Anti-Friction Creams

[Christal]

So I'm new to cycling. Just found this forum today. I have lots of questions...

The first one is on Anti-Friction creams. I get this feeling I'm about to blister right where the saddle touches the inside of my upper thighs. A friend told me to buy some anti-friction cream and apply it to my skin where the feeling is located.

Anyone have any advice on this subject?

[indysteel]

There are several good products on the market. I, persoanlly, use Chamois Butt'r.

While these products are great, if you're experiencing an unusual amount of chafing, you might also consider whether your saddle is right for you, whether your bike is set up properly, and/or whether you need better shorts. While it does take a bit of time to break in your butt to riding, you should ideally be able to ride for moderate distances without much discomfort with a good set up on the bike and the right shorts. I really only need to use chamois cream for longer rides.

[papaver]

i use assos creme.

[ASammy1]

i use assos creme.

Me too!

[Christal]

There are several good products on the market. I, persoanlly, use Chamois Butt'r.

While these products are great, if you're experiencing an unusual amount of chafing, you might also consider whether your saddle is right for you, whether your bike is set up properly, and/or whether you need better shorts. While it does take a bit of time to break in your butt to riding, you should ideally be able to ride for moderate distances without much discomfort with a good set up on the bike and the right shorts. I really only need to use chamois cream for longer rides.

I actually don't know if its an unusual amount - it never does blister it just feels like it could - gets hot! I've been building a relationship with my local shop and they recommended an anti-friction cream as well as questioned my bike fit. I'm currently riding a mountain bike reconfigured for the road. I'm learning its a bad fit for me. Its to short a frame I guess.

On Saturday I'm going to test ride a Giant Defy3 as an upgrade to my mountain bike reconfigured for road. I am told they will fit the bike to me and change out parts to support my comfort.

I'm averaging 15 mile rides now. Just started my hill training. My goal is to be able to do a 40 mile round trip (has some hills) to the beach on the weekends.

So how do I choose a saddle that is "right" for me?

[indysteel]

Don't worry too much about finding the right saddle until you figure out which bike you're getting. If you do get a new bike, wait for your shop to fit you on the bike before you start the searching for your saddle. Your posture on the bike has a lot to with whether one saddle over another will work for you. I'd suggest getting the rest of your bike fit figured out before you moving onto the saddle.

From there, it's a bit of trial and error. You might see if your shop can measure your sit bones. This will help you figure out how wide of a saddle you'll likely need. Some people like saddles with cut outs, some don't. There seems to be a correlation with that on how "fleshy" your labia is (cutoffs help if you're fleshier than average). Same with nose length and width; it's just a matter of personal preference, riding style and type of riding (racing versus touring, for instance).

There are lot of threads on TE if you do a search on saddle preferences. I, personally, use a Terry Butterfly Tri Gel.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We all just finished doing a HUGE thread on chamois lubes:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=30478

[papaver]

We all just finished doing a HUGE thread on chamois lubes:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=30478

I haven't eaten a kaiserroll since...

[Christal]

We all just finished doing a HUGE thread on chamois lubes:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=30478

Hey thanks for the pointer to the long discussion - wow! lots of information.