Saddle soreness

[Trevor]

I found some posts re this about 20 days ago, but many replies had gone off
my server.

I'm not a massively keen cyclist, but have cycled regularly from a child to
a 53 year old.

I now cycle about 12 miles a fortnight. I would cycle more but have ALWAYS
found it uncomfortable after about 6 miles. I would particularly like to
cycle more at the moment as a bad back makes walking difficult after 6 mls
(was doing 15-30 ml walks until recently.

In my 30's I cycled 100 miles across Ireland and Scotland and built up with
90 miles per week cycling across hilly Devon. It was no more comfortable
before during or after that trip.

Any advice appreciated but do I have to were those dreadful tight shorts?

 

[wafflycat]

"Trevor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I found some posts re this about 20 days ago, but many replies had gone off
>my server.
>
> I'm not a massively keen cyclist, but have cycled regularly from a child
> to a 53 year old.
>
> I now cycle about 12 miles a fortnight. I would cycle more but have ALWAYS
> found it uncomfortable after about 6 miles. I would particularly like to
> cycle more at the moment as a bad back makes walking difficult after 6 mls
> (was doing 15-30 ml walks until recently.
>
> In my 30's I cycled 100 miles across Ireland and Scotland and built up
> with 90 miles per week cycling across hilly Devon. It was no more
> comfortable before during or after that trip.
>
> Any advice appreciated but do I have to were those dreadful tight shorts?
>

The key to saddle comfort is two-fold. The first and most important is to
have a saddle that fits properly. What is perfection in a saddle for me may
well be like sitting on a knife for you - we all have different rears

Some bike shops have implements that work out what saddle will fit. An
online guide is here:-

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Second thing is a decent pair of padded rear cycle shorts/longs/underwear...

I wear Lycra cycleshorts, but I wear them underneath a pair of RonHill
Bikesters. The 'dreadful tight shorts' are worn by many cyclists for the
simple reason they are fit for purpose. They do what is says on the tin, so
to speak. You can disguise them by wearing them under something else, but
they are good to wear when cycling.

Other things to bear in mind - don't wear jeans when cycling - or anything
else with bulky,raised or hard seams - this will lead to pain after a short
time. Also - large, squidgy 'gel' saddles do *not* equate to comfort even if
the darned things are labelled as 'comfort' saddles. Look at the cycling
pros.... out there day after day, doing hundreds of miles in a week.... they
do *not* use wide, large, squidgy, gel 'comfort' saddles....

Cheers, helen s

 

[Peter Clinch]

Trevor wrote:

> Any advice appreciated but do I have to were those dreadful tight shorts?

Though the fit is to the skin they don't /feel/ particularly tight
because they're very stretchy to allow full freedom of movement. But if
the discomfort is psychological then you can do as Helen suggests and
wear them under something else, or get underwear with a cycling pad
built in (IIRC Lidl have some in their Specials bin this week). Another
option is the baggy cycling shorts which have a padded insert inside.

This said, you don't /need/ a padded short or similar, /if/ you have
the right saddle. I'd agree with what Helen has to say about saddles.

Of course, you can take a more extreme option and get a bike with a
comfy chair, something like this:
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/spirit.shtml which is an order of magnitude
more comfortable than a "normal" bike (my other half and I use
recumbents for touring. Bit more expensive than a new saddle, but if
you've got the readies then it is probably *the* answer to better comfort.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[dkahn400]

Trevor wrote:

> I now cycle about 12 miles a fortnight. I would cycle more but have ALWAYS
> found it uncomfortable after about 6 miles. I would particularly like to
> cycle more at the moment as a bad back makes walking difficult after 6 mls
> (was doing 15-30 ml walks until recently.

Good advice from Helen and Peter already. The other thing ISTM is that
your mileage is not high enough to toughen your bottom. No matter how
good the clothing and the saddle fit any new or returning cyclist (on a
conventional bike) will have to go through a period where the seat is
tender. Twelve miles every two weeks is probably little enough that you
are never getting out of the tender stage.

> Any advice appreciated but do I have to were those dreadful tight shorts?

Clinging rather than tight. They are simply the best thing for cycling
in, and have a padded insert which should help with your problem. Wear
something over the top if you don't like the image.

--
Dave...

 

[[email protected]]

Just to throw in a different POV, my experience is that for up to about
30 miles, with a suitable saddle, ordinary trousers or shorts plus
jersey cotton boxers work just fine. The keys to it are these: The
saddle needs to be firm enough and slippery enough so that nothing
rucks up. The underwear need to be soft-ish and absorbent-ish with no
seams, buttons, elastic or anything else on it or the trousers between
you and the saddle. Y-fronts are banned.

You don't do enough miles to break in a Brooks saddle, but some of the
anatomical designs are OK so long as they are on the firm side and
smooth surfaced.

Jeans are OK-ish but they don't let you pedal very freely, get caught
in your chain and soak up rain, so...
You can still buy things labelled as touring trousers, or plus-twos,
advertised in the cycling press. They work well enough at your kind of
mileage, and look quite a bit more normal.

When you get up to the kind of mileage that Mr K above indulges in,
padded lycra is the way forward, but by then you won't care!!

John

 

[Peter Clinch]

[email protected] wrote:

> You don't do enough miles to break in a Brooks saddle

I don't do that many miles on my uprights, but they all sport Brooks
saddles. Contrary to much said of them, if they're basically the right
shape then they're at least as comfortable straight out the box as other
saddles, and if they're not basically the right shape then no amount of
"breaking in" will help. They now do "pre-aged" ones
(http://kinetics.org.uk/html/pre-aged.shtml) which should be quicker to
break in, but the key point is that breaking in changes a Brooks from
Good to Great, not from Unbearable to Great.

> Jeans are OK-ish but they don't let you pedal very freely, get caught
> in your chain and soak up rain, so...
> You can still buy things labelled as touring trousers, or plus-twos,
> advertised in the cycling press. They work well enough at your kind of
> mileage, and look quite a bit more normal.

You can avoid trouser problems with a chain guard, a clip or tucking
into a sock, which mean you're not wearing rather starnge breeks when
you get off the bike.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Blonde]

Peter Clinch wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > You don't do enough miles to break in a Brooks saddle


I have a B17 and whilst it has got more comfortable the more I have
ridden it, it was actually OK straight from the box, particularly on
shorter rides when gradual bruising to sit bones over the longer time
in the saddle is less of an issue.

One thing no one has mentioned yet is that postion on the bike can lead
to uncomfortable riding and chafing problems as well, not just the type
of saddle used. I love riding the drops and the tops but rarely use the
hoods as they are a little too far away for me to reach comfortably
with the set up I currently have - I find that reaching too far for the
hoods causes my pelvis to roll forwrds so I am sat on soft tissue
rather than on my sit bones - no saddle will solve this problem, but
shortening the reach to the hoods by using a shorter stem and/or some
differently shaped bars probably will.

 

[Trevor]

"dkahn400" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Trevor wrote:
>
>> I now cycle about 12 miles a fortnight. I would cycle more but have
>> ALWAYS
>> found it uncomfortable after about 6 miles. I would particularly like to
>> cycle more at the moment as a bad back makes walking difficult after 6
>> mls
>> (was doing 15-30 ml walks until recently.
>
> Good advice from Helen and Peter already. The other thing ISTM is that
> your mileage is not high enough to toughen your bottom. No matter how
> good the clothing and the saddle fit any new or returning cyclist (on a
> conventional bike) will have to go through a period where the seat is
> tender. Twelve miles every two weeks is probably little enough that you
> are never getting out of the tender stage.
>



But I had exactly the same problem when I did 90 miles per week regularly
and a three week 1000 mile ride.

However, I would like to thank everyone for taking the trouble to give such
detailed replies and advice, and I'll have to grasp the nettle and buy some
shorts!

 

[Trevor]

I might add that I lost the use of a testicle in my 30's when doing most of
my cycling and put it down to this.

 

[wafflycat]

"Trevor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I might add that I lost the use of a testicle in my 30's when doing most of
>my cycling and put it down to this.


If the pain is really bad... if you can afford it - get a recumbent.
Examples:-

http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/

They are *serious fun* and I refer to mine as my 'smilemobile' and 'mobile
deck chair'

Cheers, helen s

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>,
[email protected] ('[email protected]') wrote:

> You don't do enough miles to break in a Brooks saddle, but some of the
> anatomical designs are OK so long as they are on the firm side and
> smooth surfaced.

You really don't need to 'break in' a Brooks saddle. For some people, a
brand new Brooks saddle is uncomfortable. Guess what? it's always going
to be. Other people ride Brooks saddles they've had for thirty years,
and which they swear by; and those people would be equally comfortable
on a brand new one.

Some people fit Brooks saddles. Others don't. End of story. If you do,
though, they are very comfortable.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; I'd rather live in sybar-space

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>,
Blonde ('[email protected]') wrote:

> One thing no one has mentioned yet is that postion on the bike can lead
> to uncomfortable riding and chafing problems as well, not just the type
> of saddle used. I love riding the drops and the tops but rarely use the
> hoods as they are a little too far away for me to reach comfortably
> with the set up I currently have - I find that reaching too far for the
> hoods causes my pelvis to roll forwrds so I am sat on soft tissue
> rather than on my sit bones - no saddle will solve this problem

But tilting the nose of the saddle will. Honest. I had this problem when
I put tribars on my bike, and tilting the saddle down by 10 degrees
solved it.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; I put the 'sexy' in 'dyslexia'

 

[Trevor]

"wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Trevor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>I might add that I lost the use of a testicle in my 30's when doing most
>>of my cycling and put it down to this.
>
>
> If the pain is really bad... if you can afford it - get a recumbent.
> Examples:-
>
> http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/
>
> They are *serious fun* and I refer to mine as my 'smilemobile' and 'mobile
> deck chair'
>


Looks seriuosly painful on my (stiff) neck!

 

[Chris Eilbeck]

"dkahn400" <[email protected]> writes:

>> Any advice appreciated but do I have to were those dreadful tight
>> shorts?
>
> Clinging rather than tight. They are simply the best thing for
> cycling in, and have a padded insert which should help with your
> problem. Wear something over the top if you don't like the image.

Is there a reason why putting the padding on your bum is better than
putting it in the saddle? Chafing?

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

 

[wafflycat]

"Trevor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "Trevor" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>I might add that I lost the use of a testicle in my 30's when doing most
>>>of my cycling and put it down to this.
>>
>>
>> If the pain is really bad... if you can afford it - get a recumbent.
>> Examples:-
>>
>> http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/
>>
>> They are *serious fun* and I refer to mine as my 'smilemobile' and
>> 'mobile deck chair'
>>
>
>
> Looks seriuosly painful on my (stiff) neck!

They are remarkably comfortable. try one.

Cheers, helen s

 

[Trevor]

Haven't the room in my garage or wallet for one. Did once try one though
many years ago, and found it very very hard work compared to 'normal' bike.

 

[Mike Causer]

On Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:05:25 +0100, Trevor wrote:

> "wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

>> They are *serious fun* and I refer to mine as my 'smilemobile' and
>> 'mobile deck chair'

> Looks seriuosly painful on my (stiff) neck!

Sit on a sofa and watch the TV. That's your position on a recumbent.
Sit on a chair, put your elbows on your knees and watch the TV. That's
your position on an upright. Try them both. Now which is better for
your neck?



Mike

 

[Peter Clinch]

Trevor wrote:

> Looks seriuosly painful on my (stiff) neck!

May are available with a head-rest. The HPVel Spirit I pointed you
at earlier has a sufficiently chair-like riding position that it's
not really an issue, and even more laid back ones aren't as bad as
most people think (tilting the head forwards is far easier and more
natural than tilting it back).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Peter Clinch]

Trevor wrote:
> Haven't the room in my garage or wallet for one. Did once try one though
> many years ago, and found it very very hard work compared to 'normal' bike.

Firstly, things have moved onm, secondly, you shouldn't generalise
all recumbents froma single model any more than you should assume
a Dutch roadster is just like an Olympic track bike becuase they
bot have the seats in the same place relative to the pedals!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Trevor]

"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Trevor wrote:
>
>> Looks seriuosly painful on my (stiff) neck!
>
> May are available with a head-rest. The HPVel Spirit I pointed you at
> earlier has a sufficiently chair-like riding position that it's not really
> an issue, and even more laid back ones aren't as bad as most people think
> (tilting the head forwards is far easier and more natural than tilting it
> back).
>
> Pete.
> --


Surely Peter in an upright my back (which constantly gives me pain) is in a
more natural position than in a recumbent?