Saddle Sores – Ouch!

You know, I have struggled to

You know, I have struggled to get on with my fabric line saddle too. No sores or anything for me, just generally uncomfortable. I kept with it and decided it was fine after a while.

Then I bought a new bike that shipped with an antares saddle and holy jesus mary joseph and all of his carpenter friends it’s so comfortable! Everyone is different and all that but this was a revelation for me. Fabric has been chucked off the other bike too now.

Are you doing a lot of

Are you doing a lot of cycling all in one go? 

I find now I only get sore if I cycle too much without building up slowly. 

I cycle to work most days but recently have been incredibly lazy and trying to get back to cycling more regular. Currently if I do 3 days of cycling to work in a row, I start to get sore. But if I do 2, have a day off then do another 2, I’m ok. Personally, I just need to build up slowly to where I was before, then I’ll be fine. 

I probably could do with a new bib though. 

Have you tried Kalf from Evans. I tried these the other day and were very comfy…..

CXR94Di2 wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

You should be placing most of your weight on your sit bones. Too wide or too narrow saddle could cause issues. Get your sit bones measured. You can do it yourself self with a piece of thick corrugated card, put it on a piece of wood on the steps in your house, so your knees are high position. After a few minutes the pelvic bones will leave dents in the card. Once you have the width measurements check out guides as to how much width is required.

Was just about to post similar advice. This is pretty simple:

http://www.artscyclery.com/learningcenter/measuresitbonewidth.html

Just remember, saddle width isn’t sit bone width – it’s measured outside to outside, so you have to add 25-30mm. If you don’t have cardboard, there are more methods here:

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/9815/is-it-possible-to-measure-your-sit-bones-at-home

If you just want to check the saddle you have, the dents in the cardboard need to line up with the middle of the squidgiest bit of each half of the saddle, if that makes sense?

Cleanliness is helpful (of

Cleanliness is helpful (of shorts and skin). You may find that chammy / antichafe cream is useful too. Shaving the area might be helpful as well (but can make it worse). It’s something that there’s no definitive answer for, but all of the things mentioned (changing saddle position, shorts, vreames etc may help. Good luck finding the combination that relieves your discomfort 🙂

Everyone’s different so

Everyone’s different so recommending one saddle over another isn’t helpful. I haven’t liked the stock saddle on any bike I’ve had but I was instantly comfortable on an old Specialized MTB saddle and also found the WTB Devo is fine. I tried the WTB Volt, which is very similar but apparently a bit narrower (i.e. between your sit bones, not the overall width). I didn’t like it.

If you’re perched on the nose that usually leads to perineal discomfort quite quickly. Have tried you moving the saddle forward on the rails? Check the angle too, somewhere near horizontal is best for most people. Can you try any other models?

Hygeine issues can contributes to saddle sores. Do you change your shorts often? And wash ‘down there’ with soap daily. I use Weleda nappy cream to help clear up any sore spots.