Jwink3101

TL/DR summary: My sit bones hit at the end of the chamois causing awful chafing over long distances (or at least that's my guess as to the source of the pain). What should I do? Do they make "extended chamois shorts"? Or can I use something totally different? Yes, I liberally used chamois cream.
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I have posted here a few times about my saddle woes. I have tried many saddles and I have had issues that run the gamut from too narrow to too wide (inner thigh chafing), etc.

Anyway, I have been pretty happy for the first 50 miles with the one I am using now, however, after about that, my butt skin really starts to hurt. It is not the type of pain I had on the inner thigh so I didn't think it was a size/profile issue.

I do not know why I didn't think to do this sooner, but I put my hand between the saddle and my bike shorts and I realized that my butt skin pain was EXACTLY at my sit bones and that was also the end of the chamois. The idea of the chamois is partially that there are no seams to cause chaffing, but hitting at the edge of it seems rather counter-productive. And, as I noted above, I used a lot of chamois cream and still had the issue.

What would you suggest I do? I have this problem on three different pairs of shorts (both different brands and different sizes, including bib-shorts). Do they make "extended chamois" shorts? Or, could I forgo the padding in which case, do they make seamless biking underwear?

Please help! Thanks!

Bob Dopolina 

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=chamois+cream

Jwink3101

I guess beggars can't be choosers when it comes to asking for help, but if you even read the summary of my question, you would have seen that I said I was using chamois cream. Lots of it.

The issue is with the chamois itself

Commodus

Chamois are different, sounds like you just got some that don't quite suit your anatomy. I don't really think there's a remedy other than replacement. I understand that you have this problem on more than one pair, but there are many different kinds. Experiment. You can try them on before buying.

ericm979

Your shorts may not fit tight enough.

Jwink3101

I wondered about that but I do not think it is the problem. I am a big guy and my first pair were 2XL, Then, (largely do to a lot of biking), I lost a lot of weight. When I bought new shorts, I bought XL. They are a little snug but I have more weight to lose so they should fit someday. However, I have this problem on my old 2XL and the new, tight XL.

hammy56

assuming youve got properly fitting bibs...DZ Nuts ftw.

Machka 

Stop using chamois cream, and spend the money you save on a pair of shorts with decent padding.

Vlaam4ever

you sure it is not the saddle that is the problem?

saddles and chamois act together to work or not work

Jwink3101

No, I am not sure. This is just the latest in my saddle drama. But, I like everything else about the saddle so I am seeing what I can do with the other side of the equation.

milkbaby

Are your sit bones rubbing right on the outer/left/right edges of the chamois or at the very back of the chamois? If the first, maybe look for shorts with wider and stitching-free chamois. If the latter, it sounds like the shorts don't fit right or are sliding down in back. Maybe try different shorts or bibs?

nkfrench 

I'm not aware of any "extended" chamois, just that triathlon shorts have narrowed/thinner padding.
This is a wild shot, but maybe the chamois in women's shorts would fit .: sitbones are wider apart.
I've had some shorts with a very stiff chamois. It tended to creep down in the back or tent up.
Shorts fabric that is strong/more compression will also hold the chamois in place I believe. The light hot weather-friendly fabrics don't seem to help.

Machka 

1. Stop using chamois cream.
2. You say you "hurt" after 50 miles, but you don't say what kind of hurt this is.
3. Check your fit, especially your saddle height.
4. Buy a completely different pair of shorts with a completely different chamois ... preferably something wide, smooth, and thin.

ColinL

good idea. expensive, very good solution: castelli KISS chamois.

less expensive, probably less good solution: triathlete shorts. it will have a thin chamois for running, but check for stitching or other annoyances.

bike eagle

I am shorts-shopping also. Can you please give some examples of shorts with that kind of chamois? Thanks!

Machka 

Back in the good ol' days, cycling shorts didn't have padding with all the lumps and bumps and contours it has now. Back in the good ol' days, padding used to be one smooth, soft, comfortable sheet of material that offered a little bit of cushioning without creating all sorts of extra friction. I still have some shorts from those days.

Unfortunately, shorts manufacturers got the notion that adding lumps and bumps and contours all over their padding would somehow make it better. They were completely and utterly wrong, of course, but everyone seems to have gotten onto that bandwagon, and now it is very hard to find decent shorts with smooth one-piece padding.

You've really got to shop around to find anything good anymore. Fox shorts were the most recent pair I got with one smooth piece of padding in them, but I think they've gone out of roadie shorts. I also used to find them in the sales at Nashbar. And MEC's cheapest shorts used to be the best shorts I ever had because of their very comfortable, wide-enough, 1 piece of padding. I order more when I returned to Canada last August, but was very disappointed to find that they've gone to the lumpy padding as well. Sad. They aren't nearly as good anymore.

milkbaby

Check this out:
https://www.albabici.com/nalini/fabrics/pads-info.htm

The Nalini 25 chamois pad is extremely simple; I have that in two Nalini team replica bibs. The PTN1 and PTN9 chamois are close to the 25 in simplicity.

Some mountain bike shorts liners and cycling liners have very simple flat chamois too. I actually don't like any of them because I'm fairly lightweight, they are like huge diapers on my body, and the few I have seem very low quality compared to my road bibs.

Ghost Ryder

Are you wearing underwear under the bib/shorts?
This causes chaffing, I did this the very 1st time with my MTB shorts, not knowing I was to go commando.

+1
I started off with Sugoi MTB shorts too, they don't really compare to the Sugoi road bibs.

Silvercivic27

Assos uno bib shorts have a pretty big chamois. I just got in some Rapha classic bibs and they are very comfortable as well. Nice large pad on those too. Expensive, but worth it to have no/minimal issues.

Jwink3101

Thanks for all of the replies. I will look into some of those suggestions.

I am not wearing underwear with the shorts. If only the solution were that simple. Plus, I suspect that underwear may help because of the issue being with the chamois.

Also, does anyone think the idea of some type of smooth, seamless, chamois-less shorts would be better? I think I could forgo the padding, but I do not want seams.

Machka 

Try it and see.

MrTuner1970

A saddle that is too high can cause issues like you describe. How about lowering the saddle 1-2 mm at a time to see if that helps?