Dang I dont have enough bibs to do a 3+ hour ride and change my shorts that often. Since you started changing your shorts mid ride have you been able to do long rides on the trainer without any sort of issues? Do you use chamois cream each time you change shorts?

One other question, are you sure that your seat isn’t too high?

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I never ride with normal padded shorts indoors like I do outdoors. With less movement, no bumps, and more likelihood of sweat, I think less padding is much better indoors. I'm most comfortable in either thin pad tri shorts or unpadded compression shorts. I bought a few pairs of Skins A400 and DNAmic compression shorts on sale over the last 3 or 4 years and do most of my indoor riding in those.

I used to use an ISM Attack (same as PN1.1?) saddle which was good but not great, but recently switched to the adjustable BiSaddle and have found a more comfortable configuration.

I used to use a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine directly on the floor. Then I started using it on top of a 30mm thick gym mat to provide some movement. That helped a bit. Then I bought a Tacx Neo 2T which also allows a small amount of movement and the combination of Neo + mat definitely helps.

Sorry if this was already asked, but are you sitting up more on the trainer? As in, riding on the pursuit bars/bullhorns more often than you do outside? I don't really spend much time in aero on the trainer through the winter, certainly not for races. I struggled for some time finding a saddle that would let me be comfortable both sitting up and also down in the TT position. I also needed to find a saddle that would work for Norseman (where there are significantly long and steep climbs to need to sit up).

I remember going through the ISM and Cobb saddles for comfort in aero but they were godawful for me sitting up.

Cheers, Rich.

This is what I was thinking...you must be moving around in the saddle a lot to get chafing in shorter rides...

I use the trainer (neo 2t) almost exclusively for all my rides with a fairly cheap/standard road saddle (bontrager paradigm) and have never had issues. No creams or anything, even did a 4 hour ride yesterday and bibs got drenched but zero chafing or soreness. I stand every 10 min or so as I would outside but otherwise it’s standard riding on the hoods, tops or in the clip on bars

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Strava

Indoor trainer is never as comfortable as outdoors it seems. Perhaps not a popular opinion, but after reading an article by Emma Pooley on saddle sores I gave up chamois cream indoors and outdoors (to be clear she suggests using only a small amount vs heaps) and have greatly reduced the amount of sores I get. I just use body glide to protect against the chaffing.

I actually spend most of my trainer time in the aero bars. I find it much more comfortable than riding on the base bar or even the hoods on my road bike. I do agree with you, the cobb isn't the best for sitting up, but I find it amazing for getting aero!

I actually cut my seatpost 15mm or something around that and the chaffing has stopped. I also haven't done a long ride on the trainer yet, but I have hit that 1.5 hour mark and no discomfort like before!

I actually cut my seatpost a weekish ago. So far it has solved the problem I was having, but I also haven't done a long ride yet. Yeah I personally enjoy using the trainer for riding too. Jeez you're crazy, 4 hours and no cream... Good on you though get those miles in!

That's funny, I actually just started using a bit of body glide instead of chamois cream and the stuff is magic!

I've done many, many 3+ hour rides on my indoor trainer with all of my bicycles (road, Tri-TT).


1. Change out of your bibshorts every 45-60 minutes. There is no rule that says you can't pause to get off your indoor training bicycle for a couple minutes to change into another pair of dry, unsalted (and pre-chamois-creamed) shorts.

2. Really, really check (and fix) the level-ness of your floor and your bicycle setup--including side-to-side and fore-aft. Basement floors are especially prone to have a slight recline towards the sump pump and floor drain. Also, garage floors and patios are tilted away from the house for drainage.

3. Regardless of your head, face, neck, and chest, you cannot have too many fans blowing directly on your bibshorts. Set up fans from both sides of the trainer, from behind, and from above.