RR3

Since my flight back from PBP thru Toronto was cancelled and I am limbo, I was reflecting on how I had zero saddle soreness after PBP. It is like I did not ride. I wore the same shorts for the duration.

They are darned expensive but the new ASSOS S7 Cento bibs have two unique chamois features that provide remarkable comfort to a long distance rider. The chamois floats and thus any abrasion is absorbed between the outer portion of the chamois and the skin of the short. No abrasion to your skin. This was the third long ride that I did in these shorts with zero soreness or chafing.....it is as if I did not ride. No redness. No tenderness. Nothing. Lots of Laniseptic and naturally a good leather saddle always help but I usually have a touch of tenderness and always some modest chafing redness with other shorts. The other S7 Cento feature is a birds nest for the boys to rest....no mid ride adjustments necessary.

Assos says they are a game changer. I agree. Obviously not for everyone but saddle pain is a pain in the butt and they might be worth trying for the desperate....or financially imprudent

Chris Pringle

Thank you for the tip, RR7! The technology on those new Assos bibs sounds amazing. I was pretty badly chafed upon finishing PBP but pretty much healed 3 days later. I changed shorts in Carhaix (525 Km).

RR3

I figured out foot and saddle problems....just hope I can eventually sort out numb hands although I did get lazy after Mortagne on the way to Dreux in that I did not change hand positions as often. Until then my hands were perfect. I wore two pairs of gel padded gloves over padded aluminum handlebars. I find carbon bars to be more comfy but chose not to take a risk because I had a handlebar bar with a lot of weight. I doubt a professional bike fit would help? I am open to all ideas....hands are still numb 5 days later. Riding yesterday was not easy due to the numb hands. Not sure if I should stop riding until the numbess goes away or maybe put TT bars on to relieve pressure.

stewartp

I had terrible saddle sores after my 600 qualifier. For PBP I went back to my Brooks saddle and got thru half a tub of chammy cream during the ride. I lathered my arse and groin liberally at every control. Worked a treat.
Numb hands however.....

Carbonfiberboy 

Oh you kid! . . . I used to never get saddle sores either. OTOH, I never get numb hands or a sore neck or back.

Chris Pringle

I took two pairs of gloves. A pair of Bontrager full fingered gel gloves and an old pair of Nashbar neoprene winter gloves. The latter ones have no gel but the material is quite thick all around. I wore the gel gloves the first day for about 12 hours and noticed more pain around the palm of my hands and a tingling sensation in my fingers. Even though the neoprene gloves made my hands sweat more, they were overall a lot more comfortable. So I decided to stick with them for the rest of the PBP. Yes, changing hands on the handlebar helped as well as shaking my hands often. I am happy to report that my hands are working at full capacity.

I still have my two big toes somewhat numb. Cutting my insoles around the big toes in order to give my big toe nails more room worked for my nails but created pressure (circulation issues) where the big toes meet the end of the insoles. The numbess is progressively getting better. I read somewhere that it usually takes 2-3 weeks for most PBP ailments to disappear completely.

ThermionicScott 

Since we're discussing our PBP ailments...

I didn't have any saddle sores either. Still on the hunt for a pair of biking shorts I truly love, but I switched to my fresh pair at Carhaix or so, and applied a little "Chamois Butt'r" at nearly every bathroom break. Sure, that contact area got a little tender along the way, but I didn't experience any pimples or true sores, thank goodness. I'm going to check out those Assos Centos now.

I was surprised not to have any neck issues, and only minor lower back pain afterward. I'll take that as a sign that my handlebar height and fitness were in the ballpark.

No issues with numb toes or hot spots under my feet, either, so the new shoes and strap tightness (or lack thereof) must have done the trick.

Still have some numb fingers, though, mostly on the left hand. As much as I lecture other posters about the dangers of padded gloves and not moving one's hands around enough , I think that's what I ended up doing, especially for the rainy last 64 km from Dreux to SQY, where I wanted to make sure I had enough grip on the bars and stayed in the drops for the most control. I'm not going to worry about it too much unless it fails to clear up in the next few weeks.

RR3

CCboy. Avoiding saddle sores is about wrinkle mgt and eating a high fat diet at your tender age

My left hand and arm are still numb. I put tri bars on to let me ride but they do not help much because it is hilly where I live.

My hands were 100% fine until after mortgage. I got careless about changing positions but I also did PBP straight thru without sleep and was totally fine until the last 4-5 hours when I was not sleepy but more like just being on autopilot if that makes any sense. My focus was navigation, breathing, looking at the beautiful landscape and turning the cranks. I forgot moving hand position and am really paying now

unterhausen

I have had long-term numbness after a ride, and it's a bit disturbing, especially hand numbness. I hope it resolves quickly for you. I used to have numb hands quite a bit, but I improved that by moving my seat back a little and getting a longer stem. After my first 600k, I had weird numb spots the soles of my feet. They took quite a while to come back.

I have saddle sore problems every year as I start the randonneuring season, but then after my 600k, I almost never have any problems. I'm not that great at keeping ahead of my chamois cream needs while on a ride, then I get to stop every once in a while and apply lantiseptic instead. I actually have more problems with the "modesty panel" of shorts cutting into the parts that they are supposed to be covering over. Voler is really bad for that. I also had the same problem with some PI shorts on PBP, try going into a French pharmacy and explaining you want a bandage for that particular part of your anatomy. Fortunately, I had some Endura shorts that were magic waiting in my drop bag.

ThermionicScott 

Heh. I've been thinking for a while that I could do with much less padding, but all of the shorts I can find locally are thickly-padded bike shorts, or "tri" shorts without enough concealment in front. I'd love it if I could get the benefits of both.

Steamer

Even without a high modesty panel in front, you can still get man part chafage.

I use bike shorts with the insert completely removed when I ride my recumbent, and have had a few abrasion issues on randonnees and 12hr races*.

Any time you have a sweaty person swishing their legs back and forth for hours on end something is going to rub on something. It's an immutable law of the universe.

*My worse experience was after Calvin's Challenge and I took a shower in the adjacent field house locker room after the event and a few other guys there were laughing when the hot shower water hit the affected area and I almost started crying with pain.