sensitive spots

[arreyonskyy]

ok, ive got the padded shorts but my womanly space is a little tender to the touch. i wasnt even in the saddle long yesterday. was the investment is the shorts a good idea if this is the result. ive checked my seat height and all.... no problem.... but i think that it is tilted to the front a little bit.
just to add...
when i was on my mtb, never had this problem. oh yeah,, didnt have the padding then either.

[hirakukibou]

Hmm... I have had the same problem and attributed it to my saddle. I finally tried the Stelle SMP Strike that people have talked about on this forum and feel much more comfortable. Saddle issues are a big problem for many of us. What saddle are you riding?

[Tri Girl]

I used to ride my mtn bike without padded shorts and never had a prob. With my tri bike I still have tenderness after long rides. I had to change my seat 3 times to find one that worked for me. At my LBS, they let me try a saddle, then return it for another within a few days if it didn't work. I did that until I found one that works. I'm riding the Terry butterfly. Works for me. After really long rides, it's still tender- but that goes with the territory of really long rides and being down in my aeros for long periods.

Keep trying diff. saddles until you find one that works for you. We're all anatomically different, so find one that you can live with!

[Dok-torr]

Cheaper then a new saddle is anti-chaffing cream.
I also have some shorts with more definite seat bone pads that lift you off the sensitive areas.
Otherwise, it sounds like you might want to try a saddle with a front area recess or cut-out?
Good luck.
Let us know what works....I still get some soreness on longer rides and worry about the back to back long days of the next enduro ride I have planned - and I use all 3!

[slinkedog]

I've been through a few saddles and a vat of chamois cream. The cream is helpful, but the right saddle is definitely worth the $$$, imho. It's time consuming to find the right one, but to be in no girly-bits pain at the end of a 65 mile ride is a good thing.

I've been able to re-sell all of my saddles, via craigslist or friends here on the board.

[kjay]

Hi, slinkedog! Which saddle do you use?

[KnottedYet]

I started using stuff to cut down on the chafing (Burt's Bees salve, just cuz it was handy) and it really made a surprising amount of difference in my happiness level.

[slinkedog]

The Selle SMP Strike Lady. There's a thread about it in the Saddles section. It has worked for some of us, and not for others. I think BikerZ has one for sale, if you want to give it a try!!

[Nanci]

I think you don't get sore on MTBs because you change position so much- on a road bike you just sit and sit and sit. It might help to stand every 15 minutes or so, and to move half an inch forward or back. Plus, your stuff just needs to toughen up, too. It will :-)

Nanci

[velogirl]

I think you don't get sore on MTBs because you change position so much- on a road bike you just sit and sit and sit.
Nanci

Too funny! I have exactly the opposite experience. I don't get sore on my road bikes at all (and I ride 15-20 hours a week). But I attribute that to the fact that I'm always moving around on the road bike and changing my weight distribution for corners and climbs and descents. Same bike/saddle on the stationary trainer and I can only tolerate 90 minutes before I'm sore (because you don't move around on the trainer).

I don't get sore on shorter mtb rides (under two hours). But, if I do longer rides or any length race, all of my soft tissue gets sore and swollen. I realize it's due to the softer saddle I have on my mountain bike, but because I ride a hardtail, I want a softer saddle (because I bounce around on the saddle when riding the rough stuff).

I guess we're all a little different.....