Ouch. Sore

[iloverock]

Some of you were very helpful about buying a turbo trainer and biking in general so I'm hoping for some advice.

I bought trainer and have managed to get out a few times but god my vulva is really sore. It feels like it's been cut but it hasn't it just hurts.

Any recommendations?

You can buy a gel seat. I had to for my spin bike

👋 hi

I've got a spin bike and find I have to wear my usual padded shorts or I get the same, also I underestimated the amount of time I would normally be out of the saddle on a ride, curbs, hills, speed changes these all changed my position but on the spin bike it's one pace one position.

Not sure if that helps 😂

Flap mash! Urgh. Was that from the turbo or cycling outside? If it’s the turbo (and it’s completely static) there’s not a huge amount you can do (this is from someone who’s had numerous bike fits, saddle is spot on, wear decent shorts etc so it’s NEVER a problem for road rides on the same bike/ shorts etc). I concluded it was the fixed position of the bike on the turbo - I get this problem on a fixed turbo and rollers, but not my smart turbo which rocks as I ride.

If it’s on the road (and this will also help for the turbo): check your bike position and saddle height. Adjust the height until when sat on saddle, heel on peddle (yes heel) there is a slight bend in your knee, ever so slight. That should help.

Ensure you have some cycling specific padded shorts. DON’T wear pants underneath. Cycling shorts are very personal I’m afraid so the brands that work for me may not work for you. A decent budget brand is Wiggle’s DHB range.

Saddle. Again saddles are very personal. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. It’s likely the one you have now will still cause issues even with decent shorts and correctly adjusted height. All you can do is borrow test ones from shops (a decent local bike shop will have a range you can test out, one at a time). Alternatively if you know other women who cycle - ask if they have any you could try (I have various bikes, so would happily take one of my saddles off for a mate to try).

The pain isn’t something you need to put up with and with a bit of trial and error you’ll be able to resolve it.

There’s a good article here: totalwomenscycling.com/road-cycling/maintenance/gear-guide-choosing-a-saddle

I put Vaseline on any bits that are likely to chafe. Never had a problem since.

It's from being out on bike and not turbo.
I do have another seat to try so I'll give that a go

I had exactly that sensation on a new MTB a few years back. I’d naively hoped I’d be OK on the saddle it came with. I ended up with that soft tissue damage/ bruising type feeling, swapped the saddle off my old MTB and I was fine. All my saddles are the same style, although different brands. I find the ones with the cutout bit in the middle resolve that bruised feeling as it takes enough pressure off my nether regions. It’s also possible to buy ones with a memory foam channel that do a similar job. I’ve never tried one though as what I have works for me.

It could be a bike fit issue, a saddle issue or both.
A spacer to lift your handlebars up a bit, or a shorter stem might help so that you've got a slightly more upright position may help. That puts more of your weight onyo your sit bones and less onto your vulva. The lower avnd more stretched out your riding position, the more pressure is on your vulva. That can also happen if your saddle is a bit too far back on the rails - even a couple of mm change can make a big difference.
Then there's the saddle itself. Lots of padding doesn't necessarily mean more comfort. Often what happens then is that your body weight squashes the padding flat and you're effectively sitting on the "skeleton" of the saddle. If that is made of hard, unyielding materials it can be very uncomfortable. So it's the shape, materials and the degree of flex in the saddle that makes more difference than the amount of padding.
Unfortunately as noodle says, there's a degree of trial and error involved, and most cyclists have a stash of unsuccessful saddles! It's worth asking around friends to see what they like (and they may have some spares for you to try) but it is a very personal thing. The Selle Italia women's specific gel saddles are really popular but I tried one and found it absolutely excruciating - the cutout is in completely the wrong place for me. My personal favourite is the Fizik Luce which I find really comfortable but obviously it won't suit everyone either.
Here's a few articles you mind find helpful.
www.cyclinguk.org/saddlepain
www.velome.co.uk/lifestyle/your-vulva-and-cycling-what-you-need-to-know/
www.liv-cycling.com/global/campaigns/how-to-deal-with-discomfort-down-there/19728

Might help to understand your innie/outie status, OP.

@iloverock this is on Cycling News's website today and I thought it might help you.
www.cyclingnews.com/features/saddle-sores-101/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=cyclingnews&utm_source=facebook.com#section-saddle-sores-diagnosis-and-prevention