Alright.. Ive been training pretty hard at about 26-20 hours per week. I have had these saddle sores for a while and I can manage them but I would like them to go away. It seems that when I'm on my rest day they get a little smaller and aren't as irritating. They aren't open or infected but they are uncomfortable and after an hour i find myself repositioning on the saddle to relieve the sores. The look like little lumps of skin on both sides of my gouch. They arent STD's so that smart comment is shot I use Assos chamois cream and ride good shorts (assos, and craft) I don't think its the bibs, and I have a specialized toupe saddle on both of my bikes.

Is it the shorts, my position, or the saddle... Or maybe a combination of all 3? I can post some pictures but i don't know how many people would appreciate that lol..

Thanks

20 - 26 hours is a good chunk of time on the bike, your bum isn't used to it. Have you been properly fitted?

That's a long time to be on the saddle! How long are your rest days?

I find a sitz bath of 15-30m to be helpful.

1. Take some time off to let them completely heal. Easier said than done, I know. Once that's over pay special attention to hygiene. Not saying you aren't now, but it should be mentioned.

2. Make sure you have good shorts that fit will. It sounds like you have good brands, as long as they aren't old and worn out.

3. Check your fit.

4. Try a different saddle.

I speak from experience.

+1. The only saddlesores I ever had in my long life were when I switched to a specialized toupe. It simply didn't suit me, and others I have talked to have had a similar experience. It has plenty of fans, too, lots of people love it, but it ripped me to pieces.

I take two rest days a week usually which consist of 1h easy spin or no riding at all. Depends on what i want to do.

Ive been training this many hours for a month now and ive had the sores every since then. Even when I took my rest week last month they got better but i still notices the discomfort when i hopped back on the bike.

I dont think that I can take that kind of time off of the bike until the end of the month (my recovery week) because im training for the Eddy Merckx Classic over here in Austria.

I have been fit on my bike and my shorts are all fairly new and fit well. I think that i might try the Selle Italia SLR. It looks almost like the toupe but doesn't have the sharp edges on the sides.

This is not a fix, only a temporary measure, but -

if you can't take time off the bike, you can try Preparation H (or whatever the equivalent hemorrhoid cream is in Austria). It shrinks swollen tissues and may help with discomfort while you're riding. But again - not a fix, best thing is to let your sores heal properly.

While many report excellent results with the Toupe, over a three day rental period last month on a Specialized Roubaix, this stupid saddle gave me the worst sores of my life. Absolutely brutal.

Maybe swap out one of the saddles and see if anything improves?

This is good advice!! Maybe with some Epsom Salts as well...

I would try this but i don't have a bathtub in my house. What Saddle should I try? I see all the pros use Selle Italia or Fizik. Those company's must be doing something right.

Advertising =P

If you can find it on youtube, there was actually a pretty interesting comparison of the three main Fizik saddles by Frankie Andreu during the Tour last week. Cav explained why he uses the Arione.

Personally, I think the Aliante is where it's at.

https://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/pro...rce=GoogleBase

Espom salts are great. A plastic tub would work too like a big rubbermaid thing

i think, since it sounds like you have two bikes, that you should try two pretty different saddles. the only real cure is going to be time off the bike, but if you must train, i would alternate between two different saddles, thus putting the abrasion in a slightly different spot on alternating days, sounds logical to me...

Two saddles?! I think ill go to the LBS and see if i can get a Sella Italia SLR gel flow to test and if its good to go then ill get two of them so i don't have to worry about a different saddle every time.

I think the point was to help you isolate your problem. Obviously, if the new saddle is comfortable and reduces the sores, you'll get rid of the other Toupe.

I had some at the beginning of the year, I have since doubled up my shorts (padded undershorts and padded cycling shorts), and my bum is much happier. Might help for you.

Nobody else caught this? Eddy had to pull out of races because of plaguing saddle sores.

I unfortunately get at least one of them per season, and that happens to be right now. One remedy that has not been suggested in this thread that has brought me relief is taking a pretty good dose of powdered tumeric. I have made salves out of it which helped too.

I think the one thing that all cyclist have in common is your problem. We have all had it at one time or another to varying degrees. Time off the bike and medications to speed up the process is the only way to improve the situation that I have found. To keep it from coming back is another matter. I am sure you know that a person cant be to fastidious when it comes to cleanliness. Bacteria in that area must be avoided at all cost. The next thing is moisture. Wet skin rubbing together and or on the saddle will spell trouble, no question. I have at times even used the wife's pads and changed them mid ride. Of course the saddle and shorts question have already been covered. I am sure you know all this but sometimes a person needs to hear it again. Good luck and happy ridding.

I too do this! The padding needs to be in your shorts, not in your saddle. Before I took a long break off the bike I had the same issue. When I started riding again, I religiously wore and still do, a pair of riding shorts with a thin chamois under my bibs. I have not had a problem since. I don't use any creams but I do use antibacterial soap in that area every time I shower.

tmi