Saddle comfort
 

As I recall, I used to put a good puff of Johnson's baby powder in the crotch area before rides and that made things more comfortable, especially in warm weather. Just thought I'd throw that out.

knotty

Yeah, I'd throw that out, too, and replace it with cornstarch. For longer rides something like bag balm or chammy butt'r works better than powder for me. YMMV

Man, every time I have tried Baby Powder or Corn Starch it turns into a slimy mess in the crotch. I guess its like all things, your mileage may vary.

Not trying to be a smart-a**, butt, since going Brooks I've not had to use anything at all except a cheap pair of Canari shorts. They have some kind of pad in there that seems to work fine, no matter the distance.

I read somewhere that the Army does not tell it's soldiers to use powder on their feet anymore because during a long hike, the powder, when it gets wet from sweat, actually acts as an abrasive and causes hot spots and blisters.

I took a long ride today and when I got back I had some chafing where the top of the thigh meets the buttock. does anybody know which way I should go with the saddle? Thanks.

Inside of the leg? At the edge of the saddle? Modern platform style saddle? I had that too. Toss it and get one of the old style with the deep sides - neither the Brooks nor the old vynal covered job that came with the Europa in the eighties give me that problem (the old saddle was the one that put me onto the cause).

Since getting the Brooks, I just ride in normal street shorts and undies - not a problem. I sweat like crazy and the shorts are soaked when I get home, but the Brooks just soaks up the sweat (or whicks it away or something) and there's no discomfort.

Richard

Chafing from the saddle or the edge seam of the padded insert in the shorts? I forget what saddle you are using, but on my B67's I will sometimes have that issue as a result of the seams getting a little old. Maybe you need new shorts.

If you're sure it's from the saddle, are you riding in racing posture. Sometimes that will tend to shove your pelvis back against the flair. If so, I've seen others lower the peak a bit.

I'm not a guy that can ride long distance on a Brooks, or any other saddle, without riding shorts.

George - If you are fine on rides of "moderate" length but only get problems when extending your rides, you can try different (broader/wider) saddles or new shorts as mentioned above. When I am on a long ride I try to stay out of the saddle as much as possible mid-ride to finish without soreness. For me 40 miles is just fine, but I get some soreness on an 80/100 miler, as I seldom go for that distance. (Yes, I know I should ride more metric centuries). My technique is to get into the largest gear on every gradual uphill and ride for minutes at a time out of the saddle. I keep my cadence steady and focus on climbing technique (even tho' the incline is slight). I've surprised myself with how long I ride out of the saddle and also get home with far less butt and leg muscle soreness.

Or you can go on the expensive trip of trying to find the perfect saddle and short combination. Can't comment on the chamois cream, but powder is not good for me on long rides.

You don't say whether you are over weight or not. I would imagine that, if you are on the heavy side, extra girth in your leg at that point might cause chafing against the saddle as you ride. Regardless of your weight, I find that, for me less seat is better. I ride a Fizzik Arione. It has a very long, narrow nose. The rear of the seat is wider so that when I need to change positions and get the weight off my legs for a few moments, I slide back a little and rest on the broad rear portion of that seat.

Otherwise, I ride a bit more forward with more weight supported by my legs. The narrowness of the seat at that position eliminates the possibility of chafing for me.

What is true for me is only speculation for you, but, it is a thought.

I am surprised that more folks don't try that Arione. I think it is a great seat.

Caruso

Thanks for the replys guys. After I posted yesterday I lower the saddle and pushed it back a bit and I'll see what happens today. I put a level on it and seen it was about 1/4 up at the nose.

Pre-ride full Nether Province* wipe down with a Handi-Wipe [or some such] followed by a dab of some sort of 'intensive-motion-lotion' to the high friction areas. Tie that to a leisurely warm up and a Brooks and the saddle disappears from under me.

* - Nether Province: Everything hidden by the shorts.

I have used Bag Balm, for years, on the sit bones area and other areas that are subject to friction. This has worked well for me. If you are partial to powders, try "No Monkey Butt" powder. [I did not make that up.]

yech. no stuff goes in my crotch that i didn't start with.

man up.