For as long as I can remember I’ve always worn/rubbed the sit bone area of my shorts to a much greater extent, even shorts/skinsuits with just a few rides will have noticeable rub wear on one side only (on the outside of the shorts). I never thought much of it before, however, now I’m frequently having issues with my lower back, knee, and foot on that same side.
Might that be indicative of a shorter leg length that is causing me to sit much heavier/lean on that side, or might it be something altogether different. Or maybe not related at all?
Generally wear will come from movement, in my experience. You could be slightly rocking or sliding causing the issue. I would definitely have a fitter check you out.
Assuming that your saddle height is good, not causing rocking, I would get an assessment with a sports physio. They can check for a a leg length discrepancy. But I would suspect that the issue is probably with your pelvis and or low back. Everything else we do in life besides training affects our bodies more than we might think. Sitting all day with a slightly rotated or uneven pelvis will create imbalances. If this is the case you can work on postural awareness and strength exercises to correct the issue.
ISM PN 1.1, PS 1.1, BiSaddle EXT, Selle Italia SLR SuperFlow, Specialized Romin, Specialized Toupe, Dash Srike, Cobb 55, and this week on my bike is a Fizik Tritone.
These have been tried/ are on my road bike. I rotate every 2 weeks or so trying to find more comfort.
Comfort, especially on my right side to the right of the perineum/inside of sit bone, has been a long-standing issue, too.
My triathlon bike has a BiSaddle SRT, but I don’t sit on my sitbones on that bike so not so much of an issue.
I guess that’ll be another next step. Though my fit has basically been the same for the last ten years (crit racing with a fairly long, low, and narrow fit) and I’ve been on this road bike since 2016. My seat height is probably 10-15 mm lower than what’s typical (and 165mm cranks) as raising it to the typical height always led to heinous saddle issues.
The wear has always been there, but it took starting triathlon 2 years ago to ruin my bike racing and apparently my whole right side.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always worn/rubbed the sit bone area of my shorts to a much greater extent, even shorts/skinsuits with just a few rides will have noticeable rub wear on one side only (on the outside of the shorts). I never thought much of it before, however, now I’m frequently having issues with my lower back, knee, and foot on that same side.
Might that be indicative of a shorter leg length that is causing me to sit much heavier/lean on that side, or might it be something altogether different. Or maybe not related at all?
Absolutely agree with all of the people asking about bike fit(s). However nearly every shop will offer to give you a bike fit when reality this is a specialty that few do enough education and training to make it a specialty. Find one of those shops like CycloLogic (Scottsdale, AZ) if you can.
Absolutely agree with all of the people asking about bike fit(s). However nearly every shop will offer to give you a bike fit when reality this is a specialty that few do enough education and training to make it a specialty. Find one of those shops like CycloLogic (Scottsdale, AZ) if you can.
Yeah, that’s my hesitancy. I’ve been racing bikes (cat 1) without issue for a long time now, so the idea of a goose chase to find someone that can really pinpoint the issues is my hangup. I’m trying to research for my area but naturally everything I find is pretty anecdotal at the moment.
Meanwhile I’m off to Ortho number two this week.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always worn/rubbed the sit bone area of my shorts to a much greater extent, even shorts/skinsuits with just a few rides will have noticeable rub wear on one side only (on the outside of the shorts). I never thought much of it before, however, now I’m frequently having issues with my lower back, knee, and foot on that same side.
Might that be indicative of a shorter leg length that is causing me to sit much heavier/lean on that side, or might it be something altogether different. Or maybe not related at all?
I have this issue. I’m always aware of sit bone pressure just on the right side and short rub on the inner right saddle contact area. If I do an ultra race I may end up with the start of a saddle sore just on the right sit bone.
I have had a few bike fits and have been riding for over 30 years. This is what I have learned ;
It’s usually always caused by not sitting symmetrically on the saddle.
This is usually because of a “functional” leg length difference caused of tightness / lack of mobility. It could be coming from the ankle, hamstring, glues, internal or external rotors…
A functional leg length difference has nothing to do with an actual leg length difference but the results are often the same.
It’s not possible to make yourself mentally sit symmetrically or straight on the saddle. It usually needs an intervention in the form of cleat position changes, saddle height changes, saddle setback, cleat shim, inner soles, pelvic rotation, off the bike stretching and strengthening…and on and on
Have someone film you from behind and above on a trainer. Or better still have the bike fitter do that.
Where are you located? I’m sure the ST brain trust can find you a fitter that is worth the time and money. For whatever it’s worth, when I was fast I flew from Ohio to AZ to see the CycloLogic crew and would highly recommend it, assuming it’s a doable adventure for you.
I’ve also driven out to LA and tried to work with someone that claimed to be the best in the business, which turned out to be a total flop. This trip was for aero testing and not so much the bike fit side of things though. So similar but different.