Toughening up ones backside

[Jon in Sweden]

Hello everyone,

I've been doing a few longer rides of late (two 160km rides this weekend, 315km Vätternrundan two weeks ago and 215km mixed road and gravel a month ago) and really my biggest struggle is a sore rear end.

I ride quite a lot (up to 6100km so far this year, and rode right through the Swedish winter) but haven't done masses of rides over 100km (maybe 30 in the last year).

Today, it really was extremely sore at times on the saddle. It would invariably settle down after a while, but I'd intermittently have to stand on the pedals to get a bit of relief. The discomfort started after about 50km, and I think was largely caused by yesterday's 160km ride.

I'd like to build up to doing more cycle touring and long distance, and need to toughen up. I think one of the issues is that whilst I'm quite lean, I'm still 103kg beause I'm so tall. When I'm riding at touring speed, there is more weight through the saddle because I'm not pushing so hard through my legs.

I have good shorts, and good saddles on my bikes.

Does anyone have any tricks to help? I expect I've got another 1500km to ride this month with what's planned.

[ossie]

When it gets sore on very long rides or tours I simply slip on a second layer of cycling shorts... even the pros struggle.

[Jon in Sweden]

When it gets sore on very long rides or tours I simply slip on a second layer of cycling shorts... even the pros struggle.

I have heard that mentioned before and was cursing not bringing a second set! Thanks for your imput!

[rjb]

Your in the right place. Some flagellation in the sauna should get you sorted.

[deeferdonk]

i never seem to have any bother with my rear end and never wear padded shorts - but not sure what my secret is. Through trial and error i have found a saddle that sis comfy for me (a selle smp one) and then put it on all my bikes, and can ride all day with no bother. i'm a heavy rider and I just wear lycra running boxers under my looser fitting overshorts shorts to stop any chafing.

You say you have a good saddle - maybe you just need the right saddle for your behind/riding style? Could you maybe give some other designs a go - maybe ones specifically marketed for touring, like i say the selle ones work for me.

or maybe if you have a boney bum - start doing some squats and build up your bum cheeks - i'm relativey well cusioned naturally!

[peetee]

or maybe if you have a boney bum

This is exactly my problem. In my youth I was even thinner than I am now but it was less of a problem as I was more flexible and my hip rotation while seated was different. These days I feel I’m sitting on the ends of two broom handles. 2 1/2 hours is my comfortable limit.

[al_yrpal]

On one tour, several days in after quite a bit of gravel riding for 2 days I was so sore I purchased another different shaped saddle and alternated them for the last 4 days. It helped but didnt totally cure the problem.

Al

[Paulatic]

I’m always loathe to comment on comfort issues as we all achieve it differently. I’m going to echo @deefer a little here.
When I returned to cycling in my forties as the distances grew I bought/ wore padded shorts. Audax rides 400k and above I’d take a spare pair and change mid way. I got through and there would always be some discomfort. I was an on/ off cyclist as work got in the way a lot.
FF I retired and began cycling a lot more often and ended up throwing out the thicker padded shorts preferring the pairs with thinner padding. I also dialled in my position on the bike better I’d always been prone to altering it in the spring after a winter lay off. Usually raising the saddle in the spring.
FF My LEJOG year and in preparation did more miles on the bike than ever before. Position absolutely nailed but felt I needed to experiment with saddles as there might be room for improvement there. I settled on SMP Hybrid as I bend from the waist and that curve cupped me perfectly, spreading the load, after you get used to it.
I rode LEJOG with two, lightly padded, shorts. Used copious amounts of Sudacream in the first ten days. Temperatures were up to 30C. Didn’t use any the last few days.
Then I started questioning what do padded shorts do?
Is there something magic about the padding? I don’t think so my 96kg compresses and still puts the same weight on the saddle.
Do they keep you cool and less sweaty? I don’t think so, more an extra layer of insulation and something to hold any moisture.
The last five years I’ve ridden without padded shorts . I’ve discovered underwear without seams in wrong places and my life is so much simpler I can usually jump on a bike with whatever Im wearing. Of upmost importance is dialling in your saddle literally to the last millimetre. Two bolt adjustment is IMO essential it can’t be done with single bolt posts. I now have four different makes of saddles on four different bikes. I no longer get any sores.
I’ve said on here before get your fingers underneath there and get to know every inch and how and where that bit is contacting the saddle and then think how can I improve this.

[foxyrider]

Would you be comfortable sat on a kitchen chair for two hours straight? didn't think so, so why expect to sit in one place on your saddle for several hours?

My usual day ride will involve @ 5 hours 'in the saddle', i will be sat for much of that but if it gets a bit uncomfortable, a few revs out of the saddle usually offers enough relief to keep going. Flat rides are the worst as you don't get the natural standing breaks which more rolling or hilly countryside offers. Sometimes tho', a break from the bike for a few minutes is required which helps to de-stress the feet too.

[Audax67]

My magic formula is a Selle Anatomica saddle, Assos shorts and Assos bum cream, renewed as necessary, say every 100-200 km. At least it was until Assos got the idiotic compressive-fabric bug so that you had to work against the shorts to raise your knee and the sizing chart went to hell. If you're as thin as a rake you might get into their current shorts, but I can't any more.

As an indication of how good that combo used to be, I did PBP 2015 with 2 pairs of shorts and got back to the finish with absolutely no saddle sores. I haven't found any shorts half as good since.

[531colin]

........................
Today, it really was extremely sore at times on the saddle. .....

Friction gives chafing, sore skin....tender to touch.
Weight gives something like bruising, ie tender to pressure.

Which have you got?

[Vorpal]

........................
Today, it really was extremely sore at times on the saddle. .....

Friction gives chafing, sore skin....tender to touch.
Weight gives something like bruising, ie tender to pressure.

Which have you got?

This is an important question.

I know you (Jon) cycle a lot, and I don't want to try to teach granny to suck eggs, but saddle comfort is very much an individual thing.

There are several things that contribute to saddle comfort.
-Bike fit/position
-Saddle size & shape
-Breaking in the saddle / your backside to each other
-Clothing
-cleanliness

In what way is cycling causing pain? => Back to Colin's question. The solution is generally different for different problems. It might also be different for chafing in different places.

If your sit bones aren't at the main points of contact with the saddle, either your position is wrong, or the saddle doesn't suit you. Having a good saddle isn't the issue, here. Brooks, for example are completely the wrong shape for me, even after a few hundred miles of trying to break one in.

The breaking in part is mainly a matter of increasing distance gradually. If I wanted to do a 160 km ride, I would ride increasing distances, by adding something like 10 or 15 km to my ride every 3rd day or so, and not go from 100 km to 160km without preparation.

If it's chafing, you need to figure out what is rubbing and eliminate that. Not everyone likes cycling shorts, or finds them comfortable. I am not very comfortable in shorts with thick pads, and prefer a thin pad, or none at all. But not having seams between me and the saddle is the most important part for me to be comfortable.

If it's bruising, you may want to use your legs to take more of the weight, or consider something like gel pads in either the shorts or the saddle. I know lots of folks here prefer hard saddles. I do not. The bikes I ride for longer distances have Serfas Rx saddles.

The other thing no one here has discussed is that cleanliness is important. Keeping clean 'down there', drying thoroughly after bathing or swimming, and washing shorts on hot, or with an anti-bacterial between rides is important. As others have said, you may even want to change shorts mid-ride.

As said, these things are, to a large extent, personal, and may require some trial and error to work out.

[JohnR]

\Using rubbing alcohol on the tender areas may help to both sanitise them and toughen them up.

Have you tried a leather saddle (Gilles Berthoud makes some of the better ones)? However, I've found they are best bought in the autumn for breaking in on the shorter winter rides although heavier people are likely to get their saddle into shape more quickly.

[Jon in Sweden]

........................
Today, it really was extremely sore at times on the saddle. .....

Friction gives chafing, sore skin....tender to touch.
Weight gives something like bruising, ie tender to pressure.

Which have you got?

Bit of both really. No broken skin, but red, and equally, very pressure sensitive.

I don't have especially bootilicious glutes (to use the technical term ). My posterior chain strength comes from my hamstrings (which are somewhat overdeveloped) rather than my glutes (that aren't very well developed).

I have in the past had a larger backside. This has mainly been from periods of doing a lot of squats, but my patella tendon on my right knee is fairly delicate and doesn't enjoy squatting now.

Thanks for all the imput folks. On longer rides, I'm going to equip myself with extra shorts and creme certainly.

To address the delicate question of 'down there hygeine', at this time of year, I swim at fairly regular intervals on longer rides. There are lakes everywhere with extremely clean, very soft water. In my experience, that strips excessive oil and sweat from the skin, which I think helps.

[531colin]

You don't weight bear on your glutes, so their size doesn't really matter.
Cyclists who lean forward weight bear on the ischio-pubic ramus. I went into a bit of detail in the identical "saddles and sore bums" thread we have running; I'm not typing it all out again.viewtopic.php?t=156668&start=30