Biggest tip:

If you're getting an excess number of saddles sores, reduce your seat height. You can gradually raise it back up once the saddle sores are healed. Reducing the saddle height takes a lot of load off your butt (but does add that load to your legs, but it's typically not really noticeable in terms of added leg fatigue I've found).

A ton of folks here start a lot of threads about best/custom saddles due to saddle sores, when in reality their seat height is likely too high for their undercarriage - even if a pro bike fitter has measured them and said "X" height was for them.

I think I recall somewhere that Chris Froome said one of the factors for him riding a 'too-low' saddle height was because he got saddle sores when he raised it up.

For me, lowering the saddle height slightly completely solved what I couldn't solve with: Assos/hi-end bibs, multiple saddles of different hardness, changing fore-aft seat position. It's really effective, and so easy to do that you should try this first until your saddle sores are healed before you buy anything or make any bigger adjustments.

I used to occasionally deal with this, but the way for me that has made this a non-issue for at least a half dozen years is a proper fit with a good saddle on all of my bikes, always using clean bibs, immediate showering post ride to get clean and chamois cream pre-ride.

Unfortunately I don't have any good tips on dealing with an existing saddle sore except rest.

I've dealt with this on and off, and my recommendation when you have one is to apply a little bit of Polysporin Triple Antibiotic + Pain Relief to the sore to help speed up healing, after showering and then a few more times a day. It has a bit of a numbing effect, so if I can't afford to take a couple extra days off the bike, I'll apply before the ride too.

The recommendation related to lowering the saddle is what has solved it generally for me. Once they've healed, I can usually bring it back up to the height recommended by my bike fitter and be fine for months on end, but then for whatever reason, it'll pop back up once in a while (usually when volume increases significantly).

Hope that helps! Good luck, I know it sucks to deal with!

Pretty much this. Prevention is key - the fit of the saddle being #1 in my experience. Lots of chamois cream, always clean bibs, change/shower ASAP after a ride.

As for treating them, if it's mild, I've found switching from regular chamois cream to sudocrem for a while can help, and only keeping things to short rides. I'll also treat the area with tea tree oil post-shower. But there's a point where you just need to rest it. If it's mild a few days off can suffice but if you try to ride through them they can get bad enough where you're looking at weeks off, possible courses of antibiotics, etc.

I agree with all the advice above. Also, to alleviate a current saddle sore, I've found benzoyl peroxide (acne medication) to work best. Apply overnight and wear underwear you don't mind getting bleached.

Don't discount a diligent manscaping routine

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

As triathletes that bike and open water swim, this is my greatest fear:

https://velo.outsideonline.com/news/cyclist-fighting-for-his-life-after-contracting-flesh-eating-disease-from-saddle-sore/

^^^ This. Emphasis added by me.

n = 1 here, but in my experience, if it's not such a gross amount of chamois cream that you feel nasty walking around before riding, then it's not enough for a long day on the bike.

For an effective experience for me, it has to feel a bit like:

1. Squeeze copious - borderline-egregious - amount of Chamois Buttr (no affiliation... yet) into hand.
2. Apply to self.
3. Apply remainder to chamois, because undercarriage can't hold it all.
4. Waddle to bike trying to avoid the slathery-soppy feeling between you and your bibs. (*ugh* / *ick/yuck* feeling)
5. Get on bike. The feeling should be "am I even sitting on my saddle? I can't tell." (*aaaaaahh so this is what heaven feels like*)

If done well, your saddle should be well oiled the end of the ride.


Sorry folks for the overshare. Just figured I'd help someone avoid avoidable pain. This approach has taken me from "guaranteed massive saddles sores on a 2-hr ride" to "can ride 7 hours without any serious hot spots."


(also yes, clean bibs, shower ASAP post-ride)

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Again, all above are good recs - but by far and away #1 is reducing saddle height. It's so important that if you have a too-high saddle, ALL the other factors (new $$$ saddle, meticulous grooming and antibiotic chamois creams, etc) are pointless.

And if you already have a saddle-sore, your 'normal' position is temporarily too-high, at least until the saddle sore is healed. By lowering the seat, you'll reduce the load on it and even change the weight distribution enough that it'll have a way better chance of healing while still being able to ride.

If you lower the seat and it's not improving, or you feel like it's still getting irritated/worsening, you either have to lower the saddle height even more, or not ride at all until you can at least tolerate that lowered position. Sometimes you have to lower the saddle a lot lower than think - it's usually more than the typical few mm or <1cm adjustments you typically make.

A+D Diaper Ointment Cream.

It's designed for soft baby skin that gets a rash from sitting in a hot, muggy, bacteria ridden diaper. Not much unlike your bib.

Buy a tub of it. After you shower, apply it. Literally the stuff is magic. On babies, what was once a bright red rash is gone the next day. I've had pretty irritated chaffy sore spots disappear quite frequently overnight with this.

Or rather, "correct saddle height." I kept on having a saddle sore issue on just one bike, then finallly figured out the seatpost had slipped a cm. (@$#$@ 3T)

Maybe I'm n=1, but I'm a bit skeptical of the advice, "Keeping lowering it farther than you think you need to." Life's too short to spend much time riding on the wrong saddle position.

Trust me, I was skeptical too, but it's totally legit.

Again, you're not riding forever at that position, you're riding lower than normal until your saddle sore heals. (I ended up leaving mine slightly lower than 'ideal' height since I liked it better to never worry about the sores.)

I've posted this very thing before, challenging the person with saddle sores to lower their seat and report back if it doesn't work, and they never report back. My local riding friends all have the same conclusion.

Plus, it's not just free but EASY. (Well, unless your seatpost has fused to your frame, that sucks.) It's def easier than any other hardware replacement or position fix you'll make. So easy that if you absolutely hate riding on it during the ride, just bust out the minitool and raise it back up a bit.

Literally a can't-lose solution.

Except for me, and my saddle sore caused by a low saddle height.

That sucks, but lower it more and it'll likely get better. Not even joking. (Obviously, lower it enough, and you're standing the whole ride, so definitely no saddle sores then!)

We're done here. (said in a lighthearted way - maybe your advice is generally sound!)

Personally I think DZNuts Pro is the best chamois cream. Otherwise Dr. Harrison has the right formula. Only other addition is that for really long rides bring a couple of small packets as well in your jersey pocket, and reapply after a few hours.

Agree with lowering the saddle. I fought sores at the beginning of last year and tried all the creams and ointments and nothing helped until I lowered my saddle. Two weeks later I was riding pain free.
Fast forward to beginning of this year and bought a new gravel bike. Measured old saddle height and adjusted accordingly. No saddle sores but I had to st running in March due to HHT. Tried all types of strengthing and stretching and then thpithis lightbulb goes off to check saddle height again on new bike. Sure enough it was still high. Lowered it and what do you know, I’m starting back running.

Aquaphor or Cerave Healing ointment seem to work for me. Apply on my saddle pad and areas of skin that tend to get the spots and I'm golden.

Starting happening the last few years (every now and then) after many years of not experiencing it. No idea how and or why now, but the above works.