Seat bone soreness

[531colin]

I think the padding provides a little cushioning if it is not too thin, but mostly reduces chafing. It does work for me.

I have always been sensitive in the sit bone area and the only time that problem really went away was when I had a Brooks Titanium Swift saddle that was broken in (used a bit so that it had acquired dimples where my sit bones went) and on a 360 mile Audax ride (over about 36 hours) I never got really sore. With padded shorts.

Chafing...so against friction, then?
The longest I have ridden was a CTC 24 hour (220 or 240 miles?) reliability trial, in the sixties. Might have been on a Cinelli Unica saddle back then, long before touring cyclists wore padded shorts.

[pwa]

I think the padding provides a little cushioning if it is not too thin, but mostly reduces chafing. It does work for me.

I have always been sensitive in the sit bone area and the only time that problem really went away was when I had a Brooks Titanium Swift saddle that was broken in (used a bit so that it had acquired dimples where my sit bones went) and on a 360 mile Audax ride (over about 36 hours) I never got really sore. With padded shorts.

Chafing...so against friction, then?
The longest I have ridden was a CTC 24 hour (220 or 240 miles?) reliability trial, in the sixties. Might have been on a Cinelli Unica saddle back then, long before touring cyclists wore padded shorts.

Not even those leather inserts?

[531colin]

.......Not even those leather inserts?

That was in the post I lost!
As far as I know (I don't remember it coming up in conversation) only racing cyclists wore tight (wool?) shorts with a chamois crotch. I certainly just wore ordinary shorts and underwear. You could buy "touring shorts" with a "double seat" but I think that was so they didn't wear out, not for comfort. I could start a new thread in the tea shop?

[pwa]

I do understand that padded shorts can feel a bit clammy at times, but on the whole I have found them useful. I prefer ones with a fairly thick, dense pad in the sit bone area, thin elsewhere. Quite how they reduce discomfort I'm not sure, but I can speculate. Firstly, pads allow a small amount of sideways movement without the skin sliding , the foam taking up the movement. So no friction. Secondly there is a small amount of cushioning which if you use a traditional leather (Brooks / Spa etc) means that you acquire something like the dense foam top of a plastic bodied saddle, but instead of being fixed to the saddle it is fixed to the cyclist and moves with them.

But this stuff is like talking to hikers about their choice of socks. They get used to a combination that works for them and there isn't necessarily a best answer that works for everyone in all circumstances.
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To combat soreness I have used Germolene. It is less sticky than Sudocrem and it has an anaesthetic property that instantly reduces soreness. On long Audax rides I even applied it to the pad in the shorts.

[mjr]

Firstly, pads allow a small amount of sideways movement without the skin sliding , the foam taking up the movement. So no friction.

If there's no friction, what's stopping the sliding?!?

[pwa]

Firstly, pads allow a small amount of sideways movement without the skin sliding , the foam taking up the movement. So no friction.

If there's no friction, what's stopping the sliding?!?

The pad's upper surface can move one way and the lower surface another, by a small amount, with the skin remaining in contact with the upper surface. So the skin does not slide against the pad. There is no "rubbing", if you like. Without a pad you have fabric underneath that moves in relation to the skin. For some people that may be part of what makes them sore.

[Audax67]

Just guessing but it may be the result of a leg length discrepancy/imbalance. IE you've got your saddle set correctly for the longer leg, which is forcing you to reach for the pedal with your shorter leg, which in turn is causing the pressure to that side of your sit bones.
Have a read of Phil Burt's book on Bike Fit or better still visit a bike fitter for advice.

My left leg is 11 mm shorter than the right. My doc sent me for an X-ray which showed this up. It doesn't bother me walking, but sitting on any kind of gel or hard saddle hurts like hell after ~80km.

I rode long distances in discomfort for years, then discovered Selle Anatomica (https://selleanatomica.com/collections/x-series). The leather is supple, and the two halves of the saddle move quasi-independently. I did PBP 2015 on it, wearing Assos shorts: I had no pain and no chafing to speak of, certainly not on the level I had after other 1000k rides with other saddles. If this sounds like a testimonial it is, but I've no connection with them other that through my shorts. I believe that Rivet do a similar saddle if you've got the money.

My advice is to get to the doc and ask for the X-ray. If that shows up a difference then look at Selle Anatomica. If you can order one pre-punched for laces, do, otherwise the leather can spread and cut into your legs. You can drill it yourself: 4mm bit with a block of wood on the other side. I used a 3-point wood drill and a boot-lace, chum uses cable ties.

Good luck!

[Vorpal]

Maybe try doing the same mileage in 5 days instead of 2?

If that helps, increase your mileage gradually?

Otherwise, the posts above seems good advice. IMO, clothing is not the first place to try to fix a problem like that; rather, the last place. Some people are helped by it, though, so don't dismiss it out of hand.

Also, people vary hugely, and I am (unusually among experienced cyclists) more comfortable on a saddle with a little padding than not.

My preferred saddle is Serfas Rx. I don't get on with Brooks at all. I think they are just completely the wrong shape for me.

[mjr]

Firstly, pads allow a small amount of sideways movement without the skin sliding , the foam taking up the movement. So no friction.

If there's no friction, what's stopping the sliding?!?

The pad's upper surface can move one way and the lower surface another, by a small amount, with the skin remaining in contact with the upper surface. So the skin does not slide against the pad. There is no "rubbing", if you like. Without a pad you have fabric underneath that moves in relation to the skin. For some people that may be part of what makes them sore.

Or in other words, the friction between pad and skin is greater than that between the surfaces of the pad. I think that hurts, but each to their own.