Cycling shorts issue - any thoughts?

[NMRider]

I know mine isn't chafing - it is both above and below the shorts, nowhere rubbing - I think I agree it has something to do with core temperatures.

[aicabsolut]

Okay....I gathered some courage after all (plus I had to figure out how to attach a picture again) since others here appear to have the same issue....

Is THIS what it looked like?? (please say yes please say yes) :P

Its only on the tops and outsides of my thighs... no where else.

(The other rounding welt by my right knee there is just a mosquito bite...doggone things are plentiful around here after all the rain we've gotten in Oklahoma... BLEH.)

I get those too!! Except mine are only BELOW the shorts line (maybe a few stray ones at the level of the leg grippers). I've gotten them with cannondale shorts, because that's mainly what I had till recently. They have silicone grippers. But, most of them occur on the exposed skin.

The hives stay even after I cool down and shower like normal heat rash. Then they turn dark. Benadryl cream works wonders. The weird thing is that I've ridden in some major heat and had no problems. They ONLY showed up on rides loner than 60 miles. It doesn't itch.

My dad (a doctor but not dermatologist) said it looked like a photosensitive reaction to him. I don't get a sunburn. It's the weirdest thing.

[li10up]

I had them on my legs after the HHH also. A friend who also did that ride had them too. I thought it was due to the extra pressure exerted on the skin in that area due to the leg gripper...figured the pressure and heat build up caused it. Only happens on long rides. I too have wondered if Body Glide would help by reducing friction but since I use Chamois Butt'r I haven't been able to try it.

[Ogresse]

are you sure it isn't a latex problem? I don't think there is a such thing as shorts without some form of latex, truly. My dad is highly latex allergic and (thanks for telling me, dad) got a hivey/diaper rash sort of reaction the first time he tried bike shorts... Just a thought.

[silver]

Why don't you ladies with this problem just remove the elastic from the shorts? I've just started doing alterations for bike clothes and have found that I'm much more comfortable now that I've custom fit them.

If you don't know how, I could do it for you, if you mailed them to me.

[GLC1968]

Mine is definitely not a latex thing...I wear the same shorts under my leggings in the winter and never get any rash. I also did a century in August where the sun never came out and temps remained below 90 the whole way. 102 miles and no rash. They are mostly on the skin that is not actually under the shorts unless I wear my super long shorts and then they still show up in the same place, but now they are under the fabric and above the gripper! Plus, I used to wear latex gloves daily and never had any reaction (though I have no idea if they were chemically the same compound or anything).

Aicabsolut - Yours sound exactly like mine....they get dark when the swelling goes away. That's really interesting about the benadryl cream. I'll have to try that! Do you apply it after they appear, or before?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Aicabsolut - Yours sound exactly like mine....they get dark when the swelling goes away. That's really interesting about the benadryl cream. I'll have to try that! Do you apply it after they appear, or before?

Regular old Hydrocortisone creme works well for me.

No, it's not from chafing, and no, it's not from the elastic band. For me, it only happens occasionally, in high heat and sun, under my shorts/lycra, only on top of my thighs. Sometimes it fades away after the ride, sometimes lasts a day.

I suspect it would not happen if i were wearing my merino wool knickers, which breathe well and are a more natural fiber...but they would be too hot to wear on a really hot day, so I won't be testing it!

INterestingly, one time I was sitting in the hot sun in my bike shorts, pre-ride, and felt that itchy irritated feeling of them starting up on my thighs. I went to the ladies room, saw the blotches starting up there, and put some sunblock on my thighs under the shorts, simply because it was the only lotion I had with me. It immediately faded away and did not return even during my ride that day in the heat. Odd.

[Alex]

I get the same thing on long, hot rides. I did try Chamois Butt'r on the area once, and it didn't prevent it from occurring. Just like for everyone else, it doesn't happen on short or cooler rides. Maybe we should take up a collection and one of us can go to a dermatologist and get a name for whatever it is? In the past, I have gotten exercise-induced urticaria, but an antihistamine pre-ride prevents it. I don't get EIU on road bike rides, even without an antihistamine. I will get it on my arms when mountain biking and on my legs when running. Weird.

Alex

[aicabsolut]

I tried hydrocortisone the first time it happened. Nothing. Then I tried Benadryl. It worked better. So the second time, I went with Benadryl from the beginning, and it made them fade a lot faster, and I didn't get the dark spots the next day.

I am definitely not allergic to latex. I've worn plenty of latex bandages in extreme weather conditions with no problems. My niece has a latex allergy (skin allergy only, not respiratory..she can be in the same room with balloons etc.) and I've never had any of the problems she has coming in contact with latex in clothing or bandages. Plus, my shorts have silicone grippers and not elastic. Nor are the hives under my shorts, only on the tanned parts of my legs.

My hands get contact dermatitis when I handle certain soils. Maybe it's prolonged exposure to crap on the road plus sun exposure? I dunno. It definitely seems to be an allergic reaction of some sort.