Soothing the Under Areas
December 10th, 2007 by Arleigh JenkinsAs miles build my sensitive parts become more and more chapped up. This is a very important matter that most folks dance around. As you ride more you’ll be harder on the saddle, put in more miles and ride longer. Here are some basics to keep in mind.
- Padded shorts. They aren’t mimics and they are a great investment. Unless you are a hybrid rider and just putting in 10 miles on a paved greenway I recommend something better than entry level. A decent short normally starts around $50-70. A really nice short that will last you a long time is normally around $90-110. Try to hand dry your shorts and if possible hand wash with anti bacterial. Try different shorts until you find one that suits your rear right.
- A saddle built for your bum. Much like shorts, shoes or anything that is a contact point - it is very much based on how you ride and your physical make up. Most shops these days realize that one saddle might not work for you, so they offer a trade in program. Ask around - I bet one of your local shops does this. Try out different seats. There shouldn’t be extreme pressure areas on any tissue areas.
Butt creme. (It is also referred to as chamois butter.) This is one thing I use more and more this time of year. The front and back areas will love you for this.- DO NOT WEAR UNDERWEAR. Many times I have seen a guy riding his brand new bike and brand new shorts with boxer briefs or something underneath his spandex. You can wear shorts over top, but nothing goes between you and the shorts. (Except chamois butter.)
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Yes, very very important! One thing about shorts, when you find that magical pair, buy some more! You never know when they’ll change the design and it won’t feel the same anymore.
Also when you get that new seat you should try some different angles…a little nose up, a little nose down, level, etc. Sometimes just moving it ever so slightly can make a huge difference in how comfortable you are in the saddle. Fro me its even different from my road bike to my mountain bike too.
I find that my saddle is more important than attire, over the yrs I have ridden in many different pant/underwear combosm but as soon as I took my first WTB saddle for a ride, it fit right, worked perfect and now I only ride WTB saddles.
Saddles are important, but especially for the female tissue areas I’m finding more and more that if I don’t lube for a 2+ hour ride I’m in pain!
To find a saddle that truly fits find a Specialized dealer and measure the width of your seat bones with their assometer and then purchase a saddle that is the proper width for your body. Once I did this finding a saddle that works became so much easier. Based on the width of my seat bones I need a saddle 130 mm wide regardless of the brand or type of riding. A wider saddle such as a 145 or 155 does not work for my rear.
speaking of Specialized, what ever happened to that horn-less saddle?
I’ve found that using Udderly Smooth udder creme is less expensive than bike specific chamois butter, while working just as well, if not better.
I can’t speak for the ladies, but I like a pair of loose baggie board shorts with a mesh inner-liner (not the built in undies thing) and no drawers. The mesh inner-liner allows the fabric of the short to slide over your skin without chaffing but at the same time allows a lot of air to circulate around the nether-regions keeping them sweat free and dry. New seat is also a big plus.
With this setup I went from saddle sores and chafe marks after a 3 mile ride to being able to ride 20+ at a stretch (on or off-road) without any chafing or sore spots.
Besides, Most of the people that wear spandex……Shouldn’t ;D
The width isn’t the issue as much as where the relief or cut out is. That might be for just women though.
Arleigh cut-outs a big reason I like WTB saddles. personally I can see cut-outs being better for men.
The cutout is just as important for men as it is for the ladies. The cutout on a woman’s saddle in usually wider than on a men’s saddle to prevent pressure on the umm umm soft tissue, the cutout on a men’s saddle is for blood circulation
I use a product called Body Glide. I think its only sold in running stores, but you can get it at your LBS/online. Either way its good stuff and comes in a deodorant-type stick so its easy to apply. I bought it initially to use on my feet for running but works great on chamois.
Udderly smooth?
I think the cutout depends on the person. I find saddles with no cutout are more comfortable - the ones with the cutout cause soreness after a couple of hours. I am not sure if it is because I am a bigger guy (250 lbs), or if it is just my design. I also find that I can ride just about anything for MTB, since you are up and down alot, but I use only a Brooks B17 for road and for the limited commuting I do. Even longer rides of 3 to 4 hours are comfortable.
They have a number of products under the Udderly Smooth brand, sold at some grocery/drug stores as well as some livestock and vets. They used to (or may still) sponser a US based cycling team. I don’t bother with their chamois creme and just use the udder creme. http://www.uddercream.com/products.html