Sweet Mother of Baby Jesus my Arse!!!

Felexicon

I decided a few weeks ago to avail of the BTW scheme.

Went to my local shop, got the invoice, submitted it to work, was then told it would take 6 to 8 weeks to process.

So I say to myself "what will I do to pass the time?". Sure I'll head on to Boards and see what to expect when I'm out on the road.
I started with the near misses thread and quickly came to the conclusion that Taxi drivers and Dublin bus drivers are the worst people in the world and that I will never cycle in the City Center.

I then flicked through numerous threads and saw all the wonderful stories of being out on the open road with the wind in your face.

Fast Forward to yesterday and I finally got my voucher from BTW. Headed down to the shop and collected the bike. Happy days!

Got up early this morning and said I'd take the plunge and cycle in to work.

It was bliss, a great start to the day.

However as time is going by I'm getting what can only be described as the worst/most uncomfortable pain in my arse. It feels like I've been hit with a sledge hammer in the undercarriage.

My question to you seasoned bikeilists is why do you not have this hazard as a sticky to worn us newbies oh the impending torture we are about to put ourselves through?

Get padded shorts if you don't have them already. Don't wear boxers or anything under them. I usually stick a pair of old football shorts over because I feel a bit exposed otherwise. They make a massive difference.

Felexicon

Kamila Gorgeous Vet wrote: »

Get padded shorts if you don't have them already. Don't wear boxers or anything under them. I usually stick a pair of old football shorts over because I feel a bit exposed otherwise. They make a massive difference.

I got a pair of them yesterday but didn't think I'd need them for a "short spin" today

RobFowl

Wear padded shorts for any spin over 3-4 k....
They make a massive difference.
PS it gets easier

Well maybe not easier but less sore on the arse ....

flaneur

You'd think at this stage we'd have come up with a saddle that actually works for human anatomy.

Johnny Jukebox

They have, and bizarrely the more it looks like a greyhounds' nose, the more comfortable it will be.

Also look at some bike fitting videos on YouTube as correct weight distribution is important for comfort.

flaneur

flaneur wrote: »

You'd think at this stage we'd have come up with a saddle that actually works for human anatomy.

You might be on to something!

OP, get a saddle :pac:

Wishbone Ash

Kamila Gorgeous Vet wrote: »

...I usually stick a pair of old football shorts over because I feel a bit exposed otherwise......

Sweet Jesus!! :eek::eek::eek:

HivemindXX

Personally I think padded shorts are not needed for anything less than 20k. They don't hurt obviously but I don't consider the effort of putting them on to be worth the benefit they bring.

For the OP you will find it gets less sore very quickly. You didn't say how long your commute was but I'm guess less than 5k based on what most people starting off are willing to cycle. You should very quickly find that this is a doddle.

There are three things that take your weight on a bike. Your feet on the pedals, your hands on the bars and your arse on the saddle. Ideally you want to distribute your weight between them to maximise your comfort. How upright your position is affects how much weight is on your hands so moving the saddle back a bit might make you lean forward more but that is almost certainly not your main problem. As a complete newbie your legs are not doing as much work as they soon will be, you are not pushing down on the pedals which means your arse is taking more of the weight. As you get fitter (which will happen quickly) your will go faster which means less time in the saddle and for the time that you are cycling your legs are taking more of the weight.

When I started cycling again as an adult I had a 10k commute and it took about three weeks for me to be able to do that without any soreness. I still use the same type of saddle and these days I can cycle more than 100k pretty easily and the only real soreness is in my legs (and sometimes my shoulder which is almost certainly due to bad posture),

mosstin

Kamila Gorgeous Vet wrote: »

Get padded shorts if you don't have them already. Don't wear boxers or anything under them. I usually stick a pair of old football shorts over because I feel a bit exposed otherwise. They make a massive difference.

A pair of old football shorts. Remarkable.

eeeee

Johnny Jukebox wrote: »

They have, and bizarrely the more it looks like a greyhounds' nose, the more comfortable it will be.

Also look at some bike fitting videos on YouTube as correct weight distribution is important for comfort.

Nope, total opposite for me. Adamos all the way.
OP saddles are as individual as your anatomy, try out a few of them and you'll find what works for ya. There is no one super comfy saddle for everyone.
Padded shorts are your friend. It's completely normal, and in fact they're designed to be worn them without anything underneath or over them.
Happy pedalling!

Felexicon

HivemindXX wrote: »

Personally I think padded shorts are not needed for anything less than 20k. They don't hurt obviously but I don't consider the effort of putting them on to be worth the benefit they bring.

For the OP you will find it gets less sore very quickly. You didn't say how long your commute was but I'm guess less than 5k based on what most people starting off are willing to cycle. You should very quickly find that this is a doddle.

There are three things that take your weight on a bike. Your feet on the pedals, your hands on the bars and your arse on the saddle. Ideally you want to distribute your weight between them to maximise your comfort. How upright your position is affects how much weight is on your hands so moving the saddle back a bit might make you lean forward more but that is almost certainly not your main problem. As a complete newbie your legs are not doing as much work as they soon will be, you are not pushing down on the pedals which means your arse is taking more of the weight. As you get fitter (which will happen quickly) your will go faster which means less time in the saddle and for the time that you are cycling your legs are taking more of the weight.

When I started cycling again as an adult I had a 10k commute and it took about three weeks for me to be able to do that without any soreness. I still use the same type of saddle and these days I can cycle more than 100k pretty easily and the only real soreness is in my legs (and sometimes my shoulder which is almost certainly due to bad posture),

Cheers for the advice.

Commute is about 14k each way.

phelixoflaherty

Two beer mats

HivemindXX

Felexicon wrote: »

Cheers for the advice.

Commute is about 14k each way.

Wow. That's a good distance for a first timer to take on. I do think padded shorts will help then but regardless of whether you use them I think you will find things get better after a few weeks no matter what you do.

Ordinarily I commute in my work clothes, but when I had an 18k commute I used to wear full cycling gear and get changed when I got in to work. The cycling gear was more comfortable and it meant that if I got wet or too sweaty it didn't matter much because I was getting changed anyway.

If you want to wear regular clothes you can get something like the below, padded shorts which are designed to go under regular trousers or shorts.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/altura-tempo-under-shorts-1/

The Ging and I

Can you ask the shop to check if your position on bike is ok ? Perhaps saddle to high ?

Roadtoad

OP, are you sorted with lights etc? Still a few good ones in my local Aldi. (Naas).

wanderer 22

Roadtoad wrote: »

OP, are you sorted with lights etc? Still a few good ones in my local Aldi. (Naas).

Don't sit on them though.

sin_26

Get the proper fit in good bike fitter. Buy decent padded shorts and then come back to fitter about your saddle issues if there will be any after few weeks. Badly fitted bike and numbness/pain in nether regions can push you out of cycling for long time.

magicbastarder

sin_26 wrote: »

Get the proper fit in good bike fitter.

overkill at this point, IMHO. anyone will have issues with saddle soreness for the first few weeks, regardless of fit.

Mr. Grieves

Time. You will adjust. If you keep cycling regularly, I reckon you'll have no discomfort in 2 or 3 weeks.

Padded shorts, bike/saddle fit can make a difference, but for someone going from zero cycling, you just have to give it a bit of time. I'm a regular cyclist, but if I take a break entirely from the bike, it takes a few weeks to adjust when I go back.

sin_26

magicbastarder wrote: »

overkill at this point, IMHO. anyone will have issues with saddle soreness for the first few weeks, regardless of fit.

Thats true but... How do you know if its caused by arse not get used to it or by wrongly saddle placement etc? Bike fitting is money best spent especially if you traveling to work. You can treat this as invest saving money on petrol etc.
From my experience if he will be traveling 140km a week as a beginner he should go to fitter and it right from the start. This is important for starters even more so that pain can demotivate them from using bike any more. And cycling is not only about pain in the butt as we all know.

sin_26

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

Time. You will adjust. If you keep cycling regularly, I reckon you'll have no discomfort in 2 or 3 weeks.

Padded shorts, bike/saddle fit can make a difference, but for someone going from zero cycling, you just have to give it a bit of time. I'm a regular cyclist, but if I take a break entirely from the bike, it takes a few weeks to adjust when I go back.

But you know what is caused by because your bike fit is still the same.
Starting from zero especially needs reference point. Its better if that point is set correctly by someone who have knowledge about cycling body dynamics etc.
Just dont go to Mcdonalds few times and you will save monies for bike fit. Sounds resonable to me .

Felexicon

Cheers for all the tips. Think it's just a case of getting used to it as I feel very comfortable otherwise on the bike.

Although after the cycle home this evening I've come to the conclusion that if Lance Armstrong used PEDs to alleviate saddle soreness then he should keep the 7 yellow jerseys as it's a perfectly reasonable reason to use them.

Mr. Grieves

sin_26 wrote: »

But you know what is caused by because your bike fit is still the same.
Starting from zero especially needs reference point. Its better if that point is set correctly by someone who have knowledge about cycling body dynamics etc.
Just dont go to Mcdonalds few times and you will save monies for bike fit. Sounds resonable to me .

Well I figured the fit out myself and anyway it's different on the road bike versus the cargo bike versus the mountain bike - but the discomfort after not cycling is the same.

John_Rambo

Felexicon wrote: »

Cheers for the advice.

Commute is about 14k each way.

Fair play! 28k a day, straight in, no messing! No wonder you've a sore ass!!! I'm guessing you're already pretty fit. I've no advice, just admiration!

fryup

hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread OP,

i tend to an itchy Perineal after a long cycle...i wear a padded shorts no undies

i've been to the doctor, given cream betnovate RD..but the itch keeps returning:o

Felexicon

John_Rambo wrote:

Fair play! 28k a day, straight in, no messing! No wonder you've a sore ass!!! I'm guessing you're already pretty fit. I've no advice, just admiration!

Ah I'd do a good bit of running so the engine is in good enough condition. Really felt it in the quads today.

positron

Give it time, your bottom will adapt. I went thru this a few months ago, cheap padded shorts made it worse (it had too much padding), another pair of cheap padded shorts were fine, and in the end my bottom got used to it. And then I went and upgraded saddle to a Brooks Cambium, and went on a 230k ride, I was in bits but not bottom wasn't any worse off than rest of me.

foxatron

It goes away for the under 15k cycles after a week or two. Stay strong

uck51js9zml2yt

Had the same problem and bought a brooks saddle after reading a thread here a year or so ago. Also got Aidan to do a fit.
Will be transferring my brooks to my new bike when I'm home next week and with be getting refit.
Cycle 5km each way to work and don't wear shorts.

Edit. What do sweets, mother's or the baby Jesus have to do with your backside

The Ging and I

fryup wrote: »

hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread OP,

i tend to an itchy Perineal after a long cycle...i wear a padded shorts no undies

i've been to the doctor, given cream betnovate RD..but the itch keeps returning:o

Ask GP if you have a fungal or sweat induced infection.
You will have to bare all :eek:
I soak all my shorts monthly in Milton.

Wishbone Ash

Nathanael Dry Mandrill wrote: »

...Cycle 5km each way to work and don't wear shorts.....

Careful now, you could get arrested for that! :pac:

RobFowl

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Careful now, you could get arrested for that! :pac:

NSFW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XTEIl-gtSA

crosstownk

I’ve extensive experience with sore arse from the bike. Discomfort, saddle sores and some numbness.

Ok, so my experience may be at the extreme end but advice from other posters about padded shorts and bike fit is well worth heeding.

Most of all, ensure that your saddle is the correct width so that you are putting the majority of your weight on your sit bones rather than on your perinium. The latter will result in pain and sores.

Lemming

OP, you've had a lot of good suggestions so I'll not chime in with much else that's new safe to reitterate that you maybe look at your bike 'fit'. You may think you feel comfortable on it, but you may also be making things harder for yourself (e.g. saddle too low so your upper legs are really having to work more than they should, etce.).

For good quality padded shiz, to add to what everyone else has already suggested, I use a pair of Endura Humvee shorts, which whilst baggy (meant for MTB fun but I use them for everything from commuting to shredding), they have an inner removable liner that is padded and can be moved between shorts/trousers/etc. The liner is really good as the padding is excellent, it [the liner] is very breathable, and also has grippers at the bottom of the trunks to stop chaffing or riding up your legs as you cycle. Might be worth havring a pokey at the Endura range in that regard. If you're wanting to go all roadie on the clothing dept. then I can't really comment.

Edit: as crosstownk has also alluded to, saddle "fit", which is very easy to do using a piece of cardboard (needs to be the thicker sort, not the cereal packaging stuff), your arse-imprint, a tape measure, and consultation with the varying saddle manufacturers 'size/type' charts. They're not always correct and/or your rear end may find something else that just "works" for you comfort-wise, but they're usually close on the money. Still, it's all just a guide to steer you towards the saddles most likely to suit you and not be uncomfortable or to generate discomfort over time.

cdaly_

The Ging and I wrote: »

I soak all my shorts monthly in Milton.

Try Dettol rather than Milton. Milton is a bleach and will fade your gear.

Felexicon

Wore the padded shorts today. Huge improvement!

razorblunt

I'm in the same boat OP, this is week 2 of my commute (3 times a week). Only bought the padded shorts for the last cycle of last week but I've noticed a big difference already. I still think the saddle might need tweaking but I'll give it a couple of more weeks to see if the soreness subsides further.

Deep Thought

I bought shorts but found that they were hurting on my crotch, it seemed that I wasn't pulling them up high enough.

I need to get some more but like the look of the undershorts linked in this thread.