Am I doing it right?

[tctrek]

You mentioned all the possible things it could be: being a new rider, the saddle, the new aero position or your shorts. So, this is a process of elimination that many of us have been through... and it ain't cheap sometimes to figure it out.

It looks like you knew right away that the saddle that came with your bike was wrong for you and went to another that's not as bad. But you still have some pain. So, new rider pain could last a week or two. Beyond that, it's probably going to be the saddle or the shorts. Depending on where the pain is, I guess it could also be the fit ie: if you are stretched out too much and putting too much pressure on female parts.

Kind of delicate subject, but I hope you aren't wearing anything with seams that could rub/chafe your soft tissue, such as underwear. You may want to try putting chamois cream on the seams of your cycling shorts. Make sure you are washing your shorts between rides so you don't create a science project. All cycling shorts are not created equal and like saddles, the chamois that works perfect for one girl is not so good for another.

For me personally, I need a very minimal saddle (I use the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour) and very minimal chamois (the Castelli Kiss Chamois is my favorite). Any more padding than this and I am in agony after about an hour. Although I am a little over-weight, I have virtually no rear end and I don't like my sit bones sinking down into padding.

Hope it works out to just be "new rider behind".

[CyborgQueen]

Kind of delicate subject, but I hope you aren't wearing anything with seams that could rub/chafe your soft tissue, such as underwear. You may want to try putting chamois cream on the seams of your cycling shorts. Make sure you are washing your shorts between rides so you don't create a science project. All cycling shorts are not created equal and like saddles, the chamois that works perfect for one girl is not so good for another.

For me personally, I need a very minimal saddle (I use the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour) and very minimal chamois (the Castelli Kiss Chamois is my favorite). Any more padding than this and I am in agony after about an hour. Although I am a little over-weight, I have virtually no rear end and I don't like my sit bones sinking down into padding.

Hope it works out to just be "new rider behind".

I've read the research ahead of time before purchasing bike shorts, but it was my fault that I didn't read the padding fill - I figured all bike shorts had Chamois, but obviously not all. :-) The very first thing I checked before purchasing was the seams. No seams in the middle at all on the padding, but there is a flat seams on the outside. I could not feel it at all. I do wash the shorts after every ride. I did that as soon as I started using it....I had enough reading of the "horror" science project stories...more than I need to know, but they're great lessons! I will be getting my PI shorts soon, so maybe I can see the difference, maybe not. :-)

It hasn't even been a week since I bought the saddle/bike. So, yeah, I'm hoping it was just a "newbie" kind of thing. I remember when I started skiing, I hated my ski boots because they were uncomfortable/stiff/not broken in (and it's one of the best ones for my feet and thick calves). It took a couple weeks for it to finally break in, and no discomfort, unless if I haven't skied in a while.