Jay_M

Hello fellow friends, I currently weight 330 pounds at 5ft 10 Inches. A stroke or heart attack away from leaving this planet and family behind. I bought a used trek bike that holds my weight comfortably and was excited to ride but immediately started having bad problems with chafing and saddle discomfort to the point of I can no longer ride. Please help what should I get to help ? Don’t know which saddle or what biking shorts or what I should do ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

MarcusT

This was recently discussed on another thread. Check it out to see if it helps
Saddle Sore

Just to add what was not considered in the other thread. Your weight may be flexing the saddle to the point that your rear is deforming it's comfort points
A qualified bike shop may have the answer for you

dabac

For pressure:
The area of your butt that’s actually fit to carry weight is quite small. It needs time to acclimatize. Imagine starting to put weight on your foot after weeks in a cast, only worse.
You may well need to start with 10-minute rides or so.
Chafing is another thing. Haven’t had much problems there. A skinny nose saddle and cycling tights have always been enough to sort me out.
Also, keep in mind that eating habits are far more important to Weight management than exercise habits. It’s often said that ”you can’t outride a bad diet”.

Happy Feet

I would say be patient with yourself.

At 330 you are twice the weight of many riders who weight 165, yet you share the same anatomical features that rest on the saddle ie. the "sit bones". Most people have to acclimatize their butts so yours will take longer as there is more pressure being exerted on them. The advice of regular but shorter rides with some rest time between is good.

For chaffing try some baby powder and non cotton shorts, or other material that clings or retains moisture. Nylon shorts with nylon underwear helps the fabric to slide if you can't find dedicated bike shorts.

Try those for a bit before spending more to hunt for the right saddle etc... Many find that to be a long process and you should try to get over the initial acclimation process first.

Ps. Good for you for getting out there!

qclabrat

without getting too descriptive, where are you getting chaffing?
If it's simply normal, it will get better in about a month of regular riding.
If poor setup, it will take some trial and error. Keep riding and posting your results and we'll try to give reasonable pointers. Good luck

ebkr200

Biking is great but maybe in smaller doses for you as happy feet points out it is more burdensome on some areas of your body to sit that long. Maybe some pool exercise could be a good option

Hondo Gravel

Bike butt will pass. I use athletes foot medicine it burns like hell but it is a relief for sore spots. Something in the anti fungal helps. Go to a feed store if you can and get Bag O Balm made for soar cow teets when they are nursing calves .. most of all you’re butt just haves to break in like calluses on hands from hard work. Don’t give up it will as others have said pass.

c_m_shooter

Bag balm will heal you quick. I don't like padded shorts, I ride in either Starter branded poly compression shorts or Duluth Coolmax boxer briefs under my cargo shorts. I have been a fan of Brooks B-17 saddles for 20 years now, that is the first thing any new bike I bring home gets. It will break in to fit you, Set it level so you aren't sliding forward or back and go for a long ride in the rain. When it dries it will be molded to you forever.

Carl J

Go get a proper sized saddle. For me, stock saddles are all too small.

And the size of the saddle has nothing to do with how small or large someone is. As mentioned, it's about your sit bone.

You can do into almost any decent bike shop, and they should have a thing that you sit on and will show how wide your sit bone is. From there, you can choose from saddles that will work for it.

And personal opinion, the softest of saddles are not always the best saddles to get. Again, personally, I'm a big fan of the Brooks C17 saddle (have it on all of my bikes, from road to fat) which is a hard saddle, however it flexes which makes it great for me. I think saddles are a trial and error kind of thing, what works for someone which not work for someone else.

Also a big fan of padded shorts, more specifically bib shorts. But again, trial and error to find ones that work for you.

Carl J

Key point, make sure it's level lol.
Bought one for one of my bikes, and biggest issue for me on it was that slid around a lot on it.

paulmalva

Definitely try some padded shorts and cream.
And your butt will get tougher over time. Just make sure to give it time to heal.

Good luck!

VegasTriker

There is a whole subforum dedicated to someone your size: https://www.bikeforums.net/clydesdal...-200-lb-91-kg/

I'll bring up the usual discussion of recumbents. The seat on a recumbent trike does not put pressure on the same areas you are having trouble with. The biggest problem is cost. You can find used recumbent trikes but not cheaply. There is a Sun trike in my area on CL for $650. It would support your weight. I'm a good example that you can lose weight using cycling as part of the solution. I lost 36 pounds since early March simply by counting calories (eating fewer of them) and using cycling as my main exercise. I didn't start out in the clydesdale category, just overweight for my size so it was really easy for me. I used a formula that calculates your daily caloric needs based upon weight, level of exercise, height, and age. That gives a starting point to know how much to eat to just maintain your current weight and then shave some off that. This way I didn't have to force my body into an abnormal metabolic state (like ketosis) but could eat most of the things I always liked to eat. I did increase the quantity of lower calorie fruits and vegetables but otherwise did not change anything. No longer eat anything between meals though and never was a fan of fast foods.

Toadmeister

also keep your neither regions clean and dry before and after rides. Soap and shower obviously, but also try baby whipes, Gold Bond powder for maintenance, and stop wearing cotton even off the bike. Heck I use my wife’s hair drier to give my balls a good drying after I get out of the shower!

unterhausen

OP never came back and so I'm closing this now