Fifty Plus (50+) - Soreness from saddle - How much is normal? Where?

I am a new rider and just made my first 20 miler today. While I was riding I was not particularly uncomfortable, but when I got off the bike I could hardly lift my legs due to soreness on my butt. there is no chafing, just muscle/tissue soreness around my sitbones. I understand I need to toughen up, but I could hardly climb a short flight of stairs from my garage when I got home. Just trying to get an idea of what's normal. I'm 57, about 200 lbs and ride a Giant Roam 1 with a stock saddle.

It is better this evening and I plan to ride some trails tomorrow afternoon with my wife - butt permitting of course.

Thanks in advance,
Roger

If it is just muscle soreness, it will get better. Your glutes are not used to supporting your weight on such a small area. As those muscles get stronger and are better able to support your weight, the pain will go away.

First ride I did was 28 miles. Did the last 10 standing so you are not alone.

Takes a couple of hundred miles to get a new butt attuned to the saddle so a bit more pain to come yet

It's not just the pressure on the tissue around the sitbones, but if you haven't cycled before, you are employing muscles for pedalling that are not used to this sort of exercise.

Just remember, the only thing that hurts the butt more than the first ride is the second. It'll get better, though.

Just remember, the only thing that hurts the butt more than the first ride is the second. It'll get better, though.

:lol: Though we can get really enthusiastic sometimes, I now tend to monitor myself so that I don't have painful memories of cycling. It tends to discourage me. I know I can increase how fair I go by 10% without noticing it the next day, and if I do that once a week, within a month, I am up nearly 50% in distance. But, if you jump up too much when you are still in the low numbers, it can be a problem. I think though once you get up around 40 miles, doubling isn't that bad because you have the basic conditioning down.

Every time you add mileage to your rides your rear end will be a little bit sore. That you should expect.

If the soreness continues at a set mileage for more than a few rides then that's the time to start thinking about a new saddle. Which saddle you end up with is a matter of personal preference, and every one is different. Many riders go thru 10 to 20 saddles over the years till they find one they are happy with. The majority of the long distance riders (3 to 700 miles at a time) are using either a Brooks Leather saddle or Selle An-Antomica leather saddle. Me personally, I found the Brooks works and I have been using the same one for the last 20 yrs.