Do these shorts go with my saddle?

Do these shorts go with my saddle?

Okay ladies…let’s talk about saddle soreness.  I am writing specifically to the ladies because, well, I know the anatomy intimately.  I am not as familiar with the male experience so David will have to give advice to the guys if it is needed.  All new cyclists experience some saddle soreness at the beginning of a season but, in my experience, the soreness is never as extreme as it was in my first few months of cycling.

There are several ways that you can address the pain.  But first, let’s go over the proper terminology.  The saddle is attached to the bike and you sit on it.  The seat is your toosh.  The chamois is the padded portion of your cycling shorts.

First, you need to find the proper saddle for your seat and for your style of riding.  A common misconception is that a larger, wider saddle will be more comfortable.  While you may think that you cycling shorts make your butt look big (they do), the portion of your seat that actually touches the saddle on a road bike is very small.  If your saddle it too large, it will cause chafing (which I will cover in a moment).  Imagine your toosh on an upright, beach comber bike…more of “you” touches the saddle and that is why beach combers often have large, cushy seats.  Now imagine your toosh on your road bike…less of “you” touches the bike, your body is tilted more forward making a slimmer saddle a better option.  And mountain bikes or touring bikes fall somewhere in the middle.  If you suffer from too much pressure in the middle of the saddle, try one that has an open middle.  You may have noticed that my saddle is designed this way.

I purchased my saddle (Butterfly Cromoly) from Terry many years ago.  Terry lists their saddles by riding style…the Endurance/Touring collection is a good place to start for the type of riding that we have been doing or if you were planning to do a multi-day bike tour.  If you get a new saddle, don’t ditch your old one.  Just because it’s not right for you, doesn’t mean that it won’t be right for someone else. Save it to trade for some other thing that you need or sell it on craigslist.

Second, you need some good cycling shorts.  By “good”, I don’t mean that they have to be top-of-the-line…they just need to be right for you.  I like Pearl Izumi shorts.  David likes Specialized.  Here is a link to the chamois that Terry offers…I like this page because it allows you to look for the chamois that provides coverage in the area that gives you the most discomfort.  Also, check out the product reviews from customers.  They are often very helpful in choosing a pair that will work for you.

Now…about chafing.  This is the nitty gritty stuff.  There’s this stuff called chamois cream.  The specific brand that I normally use is Butt Butter, but I recently found a more “local” option called SkinFare.  Butt Butter is designed to be applied to the chamois of your shorts while SkinFare works like a glide stick and is applied directly to your sensitive spots. Using Butt Butter is like greasing the pan before pouring the cake batter.  You apply it to the area of the chamois that comes into contact with the skin that is likely to experience chafing.  It works like magic!  I have a large tube of Butt Butter that will probably last for the rest of my lifetime.  Now they sell it in small blister packets that easily fit into your jersey pocket.  On longer rides, it’s handy to have the blister pack so that you can reapply…which is ideal for multi-day rides and for testing the product on your skin before you buy the large tube.  I am still testing SkinFare and I will provide an update after using it on a longer ride.

And, to wrap things up, here are some tips for the wellbeing of your toosh:

So now you know a lot more about me and my toosh…I hope that my candid approach to this sensitive issue will help you find the right solution for your personal quest for comfort on the bike.

See you in the saddle soon!