Sit Bone Pain, how long does it last? -- New to Cycling

[blueeyesaz]

Hi all! I am new to cycling, though my husband is an old hand. We actually just got our new bikes last week after ordering them from Trek. We both got a Trek Madone 5.2 (I got the WSD) and we love them so far. We spent several weekends renting various bikes before we finally decided to shell out the money and get what we really wanted.

My question is regarding pain in my sit bones. As i've only been riding my new bike for one week I highly doubt that my saddle is bad (Selle SMP Strike TRK) and i'm not willing to blame my saddle this early in the game. From reading other threads I figure sit bone pain is normal in the beginning, but how long will it last? I'm sure this depends on how long and how often I ride. Right now i'm only riding between 10-20 miles about every third day as I don't think my bum can handle much more. Does this last for weeks, months, years?

Any advice or personal experiences you could share are greatly appreciated!

[alpinerabbit]

Couple of weeks.
You can speed it up by riding more often (every day, every second day) for a couple days and then taking a couple days off to let the periostitis (that's basically what it is) heal off. Sortofa "Sitbone training camp".
Diclofenac cream helps in relieving pain. apply moderate amounts several times a day.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Two to three weeks more or less. Ride about 10 miles every other day if possible, or something similar. Mine was excruciatingly painful the first week when I first started riding- then less each time. Now I only get a little in the Spring or after an uunusually long ride- but not terrible anymore.
Expect some sitbone pain every Spring if you have not been riding during the winter- but it'll likely be much less than the very first time ordeal.

[sarahspins]

I'd say I was in constant pain until I found a saddle that really fit (I went through 3 in a month, and I hurt a LOT that entire time). After getting my SMP Strike TRK, I was considerably sore around my sit bones for maybe a week (since they were finally supporting me for the first time)... but after that, which got MUCH better with each ride, I had no other complaints (no soft tissue issues at all) and now that saddle feels like nothing is there... I love it, and I'm glad I found it.

It is entirely possible that the saddle isn't a good fit for you though.. we're all shaped differently, and the SMP design seems to be something you either love and can't do without, or just can't stand. Some people dislike how much wider and more padded the TRK version is compared to the higher end versions. So if it is that you really need a narrower seat (I sure don't!) that could be part of the problem.

[KSH]

Are you wearing padded shorts as well?

I found that I have to ride 3 days a week and it takes a good 3-4 weeks until my bum stops hurting.

[Jow28]

Also...and I know we are all girls here....I hope! I shave my area and had to let it grow back during ride season due to stubble friction pain. The sit bones? Give it 2 good solid weeks of riding and wear padded shorts!