Various pains on long ride

[Zenn]

Yesterday i rode 65km on my new road bike. I was really nervous about taking a brand new bike (i am used to mtb) to a cycle event, but i took it to see where i would land up with the most pain.

Being unfit and really over weight, i was in the saddle for almost 4 hours :mad: Needless to say, i hope to improve as spending 4 hours doing 65km is just nothing short of stupid. But dang... the hills kill me.

However, what killed me more is the discomfort. My hands were a bit painful but overall were ok. A little numbness in my right hand and right pinky which only really went away this morning. I will get better gloves and build up my core strength in the hopes that it will get better.

The biggest problem however, was my nether regions. My butt was actually not too bad... but the major problem was... erm... my fanny. :eek: It was just rediculous... the numbness and pain down there was insane to the point where i had to keep stopping pedalling in order to put weight on my feet so i could lift myself somewhat to get some relief. I had to even keep doing this up hills too as it was that bad. I kept praying for a downhill so i could get further relief. I also stopped twice to adjust the seat to tilt it down a tad but that did not help either.

A day later and i still cannot feel much down there :confused: I had this on the last race two weeks ago too, and have since changed to a women specific saddle and this is the saddle i used yesterday but to no avail.

I also have the Specialised Tahoe womens shoes and my toes get very numb as well and then start to cramp. A toe cramp is not fun when climbing a hill!

I am so frustrated as i really do think if i can solve these pain problems i will be able to actually pedal more effectively.

Any advice? I am mainly worried about my bits. :o

[redrhodie]

65km on a brand new bike? I'm not surprised you had some discomfort.

How far did you ride before it became uncomfortable?

[margrette]

A lot of saddles now come in different widths (specialized body geometry ones for example) have a saddle that is too narrow can put undo pressure on your lady parts...some bike store will have this little squishy seat thing that will measure you sit bones and give you a better idea if you need something a little less or more wide than the average saddle width. When you get the weight back onto your sit bones you won't have as much forward pressure and you won't feel the need to hold yourself up with your hand (eliminating the numbness and pain there too :))

[nscrbug]

Regarding your shoes and toe pain...look into getting a stiffer cycling shoe. By this, I mean a more rigid-soled one. The Tahoe, if I recall correctly, is quite flexible for a cycling shoe. When I first started cycling, I wore a cycling shoe that was too flexible and constantly got toe pain, hot spots, burning and numb feet, etc. When I switched to a more rigid shoe, a good majority of those issues went away.

[Seajay]

Myriad of fit issues can cause the discomfort you are feeling. Too many to address here. Too large, too flexy shoes or insufficient insole support can cause px.
Can you describe your fit experience at the shop you bought it?

[marni]

since I routinely do lots of miles at a time, I will hereby give my little speech about TITS (time in the saddle) training. You don't achieve comfort over time without a good bike fit, properly fitting shoes, padded gloves, a thicker gel, a better seat, portable extra supply of chamois butter, gels, gus, energy drinks and or whatever you physically and mentally need for creature comfort But above and beyond that is TITS time which is not only physical, but mental discipline as well.

Start low and slow, then build from there. You need to toughen up the muscles in your nether regions as well as building arm, shoulder and core strength in addition to legsstrength, general endurance and how to pace yourself over time and distance, when and how to eat, drink how much, how much the weather affects you, how to handle to tendancy to get bored or zone out, what mental games and images amuse you and how to get rid of mind worms.

Start with riding without stopping until you start to feel a bit uncomfortable physically. Stop, step away from the bike for a minute or so, and continue on riding until you start to feel really restless and uncomfortable and then stop, eat, drink, pee, re lube the nether regions, stretch, rest, whatever for at least 10 minutes, or more if you feel you need it. Turn around and head home after noting the distance and the time ridden before the first break and since the first stop to your current break.

On the ride home try to improve your riding endurance time on the first section by 10% ie if you rode 30 minutes before the first stop on the outbound try and ride 33 minutes on the way back before you step down. Ditto on the second return section, although you may run out of distance before you run out of time, if so circle the block a few times noodling your legs to get in the time, distance and to burn off the lactic acid.

When you get home, pat yourself on the back for a good ride, treat yourself to a recovery chocolate milk or mocha espresso or whatever beverage floats your boat, and some good protein and carbohydrate to speed recovery, and get out of your wet, slimy (from chamois butter and sweat) shorts and clean thoroughly to prevent infection. Record your accomplishments and take a day off of the bike to rest or cross train.- hint core exercises never hurt.

Repeat ad naseum adding 5 to 10% on the time ridden between breaks going out and coming back and on the hoped for mileage.

Once you are achieving what you feel is pretty close to your aimed for distance, metric century, 75 miles, century at what you feel is a reasonable, sustainable speed, switch up you training by riding the distance two days in a row. When you can do two days in a row, without reliving the "night of the living dead" the thrid day, try three days in a row, up your speed by 10% for two consecutive days or start alternating in some good interval speed rides to up your speed. Don't forget cross training and stretchingon your days off.

My ultimate goal is usually is to be able to stay in the saddle without doing anything more than stepping off of the pedals for a minute to check a map or switch bottles, 5-6 hours at a stretch and to finish the same ride several days in a row with a little something left over each days. Sometimes I even achieve that but it's usually on a cross country ride where necesity and geography result in have to do 7-9 60-80 mile days without a break. It depends on the ride, but if I can do several 6 hour days without a break I can usually do more if I hit the support stops, take a lunch break, and mentally accept that it is going to be a 8-10 hours in the saddle day.

The only way to learn how to ride fast or long, once you get your equipment in order is to ride, ride, ride. Remember that if you hurt you won't repeat the exercise that hurt so learn to balance the thin line between good training and training which hurts more than momentarily. The line between cannot and do not want to is another thin line that you have to work on.

Good luck, there is nothing more satisfying than going out for a long long ride and having miles and miles to contemplate how far you've come and how far you can go now.

[Jiffer]

Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good replies. I just wanted to add my two cents. Ditto on the right bike fit. My bike fit session was about more than making sure the bike fit my body correctly, but also about my position on the bike and if I was pedaling efficiently, etc. I learned I was putting way too much pressure on the handlebars, which can cause problems like neck and shoulder pain. You are supposed to put minimal pressure on the handlebars and use your core more for support. Also, move your position on the bars from time to time.

Just before my bike fit, I had done my longest ride I had ever done on that bike, about 65 miles. I was dying on that ride, which is what made me get the bike fit finally. I can't tell you what a huge difference the right fit made, plus the knowledge of proper form on the bike, etc. I don't think every bike fit person will necessarily work with you on form, but if yours doesn't offer any input on that, you could always ask.

Also, ditto on the right saddle. You really have to try several to know what works for you, and just taking a spin around the block won't necessarily tell you. If it's clearly NOT the saddle for you, a spin around the block may tell you, but if it's a maybe, then you really need a good distance ride or two or three. There are bike shops that will demo saddles, but you can also buy saddles at performancebike.com and they have a money back guarantee. You can return anything any time even after you've obviously used it. Check on that to make sure nothing has changed, but that's how I tried some of my saddles. You have to pay for them up front, but then you get money back on anything you send back.

Another tip is to get up and out of the saddle from time to time. Sometimes when I'm climbing a lot on some mountain road and there's no stopping at signals or anywhere for a long period of time, I will stand up and pedal fairly easy for a little bit, just to relieve pressure on the bits ... as well as to use different muscles for a little bit. I can't do it for very long on a climb, but long enough to help the hoo ha out a bit and give my overworked muscles a break. I'll do it on any long ride where I need a break from the saddle. Often when people stand, it is to go faster, but that doesn't have to be the point. You can stand and keep an easy pace and not tire yourself out too quickly (which standing tends to do). Also, you can get out of the saddle on downhills, but I think you have that one down!

I often get a sore on my skin when I do longer rides (down in the nether region). While I still wonder if there's something better I can do (different saddle or something else) ... I find that using two products down there helps. When I do a long ride (or am sore because I just did a long ride), I will put either Neosporine or A&D Ointment directly on my skin, particularly the actual spot that gets irritated. Then I will put Chamois Buttr in my shorts. My friend and I call them "layers". Base layer and second layer!

A few times on a century I brought Chamois Buttr with me and added it at a SAG stop. I learned that doesn't really work for me. I don't know what it is, but I guess I just get "too" slippery or something and I find I'm even more uncomfortable than I am if I just leave it alone. So I do my base layer and second layer before the ride and let it be after that. But that may not be the case with you. You have to figure out what works for you.

Once you figure out bike fit, saddle and learn to stand from time to time ... you can start building up miles to where you body does start to get used to being on the bike longer and longer. I would still love to be more comfortable on the bike than I am on long rides, but it's a lot better than it used to be after all of the above.

[crazycanuck]

In terms of bike fit, it may help to tell us if you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere(australia by chance?), I might be able to suggest something. Also,try over at www.bicycles.net.au if you are down this a way. Local knowledge helps!

Lucas' PawPaw ointment works on nether regions!

[Catrin]

Regarding your shoes and toe pain...look into getting a stiffer cycling shoe. By this, I mean a more rigid-soled one. The Tahoe, if I recall correctly, is quite flexible for a cycling shoe. When I first started cycling, I wore a cycling shoe that was too flexible and constantly got toe pain, hot spots, burning and numb feet, etc. When I switched to a more rigid shoe, a good majority of those issues went away.

Sorry for the highjack - does the Tahoe have rubber soles or that hard plastic. I looked it up and I like the looks of them - I may have overlooked it but couldn't find information on the material for the sole of these shoes. I want something that I can use with my BMX pedals and then move back to clipless when I am ready to return to them - but I NEED rubber soles to deal with the pins on my BMX pedals.

[nscrbug]

Sorry for the highjack - does the Tahoe have rubber soles or that hard plastic. I looked it up and I like the looks of them - I may have overlooked it but couldn't find information on the material for the sole of these shoes. I want something that I can use with my BMX pedals and then move back to clipless when I am ready to return to them - but I NEED rubber soles to deal with the pins on my BMX pedals.

I just did a Google search on the Tahoe, and found a site that has a picture of the sole...it definitely looks rubber to me. Not at all like what the bottoms of my cycling shoes look like. Click on this link (http://wheelworld.com/product/specialized-tahoe-shoes-77297-1.htm) and then click where it says "View the sole" and you'll see the pic.

[Catrin]

I just did a Google search on the Tahoe, and found a site that has a picture of the sole...it definitely looks rubber to me. Not at all like what the bottoms of my cycling shoes look like. Click on this link (http://wheelworld.com/product/specialized-tahoe-shoes-77297-1.htm) and then click where it says "View the sole" and you'll see the pic.

I hadn't had luck finding a link that showed the sole - thanks! This actually looks like a better pic than my hiking shoes....but I have to pay the Gunnar off first :)

[skywalkerbeth]

Regarding your shoes and toe pain...look into getting a stiffer cycling shoe. By this, I mean a more rigid-soled one. The Tahoe, if I recall correctly, is quite flexible for a cycling shoe. When I first started cycling, I wore a cycling shoe that was too flexible and constantly got toe pain, hot spots, burning and numb feet, etc. When I switched to a more rigid shoe, a good majority of those issues went away.

Crap. I just bought this shoe. Love the shoe in general, but, my first ride was last Sunday - 30 miles - left foot/toes numb after maybe 13 miles. When I got off to walk around a bit it subsided.

Today: 35 miles. Both feet/toes numb, but it took about 20 to get there.

Why is it that I used to be able to wear sneakers and ride long distances?

[Velocivixen]

@nscrbug, yes the soles are rubber type. I have a pair and I did not take the rubber part out that covers the cleats (or whatever they're called). I have platform pedals and I wear the Tahoe's all the time, even when I'm not riding a bike. I normally wear 39 in European shoes, but had to get 41 in these, so definitely try them on WITH the socks you intend to wear when cycling. I love them.

[Owlie]

Crap. I just bought this shoe. Love the shoe in general, but, my first ride was last Sunday - 30 miles - left foot/toes numb after maybe 13 miles. When I got off to walk around a bit it subsided.

Today: 35 miles. Both feet/toes numb, but it took about 20 to get there.

Why is it that I used to be able to wear sneakers and ride long distances?

Do you have clipless pedals with these? With platforms, you're not being held in one place, and you probably unconsciously move your feet around. With clipless, your feet are held in one place with a piece of metal directly under your foot, and if the cleat positioning (and indeed the pedal system) isn't quite right, you're going to be uncomfortable.

I'm thinking I need a new pair of shoes. I also have the Tahoes, and they were great until I significantly upped my mileage...and now my feet hurt. They're not numb by any means. They just ache, and my left foot hurts. My guess is that I'm clenching the toes on my left foot because the shoe is about a half-size too big and I'm trying to keep the shoe on (sort of like what happens with flip-flops). The ache, though...I don't know whether that's because of the relatively flexible sole, or the pedal system itself.