Another "personal" question

[mandigreene]

While riding long distances I sometimes noticed I can get uncomfortably chafed in the crotch area (and I don't mean my butt Just things rubbing wrong, should I use a lubricant or something? Vaseline? Help! Hope I didn't embarass anyone

mandi

[SadieKate]

Don't worry, we've all had problems somewhere in the nether regions.
1) Are you using really good shorts with a chamois meant for long distance riding? I like PI's PRT chamois and flat stitched seams.
2) I changed saddles which helped
3) Chamois Butt'r -- I swear by the stuff for long distance rides or when I'm riding several days a week. It comes in large tubes as well as pocket size packets.

[Sparrow]

Yep, what SadieKate said.

I've fought the same thing and it's taken lots of trial and error with the saddle to get things adjusted right so that my 'important bits' don't get chafed. Good shorts and Chamois Butt'r made a huge difference for me, but in the end it took finding the right saddle and adjusting it properly for my shape to completely cure the problem.

[spiderwoman]

I solved that problem by buying the
Terry Liberator. Vaseline works up to a
point, but the Liberator was a major
improvement.

[KTeach]

This works for me:

1-Terry Liberator Seat
with either

2-Shebeest Elite Distance Shorts or Pedal Pushers with new SHELASTIC Chamois - used these for a nine hour ride with no pain!

OR

3-Terry T Short Longs - comfy chamois up to 75 miles or so

[neuroticcyclist]

I will join the Terry seat bandwagon. And making sure the fit of the bike is right so you are sitting in the proper position to avoid chafing. Changing seats and a bike fit changed my life on this score.

Also, the Sheebeast shorts are good, as are the top of the line (like $130) Pearl Izumi womens' shorts. A bit of lube for the longer ride helps as well.

[Dogmama]

Desitin (the ointment for baby bottoms) is nice because it is slightly numbing. Also, you will toughen up down there. I don't mean callouses, but you won't be quite as sensitive.

Ditto on bike fit & shorts, however. Seat is important too. I use a Serfas & love it. Make sure your seat isn't too wide. Women specific seats don't fit all of us women.

[jobob]

Chamois butt'r works great for me on long rides. I bought a very small empty travel-size bottle with a squeeze top (REI has a nice selection of empty plastic travel-size tues & bottles in their camping dept.) and keep some Chamois butt'r in that, in case I need a 'touch-up'; it's not very heavy or bulky and has really come in handy on a couple of occasions.

[yogabear]

Hi there,

I can only speak about what has worked for me. I had problems with that region for many years (8-9 years of my 10 years of riding), but only on my road bike, not my mtn. bike.

After much heartache and physical pain and injuries and sacrifice of my racing, I finally figured out that I needed a road bike with a smaller top tube to help me fit more comfortably (I have extra long legs [a 30-31 inseam] even though I am 5'2 and a very short torso)...this required for me, going to 650 c wheels but I went to a road bike not a tri bike.

I also noticed after much trading and experimentation that I needed a "man's" saddle. The women specific design were too wide in the sit bone area for me, so I must have put more weight on the nose. Switching to a guys' Prolink, courtesy of my hubby who rides a Flite and didn't need his, has helped tremendously...I am even comfy on the trainer.

Also, one of the key things I noticed as well for me was the shorts. I had been wearing some shorts that chamoises did not like me. I asked my local bike rep which shorts seemed to help women the most and he recommended the Sugoi's to me. I switched to the Sugoi women's RS shorts and wow, what a difference....not an easily switch as I was a big Pearl Izumi short fan for many years.

I also noticed I needed a smaller size shorts (XS not an S) to reduce the rubbing (mine tend to stretch after a while I have noticed and plus, I am littler than I though LOL). I don't even need to use any lubricant any more, but I suppose this might change as I am able to ride longer than 2 hours finally...I used to suffer so much pain that I could only ride an hour before I was so trashed. I used to get alternating pain in my upper body and wrists and my crotch...ouch!

This past late summer with the new shorts, new bike and new saddle, I increased my rides to 2 to 2 and half hours at a time thankfully...without any pain (other than lactic acid from hill repeats LOL).

I hope that you feel better very soon though and find some solutions. Just keep trying different things (shorts, sizes, lubricant or no, saddles of both genders, bike fit). One thing I would say though is to work with a reputable professional bike fitter if you do decide to change your position and make incremental changes slowly over time to reduce the possibility of injuries...

Best wishes,

Lisa

Sorry this is long

[jobob]

I also had found that a men's saddle works better for me.

- Jo.

[maryellen]

Originally posted by jobob
Chamois butt'r works great for me on long rides. I bought a very small empty travel-size bottle with a squeeze top

great idea jobob. Those little packets get pricey as I use a lot of Chamois butt'r on long rides.

[CorsairMac]

Yoga - you and I have the same problem - 5'2" with a 30" inseam. What road bike did you end up that fit you the best?...........or did you modify? Would love to know some more details as I'm looking to buy a road bike by next summer.

[emily_in_nc]

For those of you with long legs but vertically challenged, you might want to take a look at the Aegis Swift. I'm 5'2" with average inseam (28" ish), and the top tube on my 46 cm Aegis is nice and short (19.1") so that I am able to use a 9 cm instead of a shorter stem (for better handling), but the standover is a lot higher than on my Terry Isis, which has a 19" top tube as well. In fact, when I first got it, I was concerned that I'd bought too large a frame b/c I really don't have any "space" between the top tube and the padding on my shorts when I stand over it (they lightly touch). However, it hasn't given me any problems at all.

The Swift also comes in 44 and 48-cm sizes, and all have 650C wheels to accommodate the shorter top tubes. You can check it out here.

It's definitely a "move up" bike ($$), but is a sweet carbon ride from a great company (they make 'em in Maine), and seems built for shorter women with longer legs! I have no affiliation with the company but am a very satisfied customer.

Emily

[CorsairMac]

Em - are they a custom bike or off the rack?........(on my way to find their website!)

[emily_in_nc]

They are off the rack (the frames), but you can choose different component levels, Shimano or Campy from Ultegra up through Record. I got lucky and found my frame on eBay for 2/3 off retail (it was a leftover) and built the bike up through my LBS for about $1000 less than it would cost to buy a new one (Campy Chorus components), but it was still spendy. Worth it for me, though, as I'd rather spend money on bikes than just about anything else!

The website is www.aegisbicycles.com.

Hope this helps!
Emily