Originally Posted by Hornbiker
Howdy Bob,
1. Have you tried Chamois Buttr? Great stuff. Cuts down the friction wherever you put it, and cuts down on saddle sore problems. Found at good bike shops and in catalogs.
2. You mentioned that you are wearing your shorts for awhile in between rides. I would suggest NOT leaving your shorts on after a ride if at all possible. The sweat and moisture build up from the ride can cause irritation on your, ahem, parts. My friends call that "making mushrooms."
3. Find someone who knows what they're doing to fit you to your bike on a trainer, so they can see how you ride. The traditional ways of measuring seat height and angle might not work if done while you're stationary; as you said, you sit farther forward while pedalling vs. just sitting there.
4. Do you have a super soft, gel type saddle on your bike?
I've only tried a sport gel, because that was what he bike shop had. I have found that baby powder does better so I'm usually using that. Still need to get to a store that carries one of the products recommended here.
While I do wear my shorts between rides, the irritation starts well before that. It is, of course, possible that I have never really recovered by previous irritation and so it doesn't take much to set it off. I guess I'll find that out soon since I have almost a 3 week vacation at the end of this month when I won't be riding.
I was fitted on a trainer. I think a big part of the problem is not having a snug hem on the leg and nothing I've tried takes care of that, not even on shorts that are too small in every other way. I'm sure when I was fitted that I probably sat solidly on the saddle and only later realized I was always sliding up. Well, I've move the seat to help with that.
I don't consider my saddle to be soft. It's a Selle Italia gel and if it is considered soft, I hate to have to deal with a hard one!