HI,

I can certainly appreciate your concerns about pressure and soreness. I'm pretty new to riding too (almost 700 kms this summer). When I first started, my butt and pressure points were really sore. Reading here helped me greatly and it armed with some knowledge that I could take when it came time to purchase shorts and a new seat.

I have a men's Giant OCR 3. I'm about 160 lbs and 5'8 1/2", and the men's seat hurt no matter what I tried. So I purchased a Selle Italia LDY Gel Flow and a pair of Louis Garneau Women Ergo Sensor shorts (great padding).

The Selle is great. I don't have any pressure in my butt but do still get some pressure on the tender parts. I had to adjust my handbar stem and lift my handbars up a bit. This really made a difference in how I distributed my weight. I tend to ride with my seat back a little with only a slight dip downward, and found that this was the best for me. Perhaps having long legs has something to do with it? Micro-adjusting was the way to go and I'm still trying to find what works best for me.

As for soreness, I tried the vasoline route. It was messy but it helped somewhat. I found shaving the best for me. Although there is always preparation when I'm planning to go biking, I find that I don't get chafted as long as there is no growth.

Stick with biking regardless, adjust your seat and handlebars. The more you ride, the more you will be able to pinpoint things that you think you should adjust. Remember that it's not a natural position (to be seated on a bike) and you have to find your comfort zone. Some places will let you try out a seat to see if this is the route you want to go. If you have friends with wm specific seats, borrow it. When you try a seat that is better suited to you, you'll know immediately. Keep in mind that I don't think there is a seat out there that will feel absolutely perfect.

Keep in touch

Cindy,

NB Canada