2nd thread from me on this topic. My wife gets sore “privates” on the bike. At the suggestion of others fro this forum I got her the Terry seat with the butterfly on it. Seems to help some but when she is in a forward position, the privates get real irritated after about 10 miles. I suggested maybe a gob of vasoline or Assos and maybe a new pair of shorts. Any more suggestions?
Maybe tilt the saddle very slightly down. And yes, liberal use of Bag Balm or Assos. And shorts with less, not more padding. For the tri bike, I like the Desoto power shorts, not cycing shorts.
clm
Don’t use vaseline. Something about the petroleum base that gives rise to yeast infections/something like that.
Petroleum and inner-vaginal health do not mix. Use a non-petroleum-based lube.
What quality/brand shorts is she using?
well this is a problem. encourage her to fix this as opposed to potentially hurting herself…it’s not worth it.
last year i suffered alot and kept thinking that it was my problem (why do i always blame myself?) and not consistency in the saddle…duh, I was averaging 70 miles a week, so clearly not the case.
so i took my saddle into my lbs and had them check it out. upon looking at the saddle they recommened to me the WTB SpeedShe saddle. i was hesitant because it was 40 bucks, way cheaper than the 120 dollar saddle I was coming from. But i bought it anyway and it was an excellent move. At first I wanted to consider the Terry Butterfly, but didn’t think that the cut out would be a good idea.
have her take her whole bike in to the lbs you rely on and they can look at her while sitting on it and make a recommendation. she might even be able to “rent one” as a try out for 10 bucks or something so she is sure to have the right one.
cream will help eleviate chaffing but it won’t take away the pain, trust me. she’s not on the right saddle, or something else is wrong in the fit. she needs to go in with her whole bike and get it checked out–don’t guess and buy her one, she needs to be involved in the decision.
Nike cycling shorts. Average quality.
I have lots of experience with this problem, I can’t bike commute without getting a rash!
She should take a break to let whatever is bothering to heal, treating the area with an antibiotic cream. I would recommend shaving so there are no hairs to pull or hide bacteria. She should always use some kind of lube when riding, even if it’s a short ride. She should have more than one pair of bike shorts and only ride in clean shorts. Have the bike shop check her saddle height and adjustment, it might be off a bit.
I hope she gets better!
My riding partner, Bluebiker, posted much the same complaint on this topic. Adjustment to saddle height, saddle tilt, fore and aft changes, all were to no avail. She tried many different saddles, also to no avail, until she tried one from Blackwell. It was sent to her risk free, she tried it and it worked!
All of the suggestions offered so far seem to be good, but Bluebiker’s experience was that it all boiled down to trial and error. Keep experimenting until your wife hits upon the right combination that works for her.
This one ?
Everyone is different, but I tried 4 saddles, before settling on the Terry Tri Gel and love it. I don’t use creams/lube. But, the other thing I find is much easier on me is that I don’t wear regular bike shorts. I wear a standard tri-short (fleece chamois) and find it so much better. Less bulkiness resulted in more comfort for me. Even on long bike rides of 4-6 hrs…I don’t experience the discomfort I used to. Hope she finds something that works.
No, that’s not it, but it does look interesting. On the website, www.blackwellresearch.com, find the saddle and look for the “cut down” saddle. The picture is horrendous, but the saddle is good looking and functional for the problem you outlined, at least it was for my friend. She called Blackwell and got the owner. He aswered his cell phone while he was out on a ride! The saddle was sent with the understanding that she could try it and return it if she didn’t like it.
RACING SEAT
*** Coming in summer 2005 ***
Firm Foam Padding
Lightest Weight Saddle – 225 grams
Titanium Rails
135mm at Widest Point
Two-tone Leather Cover
Endorsed by John Cobb
That is a crazy looking saddle. It is interesting that John Cobb endorsed it. I wonder how stable it feels down in the aerobars.
This one?
yes this is good stuff. i too ride only in tri shorts and find that i have allergies to regular bike shorts for some reason. beyond the allergies those huge pads are just awful…personally i think they hurt.
we sure share alot of personal stuff on this forum…lol.
<< I got her the Terry seat with the butterfly on it
That sounds hot!
we sure share alot of personal stuff on this forum…lol.
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I was thinking the same thing.
I also tried 4 saddles before I got the right one, I have a Serfas Cosmos. I rode my stock bontrager for a year before it started bothering me. I, too, find that less is more when it comes to the padding of the shorts.
And shorts with less, not more padding.
No wonder your screen name is Ironclam. Sorry, couldn’t resist. 
alot of women love this terry butterfly seat. it’s apparently designed well for alot of women and…it’s pretty too!
I would first make sure her bike fits her properly…I betcha it’s a result of HOW she is sitting on the bike.Sounds like she might be too bent over or stretched out. Personally, I can’t stand the saddles with the cut-outs; too much going on to get hung-up on! I like the Fizik Vitesse ALOT. Also, when she is on the aerobars, she should sit with “her naughty bits” off to one side. I sit way out on the nose of the saddle and slightly to the right…so the nose of the saddle is in the upper crook of my thigh, and the naughty bits are hanging off to the right.
The Craft shorts are terriffic.
Too much info?!?!? ;>)
To follow up on someone else’s recommendation about getting the bulk of the anatomy off to one side of the saddle, have her try rotating the saddle a few degrees to one side. This makes it easy to keep the sensitive parts off the saddle itself, which is key to being comfortable for long periods of time. Do this after ensuring her saddle isn’t too high.
Kitty, I did a search and found this:
Not hot at all. I am very disappointed.