Road Cycling: Seat Pain

I had the same problem, and a pair of padded biking shorts worked wonders, along with a slight adjustment of how I sit. 

Get GOOD bike shorts!  The extra expense is definitely worth it.

The other thing to do is get fitted for your bike.  Getting the right size frame is just the beginning.  You have to make sure the seat and handlebars are in the right position for you body.  I had to use a longer stem than the one that came with my bike.  They swapped it out for me before I left the store.  I also had to tilt the seat down some because of the position that I ride in most of the time.  I was getting too much pressure.

Good luck!

Pete 

The issue may very well be the seat, I'm surprised no one has addressed that. Even high end road bikes typically come with a terrible seat that can put pressure on sensitive areas. I'm in the saddle a couple hours a day, as I ride and race for a team, and the seat was the first thing I swapped out before I even rode it. What seat are you riding right now? What bike are you riding right now? The majority of your weight should be on your "sit" bones and that is the only thing that should be sore.

Thinking about it, I don't believe the majority of my weight is on my sit bones

That may also be fore and aft adjustment, as well as angle of the nose of the seat.  Beware of any numbness.

No, nothing is going numb. The shorts have helped quite a bit, but I'm starting to think that the nose of the seat needs to be pointed down a little farther. It feels like I am grinding my pelvic bone every time I lean forward... On another note, while the padded shorts have really helped, I've found that the edge of the padding is chaffing my bum and my underwear line. Is this a case of purchasing the wrong size, or still the seat? Someone in another forum suggested using Chamois cream, and while that works for longer bike rides, I'm just commuting 20 minutes to work, only to have a pinched and chaffed bum when I get there. It is really uncomfortable while biking, and I find my concentration is more focused on the pain in me bum, and not on actually biking. Any ideas?

Hey, thank for your detailed reply. I wasn't clear in my last post, I am NOT wearing underwear with the shorts, but the shorts are pinching the area where underwear would be IF I were wearing some, and along the edge of the bike seat. I am 5'6" and I have the small Giant OCR-3 (46.5") which was fitted to me at the bike shop. I do not think the handle column can be shortened, but I may need to lower the seat more. I initially adjusted the height of my seat as it felt as though I was over-extending my legs, but I do feel rather crunched over when I ride on the drops. I will also take into consideration the other items you mentioned. I have noticed though that if I just tuck the other side of the bike padding under my bum when I bike it feels a lot better... It's just a matter of keeping it there, hah hah. Thank you again!

I own 3 Selle Italia saddles and they all are perfect, expensive but perfect.  The SLK had the most flex since it is two pieces.  As tt1106 mentioned earlier, they need about a dozen miles or so to break in, and NEED to be pro-fitted.  Or, at least get an experienced rider to stand next to you, sitting stationary on the bike, to adjust what needs to be adjusted.  For hints/tips, check out Sheldon Harris's website.  Just google his name and you will find it.  It is an immense site, so have patience and have fun!

 

Dave 

Calantha,

You also want to make sure, as SirVelo was pointing to, that your position on the seat is optimal.  Your ischial tuberisities, aka  'sitsbones' should be on the wider aspects of the saddle; this will change as you slide forward or backward on the seat.  If the nose of the saddle is too high, you will slide back and too much soft tissue will be bearing your weight.  If the nose is too low you will slide forward and you will be slightly arching your lumbar spine (low back) to try to compensate and attempt to keep your sitsbones on the wider part of the saddle. 

If you haven't yet, make a trip to the shop you bought the ride from and have them check you out on it (your form will change b/w when you buy the bike and after a few weeks or months of riding).  If the shop crew is a good bunch, they will do this free of charge.

Very wordy, sorry!  Good luck again.

Some excellent points on seat position, and bike fit.

Two additional observations:

1.) Terry saddles -- http://www.terrybicycles.com -- designed by and made for women. The Butterfly comes highly recommended by my significant other.

2.) Brooks saddles. http://www.brookssaddles.com

Since 1866 they have been making the finest, and by far, the most comfortable saddle in existence. All modern saddles have a rigid shell that the saddle leather (or other material) is mated to. It will never break in or conform to your specific body attributes. A Brooks is essentially a leather hammock suspended between the front and back of the saddle. Legend has it they were notoriously difficult to break in and caused a lot of pain along the way. Several years ago they began to offer "pre-conditioned" saddles that shortened or eliminated the break-in period all together. I have had two -- a Brooks Professional I have put about 100K miles on in the last 35 years, and a Brooks Swift I have been happily riding for the past 10 years. Both are remarkably comfortable and will last forever.

I would like to second the mention of Specialized Body Geometry seats. My local bike shop has you sit on a gel pad which will show exactly where your sit bones are and more importantly the spacing. You take the measurement of the indents and get a matching width seat. Then after properly adjusting it on the bike for height, fore and aft position and then angle you should have your weight mostly on your sit bone with little irritation any where else. I hope this helps.

Someone might have said this already but don't wear a thong when you're cycling!

Assos Chamois Cream

 

Chammy Butter

 

Crotch Guard

 

Get one, no one who goes longer then a 15 minute ride should go unprotected, this helps protect your expensive shorts and your grundle. 

I haven't had a problem with my saddle until I bought a new bike, which came with a woman's Terry saddle (being a woman, I thought 'ok, i'll give it a go'). Big, big mistake. I've been having problems like I've never had before, but now I'm stuck about 2 weeks out from my event - I'm going to stick with it for another couple hundred miles, and as soon as I'm done with my event, I'm going back to a selle italia. I don't want to have to go through an adjustment period this close to my event - otherwise that Terry saddle would be going straight into the trash. Woman's specific saddles are not nec. a good fit for every woman - the nose is too wide on the one I have and it's got too much padding, which is causing chafing along the line where the underwear would be. Has anyone noticed that Chamois butt'r seems to wear off after 30 miles or so? It's a little frustrating. I can't wait to get off that terrible saddle. It may work for some women, but apparently, not me. Finding a good saddle though is a bit like a needle in a haystack. You have to ride it for a while before you can tell whether it'll work for you, and everyone is made differently. Makes it an expensive process, and no one will really be able to tell you which one will be a great fit, although you might be able to get some help narrowing it down.

I read most of the comments but not all so someone may have told you this.
But your not suposed to sit on the middle part of your annatomy but on the two bones on ether side of your bottom, and if your seat is to narrow or to wide you can't achieve this. if you look at bike seats most of the padding is on the outsides of the seat not the middle. So all seat have to fit your bum bones or wont work and you will end up putting your weight in the middle regardless of seat angle. Wearing pants or not under your bike shorts is all about the seam or not in the middle ie not seam ok ,with seam and seam joins = pain.
So it's all about the seam, thats why bike shorts with padding don't have them.

in short get a seat that fit your bottom and also move your bum off the seat sometime to restore blood flow.

Anyway this article is good, and while it's directs most of it's comments to men it does apply to women to. 

 By Ed Pavelka of www.RoadBikeRider.com

Since the late 1990s, saddle design has seen major innovation.

A big impetus came from a prominent doctor's contention that sitting on a bike seat might lead to damaged nerves or blood vessels in some men. This risk, plus the occasional bout of temporary genital numbness that many riders experience, put designers into action.

The result is a new generation of saddles with special shapes, padding or cutouts to reduce crotch contact and pressure. As a side benefit, riders have found that they experience fewer saddle sores on these seats.

Saddle selection is highly individual. Despite how effective a saddle might look or how highly praised it might be by a riding buddy, there's no guarantee that it will be comfortable for you. You need to ride it to tell.

Here are some selection guidelines, followed by two things you must do to further reduce risks and discomforts: (1) develop a good riding position, and (2) use smart riding techniques.

Saddle Selection

Width. Squat and sit on a low stool or curb. What you feel supporting your weight is your ischial tuberosities, the points of the pelvis that are commonly called the "sit bones." These are what should support your weight on a saddle.

A seat that's too narrow will place your weight on the soft tissue between your sit bones -- for men, on the perineum where the penile nerves and blood vessels are located. Women also need to put a high priority on width because, on average, they have wider sit bones than men. Anatomically designed women's saddles are a bit wider in the main sitting area.

Curvature. Looked at from the rear at eye level, a seat should be flat or only very slightly domed. A significant curve causes your sit bones to be lower than the saddle's center, contributing to crotch pressure.

Dip. Looked at from the side at eye level, a seat should be nearly flat from nose to tail. A slight dip (say six degrees or less) is helpful to give you a feeling for the saddle's center while riding. More dip creates positioning problems. That is, when the nose is set level, the tail sticks up and may be uncomfortable to sit on; when the tail is set level, the nose goes up and exerts pressure right where you don't want it.

Padding. Some is good, more is not better. You want enough foam or gel to cushion your sit bones for comfort. Thick padding can actually increase crotch pressure because as your sit bones sink in, this has the effect of making the center press upward.

Special sections. These are what set the new generation of saddles apart. These sections range from gel-padded areas, to wedge-shaped cutouts, to holes through the top. Rider reactions to these innovations are all over the board. Do they lessen contact or pressure? No doubt. Do they absolutely, positively prevent numbness or worse problems? No saddle maker can guarantee that. Are they comfortable? It depends on whom you ask. The saddle that one rider swears by will be the same saddle the next rider swear at. There's simply no way of knowing until you ride on a given design. Some bike shops have a test ride program or will allow you to return a saddle that you simply can't stand.

Saddle Position

Please check our guidelines in the article, How to Perfect Your Riding Position & Technique. You'll find advice for setting saddle height, tilt and fore/aft location. Of course, don't stop at the saddle. Go though all of the steps to get an overall well-balanced riding position. If your saddle position is right but your handlebar position isn't, you still might run into problems.

TIP! For many guys, a saddle that's slightly off center (compared to the top tube) feels more comfortable. If the nose keeps pressing you in the wrong spot, try a bit of left or right angle. According to Andy Pruitt, Ed.D., who has refined the positions of many top cyclists, the right approach is always to make the bike fit your body instead of making your body fit the bike.

Riding Techniques

The rule is simple: Don't sit statically in one place for more than a few minutes. When you keep moving on the saddle, as well as on and off the saddle, you avoid constant pressure and compression. Blood keeps circulating, nerve transmissions keep flowing, and the risk of numbness is greatly reduced.

This is pretty easy to do off-road, where terrain changes and body English keep your crotch from locking into a set position. It's harder on a road bike unless you cultivate some good habits.

For example, get out of the saddle for at least part of every hill. Stand when exiting every turn or any other time you need to accelerate. Even just a few seconds is helpful when repeated often. On a ride in flat terrain, shift to a higher gear so you can stand and pedal out of the saddle for at least 30 seconds every 20 minutes. When sitting, keep your butt far enough back for your sit bones to be supported by the seat's wide rear section. Beware of the tendency to creep forward onto the nose and dwell there, especially when pushing hard or riding in a low position.

Other Pointers

If you use an aero bar, you'll tend to lock into a low, forward position for minutes on end. It's a nuisance, and it takes effort, to break this position to stand. But it's risky if you don't. Also, try to stay back on the wide area of the saddle. Tilting the nose down 1 or 2 degrees can reduce crotch pressure, but more will tend to make you slide forward onto the skinny nose.

Ride like a jockey when you come to anything rough. By leveling the pedals, flexing your knees and holding your butt an inch above the saddle, you'll avoid impacts that can cause bruising and pain. A shock-absorbing seatpost is another way to reduce the risk, but don't let it lull you into remaining seated all the time.

Carry stuff on your bike, not on your body. This isn't always possible, but realize that when you ride with a backpack, fanny pack or hydration system, you are adding weight to your seat. This makes a wide, supportive saddle even more important. The same goes if you're overweight.

Be smart when riding indoors. With no terrain changes or other natural opportunities to move your butt, you need to invent some. Pedal out of the saddle for one minute in every five. Consciously move to a different sitting area every couple of minutes. Keep sessions short and varied rather than long and steady. Using bigger gears lightens saddle pressure because your feet must push harder.

Wear high-quality, lightly padded cycling shorts. These, plus a skin lubricant such as Chamois Butt'r, increase comfort and reduce the risk of developing raw or tender spots. These can stop you from shifting position to all parts of your crotch and the saddle.