Sore bum and cycling shorts

[CarolynUK]

I've not ridden a bike for many years - my osteopath said not to (I have osteoarthritis in my hips, knees, hands etc. and a misaligned spine caused by a difficult labour - - what a wonderful picture I'm painting..! ). However, I'm getting on (55), need to lose weight and need more exercise than walking and the occasional swim. So, I decided to get a bike anyway and now have a comfort, step-over style type and it fits me well (my last bike, I can now prove, was way too big for me).

As you can imagine I've got the usual sore bum/butt syndrome and although I know it should get better, in the meantime - ouch! - also, I once cracked my coccyx so I get residual pain from that. Reading your positings I can see cycling shorts might be worth getting. My question is:

Could I wear cycling shorts underneath trousers (US, pants?) and they still give me any benefit? [There is no way I'm appearing in public in cycling shorts..! ]

thanks for any help!
Carolyn

 

[foolish heart]

Carolyn,

I'm not sure about the shorts. But you could change your saddle to one that would suit you more.

 

[CarolynUK]

Carolyn,

I'm not sure about the shorts. But you could change your saddle to one that would suit you more.

Thanks - daft question, I know - but how do you 'know' which saddle would be best..?!

 

[jhuskey]

Thanks - daft question, I know - but how do you 'know' which saddle would be best..?!

Rear ends vary as do saddles and I know this is not a lot of help but "ones persons meat is anothers poison" so to speak.
Finding the right saddle can take a while for some. Terry is well known for comfort saddles and make a wide variety so you may want to look at their designs.
As far as Lyca ,it is best used alone with no other material,such as conventional shorts ,underwear etc. that would wrinkle up and cause pressure points.
Good luck in your quest for "butt comfort" as manay are looking for the same answers.

 

[RickF]

There is such a thing as cycling underwear (UK, pants?) that can be used under any shorts or trousers (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19944&subcategory_ID=1223). Also, mountain bike shorts are loose fitting (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=1222).


In addition to the shorts and saddle, the position of the saddle (actually, the position of the bum on the saddle) is extremely important. Most people look at the knee in relation to the center of the pedal to determine if the saddle is in the correct position. What I have found is that the knee can be in the correct position, but only because one is sitting too far forward or too far back on the saddle. If your coccyx is hurting, my guess is either that your saddle is too long for you or the saddle needs to be moved slightly forward and your bum needs to be further back on the saddle. The sit bones are in front of the coccyx. Moving my saddle forward by 1/2 inch made a huge difference in comfort for me. For my wife, moving the saddle backward made a huge difference. In both cases, the position of our knees in relation to the pedal did not change. What changed was where our butts were on the saddle.

In addition to Terry (http://www.terrybicycles.com/), Team Estrogen (UK, oestrogen, but the URL will not work if you spell it that way

) is a good place for women's specific cycling clothing (http://www.teamestrogen.com/).

 

[CarolynUK]

Many thanks to all of you - all very helpful and I'll be investigating the sites, Terry's, looking at moving my saddle etc. - many thanks again!

Carolyn

 

[foolish heart]

You're welcome. Do tell us how you're getting along. Some of us may just pick up a lesson or two from your experimentation.

 

[otherworld]

Yes you can wear cycling shorts under something else, just dont wear anything between you and the cycling shorts. Lash out and get good ones that fit firmly and have a good quality insert such as "coolmax"


Jay

 

[CarolynUK]

Many thanks for the further help and yes, I'll keep you posted in case it can help others.

Although naturally I'm still sore, I have just come back from a ride after having moved the handlebars towards the saddle (as I discovered I couldn't move the saddle any more forward). I only moved them about 1/2 inch but it definitely seemed to help so I guess I was sitting on the wrong part of the saddle.

I will buy some good underwear or shorts - I'm still trying to locate UK suppliers of good ones, using the tips you've given me. I go on holiday - minus bike - next week so will no doubt have to acclimatise again once I'm back, but at least it should give me time to recover! - and by then I hope to have the right underwear so I'll post again once I can give any sort of verdict.

Thanks again,
Carolyn

 

[RickF]

Although naturally I'm still sore, I have just come back from a ride after having moved the handlebars towards the saddle (as I discovered I couldn't move the saddle any more forward). I only moved them about 1/2 inch but it definitely seemed to help so I guess I was sitting on the wrong part of the saddle.

Handlebar position is an area that has not been discussed in this thread. Positioning the handlebars so that more weight is on the hands will reduce the amount of weight on the bum. Too much weight on the hands, though, will cause the hands to become numb during a long ride, which is worse than the sore bum. It is all about finding the right balance. In addition to bringing the handlebars back, you might try lowering them slightly (no more than 1/2 inch to start with) or raising the seat slightly (but not so far that you cannot reach the pedal with your heal when the pedal is in the down position).

 

[CarolynUK]

Handlebar position is an area that has not been discussed in this thread. Positioning the handlebars so that more weight is on the hands will reduce the amount of weight on the bum. Too much weight on the hands, though, will cause the hands to become numb during a long ride, which is worse than the sore bum. It is all about finding the right balance. In addition to bringing the handlebars back, you might try lowering them slightly (no more than 1/2 inch to start with) or raising the seat slightly (but not so far that you cannot reach the pedal with your heal when the pedal is in the down position).

I promised I'd post again once I'd tried out everyone's advice so...

I bought some (Endura) 'Coolmax Padded Briefs' [from www.wiggle.co.uk] and they're great - they really do cushion the ole' bum and keep you dry - and you can wear them under ordinary trousers so as not to frighten the neighbours when you go out for a ride..! I also bought some Chamois cream, which I've used/will use only on longer bike rides and that's really helpful too. I have played around with my handlebars - rake and height - and can confirm what I've been told that the smallest adjustment can have a major impact - I did get it wrong once and had too much weight on the wrists and that just hurts.

So, very many thanks to one and all, I've just come back from a 12 mile moderately hilly ride (not much by your standards I know, but a lot for me at the moment!) and my butt (or wrists) aren't sore, brilliant - thanks everyone!

P.S. for British novice female bike riders - if you want to buy the same kind of underwear as I did, don't search using the word 'knickers' - knickers in biking terms, I've discovered, come below the knee and frequently have a bib!!! - all sites (UK or others) seem to use 'undershorts' or some, 'briefs' - although they're far from being that..!

 

[foolish heart]

Good for you, CarolynUK!

I promised I'd post again once I'd tried out everyone's advice so...

I bought some (Endura) 'Coolmax Padded Briefs' [from www.wiggle.co.uk] and they're great - they really do cushion the ole' bum and keep you dry - and