Cycling shorts issue - any thoughts?

I bought myself a pair of Cannondale 2006 Domestique shorts (love love love the pocket in back). I am having an issue with the leg openings - when I go over about 45 miles, I get massive welts on top of my legs where the rubber hits the thigh. They go away after a few days and don't hurt or burn or itch or anything, they are just ugly. I am thinking it's not an allergy, 'cause it's only on top of my legs, and it's not sunburn b/c I am sunscreened up and some of the welts are under the fabric. The only thing I can think of is that the leg openings are on the snug side, even though they fit great through the waist/hips (no thunder thighs jokes, please :) ). Anyone else ever have this issue and have some thoughts for me or am I the only one to have this dubious honor? Thanks.

Apparently, that's why some people turn the elastic around?

Other reasons are to show off the company logo and, no kidding, I heard this one myself, to move the biker tan line up by half an inch. Same person was wearing a sleeveless top and no gloves.

Hi - I have the Cannondale Singletrack shorts and HATE them - the elastic just seems way tighter on my admittedly chubby thighs than other shorts I now have. Larger size didn't help, because the smaller pair were already a little large in other areas. I bought some Shebeest shorts and it solved the welps problem.

Have you tried flipping the elastic up so that at least its not rubbing/gripping on your leg. I couldn't do that because these were kinda short and having the tight elastic up higher on the leg was terrible.

Hope that helps - I just found that Cannondale shorts and my thighs don't mix well...:rolleyes:

Maybe it is an allergy, but it just takes having the shorts on longer for it to affect your skin? Or could the shorts be rubbing your skin, irritating it after wearing the shorts for an extended period of time?

yeah, that's a thought, but I didn't want to make them any tighter around the leg. Switzerland, huh? We spent about 8 days in Suisse, shoot, about ten years ago. Lovely.

Sorry, my reply was to alpinerabbit, no other responses while I was typing. :)

Same thing, trying to avoid making them any tighter. They aren't uncomfortably tight, but not sure if rolling them up would do that. Interesting that someone else also has Cannondale thigh issues. I love the shorts from the hips on up, but I definitely do not have skinny legs.

Thanks for the thoughts!

Do the welts look like swollen bites...some quite large in surface area? Is it hot where you are/ride?

I also have big legs compared to the rest of me, and I also get what I am assuming are the same welts. They were red and ugly and they didn't go away for a few days. And, mine were both below and above the short line as well. For me, it didn't matter which shorts I wore...I normally wear PI Ultrasensors, but I got the welts wearing Shebeest and Terry, too. And I did try turning up the elastic, and that didn't help.

Come to find out, for me, it was related to heat. It was a weird form of heat rash that manifested itself only on the tops of my thighs. It didn't itch or burn or hurt...it was just ugly (and when it was at it's worst, the surface felt somewhat hot to the touch). I paid extra close attention one day and I could feel them starting. My whole body was begining to 'wilt' and when I looked down, sure enough...they were just appearing. I've found that the only way I can keep them at bay is by keeping my core temp down. Dumping water on my head, wearing a water soaked buff, trying to avoid riding at mid-day...etc. I haven't had them yet this year, but we haven't hit the worst of the summer heat yet either.

Oh, and they only appeared on long rides (greater than about 55 miles) I think because 1) it takes my body that long to get to the 'overheating' temps and 2) the longer our rides, the later in the day I was riding (and the hotter it was).

You may have something totally different, but it sure sounds familiar!

Velobambina, I was thinking allergy to begin with, too, but it's only on the top of my legs that it happens -- not on the back of my legs. Weird.

GLC, that totally sounds like what I have !!!!!! They are hot and BIG, several inches across, and only on top of my thighs, but don't itch or hurt. My thighs/legs are also big compared w/ the rest of me. And, yes, indeed, I am in southern NM and training for a century in TX (the Hotter 'n Hell) so I am doing mid-day training. Wow. I feel better knowing I am not the only one. :)

How did you figure out it was heat rash?

I know the feeling! It's nice to know that we aren't crazy, right?

In fact, I read your post and had to check that it wasn't one I'd posted last year getting bumped up again. I asked the exact same question last summer!!

I had to resort to wearing only capri's or longer skirts in the worst heat here (when not on the bike) to hide it...it's super ugly, isn't it? I was afraid people would think I was contagious! :p

Oops, I forgot to answer your question!

I don't remember exactly how I figured it out. Process of elimination, I think. I did a lot of online research, but I could never find any descriptions that matched my issue. I was going to make an appointment with a dermatologist when I had a bit of a 'breakthrough'.

I rode a century last August that I was expecting to be VERY hot (it's the reason I was training in the heat). It turned out to be the coldest day of the summer (and raining for the first 50 miles) and lo-and-behold...100 miles later in the same shorts I always wear and I got no rash. After that, I made a point of paying attention to my body as it started to heat up and I got to a point where I could almost pinpoint when it was occuring by how I felt. Then I did experiments with long hot rides but using a LOT of water for cooling and sure enough, I could keep it from happening.

GLC -

Go figure. What you say makes total sense to me, as last week I rode an early 30-miler w/ some friends before any heat of the day hit, and had no issue at all. Only when it gets hot do I get welty.

This is the first time I posted, I am very glad you were reading today! So good to know I am not nuts. (Well, at least about this! ;) ) I think I will start carrying extra water just to cool my legs and start paying attention to when it starts up.

Many thanks!

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Originally Posted by alpinerabbit

no kidding, I heard this one myself, to move the biker tan line up by half an inch. Same person was wearing a sleeveless top and no gloves.

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LOL! :D :D That could be me...... 'cept I'm in the states. I am a bit short to start with (5'1) and really don't want tan lines down by my knees. I turn up my shorts, just till they're long enough so my thighs don't rub on the saddle. I go sleeveless whenever possible. And I haven't worn gloves for 3 years. I am quite happy that way. Lots of room on the road for bikers who don't "LOOK" like pro bikers, I hope.

Annie

I almost posted this exact same question yesterday! I got my SECOND appearance of these heat welts (welps?). It DOES look like some kind of contageous rash or hives, doesn't it? I even took pictures of mine to put on here! LOL. (obviously I chickened out) I'm glad I'm not the only one..and THANK YOU GLC for posting a very common sense/deductive reasoning answer to this issue!

I got this rash (1st time in the season) on the 4th..where I also apparently overdid something with my left knee (grrrrr).. The rash hadn't gone completely away before Sunday's ride...but oh well. I thought I'd drank enough, but now I don't think so. I was out about 3hrs in the midday frame (11-2) and didn't quite finish 40oz of Powerade and water. Shame on me!!!

Oh - and I was wearing Descente Bliss shorts...so I knew it couldn't be elastic or gripper allergy of some kind.. I love those... they leave a nice higher tan line. However.. I also love love my Shebeest Triple S shorts. They're super comfy.

NM Rider - I'm also training for HHH!

I may make a separate post about my knee issue.... wah.

Okay....I gathered some courage after all (plus I had to figure out how to attach a picture again) since others here appear to have the same issue....

Is THIS what it looked like?? (please say yes please say yes) :P

Its only on the tops and outsides of my thighs... no where else.

(The other rounding welt by my right knee there is just a mosquito bite...doggone things are plentiful around here after all the rain we've gotten in Oklahoma... BLEH.)

Yeppers, BabyBlue, I've seen that too, up close and personal. Looks like heat rash to me. The rubber grippers aren't allowing our skin to breathe so that's why it's worst right there. Ring around the thigh. I don't ride every day (call me lazy :p ), so mine ususally goes away between rides. That and I have different brands and/or lengths of shorts - and so far haven't had one really big band of heat rash.

Yep..that's it! Except mine was much more swollen than that...they stuck out from my skin more. The worst case I got stuck around for about 4-5 days and left discoloration after the swelling was gone. Since then, I've been more careful.

Oh, and cooling off the legs helps, but it's actually more effective to keep your overall body temp down by cooling off the head and body and utilizing shade whenever possible. :)

I'm SO glad to hear that I'm not alone (not that I'd wish this on anyone else, but...well...you know...)!!

My husband actually gets hives from chilly weather. If he takes Claritan a few hours before he is ok. It doesn't matter what he wears, if it is chilly or damp, his skin just hives up. It began years ago when my son began playing ice hockey. He found there is a name for this type of thing but I forget what it is called.

~ JoAnn

Hi there Tulsa - you courageous woman! :)
Mine too are quite a bit worse than that, but that's just what mine look like --
today (2 days after a mid-day 63-miler - wanna get through Hell's Gate!) they are just sort of a brown pink discoloration - but on Sunday afternoon they were like big mottled raised pink bands across the tops and over the sides of my thighs.
I, too, am happy to hear GLC's practical advice, esp what she said last re overall body cool down...
Wichita Falls or bust!

What the OP is describing really does sound like hives to me, which may suggest a latex allergy. Does it happen with shorts that have silicone leg grippers (like Sugoi)?

Note: It is entirely possible to be allergic to something in general, but the symptom only manifests itself under high heat. Sun-warmed latex is likely to offgas and emit more reactive allergenic particles than cold or room-temperature latex. Also, high internal body heat can make your immune system more likely to react. I'm fairly prone to hives/urticaria caused by certain food colorings and additives, but I have more outbreaks during hot weather or when I have a fever.

Jo-in-NY, the term for what your DH has is cold urticaria. My ex used to break out in hives on his cheeks whenever he went playing in the snow.

Dian - any thoughts on why it would only happen on top of the legs instead of all the way around? Just because the sun is hitting the tops of my legs? Granted, it's 90+ degrees when it strikes. Not sure what the grippers are - shorts are Cannondale, grippers are smooth/clear. I've never been allergic to anything before. You're thinking hives as opposed to rash? It seems like many of us get this sort of thing... way more than I expected when I posted.
Thanks.

What I think is interesting about the latex theory is that the shorts I was wearing don't have any type of gripper.. Its just really a soft, but probably doubled layer of spandex. Most of the welts were exposed to sun...but there were some under the short too-just right there on the leg. Weird!!

NM - you go girl!!! 63 on a mid day deal... that's where I got my first outburst of welts and my knee issue (a 58 mile mid-day deal). I'm still nursing my knee issue, but I'm off in a few to do some light spinning. You'll probably hear me boo-hoo'ing tomorrow about missing my group night ride (hilly and fast). WAH. I've gotta do this right though, or I won't be able to get back on track with my mileage for HHH!

HHH or bust - that's right!!!

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Originally Posted by NMRider

Dian - any thoughts on why it would only happen on top of the legs instead of all the way around? Just because the sun is hitting the tops of my legs? Granted, it's 90+ degrees when it strikes. Not sure what the grippers are - shorts are Cannondale, grippers are smooth/clear. I've never been allergic to anything before. You're thinking hives as opposed to rash? It seems like many of us get this sort of thing... way more than I expected when I posted.
Thanks.

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Well, latex allergy is very common so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see many people having symptoms of it. I would think that a field of small red bumps is a mere rash, while large raised welts are actual hives. But, I think there is also a grey area in between rash and hive, and at a cellular level they are pretty similar events.

However, the smooth/clear grippers sound like silicone, not latex. Which leans more in the direction of being a simple heat related problem. Heat can trigger hives, just like it can trigger rash. Black fabric heats up considerably in the sun, so the tops of the legs will be more likely to have the problem. I wonder if it happens to anyone with light-colored shorts? Anyone?

FYI...

Did a ride yesterday, 30 miles, 97 degrees, 25% humidity - not in my Cannondales, but in my ancient shorts. Same hives problem - so seems to be the heat issue, not the shorts.

Add my name to this list. I have them on my thighs right now! I rode 30 miles yesterday, 97 degrees and humid. I am getting ready for the HHH in Wichita Falls, TX.

I get them, too, and at first I though they were related to the shorts elastic...or the detergent I used to wash my clothing with. But it turns out I get them regardless of whether the elastic is rolled up or not....or what type of detergent I use. I even went to the dermatologist to get his input, and he had no idea and gave me a Rx for hydrocortisone cream. I tried using it after the rides...but with very minimal relief. For myself, I think it is directly correlated to heat/sun/core body temps. (there was a posting last year here on the forum where we discussed this before). I don't get them when the temps are below 90 or when it is mostly cloudy. But when it is hot and very sunny, that is when I get them.

I have just learned to live with them. I don't like it because it is ugly and even a little painful at times, but I have not found a way to avoid getting them during the summer.

Another victim here. On me it is definitely heat related. I hadn't thought to try cooling down all over. What about pouring cold water on the area? Anybody try that? Does it help?

Nope - cold water (or ice) on the area does NOT help. Only keeping the body/core temp down does...and that's not always easy to do.

FYI - I got these on my century on Aug 11th - it was cloudy all day and temps never topped 90 degrees. BUT, I did get hot/wilted near the end when I had no cold beverages left... I ended up with a slight break out. So, it's definitely not sun related.

YEP- I occasionally get the very same itchy heat-rash looking rash on the tops of my thighs underneath my shorts too. Same thing!

I came to the conclusion it was a reaction produced somehow by the sun hitting lycra material.
One morning we were having pre-ride breakfast in our outdoor cafe, and I was sitting in the sun. The morning was still pleasantly in the 70's, and I hadn't exerted myself yet. After a while I felt my legs itching under the shorts and went in the ladies room and sure enough- the rash was starting! Only under the shorts, on the tops of my thighs only. It had been activated merely by my sitting in the sun in my shorts....not really so much from being overheated or sweaty. I put on some cool feeling hand cream, sat with my legs in the shade, and it went away.

When this rash is mild, it can go away in a few hours. When it's bad, it stays for a day or two. I found it did help to put sunblock or other lotion on my legs there before putting on my shorts.

Have any of you tried "body glide" on the problem area? I got it at a runner's shop for the blisters I get from ALL of my shoes, and it's worked great. If it's a chafing problem, it may help. It looks like a deodorant stick.

I know mine isn't chafing - it is both above and below the shorts, nowhere rubbing - I think I agree it has something to do with core temperatures.

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Originally Posted by BabyBlueNTulsa

Okay....I gathered some courage after all (plus I had to figure out how to attach a picture again) since others here appear to have the same issue....

Is THIS what it looked like?? (please say yes please say yes) :P

Its only on the tops and outsides of my thighs... no where else.

(The other rounding welt by my right knee there is just a mosquito bite...doggone things are plentiful around here after all the rain we've gotten in Oklahoma... BLEH.)

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I get those too!! Except mine are only BELOW the shorts line (maybe a few stray ones at the level of the leg grippers). I've gotten them with cannondale shorts, because that's mainly what I had till recently. They have silicone grippers. But, most of them occur on the exposed skin.

The hives stay even after I cool down and shower like normal heat rash. Then they turn dark. Benadryl cream works wonders. The weird thing is that I've ridden in some major heat and had no problems. They ONLY showed up on rides loner than 60 miles. It doesn't itch.

My dad (a doctor but not dermatologist) said it looked like a photosensitive reaction to him. I don't get a sunburn. It's the weirdest thing.

I had them on my legs after the HHH also. A friend who also did that ride had them too. I thought it was due to the extra pressure exerted on the skin in that area due to the leg gripper...figured the pressure and heat build up caused it. Only happens on long rides. I too have wondered if Body Glide would help by reducing friction but since I use Chamois Butt'r I haven't been able to try it.

are you sure it isn't a latex problem? I don't think there is a such thing as shorts without some form of latex, truly. My dad is highly latex allergic and (thanks for telling me, dad) got a hivey/diaper rash sort of reaction the first time he tried bike shorts... Just a thought.

Why don't you ladies with this problem just remove the elastic from the shorts? I've just started doing alterations for bike clothes and have found that I'm much more comfortable now that I've custom fit them.

If you don't know how, I could do it for you, if you mailed them to me.

Mine is definitely not a latex thing...I wear the same shorts under my leggings in the winter and never get any rash. I also did a century in August where the sun never came out and temps remained below 90 the whole way. 102 miles and no rash. They are mostly on the skin that is not actually under the shorts unless I wear my super long shorts and then they still show up in the same place, but now they are under the fabric and above the gripper! Plus, I used to wear latex gloves daily and never had any reaction (though I have no idea if they were chemically the same compound or anything).

Aicabsolut - Yours sound exactly like mine....they get dark when the swelling goes away. That's really interesting about the benadryl cream. I'll have to try that! Do you apply it after they appear, or before?

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

Aicabsolut - Yours sound exactly like mine....they get dark when the swelling goes away. That's really interesting about the benadryl cream. I'll have to try that! Do you apply it after they appear, or before?

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Regular old Hydrocortisone creme works well for me.

No, it's not from chafing, and no, it's not from the elastic band. For me, it only happens occasionally, in high heat and sun, under my shorts/lycra, only on top of my thighs. Sometimes it fades away after the ride, sometimes lasts a day.

I suspect it would not happen if i were wearing my merino wool knickers, which breathe well and are a more natural fiber...but they would be too hot to wear on a really hot day, so I won't be testing it!

INterestingly, one time I was sitting in the hot sun in my bike shorts, pre-ride, and felt that itchy irritated feeling of them starting up on my thighs. I went to the ladies room, saw the blotches starting up there, and put some sunblock on my thighs under the shorts, simply because it was the only lotion I had with me. It immediately faded away and did not return even during my ride that day in the heat. Odd.

I get the same thing on long, hot rides. I did try Chamois Butt'r on the area once, and it didn't prevent it from occurring. Just like for everyone else, it doesn't happen on short or cooler rides. Maybe we should take up a collection and one of us can go to a dermatologist and get a name for whatever it is? :o In the past, I have gotten exercise-induced urticaria, but an antihistamine pre-ride prevents it. I don't get EIU on road bike rides, even without an antihistamine. I will get it on my arms when mountain biking and on my legs when running. Weird.

Alex

I tried hydrocortisone the first time it happened. Nothing. Then I tried Benadryl. It worked better. So the second time, I went with Benadryl from the beginning, and it made them fade a lot faster, and I didn't get the dark spots the next day.

I am definitely not allergic to latex. I've worn plenty of latex bandages in extreme weather conditions with no problems. My niece has a latex allergy (skin allergy only, not respiratory..she can be in the same room with balloons etc.) and I've never had any of the problems she has coming in contact with latex in clothing or bandages. Plus, my shorts have silicone grippers and not elastic. Nor are the hives under my shorts, only on the tanned parts of my legs.

My hands get contact dermatitis when I handle certain soils. Maybe it's prolonged exposure to crap on the road plus sun exposure? I dunno. It definitely seems to be an allergic reaction of some sort.