Lower body discomfort: Saddle issue or just not "broken in"?

[westtexas]

Hi all,

I am new here to these forums and to cycling. I have had my road bike (Specialized Dolce 2009 model, I think) for almost three years now but have failed to have logged even 200 miles on it (mostly due to work/school/crappy climate). But, I have begun anew recently (about 2 weeks now of 4x/week riding ~10 miles) and have had a lot of success and fun getting back on the road.

However, I am experiencing some lower body discomfort and I am having trouble finding a solution to it from searching these forums/the internet in general. The problem is, after a ride, the soft tissue of my groin is very painful, as if bruised. My sit bones do not hurt and I feel like I could bike a lot farther on my rides if not for the fact that I feel like I am smashing all my lady bits into the nose of the saddle. I try to sit back on my tail more, but I find this an uncomfortable position to ride in.

Therefore... my question is: Do you think I should try a new saddle? Or do you think my soft tissues are not "broken in" to riding after approximately 2 weeks of riding? All of my other new rider aches and pains I can explain, but with this I am afraid of some kind of compressive soft-tissue damage. Is it something you grow out of and how long did it take for you if so?

I hate for my intro to this forum to be a post about my lady parts, but there's no one else I can ask - let's just say my older brother who cycles was less than helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[channlluv]

It could be a simple seat adjustment would fix it. If your older brother doesn't know how or won't help you, or maybe doesn't have the right tool, go see the nice folks at your local Specialized dealer (mine has a female bike fitter) and see if they can help you.

Numb hands are one thing...numb lady bits, no way.

There are some threads on the boards about saddles and fittings. I just got a new saddle from my LBS and they have a one-week tryout period, so if this one is uncomfortable, I can trade it out until I find one that works. Your LBS may do that, too.

Good luck!

Roxy

[Artista]

I've found that pain from bruised sit bones will go away after a few rides in close succession. I don't think that pain from smashed lady bits will ever resolve without saddle modifications ~ either a position adjustment or a different saddle.

[Eden]

Definitely look into a bike fit and/or new saddle. Sore sit bones are normal for a time, until you get them adjusted, but soft tissue damage further up is indicative of something being off. The fact that you feel you cannot get comfortable further back on the saddle makes it sound like a bike fit issue - like you are scooting up to reach or get a good position over your pedals.

[westtexas]

Thanks for the advice y'all, I definitely appreciate it. I'm going to try adjusting my saddle some and if not I guess I'll go to the LBS. Unfortunately, no women at any of the three shops we have where I live right now, so I guess they will have to grin and bear it!

[ny biker]

Are you using the saddle that came with the bike? It might be too narrow for you. You should measure your sit bones -- there are several threads here on how to do that.

[♥2CYKEL]

I know exactly what you are talking about. Sore smashed lady parts are no fun. Especially when everything else is just fine. I went through 4 saddles until I found the right combination, but that's because I didn't get professional help at my LBS. Somehow women understand better but maybe with this knowledge from the forums you can take it to your LBS.

Saddle 1. Came with my Trek, a WSD (women's specific design) it was okay.
Saddle 2. Much too wide for my sit bones. I would ache for hours.
Saddle 3. A much more narrow fit but back to smashing the lady parts.

Saddle 4. Had a fitting at my LBS with a lady when I bought my Cervelo. She suggested a Bontrager WSD RL InForm. It's what she used. There are different sizes and she fit me with it at the shop on my bike. Turns out I needed the saddle more forward to keep me from scooching back for comfort. Bontrager has a 30 day guarantee but I didn't need it.

It is so much better. I actually forgot about my lady parts and could focus on my ride for a change.

So, WESTTEXAS there is a fit and saddle for you. It's all so individual but that pain is the same for sure!

[emily_in_nc]

If your saddle does not have a cutout, it might be that you need one. I don't leave home without a cutout in my saddle. Otherwise, my ladybits get rubbed raw (major owies when I wash or pee after a ride). With a cutout, no such issues.

Good luck!

[♥2CYKEL]

Oh yah I forgot to mention my saddle has a nice indentation for the girly parts. I'm sure that's a big part of the comfort. :p

[westtexas]

Thanks again everyone for all the advice. I'm going to try and schedule a professional bike fit in a week or so, which is the soonest I can get to a major city where they have a bike shop that actually does it.

The saddle I have now is just the one that came with the bike and although there is a small indentation in it, it is apparently not sufficient.

In the meantime I've been reading up about proper riding posture and been doing more yoga in the hopes to build more upper body and core strength to see if that helps me maintain a better sitting position for longer. :)

[OakLeaf]

Honestly, I would find a saddle that you think will work before you spring for a full fitting. Even a slightly different saddle can radically change the way I sit on my bike.

[westtexas]

So I was able to get a short ride in today after moving my seat forward (I think part of my problem was riding too far down the nose of the saddle). I've decided that the saddle I have (it says Lithia 155 and it's made by Specialized) is a good shape and the right width. It does have a fairly big cutout in the center of it and I am not sure a bigger/wider/deeper groove is going to assist me with the soft tissue issues. It may be purely a postural problem (it's hard to know since I can't actually see myself ride).

Question is - when you ride, am I supposed to be sitting mostly upright with my hands on the top of the handlebars (where the shifters are), or am I supposed to be slightly bent over with my hands down in the crooks of the bars? Riding bent over is more comfortable/aerodynamic, but as far as mashing parts of my body that aren't supposed to be mashed, sitting upright is better. I know people say you should sit on the saddle like you are in a chair and then without rotating your pelvis, hold the handlebars... but I can't do this. I can't arch my back that way and when I ride, my pelvis definitely rotates forward (which may explain the mashing). Is there a way to correct for this or do I need to learn to ride like a hunchback? My spine is either straight or mildly lordotic (curved inward toward my abdomen) at the small of my back.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[KnottedYet]

Maybe raise the bars?
(or tilt them up slightly)

At least until you can get a fitting....

[sundial]

Westtexas, is there any way you can have your brother or someone to photograph you from the side of you sitting on the bike and posting a picture here? Maybe some of us can offer you suggestions until you get a bike fit.

[ny biker]

I know people say you should sit on the saddle like you are in a chair and then without rotating your pelvis, hold the handlebars...

I've never heard this. I try to keep my back straight when I ride. It hurts if I don't.

I usually ride with my hands on the hoods, very very rarely in the drops (the crooked parts).

[westtexas]

Unfortunately, don't really have anyone I can get to take a picture of me. My brother lives 90 miles away. And unless my cat gets some opposable thumbs...

So normally when I ride, I do roll my pelvis forward and my back is straight. But that's when I get all the pressure on the soft tissue that I can't tolerate. Since moving the seat, there is a lot more weight distributed to my sit bones (I've stopped sliding so far forward on the nose of the seat), but still the lady bits get mashed.

As far as bike fitting goes - what kind of place should I look for to fit me? My brother says the shop near him fit him when he got his bicycle, and suggests I go there when I go to visit at the end of the week. I found another place a little further into the city and they put you on some fancy computerized machine thing. What's the difference and does it matter??

I want to get serious about cycling and get in better shape but I really think the whole soft tissue sensitivity is holding me back from riding as much as I would like.

Thanks again.

[GLC1968]

Some women have more soft tissue problems than others (all other things being equal). I had this problem from day one and even once all other fit issues were resolved, STILL had the problem (but lessened). I seriously had a 3 hour pro fit on my bike, a great saddle (for my sit bones) and still had to 'toughen up' the soft tissue to be able to ride long distance. Toughening up soft tissue does NOTHING for the sex life, let me tell you. Now that I know better - I would never have put up with it. Keep looking...no saddle should give you that kind of pain! You should have to condition your sit bones...NOT your soft tissue.

Anyway, just a few months ago (after 6 years of riding!) I finally found the perfect saddle for me. The soft tissue problem disappeared immediately! Funny thing is, it's the same saddle someone else already mentioned: the Bontrager InForm RL WSD. This saddle actually works for me on both my road bike AND my tri bike. On my tri bike, my hips are fully rotated forward so that I am not on my sit bones at all and yet this saddle still works.

While a professional fit is absolutely important, so is the right saddle. If you have soft tissue pain, KEEP LOOKING for a saddle that relieves it! I swear, there is one out there for everyone and it's just a matter of finding it. :)

[ny biker]

A couple of other thoughts...make sure the nose of the saddle is not tilted up. Also, my old, perfect, worn-out saddle was not perfect until I lowered it a bit.

Not sure what to advise about the fitting -- the guy I go to does it mostly by eye, with a tape measure and plumb line for assistance.

[westtexas]

Well, just an update for the thread:

I got my bike fit properly today. Turns out the frame is actually too small for me (should be riding a 56, not a 51) and my seat was too high. So the seat was put down to a proper height and I got the handlebars extended out. The clips on my shoes were adjusted as well to sit on the actual ball of my foot.

Haven't had a chance to take it out riding yet (was raining with thunder and lightning all day here) but just spinning on the trainer in the store everything felt much better. I'm supposed to ride like I normally would this week and let them know on Friday how everything is going.

So, here's hoping for the best, but I am certainly optimistic!!

Thanks again for the advice, getting the bike fit was apparently an important step in solving my problem!