My "rear" is sore!!!!

[JapanRed]

Hi all,

I’m new to cycling. Have only been doing it 2-3 months so far but am enjoying it. I’ve got a cheap second hand road bike that I’m using at the min, which is ok for now.

I suspect the seat is cheap, and also I don’t have any padded shorts. I’ve no chafing but my arse hurts for days following a 40-50km ride, feels like it’s the bones inside that are sore. As I say I’m new to cycling so any recommendations on seat and/or shorts is very much appreciated at this stage.

Ta

[The Mad Monk]

JapanRed said:

Hi all,

I’m new to cycling. Have only been doing it 2-3 months so far but am enjoying it. I’ve got a cheap second hand road bike that I’m using at the min, which is ok for now.

I suspect the seat is cheap, and also I don’t have any padded shorts. I’ve no chafing but my arse hurts for days following a 40-50km ride, feels like it’s the bones inside that are sore. As I say I’m new to cycling so any recommendations on seat and/or shorts is very much appreciated at this stage.

Ta

Padded shorts.

[Maximus_Meridius101]

Good quality padded shorts, and some chamois creme would be my start point. There’s a double whammy of issues when you first start riding a bike. The first one is relative softness of your soft bits, and the other one is that you won’t be distributing / supporting your weight, in such a way that the saddle isn’t taking too much weight through it. In time you’ll toughen up, and as your ‘ride specific’ muscles adapt and strengthen, you’ll end up not having so much weight put through the seat area.

[JapanRed]

Thanks both. Any particular brands or styles that are better than others or will any do?

[ATM]

Saddle width

Some specialist bike shops have a foam device you can sit on which leaves indentations. You then measure these to determine the saddle width required to match your bone structure.

I had pain for 10 years or more and just accepted it until I found out about this. Then bought a very wide saddle and experienced almost zero discomfort by comparison.

Quick Google finds lots of pages covering this....

[bristolbaron]

Bib shorts and a Charge spoon saddle (along with multiple adjustments to find the sweet spot) did the trick for me. The warning as above though is the sit bones give the discomfort and saddle measurement is important for pricier stuff. At £30 I was happy to take an educated punt and it paid off!

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/rc500-cycling-bib-sh...

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Charge-Spoon-Cromo-Saddle...

[frisbee]

I would try without the chammy cream to start with. If I use it my arse looks like a teenager's face the next day!

[nickfrog]

bristolbaron said:

Charge spoon saddle

These have been working for me for at least 10 years. Which proves that a saddle doesn't even have to be expensive to be comfy. I can't remember spending more than £20 on one either.

[Mastodon2]

Having discomfort after 2 to 3 months is unusual, I'd say if you were suffering after 2 to 3 weeks something would be wrong too, but if you're not using padded shorts then that is an obvious place to start.

You might need a different shape of saddle, you might need to tweak your saddle position, there could be other bike fit issues that mean you're putting a lot of weight on your sit bones, but chasing these things down is pointless until you've had a go with padded shorts for a bit to see how you get on.

There is no one size fits all for cycling comfort, what feels great for one person might be terrible for another. Buying a load of cheap saddles is one option, you might strike lucky on the perfect one first time, but there are other routes to consider.

[JapanRed]

Thanks everyone. I’ll get myself some padded shorts in the first instance to see if that helps. If it doesn’t I’ll maybe try and nip into a bike shop and try out those seats with the foam device/imprint.

[ATM]

JapanRed said:

Thanks everyone. I’ll get myself some padded shorts in the first instance to see if that helps. If it doesn’t I’ll maybe try and nip into a bike shop and try out those seats with the foam device/imprint.

Check Google

You can measure this at home

[defblade]

nickfrog said:

bristolbaron said:

Charge spoon saddle

These have been working for me for at least 10 years. Which proves that a saddle doesn't even have to be expensive to be comfy. I can't remember spending more than £20 on one either.

Sadly, didn't get on with mine at all


OP: padded shorts are 100% your first place to go. I remember resisting lycra etc when I started riding, but it turns out there's a reason most cyclists wear the stuff... it's the right stuff to wear!
As for which to go for: I'd say don't buy the cheapest, they'll be rubbish; and the very expensive will be well into the law of diminishing returns. Try a few different makes if possible, pad size, shape, thickness etc all vary - for example, I don't get on with the pads in Polaris stuff as they're too wide between my legs, which is a pity as their stuff is good value.
On the "it's the right stuff..." front, I've also been 100% converted to bib shorts over the last year after resisting for a long time... they're simply better than plain old shorts!

My suggestion would be to have a look at Start Fitness, you can usually pick up decent quality stuff at reasonable prices if they've got your size, makes trying things out less painful on the wallet (also, they usually have discount codes for 5 or 10% off - don't know if "START10" still works - try signing up to their newsletter )
Edit: not much on there for me at the moment

[Dnlm]

I find Wiggles own brand DHB shorts such better quality/value than other equivalent price stuff.

[ruggedscotty]

im out every day 30-50km rides.... gel saddle did the trick

[LM240]

Saddle fit (sit bones). This made a huge difference to me sorting out pain. Well worth doing research in this area and looking into different saddle shapes.

Good pair of padded bib shorts. Having a good fit also key.

Chamois cream (assos is great)

Time... getting used to it is also a factor.

[deeen]

JapanRed said:

Thanks everyone. I’ll get myself some padded shorts in the first instance to see if that helps. If it doesn’t I’ll maybe try and nip into a bike shop and try out those seats with the foam device/imprint.

Yes, padded shorts, and bib shorts are worth the extra. Then bike fit (worth it anyway if you're going to continue road riding), this should (amongst other things) optimise saddle tilt and fore-and-aft for you, no point in having the best saddle in the wrong position.

[Master Bean]

A tub of this is good for long days or hot days.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Assos/Chamois-Cre...

[SomersetWestie]

LM240 said:

Saddle fit (sit bones). This made a huge difference to me sorting out pain. Well worth doing research in this area and looking into different saddle shapes.

Good pair of padded bib shorts. Having a good fit also key.

Chamois cream (assos is great)

Time... getting used to it is also a factor.

Definitely this !!!! My best saddle while I was getting back on the bike proper a few years ago was a cheap basic £15 jobbie that the bike fitter found out the back, just because it was the right size ! Prior to the I'd tried several different ones at various prices, none of which felt as comfortable as the proper size one

Time is a big factor for sure ! It'll take a few months of regular riding with the right saddle and the right shorts for you to get to a point where it doesn't happen. A few weeks in should be a lot less painful though, so keep at it !!!!!

Shorts........ As other have said...... there's a reason we wear tight lycra things with a padded arse............! Don't go really cheap, don't go unpadded, middle of the road shorts from the likes of DHB/Endura/Altura will be just fine for your riding and with the right saddle will transform how you feel when you get off the bike again !!!

[jontysafe]

I`ll second Endura. I have 4 sets of Fs260pro bib shorts and 2 tights. If you go Fs260pro SL you can even have the pad fitted to you as well as they do small, medium and wide pads.

With saddles does yours have a cut out down the middle. I can`t ride without those. Tried one without and took a day to get the gentleman vegetables feeling again

[ATM]

jontysafe said:

With saddles does yours have a cut out down the middle. I can`t ride without those. Tried one without and took a day to get the gentleman vegetables feeling again

I did a charity ride. 80km. Never done anything like that before or after. Half way stopped for break and chat with various random people. After a couple of minutes walking around I started experiencing pins and needles in the vegetables. This tingling sensation definitely got the blood flowing. As I was wearing lycra I needed to make a sharp exit.