Have you tried a chamois cream (or whatever they're called) like Assos? I use it and I find it really helps. It may work better for you than body glide.

Have you tried thinner shorts (tri shorts instead of bike shorts)? You might be getting some bunching with the thicker chamois.

Otherwise....do you wash your shorts with every use? Even if I don't stick mine in the washer, I try to take them into the shower with me and wash out the chamois. Also, showering as soon as possible after your ride may help. You may not be able to wash your shorts out after your ride into work, but it's a thought.

How much hair do you remove? Do you shave or wax? shaving can be a problem with ingrowing hairs in that area, waxing less so. Also taking ALL the hair from underneath seems to help sometimes.

I wash my shorts after my long rides each week plus i always wear underwear (little cotton shortie knickers) under the shorts too and as for showering i'm a 3 showers a day kind of girl so not sure it's that. Might try a complete wax instead of just having my bikini line waxed like now to see if that helps but worried that the regrowth might be uncomfortable. Any experiences with this ladies?

It might be the underwear. It probably rubs right where the ingrown hairs are. I don't think bike shorts and tri shorts are designed to be worn with underwear.

To be honest, because I have found regrowth to be uncomfortable, I just keep things trimmed now. I was like 'Sorry honey, but that's just how it has to be!' If he can wax his legs than I can trim.

LOL that last comment made me giggle. Yeah i think full waxing regrowth might be a bit much. I've had a full wax on lots of occasions but not during race season for this reason. Will see what my ride is like on saturday with my new saddle and just the cycling shorts. Wish me luck! Off to Zurich next weekend for my 70.3 and really want to be pain free by then.

Oh I suffered all through last season with this..eventually I found using Chamois Butter helped A LOT as did keeping that area free of hair (I used hair removal cream about a day before a long ride if necessary). Also, just after my IM I bought a new pair of cycling shorts from Pearl Izumi - and wished I'd bought them sooner - the chamois pad is just right!!

Hurrah, someone else who has suffered like i have (not hurrah for you, but you know what i mean!). Think my shorts are pretty good ones (specialized and very padded) but will try a new pair of those and also change from body glide to chamois cream too. Thanks for the advice everyone, appreciated! Saddle soreness is not good for your sex life! ;)

Tri bike or road bike? Personally, I find that less is more in terms of padding, especially on a tri bike. Thin shorts, lube and no panties are the only way for me to ride. I also prefer saddles that have no padding.

The bottom line is that the more layers, padding or otherwise, the more there is to move around. I find that it's always movement that causes the pain.

I have a couple friends who have a very serious problem with this. They are both just cyclists, so when they get over 12 hours a week they get ingrown hairs/sores. They were both seeing a doctor almost weekly because of them. They both just stopped shaving and the problem went away. One is looking into laser treatment for the hair removal in that area.

Ditch the underwear. If that doesn't completely resolve the issue, try some of the other suggestions (chamois lube, "maintenance", etc). Bike shorts were not designed to be worn with underwear, and that cotton isn't helping you.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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No undies. Period.

Go for the wax. It will make ALLLLLLLL the difference.

I have had similar problems in the past and the waxing took care of it all.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

x2 for laser hair removal.

It's more $$ upfront, but way less hassle/pain/long-term cost than monthly waxing. And much less regrowth than any other method.

--L

x3 I love the results.