I can never seem to get rid of saddle sores. If I take a break from biking for a few weeks or months they go away but once I start riding again and if I ride day after day they come back with a vengeance. To the point where some of them I have to take a needle to help with pain.
I have 4 different bikes that I ride with 3 different seats, I have road bike, 2 MTBs, and my TT bike. Whichever bike I ride even for only 1 to 1.5 hours I still get some hot spots and sore spots. If I take on a longer ride they just get worse.
I wear bib shorts and have several pairs that are the highest end Bontrager and Pearl Izumi models. They are the right size for me.
I also use chamois cream. I have tried DZ and Assos and apply a half dollar amount to the area everytime I ride.
I tend not to rock much when I pedal and try to get out of the saddle from time to time for a break.
What am I doing wrong? Please help me…my cycling life would be so much better if I didn’t have to be in so much pain week after week.
Are your hot spots consistently in the same area or areas? I hesitate to say this on ST, but maybe it is saddle height related. After spending a few years using Adamos on my tri bike I developed bursitus on one side. Now even with a saddle that works better, the sore area will flare up if my saddle is a touch too high. I feel it a bit on all my bikes if the rides are long.
Disclaimer: My cleat is also shimmed on the sore side for a functional leg length difference. I’m sure this imbalance is related to how I sit on the saddle/bike.
Are your hot spots consistently in the same area or areas? I hesitate to say this on ST, but maybe it is saddle height related. the sore area will flare up if my saddle is a touch too high…
X2
After nearly 40 years of biking, I finally lowed my saddles a good deal a couple of years ago. Never had considered it was too high. …didn’t think I was rocking excessively but just like magic I completely stopped having all issues with saddle sores.
We receive e-mails daily about saddle sores and related issues, it almost always comes down to seat height problems. Go lower your saddle height 2 - 3 cm and try it, it may feel low at first but that will adapt quickly. As a reference, go back and look at some of the race footage from this years Tour de France, most of the top riders are running very low saddle heights and I don’t think they were giving away much power.
We aren’t bike fitters nor saddle manufacturers but we are regularly in contact with athletes looking for comfortable riding/racing gear. And our experience shows that you’ll need a combination of good saddle/good riding position and proper padding.
Which does not mean big padding. Ours is pretty slim and minimal, yet athletes will train/race long, in our shorts without discomfort.
So, I can only agree with a possible position/saddle issue, rather than cycling gear one.
Here we go again - another example of why ST is outstanding. Two different manufacturers come on and discuss an issue with a reader and they don’t say “Buy my stuff” but actually provide good solid information to help solve the problem.
I don’t have any advice for the OP, just wanted to call out kudos for John & Andre for chiming in. I don’t need a saddle but I am looking for a 1-piece tri suit, so I’ll def consider Kiwami.
I’m going to echo the previous comments. I had used various tri and bike shorts, kept lubed pretty well, and still had sores in the same places. Lowering the seat just a tad made everything go away.
As far as power loss, you will lose far more power if you are uncomfortable in your seat and fidgeting constantly – this wastes lots of energy.
We receive e-mails daily about saddle sores and related issues, it almost always comes down to seat height problems. Go lower your saddle height 2 - 3 cm and try it, it may feel low at first but that will adapt quickly. As a reference, go back and look at some of the race footage from this years Tour de France, most of the top riders are running very low saddle heights and I don’t think they were giving away much power.
What John and Sciguy said…15 years of fighting saddle sores off and on…not riding 15 mm lower, and all gone as of 3 years ago. The only time in those 15 years that I did not have the saddle sores was riding a Softride. I think in hindsight the beam actually compressed lower than a I thought and I also had my 3 best years of performance from 1994-1996 when I had the beam bike (well, it could also have something to do with being around 30 instead of closing in on 50).
Saddle sores flair if my saddle height is a bit too high from a change of shoes, insole, or pedals on the various bikes to be ridden. Also, if you know you’re vulnerable, try to remember to get out of the saddle occasionally for 30 or so RPM simply for some temporary pressure relief.
One more thing…saddle shape and width is important. I assumed I had narrow sit bones because I am short. I sat on the specialized “sit o meter” and learned that I have to use a 143 mm range saddle vs 135 mm range. No wonder Arione and Arione tri never worked, but the Selle Italia SLR and SLR tri worked. Currently on the Bonetrager hilo that has a wide sit zone…heaven. I found the Adamo prongs actually too “narrow” for me, so ended up too far back on the prongs on the wider area with too much prong/nose between my legs. If you have to zip tie Adamo prongs, my gut feeling is that your sit bones are too wide for the prongs forcing you too far back on them. Better to be on a narrow Arione Tri, ride the nose with one sit bone on it and the other one dangling in free space.
I feel your pain. I’ve been dealing with saddle sores since I started in this sport 7 years ago and I’m just about to the point of giving up. Today is a picture perfect day for riding but I can’t stomach the idea of yet another ride where all I notice is intense saddle sore pain.
I’ve been professionally fit, tried all kinds of saddles, shave the nether region, scrub before and after rides, always wear clean bibs/shorts, tried a wide variety of shorts/bibs and they keep coming back. For me they are always on the right side. The current batch i’m dealing with are beyond the point of self treatment so I need to go back to the doc and get on some antibiotics (again). That will fix the problem for a while but they’ll be back…
Solved? Also, I’d like to know what you, or others, have done to get them healed fast? I’m NOT riding is one of the major answers here. After IMMT I had a sore that was huge, drained it, lost some skin, now I try to clean, pat dry, bacitracin (little amount), keep from sweating, air out at night. Swelling is down, soreness is down, affected area still there but can’t see progress of healing. Its killing me not getting back on my bike right now, I just want to go for easy spins but I don’t want to make things worse. Thanks all!
I can never seem to get rid of saddle sores. If I take a break from biking for a few weeks or months they go away but once I start riding again and if I ride day after day they come back with a vengeance. To the point where some of them I have to take a needle to help with pain.
I have 4 different bikes that I ride with 3 different seats, I have road bike, 2 MTBs, and my TT bike. Whichever bike I ride even for only 1 to 1.5 hours I still get some hot spots and sore spots. If I take on a longer ride they just get worse.
I wear bib shorts and have several pairs that are the highest end Bontrager and Pearl Izumi models. They are the right size for me.
I also use chamois cream. I have tried DZ and Assos and apply a half dollar amount to the area everytime I ride.
I tend not to rock much when I pedal and try to get out of the saddle from time to time for a break.
What am I doing wrong? Please help me…my cycling life would be so much better if I didn’t have to be in so much pain week after week.
I was having issues with saddle sores this summer. I apply triple antibiotic cream before every ride and I went from bike shorts to tri shorts. This seemed to help. Your sores are most likely from bacteria buildup on your bike shorts. I would try a new pair of tri shorts to see if this helps.