overly sensitive

[andycarter]

Fellow riders.
Any one got any top tips for relieving unwanted soreness in the sitting area. (It's times like this that I wish my login was still anonymous).

[Ian A4size]

Sudocreme works for me, also a bit of experimenting with saddle position can work wonders but only a few mm at a time, also if you are fairly new to biking it takes a little while to harrden up the under-carraige.( apologies if you are a cat 1)

[Rob]

im still getting problems.....and for some reason, its only on one side!

some say if you use assos cream, rub around the padded area of shorts area it'll help, and if you wash your cycle clothes with assos special cleaner so that the padded area doesnt harden up, this also helps.

my clothes are soft, i still get problems! i tend to accept it, take the rough with the smooth...

if you leave them, they take longer to go.as rank as this may come across, i find the best option is to pop them( thats an interesting site, the puss squirts well far ) and then apply savlon.youll find that they stop hurting within a day!

oh the joys of cycling!

[JayneToyne]

oh, rob, you put me off my dinner tlaking about it like that.

another point to make about undercarriage soreness, is that most of the creams and stuff are more of a preventative measure than a cure. so if you are already sore, adding cream might not help much, same goes for adjusting a saddle.
You need to try and lay off doing what ever it is that makes it sore, ie cycling, and wait for it to go back to normal, might take a few days. then start trying creams that people recommend, adjust saddle or change it. big padded saddles aren't always the way to go, less is more sometimes and a nice slim saddle that flexes ( such as the selle italia slr range) might suit you better.( if you arent already using one)
also maybe try a saddle with a cut out centre. it works for some.
some people also remove some of the hair by either clipping, hair removal cream or shaving. ( just the undercarriage mind you, else you end up looking like a plucked chicken or a choir boy)

[simonfrench]

Main probelm for me seems to be when it tips down (like yesterday) and all the gear gets wet, skin gets wet and soft and ... rubbed bits.

I guess some sort of cream would work - runners use vaseline, cheap and cheerful - but I guess it doesn't wash out very easily from liners so I won't be trying that.

S

[Tamar]

Regarding hair removal - be aware that this can sometimes lead to ingrowing hairs which will exacerbate discomfort.

So I've heard anyway....

[martin stewart]

I knowe the feeling it can seriously hurt sometimes. My first ride after winter really hurt and could hardly sit for a couple of days.
One thing that i tend to find that can help. Its a bit weird but make sure you have pants on and not boxers as they rub a lot

[Will]

vaseline's alright, and does seem to wash out ok

this thread reminds me of a biking trip to the brecon beacons a while back

i took a mate along who wasn't really into his biking. after a few hours hours of cycling he was in all sorts of chafing trouble, and was relieved when we went through a tiny village which had a little shop.

he went in and to get some cream of some sort. all they had was hand cream, so he bought that, and slathered virtually the whole tube down his shorts

[Dan B]

Hate to bring up Lance again, but do remember in 1999 he tested positive for saddle sore cream!

The RoadBikeRider newsletter went into a bit of a tiz lately about Lance's chamois cream (as viewed on OLN's The Lance Chronicles).

They went to the stop-action and found he was using ... Assos!

I've never used chamois cream - thinking about it for pre-Ironman rides next year - and have stuck with Savlon after rides.

Prevention is worth £££s of cure. As soon as you are done with your ride, whip them shorts off and get the area as clean and dry as possible. Sounds a bit silly, but if you're prone to sores, try to avoid sitting around in sweaty shorts - and that includes tea stops.

'Popping' the sore - yecch - can result in infection, not recommended.

I'm also thinking of the poor Aussie pro who had his saddle sore surgically removed in Europe, then had to fly long-haul back home - and all the sitting tore the stitches.

Another saddle to recommend: that mesh saddle that Ibbo tried out. If it fits, wear it.