Newbie who is Very Sore

Hi all, I just joined up. I am very, very new to cycling. I started cycling a few months ago and had to stop because of an accident I had on my bike. To be honest, I did not get hurt, but the accident had left me very much afraid of my bike. While riding, the handlebars gave out and fell forward, almost throwing me off the bike (I've been advised to have the whole bike checked out, and that will be happening next weekend).

Anyway, I missed it horribly, so a few days ago I took out a wrench and put a death grip on those handlebars. I was very scared going out, but had such a good time I soon forgot about it.

So my issue. This happened the first time I tried, too. Cycling makes my rear end hurt really badly. And I don't mean something I can walk off, it hurts for days, like I got kicked by a horse in the tailbone. Walking with it is fine, but sitting is almost impossible (I cannot even describe the amount of pain I am in right now) and getting out of the chair after sitting is like the end of the world. Obviously, this also makes getting back onto the bike extremely difficult. Like I said, this happened the first time I began, too, and eventually passed. But this time I hurt it, sat out a day, thought I was good enough to go, and went out tonight. The pain is unbelieveable.

I have changed the seat on the bike from the original to a much softer and wider seat. This did, actually, fix the problem before. But when I started back it didn't make much difference. The pain seems to be right at the tailbone, which I don't understand at all. Does anyone have any advice about getting over this issue? I don't want it to deter me from getting on that bike. I'm biking for weight loss and health as well for the fun of it. So I don't want to lose it. Thanks!

When I started riding a few years ago, I had a "wide, soft, cushy" seat on my new bike. I had a MISERABLE time of things -- like you describe. Sitting on anything was HORRIBLE, and it was a tailbone thing like you describe.

My solution was a smaller, firmer saddle. That one hurt for a while too -- there's a certain amount of getting used to being on a bike for any distance, but it was a whole different kind of ache, and I toughened up after bit. Maybe that will work for you too!

Karen in Boise

I agree with above poster - I am too going through some newbie pains as well, more of the sides of my leg than the tailbone area.

If you're serious about this, you will be much better buying a new saddle made to fit for you over a stock type of saddle.

There are some LBS that offer measurements of sit bones for free, that way you can tell what width to look for.

I have the Terry Butterfly Ti currently, and so far, I've only had two rides, and I need to put more time in the saddle before determining whether the saddle is a perfect fit or not...

Hope you feel better!

A less puffy/cushy saddle will get your weight onto your sitbones where it should be, and OFF your soft tissues and tailbone area. You are sinking in too much and putting weight on the wrong places.
A harder saddle might make your sitbones sore for the first few rides, but that will fade and it will likely alleviate your tailbone.
The most painful saddle experience I ever had was 2 hours on a soft puffy foam saddle. The PAIN!!! :(

The saddle isn't really all that puffy. I know the original seat made my issues much worse, it was smaller and very hard. I couldn't even walk after using that one. The current one is slightly softer, but it's not puffy or ultra soft. I've got a little more junk in my trunk than I'd like, so I have to be careful of smaller seats, at least until I get my rear end down to a size I want it to be at. Since I enjoy riding so much, I figured it was one excersise I could really stick with to help lose the weight. And unfortunetly, I've got a ways to go to get my rear end down. So I can't go much smaller with the seat than I've gone already (I don't want to lose the thing up in there! LOL!).

like Bleeker said, no matter how much "junk in your trunk" if your tailbone is hurting, this saddle is NOT working. you shouldn't have any weight on your tailbone, only on your sitbones.

That saddle is allowing you to sink down to your tailbone. Bad saddle.
Good luck. A lot of very large women are riding bikes without tailbone issues. You can be one of them; change your saddle!

I was having trouble with my seat when I first bought my bike and it turned out that my seat needed a small adjustment, but first I went to my LBS to make sure the seat was the right size. The have a little stool you sit on and it shows where your sit bones are and what size seat you should use. For me the movement of 1/4 of an inch made a huge difference.

Your sit bones will not change due to weight loss--they are bones. It sounds like you need your whole bike looked over by a reputable local bike shop (not a Wal-Mart type store). While they are at it, ask them if they do professional fittings, or if they can at least take a look at you on the bike and check your position and bike fit. A professional fit will run $100 and take a couple of hours, but it will be well worth it to be comfortable on your bike.

Getting the right saddle may take some time and money, but starting with a proper bike fit will help.

It also might not be the seat at all, but its position. If it's too low, you're going to be sore.

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Originally Posted by Geonz

It also might not be the seat at all, but its position. If it's too low, you're going to be sore.

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What if it's too high? We were talking about this at work today and it is possible that the seat might be too high for me. I'm not sure how your feet should touch the ground when stopped but sitting on the bike.

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Originally Posted by Wolf

What if it's too high? We were talking about this at work today and it is possible that the seat might be too high for me. I'm not sure how your feet should touch the ground when stopped but sitting on the bike.

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"How your feet should touch the ground" depends on the bike. "Cruisers" you generally can put your foot flat on the ground while seated on the bike. Maybe it's MY hybrid, but I hop off the saddle just like I do my road bike when I stop -- it's not stable to have just the tip of the toes on one foot on the ground, at least not MY toes!

I actually had my saddle height adjusted on Monday -- during a bike fitting. Boy oh boy, it feels HIGH right now! Just a wee bit spooky now and then, but I know I'll get used to it.

(the bike fitting is a story on its own -- VERY interesting process!)

Karen in Boise

Actually, your feet should not touch the ground while seated on the saddle. This is a big mistake 'newbies' make. If you need to stop at a light, you lean the bike to one side, disengage one cleat, get off the saddle, and touch the ground with one foot.

Saddle height should be set to have just a slight bend in the knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The shop that sold you the bike should help you get this set up correctly. Saddle fore aft too needs to be set, as does cleat position, for optimal performance and comfort both.

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Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl

Actually, your feet should not touch the ground while seated on the saddle. This is a big mistake 'newbies' make. If you need to stop at a light, you lean the bike to one side, disengage one cleat, get off the saddle, and touch the ground with one foot.

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Personally, I save the leaning for last!:D:D

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Originally Posted by Kano

Personally, I save the leaning for last!:D:D

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You are right, I thought about it more on my commute today. I actually disengage the right cleat first, then stand up (i.e. lift off the saddle) and start braking, and last lean to the right and put my right foot on the ground. Its hard to put it in writing, but my point was that the feet are not supposed to touch the ground while seated.

The OP also needs to be sure the bike is checked for assembly defects in view of her initial problem with the handlebars being loose. Based on this problem, I am guessing the bike was purchased either used, at a dept. store, or poor quality bike shop.

While many shops will charge $100 for a 'pro-fit' the OP may be able to find a shop that will give the bike a going over, and check her set-up (saddle, cleat, and bar position) for less than that, especially if they are trying to aquire a new customer.

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Originally Posted by Wolf

So my issue. This happened the first time I tried, too. Cycling makes my rear end hurt really badly. And I don't mean something I can walk off, it hurts for days, like I got kicked by a horse in the tailbone.
I have changed the seat on the bike from the original to a much softer and wider seat. This did, actually, fix the problem before. But when I started back it didn't make much difference. The pain seems to be right at the tailbone, which I don't understand at all. Does anyone have any advice about getting over this issue? I don't want it to deter me from getting on that bike. I'm biking for weight loss and health as well for the fun of it. So I don't want to lose it. Thanks!

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From your description, you may be bearing your weight on the saddle a little too far back on your rear end.

First issue, bike fit. Your bike needs to fit you like a comfy old pair of jeans. Frame or standover height, saddle height, reach, and several other measurements come into play here, and if you're having to stretch out or scrunch up anywhere, that shifts where you're bearing your weight on the bike, and almost any saddle is going to hurt under those conditions.

Next step, after the bike gets fitted to you, check the saddle. A medium to firm saddle will usually ride better because it lets the load go to your sit bones and not your tender parts. The wide, cushy saddles aren't always the best solution. You might also look into getting a good pair of bike shorts with a good chamois... because on a bike oftentimes the padding isn't on your saddle, it's in the seat of your britches.

If there's a local bike shop that you trust, ask them for a bike fitting session. It's well worth the cost, and you may have to change out some parts (stem, seatpost, etc.) to get all the parts in alignment with your body.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl

The OP also needs to be sure the bike is checked for assembly defects in view of her initial problem with the handlebars being loose. Based on this problem, I am guessing the bike was purchased either used, at a dept. store, or poor quality bike shop.

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*hangs head in shame* I got it for $86 at Toys 'R Us. My dad got took real bad at a bike shop, so when it was time for mine and I was testing the waters as to whether this was my thing or not, I opted for an el cheapo from Toys 'R Us, with the plans of getting a better bike when my bank account allows. I just discovered a bike shop locally that has been getting rave reviews and hasn't been there long, so I'll probably stop by, with the bike, on Sunday to have them give me an assessment, and if they seem ok, I'll eventually be buying a better bike from them.

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Originally Posted by PscyclePath

From your description, you may be bearing your weight on the saddle a little too far back on your rear end.

First issue, bike fit. Your bike needs to fit you like a comfy old pair of jeans. Frame or standover height, saddle height, reach, and several other measurements come into play here, and if you're having to stretch out or scrunch up anywhere, that shifts where you're bearing your weight on the bike, and almost any saddle is going to hurt under those conditions.

Next step, after the bike gets fitted to you, check the saddle. A medium to firm saddle will usually ride better because it lets the load go to your sit bones and not your tender parts. The wide, cushy saddles aren't always the best solution. You might also look into getting a good pair of bike shorts with a good chamois... because on a bike oftentimes the padding isn't on your saddle, it's in the seat of your britches.

If there's a local bike shop that you trust, ask them for a bike fitting session. It's well worth the cost, and you may have to change out some parts (stem, seatpost, etc.) to get all the parts in alignment with your body.

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I had to stop to think, but now that you mention it, I don't scrunch up much or often... except when I first start peddling. I'm at a stop and go stage right now, building my stamina, so I'll bike about a mile or two, but I'll stop a few times during that period. When I first start peddling to get it going I do scrunch up a bit, it almost feels like my thigh is hitting into my lower torso. I kind of assumed that would just happen until I lose some of the belly.

I'll be heading out Sunday or Monday to talk to the guys at the local shop. Thanks!

Good luck at the bike shop, I'm sure you'll get a lot of good help there. It will be worth it, when you have a bike that fits it is like night and day! Suddenly you will find that biking will be just a little bit easier and a lot more enjoyable!

Thanks for all the help! I'll let you all know how it goes at the bike shop if I get there this week. Thanks!

There are saddles that are split in the back to take all pressure off the tailbone area. I ride with a gal who injured her tailbone badly in a bike accident years ago, and she needs this type of saddle.

Here's just one example:

http://ridingbicycles.com/itemdetails.cfm?LibId=29722

Warning, tho, a lot of these saddles cost more than the bike you are are currently riding!

When you are ready and able to get a better bike, that local bike shop might have some used bikes that would suit you fine. Better to have a decent used bike that you know is a quality vehicle (because bikes are vehicles, after all) than a new bike from TRU that is not safe and will continually give you problems (and it's a used bike now, anyways).

Until then, though, be careful and check over the bike thoroughly before every ride to check for loose parts.

I got the bike over to the local shop this afternoon. He looked it over, tightened up the handbars, etc. The verdit:

1. The bike is too small for me.

2. The bike is a piece of junk. I knew this. And he didn't say it like that, but that was the jist of it. It was assembled poorly, for the most part.

The bike needs a lot of work done to make it an efficient one (and to assemble it correctly), but it will cost me way more than I actually spent on the bike to do this. And seeing as how it is too small for me, there really is no point in doing that. So I decided to keep the money and put it aside. I'm going to start saving for a new bike. It will take a few months to do, but I'll get there eventually.

He looked it over and apparently my saddle is fine. It's actually worth more than the bike is. LOL! But he said it was a good size and shape for me. He adjusted it and raised it, a measure he said would hold me until I got the money up for a new bike. I can no longer reach the ground... well, I can, but just barely.

I haven't ridden yet as we had horrible thunderstorms this evening. I'm aiming for sometime tomorrow afternoon to test it out. If I can fix it. I somehow screwed up the breaks on the way home, everything is tangled and the breaks won't release.

A new "starter model" bike will cost me around $400, and I think I can save that up over the next few months. That includes a fitting to make sure I don't get the wrong size again.

Anyway, the future of my bike will be to hang in there - hopefully - until I get a new one, and then it will be donated to our local "bike man" who fixes up old, broken, or unwanted bikes to give to less fortunate kids at Christmas. I'll keep the saddle and put the original one back on before I do that. But I think it's a good future for the bike. He knows what he's doing, so some kid won't be getting a piece of junk.