles. Read some of the posts on saddles on this list and you'll start to get some ideas. But before you spend the money, make sure you are fit correctly to the bike. Good luck!

Excellent post Margaret, I couldn't agree more...I'd also like to add that a good quality padded Cycling short helps immensely too...I would never be without mine...

Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it! I'll get to the bike shop tomorrow and pick some brains. I'm so glad to find you folks