Women specific troubles on the bike

Jul 1, 08 12:29

Post #1 of 26 (9941 views)

Hi all,

I am new here, but I have been experiencing some pretty nasty probs having to do w/ the bike. I used to ride a road setup, now have a tri-specific, and experienced the problems on both.

I hope this isn't too explicit, but I chafe BADLY on the inside of one lip, always the right side. It begins after about 15 minutes on the bike and after about 30 min. the burning is so extreme it is difficult to continue. It takes days to heal over. It doesnt ever seem to "break in". The left side is absolutely fine.

I am not sure what to do - if it's a saddle issue or a position issue or what. I wear very padded bike shorts. i am pretty sure my body isn't toally symmetrical so not sure if that has anything to do w/ it either.

Also, on the tri bike especially, I am extremely uncomfortable "down there" in the aero position. The pressure is intense, spot specific, and also unbearable to the point where I ride upright for about 90% of my long rides to avoid the intense pain. I know some pain comes with the game and all, but literally, it hurts too much to bear. Where as the chafing issue happens whether upright or aero, the sopt specific pressure is greatly exacerbated by riding in aero - when I am upright its just the normal type stuff :)

Any ideas?

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 12:53

Post #2 of 26 (9925 views)

Check out Dan's article he just posted:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/...tact_points_412.html

try some chamois cream too, it will help with the chafe. May need position help too. I've been working on this also, as its the first year I've gotten a tribike, and not riding my road bike. So, far I'm managing pretty well. I had one bad day where I had a 4 hr ride, and I wore shorts with too much padding, and had some bad chafing. Less padding seems to be better on the tribike.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 13:12

Post #3 of 26 (9916 views)

Ow!! It must hurt to pee after riding also. I've had similar probs..The first thing I did was lose the padded shorts. I now wear tri shorts. The padding was giving me saddle sores right in the groin.

When I ride I tilt my pelvis so it's more like riding on the mons(I'm turning red now)

Also at times I notice that I do ride to one side and the saddle rests between my labia( K now my face is burining red) and my leg This is usually when I'm not aero and I try to correct it when I notice it.

Brazilian wax only no shaving!!!!

Maybe your seat is too high??? HTH and good luck.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 13:22

Post #4 of 26 (9908 views)

A&D ointment; diaper rash medicine in the baby aisle. I tried chamois butter, body glide, aquaphor and A&D is by far the best. I was having problems with the occasional rub mark in the same area as you. I do long adventure races and would be absolutely dying by the end. Somebody told me about A&D and it works really well. It even works well at preventing blisters on your feet!

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 13:54

Post #5 of 26 (9882 views)

This probably falls into the TMI category, but I've also found that I get less irritation the less hair I have. For me, less hair has meant less friction. If shaving scares you, waxing isn't too painful :) I also apply chamois cream very liberally to my shorts and skin directly (I use bag balm b/c I'm cheap).

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [FeS] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 14:02

Post #6 of 26 (9879 views)

Hmmm, never thought about less padding w/ the bike shorts, though I have some tri shorts and I still get the chafing. I have tried lots of body glide and chamois butter but they dont seem to fix the problem. somehow the seat gets the inside of the labia (thanks all, for putting up with the details) on the right side and its just soooooo sensitive in there. . . I try to re-adjust but it just goes back to the same place, so thats why I am thinking it has something to do w/ my body being assymetrical and maybe needing to change the seat position to accomodate sitting crooked on it?

As for the pressure thing in aero, I just dont know what with that. The spot that it hits on my pelvis is almost on the front, no pressure on the butt but lots on the frontal side. Is that a normal pressure spot?

Thanks for all the input!!!!!! I need to get this figured out as I am trying for first IM next year and there is no way I'll be able to spend 6-7 hour on the bike like this.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 14:17

Post #7 of 26 (9862 views)

What kind of saddle are you riding? I had a QR saddle that came w/ my tri bike that worked fine, even for a century, then before a HIM it was causing major probs. Finally put a Terry Butterfly saddle on it 1 week before HIM and it did the trick. There are other women specific saddles out there too. I ride the Terry for mountain biking as well, so I stuck with it for my tri bike.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 14:23

Post #8 of 26 (9857 views)

>>I wear very padded bike shorts.<<

There's your first problem.

And, I switched to the Blackwell Flow saddle and pretty much eliminated all issues.

http://www.blackwellresearch.com/p_seats.htm

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [kprsal] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 14:23

Post #9 of 26 (9857 views)

Well, I bought my QR tri bike used and there is a selle italia gel on there now (came w/ bike). My old specialized road bike I was using the saddle it came with.
The chafing hits the same one spot on either saddle, which makes me think its not so much the saddle as my position on it? Though I have heard good things about the butterfly. I have seen some saddles at tris that seem not to have a nose at all (completely cut out in the middle and does not come to a point in front) and was wondering if that might help.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 15:27

Post #10 of 26 (9823 views)

I have been fighting with the same issues, and think I have finally solved them. I started out with the saddle that came with my Specialized road bike. It's a cutout, not women's specific. The main problem with it was pressure in the front in aero position, not sustainable for any length of time because of the pain. So I tried several saddles including a Selle Italia gel with lots of padding in the front, the Terry, and the Specialized tri saddle. All of these caused horrible chafing just like you described. I finally tried the Adamo Road saddle which solved both problems. I think the issue with the Terry and Specialized cutout saddles were that the noses and cutouts were too narrow so the sensitive bits didn't all sit over the cutout part. I also found myself unable to sit symmetrically on them. The Adamo is wide and has caused some chafing on the insides of my legs but that is easily solved with Chamois butter. I love the Adamo, there is no pressure or pain!! I can ride in aero for two hours no problem.

Triathlon (n). An athletic contest in which participants compete without stopping in three successive events.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [tallgirl] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 15:34

Post #11 of 26 (9822 views)

Thanks for the input! Thats really good to know. I looked up the adamo saddle and I think that's the one I saw that looked like it might be helpful, so it's nice to have a first hand review!

Its interesting that you had trouble sitting symmetircally on your other saddles, b/c I feel that has been a problem for me as well and wonder why?

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 15:37

Post #12 of 26 (9820 views)

I think it has to do with width of your pelvis. The two saddles I had the best luck with had wider noses and wider cutouts. I have a "gap" between my thighs when my feet are together, so I think my pelvis is wider in the middle as well as at the sitbones.

Triathlon (n). An athletic contest in which participants compete without stopping in three successive events.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 15:47

Post #13 of 26 (9815 views)

I tend to have the same problem, I"m a right sider too. Tri shorts on the tri bike for sure and I put a good glob of Aquaphor on the hot spot and re-apply for long rides if necessary. I wore Oomph shorts when training for my last IM. They seem to have enought pad, but not too much. I've used Desitin in the past but it's a bugger to get washed out your shorts. Good luck!

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 15:52

Post #14 of 26 (9806 views)

I was having some saddle issues (though certainly not as intense as you are describing) and thought it was the saddle itself. On Sunday I went down to the tri store to try some other saddles - none of them felt good. So the owner put my saddle back on, but made sure it was exactly level. Ding, ding, ding... we have a winner. It still doesn't feel great, but I don't think it will ever be as comfortable as I like. He also made little tweaks to my aero position to take some of the pressure off the back end. Again, a helper for sure. Maybe get your local tri/bike shop to help with some adjustments too.

Now if I could only figure out how to get on and off my bike without falling over (I have a fat scrape on my knee right now that I got just as I was trying to take off... not a very good start to my ride lol).

______________________________________
I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [QRgirl] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 16:24

Post #15 of 26 (9795 views)

i'm trying to learn more about triathlons/duathlons... I hear there is one in Redlands, CA. I've decided to get serious with my running. can you suggest sites with training info? Thanks in advance!!!

Erie

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 17:50

Post #16 of 26 (9764 views)

I had the same problem - even though no hair there (thank you laser).
I finally tried lots of different saddles (the Adamo was horrid for me - I am too narrow) and settled on the terry damselfly - there was a good thread on this board about saddles for women that helped me figure out what I wanted to try....

anyway, the narrowness plus the cutout on the damselfly fixed it (along with tri shorts and bodyglide)

now I have to put that saddle on my road bike cuz as I get into longer rides current saddle does not cut it! (or rather it does!)

---

cat
Sponsored by Suntheanine, Lycored and Celadrin
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Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 18:06

Post #17 of 26 (9755 views)

I used to have similar problems, and -- like several of the other ladies -- I found that changing my saddle solved the problem for me. I went through 4 or 5 saddles before finally finding one that worked. I now ride the Serfas Women's Dual Density saddle, and I no longer have any chafing. I also find that I'm less likely to chafe if I wear tri shorts, rather than heavily padded bike shorts. (My saddle is pretty cushy, so I don't need the extra padding in the shorts.)

We're all built differently, so what works for me won't necessarily work for you. But my recommendation would be to try several different saddles (most bike stores will let you return them within 30 days if you don't like them), and hopefully you'll eventually find one that works. Good luck!

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 18:33

Post #18 of 26 (9743 views)

When I am in the aero position on most saddles, I have the vast majority of my weight resting on my soft tissues. I used to joke about "no sex after riding days" when I would go out for a long hard session.
The Adamo has been the ultimate solution for me - with that saddle, all of the lady bits hang off the front and I'm actually resting my weight on the front of my sit bones. They got very bruised for the first while that I was riding the new saddle but now, I can do long rides back to backwith no chamois cream and nothing except my legs getting sore :)
As others have said, minimal padding definitely helps with chaffing. DeSoto and Pearl Izumi tri shorts both work well for me. On the trainer, I often just wear a bikini bottom.
When I was riding a more conventional saddle, I also found that I was most comfortable riding on the very tip and kind of off to the side so that the nose of the saddle was outside of the lip on one side. This avoided having it dig in to more sensitive areas.
Finally, bag balm is great stuff. For areas that get particularly chaffed, Monistat sells a "Chafing Relief Powder Gel" that seems to work better than body glide. You can apply it, let it dry for a bit and then put lots of Bag Balm everywhere to reduce any friction.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [erie94] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 19:10

Post #19 of 26 (9731 views)

In Reply To:

i'm trying to learn more about triathlons/duathlons... I hear there is one in Redlands, CA. I've decided to get serious with my running. can you suggest sites with training info? Thanks in advance!!!

Erie,

I lived in Redlands for 3 years while at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Redlands has a tri/du, I did the du and it was great. Check out the Run Through Redlands half mary (half uphill and half downhill!).

I miss the oranges!

Come crawling faster

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [erie94] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 20:44

Post #20 of 26 (9706 views)

Good to see more Redlands folks :) I have heard they are adding another Redlands Tri Oct 19th, but I can't find any info about that one other than an announcement.

Sorry to get a bit off topic for the thread... but erie feel free to PM me about Tris and Redlands area stuff if you have other questions!

---
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 1, 08 21:57

Post #21 of 26 (9685 views)

ouch..poor thing. I'm glad I don't have those lips.

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Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 08 7:56

Post #22 of 26 (9615 views)

Wow, lots of great feedback! I definitely have found that if I sit to one side of the saddle w/ the right side hanging off the tip it seems to help, but I always shift back and is such a pain to have to constantly re-adjust. I am definitely goign to try switching to some good tri shorts and will try out the terry, blackwell, and adamo saddles. Maybe once I can do all this and get into the shop for some re-positioning I'll be able to be happy on the bike again! Its such a pain to have to DREAD even just getting on the trainer for 30 or 40 minutes.

I am so curious to see what the different saddles feel like and will let you know once I get into the shop :)

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 08 8:41

Post #23 of 26 (9598 views)

I had to goof around a lot with different saddles and shorts. Just be willing to try ANYTHING. The saddle that works for me is a men's saddle with a cutout, and mostly heavily padded bike shorts. Different from a lot of folks. So just keep going with trial and error. You can figure it out!
I use A&D ointment if I have an owie.

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 08 15:03

Post #24 of 26 (9498 views)

YEOWCH!!! Is about alll I have to say about that.

My mtb I left on the orig saddle. I'm up and down in my seat when riding anyways, or my crotch would be thrashed at this point on those rough trails.
As for my road bike, I purchased a Terry Butterfly saddle long time ago. It does it's purpose. If I were you I would definitely get fitted and possibly try out
saddles while your at the shop being fitted. It almost sounds like it is more of a fit problem right now. I know that when I go aero on my road geometry I have
to shift positions to take pressure off my tender areas. As for bike shorts, really heavy padding never worked for me too well in the area it needed to work, so
I use tri shorts or thinner padded Pearl Izumis.

Best of luck.

Oh and I also vote for the A&D ointment, won't get on the bike without putting a nice amount every where down there. ;-)

Re: Women specific troubles on the bike [allegro17] [ In reply to ]

Jul 2, 08 20:01

Post #25 of 26 (9456 views)

I'm on a Blackwell Flow too and the instructions that came with it suggested trying slight adjustment of saddle to one side (we're probably talking millimeters off of centerline). I saved those instructions in case I had to ultra-fine tune my saddle set up. Maybe something for you to look into, with whatever saddle you're on now, since you mentioned you get temporary relief by shifting yourself to one side.

You might check their website for additional fit tips.

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