When does cycle-butt go away?

[Sammie]

I used to ride bikes while going to school and then for running errands around town. I stopped for a long while and just last week picked it back up to use it as a fun way to get exercise. So I'm spending half an hour, an hour, on my new-to-me road bike at a time.

Oh my butt bones hurt. I don't remember having this problem for more than a day if I hadn't ridden in a while, but it's been over a week now lol! Admittedly, just yesterday I bought a pair of legit biking shorts with padding. I was hoping for more relief with them but I guess I'm sore enough that the padding doesn't make a difference yet.

I'm using the saddle that came on my new-to-me bike (a 1985 Peugeot). The saddle is a Schwinn variety. It seems wide enough and feels like I'm on my sit bones on it, but I'm not completely sure. I got an initial "fit" by a bike store. They adjusted the handle bars, the seat height, tilt and forward/back positioning. They didn't charge me for it because with it being an older bike, they can't do as many adjustments as they can on new bikes and also recommended I try the settings and come back after I've ridden a little. Since then, I've done some minor adjustments on the seat which have helped the lady-bits but my sit bones still hurt.

How long do I give this before deciding that perhaps I need a different seat? And, so my sit bones are 150mm apart. So if I shop for a seat, do I look at 150mm seats or do I go wider?
I am overweight so perhaps that's a problem too?

[ny biker]

Hello and welcome, and congrats on the new-to-you bike. You would want a saddle that is a bit wider than 150mm -- 155, for example. How often do you ride the new bike and how padded (or not) is the current saddle?

[Sammie]

I measured the seat I'm on. It's 160mm. It's not rock hard but it's not a pillow either. I would call it firm but not without some cushion.

I've been riding three times a week. I didn't want to overdo it starting out but I'm starting to dread getting on the bike due to the pain.

[emily_in_nc]

Give it another couple of week WITH bike shorts. It would take much longer to get over cycle-butt without any padding whatsoever. If you're still sore after a couple of weeks with bike shorts, your saddle may not be a good match for your particular anatomy. Welcome back to cycling!

[indiana_jane]

I agree with the above poster -- give it time. Your backside needs to adjust to biking frequently. If, after a few months (that's how long *I* would give it -- some others might last longer/shorter), go test as many new saddles as you can. You really can't tell just by looking or measuring what's going to feel good. Though I should say that, as its the sit bones that hurt and not the -- ehh -- soft bits, to me, that seems like a good sign.

I should also say what others will tell you as well. Contrary to logic, a saddle with less padding is often more comfortable than a saddle with more padding (the idea is -- adequate padding on the butt, which conforms to your body, less padding on the saddle, which is less able to do so, especially since we all shift a bit in the saddle over the course of a long ride).

[lph]

Oh, I feel your pain! Quite literally. I've barely been riding this winter, and after two consecutive days commuting I'm beginning to wonder what I ever saw in cycling.

My experience is that 6 weeks or two months off is enough to make starting again painful. On the other hand, after a week of daily or almost daily riding it does go away, for me. It's also by far the most painful the first ten-fifteen minutes, if I can grin and bear it through that it gets better again.

I'm talking about bruising, that is the tender feeling you get from pressure directly on your sit bones, NOT chafing or a too narrow saddle. Any sore skin or numbness you need to look at your saddle set-up. 160 sounds wide enough. A too narrow saddle feels like sitting on a hatchet.

You may need longer than a week since you haven't ridden for longer, but to be honest I think two weeks should cover it.

[Sammie]

I was prepared to tough it out but I happened across a killer deal on a road bike seat that's wider. I said what the heck and got it. With my padded bike shorts and the seat, instant relief, I tell ya! My wide butt is rejoicing lol!

We've got some bad weather about so I did 30 minutes on the trainer and had a happy tooshie.

[lph]

Great :-D