edzo

this dude has it correct. this is the majic goop the pros use...or 88% of them anyway

neosporin mixed, or straight up (and extra soap when you wash the shorts)

use pure neosporin+pain relief if it is really bad. the neosporin kills the bacteria which
is the real cause of monkey butt. yes riding makes micro cracks in the skin, but it's
the normal bacteria that causes the agony.

v1k1ng1001

I'm experimenting with diaper rash cream (zinc oxide) after showering.

I've been using Butt'r as a chamois cream, but I think I'm going to try something else.

What I really need to do is replace some of my old shorts.

DocRay

You need shorts with a good chamois that keeps the crotch dry during a ride.
Standing more frequently also promotes drying.
Even in very hot weather, pros wear thin underlayer -this wicks away sweat before it runs down into the crotch.

Keep the cajones dry.

cparekh

Use this:

https://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...oID=1216884564

Lucky07

All good suggestions. You could also try laying off for a few days. No matter what you do, if you've got a sore, more riding tends to worsen it.

biker128pedal

Try Gold Bond Body Powder. Before and after rides. It is good for a couple of hours on the Chamois. If you have chaffed put it on before bed.

clausen

When all else fails.

BlastRadius

Shower BEFORE the ride and make sure your butt is clean. Bacteria and sweat entering your pores is what causes saddle sores. Make your shorts are clean BEFORE you wear them.

It's probably been mentioned but use baby diaper cream to help the healing.

*edit: If you have to "lighten the load" right before the ride, you can use baby wipes to make sure the area is clean, then use baby powder to dry. Dry toilet paper may not get the area clean enough.

ezee

Or... Use a bidet.

cparekh

Because most Americans have those in the bathroom. Once, in high school, I took a Europe trip with school, and one of the guys thought it was a face washer. He was very excited that Europeans had a separate place to wash your face.

ri_us

Different brands of shorts do differing amounts of damage to me. I'd suggest you try a few different pairs of shorts out to figure out which ones work for you. The saddle is much less a concern if your bike is properly fit (bike fits are not all the same). i also like Chamois Butt'r best (I've tried them all).

FIVE ONE SIX

if you're going to shower before a ride, i HIGHLY recommend using some type of powder down there to dry the area, before you put your shorts on! i usually take a shower before, then using Gold Bond extra strength powder on my skin after the shower to make sure the area is dry, and also apply a layer of Assos chamois creme to the chamois before i put them on...

and as far as using Preperation H on a saddle sore, it will help shrink the swelling and numb it, but it's not going to help get rid of it. only use it if you must ride with a saddle sore, like for a multi-day tour or a ride that you've been waiting all year for, otherwise time off the bike is best. i know i'm very stubborn, and never take time off the bike, even thought i know that sometimes it's the best solution...

mascher

I've been reading up on all of these saddle sore threads to see what the hell I'm doing wrong, because I've basically always gotten them when I've been riding >20 miles at a time or so. They get worse and worse until I just have to not ride at all for several days, but the bumps never go away basically ever. Now that I'm riding nearly all road miles in a hotter, more humid climate it's constantly bad, but I've been busy so I often have 3 -4 days off the bike in a row, besides errands and stuff.

FWIW, I believe all of you who say poor fit and poor position is the greatest cause for the abrasion - I'm a weird shape and I can't seem to fit any production frame right, but I don't have the $ for custom, so that's not an option.

I tried chamois butter, and it seemed to keep the direct abrasion pain while riding down a bit. I just did my first two rides after laying off for 5 days (after 2 days of going only 10 miles and turning around because of dire pain), this time having treated them with zinc oxide (desitin) daily, wiping with baby wipes, all that. The cause of my woes seemed to be: my shorts. I thought they were new enough (I only really had one newish pair left, again $$$), but riding with a brand new pair of bibs was a revelation. I guess the chammy in this year's new PI attacks has already given up the ghost.

Thanks for all yr discussion!

aham23

BF rocks.

i got a saddle sore. i did a search. i found this thread. i applied Balmex (cause that is what was around) diaper rash stuff to the saddle sore. two days later it is 95% better. that is all.

later.

TJHOO

Update: ymmv

Prevention steps that have seemed to help for me: doing better than last year although fewer miles
-showering b4 ride; allow time to dry before apply chamois (Assos pour moi)
-shower ASAP after ride
-wash shorts ASAP after ride
-be sure shorts are dry before ride
-daily/twice daily benzoyl peroxide (this is my new addition this year)

Terex

Stallionforce mentioned in a previous thread, and this is what my wife (PharmD) told me yesterday - use an anti-fungal cream, not an anti-bacterial cream. That and the famed "Zabriskie Protocol".

TJHOO

2 different issues: fungus and bacteria.

Would suspect saddle sores are more directly related to bacteria. Rashes may be more related to fungus. However there is likely some overlap.

Key is cleanliness, dryness.

I've considered adding a dab of a topical antifungal (eg lamisil) and antibacterial (benzoyl peroxide) to chamois cream. However the benzoyl peroxide bleaches clothes.

Another possible factor is that chamois cream/lube can clog pores and lead to sores. Would imagine petroleum jelly, balg balm "ointment-like" substances would have more of a tendency to do this than "creams" eg Assos, Buttr.

TJHOO

For lengthy days in the saddle, has anybody tried baby wipes mid ride?

merckxxx

Gold Bond!!!! Green Can!!!

TJHOO

What does gold bond do, keep skin dry?

merckxxx

Gold bond is theonly thing that has worked for me.. I dont know.. but the green can.. is mentholated.. it keeps the bacteria.. down.. and I have eliminated the problem I have had.. also you might want to change you saddle.. I bought a really expensive one... once .. that looked really cool.. and light.. and my ass got sores constantly.. i wound up recovering my old flite saddle.. and putting it on my bike.. and i am fine now..

the popazit post is a joke.. because i knew some a hole on here would put it up sooner or later..

Terex

Agreed. Zabriskie Protocol (https://www.longviewbicycleclub.org/taint.htm) addresses cleanliness, dryness and bacteria (buying bactericidal soap from pharmacy). You combined this with use of a fungicide.

Val23708

if you are getting sores on your cheeks, you've got the wrong position or saddle. seriously.

or you have sandpaper for shorts

Terex

DZ must have wrong position or saddle. Seriously.

aham23

crap. BF still rocks, but i got issues.........again.

using diaper rash ointment (10% zinc) and forced time off (13 days) for vacation i thought my issue was resolved. back on the bike twice this week and BAM i got a nasty little sore. i would say worse then before. a Stage 3 Abscess, but a minor one, if there is such a thing.

currently i am applying some 40% zinc diaper rash cream and hope this has some immediate effect. other tips i will implement are Cetaphil Soap, after shower Gold Bond powder, and maybe some trim trim. hey, if Dave Z says he does it!@?!

i am addressing cause by picking up new lycra, switching from shorts to bibs, and adjusting my seat forward a bit. i am pretty sure the main issue is my need for new shorts. i just wore my current rotation out. my position on the bike had not changed from last year, so i am hoping its just a lycra thing.

later.