jerrycan42

Just see a dermatologist. Have it surgically removed. Then stay off the bike for 1 to 2 months. Try running or elliptical during that time.

ColaJacket

Have you tried going with a nose-less saddle?

If your chafing on the nose, then no nose could help.

GH

StanSeven

I just checked this thread. The top two posts on page 5 had this. It's getting strange

latexyankee

Pretty positive something like this is going on, I can almost fell a pelvic tilt on the bike like I'm never sitting square. I've mentioned this to many people with no avail...steve hogg wants me to try his pelvic alignment kit but I'm not really buying it. He said himself on his forum that I need to see a chiro/doctor/physiologist.


Want I'm trying to accomplish is find a temporary substitute. This is what I'm hoping to address on Friday with my fitter. If I can find a compromise, whether it be shims, wedges a special saddle or seatpost or anything...until I can find the time and money to address skeletal issues at the root. Something like this may take a couple years and more than a couple thousand dollars to correct. Insurance or health care in general in the US is a joke. I never had an xray of back but I already believe there is leg length and pelvic issue due to everything I've tried and how I feel on the bike AND I have a much larger left thigh. Whatever the cause, I favor that side. I've said in an earlier post that it always feels as if the left leg is doing more of the work, that no matter what the cadence, speed or grade, it always feels easier to pedal on the right side and left side is putting out the power.

I'm just hoping to perhaps find a compromise. I dont have to ride for 5 hours at a time, but I need at least 2 to feel as if I "rode" that day.


Again to those who replied about dermatologist and having it removed etc..your replies are welcome but fall on dead ears. This doesnt need to heal, it heals 2 days after a ride completely. It has been gone since Sunday. It doesn't appear in the exact same spot every ride depending on my angle or fore/aft. Its a common area and its always the same side, but I can get it to go away in 2 days. Another one will pop up if I ride again and I'm creating friction between myself and the saddle. They will NEVER stop, regardless if I see the doc after every ride. That is a non issue, thanx

loky1179

I was having back issues at the time, which is why I went to see an orthopedist - not because of my cycling problems. I'm pretty sure my back issues were caused by a new mattress I was sleeping on at the time. Whatever, the very first thing they did was an x-ray. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

By the time I got the x-ray, I'd been riding road bikes for 17 years. Like you, I knew I didn't sit straight on the saddle. But it was impossible for me to just "feel" what my problem was. I needed the picture. And the picture really doesn't even tell the whole story, since I have some spinal "twisting" as well as just straight up curvature. It is easier for me to check traffic over my right shoulder, because it is harder to rotate to the left. Too bad I don't live in the UK.

I think this is a much different problem than leg length discrepancies. You'd think there would be a bike fitting guru somewhere that would have some insight on this.

I never pursued it further, other than my own experiments with shims, seat setbacks, suspension seatposts, and various shorts. Seems like the same thing f4rrest did. I do love my thudbuster seatpost though. It is worth a try if you've never ridden with one. Really takes the pressure off. I only have one on my commuter and Mt. Bike, but I'm thinking about getting one for my road bike as well. I might get laughed at - until my left leg drops those guys on the hills .

Again, good luck.

on the path

Little update for me. My issues are only on one side, my right. I loosened the seatpost clamp and nudged the nose of the saddle just a wee bit towards the drive side. Result: it's definitely different and seems to distribute the pressure more evenly to each side of my butt. I'm planning many hours in the saddle over the next 2 days so I'll try to make an update after the weekend.

Suggestion to the OP: Since you have issues only on one side, why not try to induce similar symptoms on the opposite side. I'm not sure as to precisely how you would do it, but I'm guessing it would be by making some kind of fit adjustment. Not up or down but try moving the saddle, or handlebars, or both, off axis. Or, put a temporary shim on one side of the riding surface of the saddle. Haven't heard any more from you, let us know how you're doing.

FLvector

OP, any updates since you've had your recent fitting?

latexyankee

OP here, brief update.....

So my at my last fit 2 things were determined. I do NOT have a leg length discrepancy and I have zero flexibility. First thing fitter noticed was an uneven pedal stroke. So he wanted to start at the cleats but there was too many problems with my shoes. I have been wearing shoes a size larger due to one foot that is considerably wider than the other. The problem is in the toebox of the right shoe. I have routinely experienced numb toes on that side over the years but have put up with it. The left foot would fit fine but I always needed to go up a size to compensate for the right foot. So seeing the shoes are too long he said it would be difficult to tweak the cleat position correctly size the cleats are aligned to the shoe not the foot. Long story short he sold a new pair of spd-sl and specialized audax shoes in wide. He stated that I would seriously benefit from 3 bolt cleats ( I was using spd) and better fitting shoes allowing a perfect cleat position for me generating more power and comfort. I'm not sure how much of this is fluff and how much it really matters but I was willing to try anything at this point to end the cycle. So $350 later and I have new shoes and pedals.

On the trainer we made a significant change to my position. Even though he said I literlly have zero pelvic movement I decided to lower my bars. When he put me more upright on a +16 degree stem I felt the rubbing/pressure even more. So I began thinking...when I'm in the drops the friction is always less noticeable so why not try a lower position on the bike. We put my old stem back on the bike but level instead of flipped (I've been riding it flipped for 18 months. It felt better, not completely gone, but better, so thats a plus. I also think I started to aggravate the area on the trainer from trying different positions for an hour so I'm really not sure if the lower position was really friction free and the little discomfort was just from the area already being inflamed.

Then he did the selle italia ID match and said my sitbone width is actually pretty narrow. He despises the specialized ass o meter and says it almost worthless. According to selle italias formula, any saddle in the 140 ish range should work just fine. My last ride was on a 145 SLR Superflow that chafed a one of the worst saddle sores this year on my left side...which is disappointing because I really want it to work. We mounted that saddle and although things felt a little better, I could still feel some friction and knew that I would get some chafing in about 90 minutes of riding. So he was really keen on me trying a MAX flite gel flow. The max flite has a more aggressive curve to the wings of the saddle than the SLR by just a hair. But due to that, a 145 in that saddle is really smaller due to available area you can actually sit on. It felt good rubbing wise. No noticable friction on the left side. However my right sitbone felt unsupported, like it was just a bit too narrow and my right sitbone was hanging right on slope of the wing. He then moved my right cleat back a significant amount roughly 35% farther back than the left. This was to attempt to compensate for my twisted position and puch my right hip back on the saddle. It felt better afterwards but still not quite right. The SLR superflow is the same width in the spec sheet and i feel planted on that seat but sores, like every other saddle. So I believe that the aggressive progression into the neck of the max flite makes it into a sub 140mm perch. When I told him that a romin 168 was actually the best saddle I've tried to battle these sores he was convinced that I need a more narrow seat. I did tell him I never feel like I'm able to get on the widest part of the saddle no matter what I'm seat I'm trying. He said that proves I do not neede a seat that wide because I'm riding more on the nose of a wider seat, instead of further back on a narrower saddle. I tend to agree with him since I've thought this awhile myself but if this is the case why does one side not feel supported on smaller seats? One possibility could be the size discrepancy in left thigh. Since it is 1.5 inches larger, there is just much more tissue in the hammy and glutes so my right sitbone could actually be sitting higher on the saddle and I'm very slightly lifting myself off on that side with my pedal stroke. Interesting theory, but that's all it is at this point. He said my legs should eventually even out or come close in size in time due to the shoes, cleat position, and wider platform pedal. He said I will be using more/new muscle in my right/smaller leg now and should eventually stop favoring the left side so much. He said I should expect to see some ALMOST immediate performance gains based on my old stroke vs the way I'm now dialed in. I just hope I dont begin to have knee or burning hammy/quads.

So after all this I havent even been able to go out for a single ride. Went on a little vacation with my daughter hours after the fit and havent had a free few hours in a week. Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday will be my first rides.

Here is my plan: I'm going to attempt to use the max flite he suggested but rotate the nose a tad to the left-the side I frequently get rubbing on. I have experimented with with rotating the nose before but it was always away from the pain. Seems counter intuitive and see different opinions on this all the time and even in this thread. This SHOULD in turn also kick the rear of the saddle slightly right hopefully giving my right sitbone a little more support. I just hope it does not INCREASE rubbing on the left side.

IF this works and its a big IF...I am going to remount the superflow slr and try the same thing. I feel firmly planted on that saddle but I get the rubbing. I love the cutout though and the max flite has a cutout about the size of the romin which IMO gets about a 3.5/10 for effectiveness. I fear if the max flite stops the chafing it will cause the numbness after an hour.

So if none of this works I guess the key is to find a saddle wide enough in the rear but also progress quickly into the neck leaving less "wing" space on the saddle. A big cutout like prefer is most likely out of the question as the saddle must be a tad wider or flatter on the sides to support the cutout. Will report back, wish me luck.

GuitarBob

Good luck!

FLvector

Brief? Um, glad you didn't give the long version. Sounds like you've got multiple issues going on and hope this fitter can assist you. Good luck.

PepeM

Why not try things the way he set them up first?

latexyankee

Yea that escalated quickly

FLvector- I am aside from just turning the nose of the saddle...

Wheever

Thanks for reporting back! I'm very interested in how this works for you. Thank you for all the detail, too.

Good luck!

shoota 

Get the American Classic seatpost dude..

etw

I think that there are so many theories out there regarding saddle fit and comfort. Sit bone width, shape, riding style, materials, design, physique, fitness and flexibility are all pointed to as being determining factors. It seems that various people heavily favor one theory over another. I think the rider needs to be open to trying different things and determine what works. I have had some shops disregard the whole sit bone question and steer me to various saddles, some of which were terribly uncomfortable. A few months ago I switched to a different size and model based on my measurements on the Specialized device and it has been significantly better for me. I am still open to trying other things, but I am pleased to have found some improvement.

bgrider

I don't know if this will help or not, but I have had a similar problem lately. Actually, I think it was two different problems. the first is cleared up, the second almost gone. Here's some questions first:

Are you actually getting sores (meaning an open wound) or an inflammation? Have you stayed off the bike until completely healed regardless of which it is? If its an inflammation, have you stayed off the bike until the inflammation is completely gone? Can you "feel" the inflammation below the skin as a sort of knot? Is the knot "free floating" in the soft tissue or is it connected to a tendon or muscle?

I had two seemingly similar issues lately that I think are two different things. Same general area, but not exactly same location. Both left side. the nature of the knot being free floating or connected is sort of the key to the difference. The first issue was an inflammation that occurred after a long ride (century) way up high on my thigh where saddle nestles. Upon inspection, the inflammation was actually a tendon with a bulge. I self diagnosed it as a tendon rupture/micro tear. Each ride re-aggravated it until I made a conscious effort not to strain that muscle area when riding - plus I significantly reduced my riding for a while. Google tendon injuries in this area. The second bout of a seemingly similar issue is an inflammation below the skin not connected to any thing. It also was re-aggravated with every ride and eventually started to heal after it developed into a sort of pimple. I did not go to the doctor as it cleared up but perhaps it was a cyst. The size of both of these inflammations was quite noticeable - probably the size of a large marble and created a visible bump on the surface of the skin. The second is reduced now to about the size of a bb and is completely below the skin surface. ONe other thing I ran across on the internet was something called "nodules" which cyclists are supposedly prone to getting. I did not read about it, just saw something about it but decided I was having other issues.

Good luck to you - my own experience has been frustrating and painful but has cleared. Sounds to me like your issue, whether the same as mine or not is much more troublesome/painful. One poster suggested a recumbent and that might just be your solution. Keep the faith and don't give up on cycling yet - its the best exercise and therapy out there even if you have to resort to looking dorky on a bent (bent riders don't take offense - just a good natured poke!)

latexyankee

Yea it is inflammation which turns into a knot. I usually wait until healed but I know where the problem resides and can feel the friction on that side vs the other leg. My left leg is significantly larger. This is due to my riding style the past 2 years which my fitter addressed with new shoes and cleat adjustment as well as most ingredients the saddle forward 12mm. I am hoping like he says that this will engage my right leg more. This should build muscle and even out my pedal stroke.

bgrider

If that knot is on a tendon it could be a tear that you keep re-aggravating.

cyclebycle13

Just coming out of a different situation but w/ some tie in-- I had pain on my right side- hip, lower back and sometimes through the groin. After 4-5 years of it worsening, I had an MRI done and, while the radiologist and ortho missed it (chiropractor ended up finding it on the MRI), I had a lateral bulge at L4/L5. Before that I had a leg length issue and a shim worked for awhile and then started to worsen over the course of a year and I started to feel as if I wasn't sitting square on the saddle.
W/ the L4/L5 discovery, I started PT. I also had zero flexibility and a weak inner core, particularly in the front. My leg length issue was also functional, not structural as they were able to get my legs and hips level again, and after several sessions, a core strengthening program and stretching multiple times per day, my body is staying level and I don't have pain on the bike.

Not sure if your insurance will cover it, but you might want to see a PT, they were able to fix problems my doctors and chiropractor couldn't.

Ray9

Until the healing is complete nothing is going to work. You may have to take six months off. Due to the abrasive nature of the cycling position, irritation is inevitable and everyone who puts in regular long rides has to deal with this. There are some good suggestions here. I use a small amount of Vaseline in my right crotch area and I invested in many expensive bib shorts. I wash my crotch area before I ride and always put on clean shorts. I sometime use a small amount of cortisone cream if I get an irritation. I notice that seated hill work intensifies the problem. I get out of the saddle often to relieve numbness. I get out of the spandex immediately after my ride and get directly into the shower. I moved my seat back about 1/2 inch and that helped. I hope you find a fix.

CNC2204

I have over 3500 miles this year.

Last 3 months averaging 200+ miles a week.

I had one sore that went away, one in the process of leaving and just developed a new one last 2 weeks.

I just have to accept that with so many miles at 270 pounds on a very small pressure point it's going to happen.

I wash my clothes after every ride sometime 3x a day, bathe 1 to 3x as well.

Im not going to say "harden the f*ck up" like a doosh.

It's just part of riding for me.

It's manageable.

STRANA

No advise to give as I have been working on fit issues myself. I get your pain and if I figure anything out will share. In the mean time I wait with baited breath on how this works out for you.

latexyankee

Sports PT is my next step when finances allow.

Update time:

Put up 30 on friday 50 yesterday and 35 today.

Things are good. Have a little pain in right foot along with numbness but nothing I cant sort out here soon. Just about zero chafing on the problem side. A little red/irritation but it is hot and 100% humidity in Ohio during these months so I'm used to a little bit of inconvenience on a 2 hour ride, you will sweat like a hog around here within 10 minutes. Some zinc oxide cream and good as new in 4 hours. Please read this thread before recommending chamois cream

Power output on the bike is increased. I can feel my right leg working harder due to the wider pedal platform, shoes and cleat position. My fitter has my right cleat 50% more rearward than my leftt to help my body issues and engage my right leg more. Its working from a "feel" perspective. I can finally feel that I am putting out power on right side instead of the left constantly carrying me. I was told this position would engage the right quad hammy and glute more and eventually progress my legs to be CLOSE to even in size.

So I attribute most of chafing free rides due to the saddle. This is the max flite gel that the fitter recommended. This saddle has wings that slope down sharper than any saddle I've ever seen. They literally curve at the very end and tuck underneath the saddle. I can feel no pressure or rubbing on this saddle freeing my freakishly large left leg from obstruction. As I suspected though I do get crotch numbness after about an hour. The max flite does have a generous cutout, its by no means small, but my lack of pelvic flexibility demands nothing but the largest cutout saddles. I really wanted the SLR superflow to work because the pressure is non existent but it chafes my left side like a demon. So that is being mailed back to the UK tomorrow. And I do always run my saddles nose down to relieve pressure, although I always attempt to try them level at first.

So with said I'm on the hunt for saddles again. I'm giving smp another shot. I had tried a dynamic last year and honestly don't remember if it chafed me or not but it did hurt. I know there is a break in period with these saddles but I was indecisive and gave up after 3 rides. I have a lite 209 in the mail now, will see how it goes, if it doesn't chafe, its a winner.If that doesn't work I may revisit the dynamic. Selle itialia also has a new line called the friction free and friction free flow. They borrow from the flite design and are listed under the flite family with an even narrower nose and a very aggressive taper from rear to front to prevent....uh friction i guess. If I HAVE to make the max flite gel work for now I will but I hate to buy a saddle knowing I'm looking for one to replace it.

I had more to say but cant remember, I will update as things come to me and when the lite 209 arrives, thanks again to everyone following.

latexyankee

Seems like a never ending whirlwind. Fix this and then that ****s up something else.

HazeT

Where are you from Latex? You may go hardcore on your problem solving:
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/

Steve Hogg is kinda of a fit guru who publishes articles and articles on unique cases that 99.9% of the fitters out there wouldn't deal with. By the way, if he can't fit you, he will refund your money.

So I would call him explain the problem and see if he is up to the challenge, if so I would just ship my bike to him $90 each way? and fly to colorado for a fit. may be stay over the weekend.

Again, not the easiest solution but apparently yours is not the easiest problem either.