Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Saddle sores??

Ever since I returned to randonneurring, I've been trying to deal with seat comfort. Nothing seems to take away from the brevets more than having to stand up every 2km for the last 80k for temporary relief.

I'm on my third saddle, a specialized, and it's the widest they have. That seems to have brought some relief as I no longer have lasting pelvic pain.

For some unknown reason, I've resisted the use of chamois cream, but started using it this year out of desperation. There seems to be some relief, but only in the upper crotch area, not where the butt meets the saddle.

Is it my seat, or could it be my shorts? I didn't think shorts could have that much affect, but is it possible?

People speak highly of Brooks saddles, but I want to exhaust all other options before buying yet another saddle.

Is there maybe something else I haven't considered?

Btw, I'm not a small guy. 6ft, 240. Could probably lose another 20.

My butt is crying for a solution!

Are you dealing with saddle sores or a sore, err, saddle? Saddle sores are different than your rear being tired of sitting on the seat.

My backside would get sore until I built up enough callouses. Chamois cream, applied to the potential sore spots, will help. Allowing the sores to heal properly will help.

If you are simply tired of sitting on the seat, that comes with more saddle time.

FWIW, I can't stand a wide saddle. Just wide enough for my pelvis' seat bones to have a place to go.

Yes. Shorts can make a critical difference, at least in my experience. I usually use the expensive Specialized ones for long distances but also have some more economical Pearl Izuma shorts which I have used satisfactorily for 100 mile rides. A pair of expensive Descentes tore me a new *****... Very painful but I think they were defective with a mis-sewn seam. Doesn't take much.

Is it my seat, or could it be my shorts? I didn't think shorts could have that much affect, but is it possible?

People speak highly of Brooks saddles, but I want to exhaust all other options before buying yet another saddle.

Is there maybe something else I haven't considered?

Btw, I'm not a small guy. 6ft, 240. Could probably lose another 20.

My butt is crying for a solution!

It could be your shorts, it could be the saddle, it might be a combo of the two. I'm a big guy as well (6'6", 250) and I've had good luck with my Brooks B-17 and B-17 Imperial saddles over the last 3 years. If you're concerned about the cost, Wallingford Bicycle has a 6 month return policy on Brooks saddles.

I have started using triple antibiotic cream in the most sensitive areas, and that seems to help a lot. I was getting chafing sores up front, and what amounts to bruising in back. I particularly had trouble on one side, and it turns out my saddle was a little crooked. I would test some more saddles. You may not need a wider saddle, that may be part of the problem. I was resting some weight on some of the moving parts when I slid too far back on the saddle, and this was really adding up to some serious pain on longer rides.

I got some Endura shorts with a padded chamois. It seems to have helped.

It does depend on exactly what you are referring to.

I've never -- touch wood -- had serious issues with saddle sores. The only true one I ever had was weeks into a 2 month tour ... just a small one. I adjusted my saddle slightly off centre for a while, piled on the antibiotic cream until it healed.

I have had success occasionally wearing 2 pairs of shorts for a stage of a long brevet.

Last year, for the first time ever, I had some painful abrasions from chamois seams, in shorts I'd worn on many rides, including PBP. Maybe the chamois edge is hardening. One ride was very hot, the other included torrential rain. Both can cause chafing problems.

Bruising is another issue that can only be addresses with saddle and bike fit.

There's really no way around finding the right saddle and shorts but to spend some money. As mentioned, some shops have a return policy, or will let you try out different saddles for a while, before you buy. I think once you wear shorts ... they're yours.

I'm much smaller, but at least for me:

1) saddle must be wide enough for the sit bones, but not any wider otherwise I get chafing
2) saddle must be firm -- soft saddle means rocking and movement, therefore chafing
3) I need a thick enough chamois, use both perl izumi slice ultrasensor and performance century shorts -- the PB shorts are good when new but the chamois thins over time
4) on longer brevets -- 300/400/600 -- must remember to stand occasionally but also to change position on the saddle -- rotate pelvis to change weight bearing position

If I am not careful I can get very sore spots under the sit bones. The last point is key for me -- varying my weight bearing position. If I do that, I'm fine. FWIW I have selle italia flite gel saddles on all four bikes that I own -- not the "gel flow" with the slit down the center -- for me that's too soft, the saddle moves and I get chafing.

My sit bones are very sore. I just bought the bike a couple days ago though and this is hopefully the explanation for it. (not used to the seat) I feel like I have to much weight on the handlebars in a horrizontle way if that makes any sense, giving me the opportunity for wrist pain. Maybe if I move the seat up it will help? Thanks.

Unfortunately, that seems to be an area where there are no hard and fast rules.

Something that's not clear, though. I just assumed the chamois cream was to prevent abrasion problems/ blisters. Is that the problem you're having? Or is it just seat discomfort like you're sitting on a 2x4? That's two different issues.

Personally, I'm using the wide cruiser saddle that came on my cruiser. Yesterday, I rode 211km in 12 hours, wearing cotton shorts and tighty whities, and was soaked with sweat the whole while. I think most people here would say that was just completely wrong all the way around. But it worked fine for me, and I finished in comfort. So go figure. (FYI, stylistically, wide cruiser saddles look stupid on a road bike, so I'm not suggesting it here.)

By the way, I notice that here locally, there is a disproportionate number of long-distance riders that use recumbents. Maybe there's a reason.

Is it my seat, or could it be my shorts?Neither, its your size and weight.

Other than trying "everything" - the obvious answer is to develop good cycling form and the associated strength necessary to distribute body-weight more evenly through out the bicycle. Normally this means -going on shorter rides frequently - until weight and strength become favorable. This will allow for toughening of the butt tissues without riding until the point of irritation.

By the way, I notice that here locally, there is a disproportionate number of long-distance riders that use recumbents. Maybe there's a reason.

doubtful...

By the way, I notice that here locally, there is a disproportionate number of long-distance riders that use recumbents. Maybe there's a reason.in general, they are pretty rare among long distance riders. I would have trouble with going to sleep :)

My experience in the past is that saddle sores are mostly a matter of toughening up. I think I'm getting back to that stage. I only recently started riding long distances after many years of only short distances. I had trouble on any ride over 80 miles. Yesterday I rode 200k without significant problems. I think the large number of saddle designs really has given us more opportunities to cause ourselves problems. Once you find the right saddle and position, things are better. But it may be harder to get to that point.

In regards to Brooks saddles, I recently learned that my Brooks Pro just wouldn't break in, after thousands of miles - it wasn't me that was doing anything wrong.

After switching back to the B17 I can sit forever on it... they don't work for everyone but they work for a lot of people.

I see people riding on everything on the long rides, so clearly there is no easy answer here.

As for chamois cream -- I only put it in a 2-3 inch swath from the sit bones forwards, nothing in the crotch area per se.

People speak highly of Brooks saddles, but I want to exhaust all other options before buying yet another saddle.

I would recommend the B-17 (Narrow). I've had mine chopped, swallowized, whatever you want to call it. It is an amazing saddle. I thought it was hype at first also, but no, very nice, even during the break-in.

I understand your reluctance to invest in another saddle, however, if you live in or near a decent sized city, you could always craigslist it (probably for close to the retail value) if you don't like it. The name is so well known, that whenever I see them in the Chicago craigslist, they are gone within hours (and the price is usually high, for used).

http://gallery.a-symmetric.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=678&g2_serialNumber=2

I'm 5'7" and used to weigh 241. At that weight I couldn't ride a bike because it hurt too much, even with wide saddles and gel pads. Now I'm down to sub 190 lbs and I have virtually no problems with pain in the saddle area. I wear good bib shorts and I assume that helps. I've also tried a womens saddle as that's wider in the rear and has a short snout area, so that may be an option to try also.

So biggest #1 thing that will probably help will be weight loss if you're anything like me, good shorts will help, and maybe another saddle will be better too.

buy a brooks from wallbike. great return policy if it doesn't work out for you...