embarrassingly i have a pain near the bottom of my butt on one side where i assume the sit bone puts the most pressure on the saddle.

i wanna keep riding - I've been commuting to work and school daily lately. luckily, i have the alternative of driving while i guess it heals up. but i was doing so good and sucks to have to put the bike back in the basement for a few days.

also, i'm going to go to a shop to see if there are better saddles for me. i'm using the one that came with my bike 2016 Felt Z85. admittedly, this is the first time that I've ridden this much since i purchased it so i can understand why this would be going on but i think a new saddle might be in order.

It'll be hard bordering on difficult to find a better saddle while your butt is still sore.
How do you tell if it's the soreness or the basic fit that makes it uncomfortable?
Going from a (very) occasional rider to daily rides can be challenging if you ramp it up too fast.

I've had some relief from Compeed on pressure sores from saddles.

You're about to get a lot of advice and some of it will conflict.

Padded cycling shorts help. If you don't want to be seen in spandex, mountain bike shorts have a loose outer (with pockets!) and the pads on the inner.

Chamois cream helps. (The pads in cycling shorts used to be made of chamois, hence the name.) I have a tub of "udder butter" I got at the hardware store. That's for chafing, not bruising, but they tend to happen in about the same spot, and you may also get chafing between your moving parts.

The weekend is coming which will give you a break.

Some people do well with hard, slick saddles. Leather saddles like Brooks fall into this category, so do most racing saddles. The theory is that a padded saddle concentrates the pressure on the problem spot. I think this theory is probably more true if you don't have much padding of your own.

Some people do well with a lot of padding in the saddle - an exercise bike never hurt anyone. Even a sheepskin.

Some people look forever to find a saddle that's exactly the right shape for their sit bones.

I have a 2011 Z85 and also chucked the original saddle. For some reason I sit at a slight angle on a road bike saddle, which was causing the edge seam of my bike shorts pad to get in between the bike seat and my sit bones. Ouch. The solution was to get a NARROWER saddle, which seems to help. I used a Selle Italia X1 for awhile, and now currently run a Nashbar FR1 saddle. I still have the problem with bike shorts that have a narrower pad. Some feel better than others. My current favorite is my Performance Ultra bib shorts. Super duper comfy!

It can be tough at first ramping up to everyday, when I first started riding everyday I could barely sit in my office chair.

I have different saddles on each bike of mine so some I'm used to all the time like on my commuter, while my road bike takes some trainer miles to get used to again.

+1 You have to find what works for you, it's your butt on the line.

I've seen endorsements for chamois cream etc, and I'm not doubting them, but I find any ointment can reduce friction, such as Vaseline or A&D. Just be sure to wash your hands after applying.

Actual Infections? or just discomfort?

how far do you go? do you wear 'Levis' to ride the Bike? or wear actual bike shorts?





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for the nxt cpl days might benefit from long hot soaks with epsom salt & bath soap of your choice. use a lot of salt. 20 min minimum soaks. depending on the unit, might benefit from gentle massaging. sometimes they'll eek out some juice. after drying off, an ointment like Clearasil can help. I use it like that guy in My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie used Windex

I read some time ago, that while riding it helps to occasionally get out of the saddle while peddling, also adjust / move your shorts a tiny bit. sometimes it's caused by an irritated hair follicle. so keep them from getting bent the wrong way

probably the best thing i've read all day.

So i just wear Jeans or khaki style pants, nothign too restrictive, but no bike shorts under that or creams of any sort. also my commute is about 5 miles each way and on a few days a week i ride to school from work which puts me out another 2 miles opposite from home and then a few times last week i went to my second job after school on the bike which is another 4 miles from school which left me with another 2 mile trip home. so i dont think my jaunts on the bike are very long, but i am heavy at 265 (better than the 370 i was a few years ago).

no infections that i know of right now, just discomfort enough so that when i clean the area its quite tender to the touch.

ok so windex my netherregions with ointment, i'm a fan of Aquaphor i hope that'll work. i'm not particularly hairy but i wonder if using a body trimmer would help the afflicted area some... anyone ever do that?

I dont Go Far, in Street clothes, but I wear jesey-knit pants which give naturally because the fabric is Not Woven like Denim..

On multi month long Bike tours , clean bike shorts daily (3 pr), and wash the skin down there

with anti bacterial Surgeon's scrub or at least alcohol baby wipes.

Its skin surface bacterial getting into your hair follicles, and dying , that makes carbuncles..

Infinite number of 'what saddle do I buy' posts Archived, check them out.

try more saddles..


old guy in Sweatpants

lol, yeah

I think aquaphor is for healing wounds, where an acne ointment would dry up something filling with human liquid

definitely some manscaping helps. can't hurt, just proceed w caution, a mirror helps. under normal circumstances I'm a fan of shortening the length using an adjustable electric hair trimmer like what they have at a barber shop. not cheap but you'll get your money's worth. Wifey does my back, I do the rest. CVS carries them. mine is a Wahl. comes with more attachments than any one person would need, but a cpl are very good if you have a mustache or beard, etc

got it, trim ass hairs, use acne ointment.

As others have noted, there are numerous variables here.

I would start with two simple ones before you go saddle shopping. Change what you're wearing and your post ride hygiene. Sometimes you will get a fold of underwear or fabric that will cause a bruise or even open a sore. So I would suggest first trying out non cotton underwear that's skin tight. Might also want to check whether your shorts/pants have a seam along the area that is bothering you.

Also, each way after my commute I wash off with baby wipes. This has been tremendously helpful. And I keep a small tube of antibiotic ointment at work. During a time when I had a saddle sore (open) I put in on daily when I got in to work. Cleared the sore up in four or five days. If changing out what you're wearing and keeping clean don't take care of your issue then go saddle shopping.

Finally, unless there's an audition for a porn movie in your future there's no need to shave. That's just silly.

Take out your seatpost and ride standing for two weeks. Will be difficult, but doable. +1 to Epsom salt shallow baths, use a full box per bath.

I believe you stated riding in everyday clothes. Do you stay in those same clothes upon arrival? If so just changing into second set of clothes could make a huge difference in itself. Could just be chafing from never adequately drying out.

I believe proper bike posture and height helps.

I'm new and I can't post links yet but GCN has this video called "Top Ten Ways To Avoid A Sore Ass When Cycling" it was a nice watch.

Try using "athletic underwear" underneath your regular pants. That's what I do and it works pretty good...Don't bother with chamois cream, a regular diaper rash ointment is a lot cheaper and works very well as a preventative measure during longer rides.