PhillyBikePunks

hey guys, i was wondering if anyone else has gotten a wee bit saddle sore during riding before, i commute 12miles + a day and i get a rubbing rash in my upper, upper thigh. i already read sheldon browns article, and what i got from it was to get a leather saddle. alas that is what i have been riding. thanks a lot for any help!my legs will thank you.

redfooj

if you get a rash on your upper thigh, perhaps your saddle is too wide? i love my Selle Flite... as do most people with theirs

*new*guy

possibly a stupid question, but are you wearing bike shorts under your official FG uniform? It also helps to load up the tender area with moisturizer before you slip into the shorts. $.02

46x17

you might also have your saddle a tad too high. I commute 15 miles every day with a brooks team pro. No cycling shorts either. Never felt sore.

fixed4life

Don't sweat a small rash. Use some body glid and it will disapear. I ride everywhere and sometimes it gets ugly. I got a sore so bad that when it ruptured they put stiches in it.

BostonFixed

Owww! My innner thighs hurt!

squeegy200

That's a painful story.

I use Pacelines Chamois Butt'r. No more problems.

HaagenDas

Yes, saddle sore. I hope to stop biking in an effort to get rid of said problem

fixed4life

Dispatchers can only get so mad when you take the day off because you have stiches in your taint

Machka 

You should not be getting a saddle sore, or having trouble with saddle friction on rides under a century! If you are, there is something wrong, or you've been unlucky with the weather.

These are the causes of problems on shorter rides:

1. Your bicycle is incorrectly set up (saddle too high, saddle too low, saddle tilted wrong). If it is too low, you'll rub more and have more friction. If it is too high, you'll rock.

2. You've got the wrong saddle - those gel things or any kind of saddle where you sink into soft cushioning cause more friction. I went to a Brooks saddle with great results.

3. Your shorts are too loose. If they are loose they travel and that causes friction. I have trouble when my shorts have reached their 2-year mark, and what a HUGE difference a new, snug, pair of shorts makes. I do not wear a pair of shorts that is more than 2 years old on long rides.

4. You've got the wrong shorts. After my previous shorts started giving me trouble I went shorts hunting and was appalled by the number of shorts that had their chamois seams right across my sitbones (and I don't have wide hips!). Like I want to be sitting on seams for 24+ hours!! I bought the one and only pair with a chamois that covered my sitbones.

5. You ride in wet weather - if you ride any sort of distance in rain, you want some sort cream (I'll get to that in a minute) on your friction points. Your skin is more sensitive and fragile in wet weather.

6. You ride in hot weather - same sort of thing as riding in wet weather except the moisture is not created by rain, but rather by sweat.

7. You forget to use your cream on a ride of 100 miles or more (unless it's hot and wet, you shouldn't need it for rides less than 100 miles).

8. You don't shower and clean yourself well right after the ride, or depending on the length of the ride, a few times in the middle of the ride.
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There are various products you can use if you are caught in the rain, or if it is very hot such as Bag Balm, Chamois Buttr, and my favorite Johnson's and Johnson's Daily Protection cream.

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And as for what to do if you get a saddle sore ... apply zinc. Get ahold of Johnson's and Johnson's Diaper Rash Ointment (with zinc) or something similar with a high zinc content and apply liberally before going to bed at night. In the morning everything will be OK.

If for some reason it is not gone by morning. Have it seen to by a Dr. It is either something else or is much worse and much more serious than I've ever encountered in all my miles of cycling.

lotek 

What Machka said.

Usually a Saddle sore starts out as a small painful pimple like
sore, which can grow very large and be extremely painful.
I'd say what your describing sounds more like friction
or dampness induced.

Marty

onbike 1939

Yes, what you are experiencing may very well be caused by sweat. A barrier cream usually used by nurses to protect their hands from the effects of constant washing will do the trick. This stops you sweating in all of your wee nooks and crannies and so cuts down on the friction. As previousy mentioned a good pair of shorts (Protective have a very good insert). Works for me. George.

allgoo19

Believe it or not, Lance Armstrong says he gets saddle sore also.
In the Oprah show, while riding bicycles side by side, Oprah asked him "Don't you get saddle sore?"
Lance's reply, "Yeah, I get saddle sore first day of the training season. But you get used to it."
Yep, saddle sore endorsed by Lance Armstrong, You are not alone.

Machka 

There's a difference between being saddle sore, and having a saddle sore.

PWRDbyTRD

I've found that talc powder or w/e helps this alot too....

PhillyBikePunks

thanks a lot guys, i adjusted my seat and i apparently had it perfect. i went to my lbs and they said it's because i ride without shorts on a frame thats too tall. so i'm getting shorts and eventually a new bike.

mfreyman

I've noticed the same problem with some shorts....which brand did you find that has the chamois without the seams right across the sit bones?

HaagenDas

I think my seat's too high but I had to put it up there because of my knee replacements. Gonna crank the seat down about 1 cm this arvo to keep my artificials moving properly.

LordOpie

I did three centuries last year and didn't get very sore, but I'm hoping to do 125-150 mile one-day rides this year.

Should I be concerned? Should I just go and see what happens or expect a problem and use a cream in advanced?

PWRDbyTRD

better safe than sorry!

Machka 

I rarely use anything on rides under 200 miles. BUT if it is hot out so that you are sweating a lot, or if it rains, then it is imperative to use something to protect your skin. So what I usually do is to bring my cream with me, and if everything is good, I don't use it, but the moment I start to feel the faintest hint of discomfort, I apply some.

However, sometimes this takes a bit of planning and guesswork ... if you're stopped at a control, rest stop, gas station, or whatever, and you still feel OK, but there are heavily threatening rain clouds in the distance, or the guy at the gas station announces to you that it's going to be a hot one today, you might opt to apply some then, rather than standing by the side of the road in the middle of a downpour trying to discreetly make the application while cars are whizzing past.

Machka 

I got these:

https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1108529187144

onbike 1939

HaggenDas---I'm due for two knee replacements , how much leg length can I expect to gain? I'm worrying now about the frame size of my present bikes. George.

molten

has anyone here used that "ASSOS chamois creme" ? I've never used any of these chamois-related products, yet. I'd rather wait until the xtreme, before using it. As if that was a fire xtinguisher, when feeling burned.

HaagenDas

Extra length??? I'm still the same height but if you want an to join your NBA I expect it would be between you and your surgeon.