girly problem

hi girls!
i have a slight girly problem. i've been mountain biking now for about a year. i have messed with my saddle moving it fwd, back, tilting it this way and that and i still have a problem. ive also tried sitting differently in my saddle and nada.
my problem is this: my clit (is there a technical term for this? if there is i'm sorry about being blunt) gets sore. it actually hurts if i go on a long ride for days afterward.
i have thought about getting a new saddle, but no clue what kind is going to help me and my problem.
i've delt with it for this long, and now i'm sick of it. i should've done something earlier i know, but i thought it was just how it would be.
the saddle i have came with my bike (its a woman's k2). love it otherwise, but hate to spend time in the saddle.
anyone else have this problem or know of a good saddle?
thanks!

Sounds like you should try out a new style of saddle - does your current one have the nice girly part cut out? After I switched to one with a hole in it, I've decided to never go back.

Well that is a problem! I have a cut out in my seat. I believe it is called a love channel. But anyway, you shouldn't be riding on the part of yur body anyway. A couple things i will suggest are #1. New seat #2. New short's #3. get fitted (see if maybe there are adjustments that could made on another part of your bike) #4. try and hold your body in a different position (use those stomach muscles) other then those I don't have much else. Anyone else?

i've been looking at one with a hole in it, but not sure which. so many to choose from... then there is the gel seat and bla bla bla. so confusing. :eek:
my boyfriend worked i a bike shop for years and adjusted it for me so everything fits well.
is there a shelf life for shorts? i got my shorts when i got my bike... maybe its time to switch those out too........

I use a seat by Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB) called the speed she. http://www.wtb.com It's got nice padding for the sitbones and a channel for "everything else". I'm not using padded bike shorts and it's comfortable enough - recently did 26 miles road and a 19 mi. MTB with no pain. Here's their description:

The high comfort, female-specific Speed She saddle was developed by female WTB employees years ago for their own personal needs. Since then, this recreational saddle has skyrocketed in popularity, and for good reason. With a shorter nose, low profile internal seams, and well radiused soft corners, women are allowed greater freedom of movement and can enjoy more comfort on longer rides.

Go the hole I say. All of my bikes (road and mountain) have saddles with a cut out and I love them. Bad news is you may need to try a few saddles until you find the one that is just right for you.

YOu might go to the saddle discussions

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/forumdisplay.php?f=36

One thing i have learned, that if you are sitting on a platform that your sit bones are actually ON, they will hold a lot of the tender stuff above the surface of the seat.

imagine the difference between sitting on a board and sitting on a football.
ON the board, only your sitbones are in contact, on the football, all the pressure is right down the middle of your crotch area.

So please read those saddle conversations.

Mimi (who owns 3 Brooks B67 saddles for 3 bikes now!)

Ouchie mama!!! We can not have that, now can we??? Unanimously we all agree a new saddle is in order. I use a Specialized Body Geometry. Now for the shorts-- my vote goes to the Sugoi Evolution short with "multi-component pressure-sensitive chamois designed and developed to offer race ready performance". Sorry if that sounds like a commercial. But you can bury me in mine.

Sounds like you're riding with your pelvis tilted forward. Try tilting it backward to put the pressure on your sit bones. Also, maybe you are stretched out too much? This would cause you to lean forward and put more pressure on the nose of your saddle which would then be in contact with said girly parts. If you ride stretched out alot you may want to tilt the nose of your saddle down just a smidge.

What kind of pain is it? Is it the type where it burns when you urinate, shower, touch it? If so, I say look for different shorts. I have a saddle I'm pretty happy with, but I know if I wear certain shorts, I can get irritation after long rides, like a rubbing raw feeling and it kills to go to the bathroom. Check your shorts for any seams that may hit that area. Make sure the area is really clean before you ride, I think it was Nanci who said, drip drying is not recommended, it can cause serious irritation. Also, maybe try a cream to reduce chaffing. Careful what you use though, it's pretty sensitive there. I'm sure girls here can recommend something. If everything else about your saddle is comfortable though, except this type of pain, I would try new shorts first. I've been really happy with Shebeest and PI shorts

On the other hand, if it's a bruised feeling, get a new saddle :)

it seems to be more of a burning sensation.... its one of those that almost makes you want to cry.

Although several have correctly stated that your bike may not be adjusted properly, there are those of us for whom that portion of our anatomy is a bit more physically prominent. Being properly positioned won't help. I have the WTB saddle mentioned above, just got it last week. Helped tremendously. I gave it the acid test Saturday.

HTH,

I've stumbled across this very helpful web site as a result of doing a search for this exact problem. I've been road biking now for about 2.5 months and just started having some pain in the tender parts after the last 3 or so rides. I've tried tipping my saddle forward, as well as moving it forward (which I needed to do for my knees anyway). These adjustments helped somewhat, but there is still soreness that feels like its from too much rubbing. I'm curious to check out this lube stuff. I think I will try a new pair of shorts before I try a new saddle since I'm still reeling from the cost of my bike. Thanks for everyone's suggestions!

New shorts/new saddle- practically the same cost!

Any chance you could try a saddle with a narrow nose, and ride with your "stuff" off to one side? I do that sometimes just for a change, and it's pretty comfortable. And my "stuff" isn't big, or anything.

You should be sitting still, not moving around a bunch, causing friction. Sometimes people rock side to side when the seat is too high...

Nanci