Need some better padded tights/shorts

[rosemarble]

Went on a 30 mile ride yesterday. Longest I've done for a while and bloody hell....I need some better padded shorts!
Do the pads wear out over time, as I've not had a problem before.

Any recommendations please?
The area around the front of my pubic bone was the most sore rather than further back/underneath if you know what I mean.

Thanks

Yes, pads do get less effective with time, and saddles also wear out. Though if you've not ridden for a while you might just be out of practice, or have changed your riding position which means you're putting pressure on different parts of your body.
Both pads and saddles are a very personal thing. My personal favourite shorts and tights are Alé - they just seem to suit be best of all the brands I've tried.
If it becomes a persistent problem it might be worth getting a bike fit done. Sometimes a relatively minor change in saddle position or something like a longer or shorter stem can make a lot of difference to comfort.
A good chamois cream can be a help too.

Yes they wear out but your weight should be through your “sit bones” if you have pain elsewhere your saddle is wrong for you or a bad angle. With what you describe I’d first try angling the nose down a bit.

Thanks both. My saddle has never been quite right. I got the bike for a really good price some years ago with the view to going out with my then youngish son ie it didn't really matter that it wasn't exactly the right size.

He's long given up cycling with me 😟and I have become more keen.

I think the frame is a little to small as I feel I am not sitting as far back as I'd like to. Probably by only an inch if that. The saddle is as far back as it can be. It could also go a little higher, but it's as high as it can go as well. I will see if I can tilt it down a bit.

It's never been a problem because I'm not doing tours or big races, just going out with the steady group in the bike club on a Sunday, the odd fun ride with friends and then this 100k Ride the Night event I've done for the past 2 years.

It was windy on Saturday so I was pushing quite hard in places. I'm not in a position to get a new bike, but hopefully better padded tights will help.

Personally I'd recommend getting good padded shorts, then you can wear them year round, on their own in warm weather or under unpadded cheap tights in colder weather. It works for me!

You'd probably also want to look at a saddle that fits your shape - go to a bike shop that can check this - they have you sit on memory foam to gauge what size/shape saddle you need - is your current saddle women's specific?

I don't know if there's anything that can be done about the frame being too small in terms of saddles that attach to the bike in different ways or with 'extenders' etc? Worth asking a good bike shop, or on cycling forums.

It's a women's bike so would they put a women specific saddle on it by default?

I don't know if I can get me and bike to a decent shop any time soon, but I'll have a look.

I appreciate your advice, thank you.

Sounds like you'd benefit from a bike fit. There's probably a bike shop or private physio somewhere in your area that will do it. Even relatively small tweeks can make a difference. If you're planning to do more riding then it's worth getting some expert advice as whilst new shorts and a good chamois cream might help a bit, if there's an underlying issue with your position on the bike, which it sounds like there might be, that's what you need to fix to get comfortable.

Just what I was about to say!
A bike-fit honestly changed my cycling for the better. If your saddle is just a bit too low, and can't go higher, you can buy longer seat posts, but beware of making your centre of gravity too high to ride and handle to bike properly.

Re cycling shorts: these are one area where I think you get what you pay for. Rapha used to be amazing, not sure what they have been like since the my sold out; Fat Lad at the Back are also excellent, they are my default first-place-to-look (also do Lasses, and a wide range of small medium and large sizes); Pearl Izumi if you can find any (they were issues with importers, now probably worse!); Castelli - many ££££ and tiny sizing; Alpkit are great for the £, but don't always have road cycling stuff.

It's not just about the fabric of the pad, but the positioning, the seams, the fit of the shorts.

For shorts/tights, I really like Stolen Goat. But in the saddle area, what made the big difference was a detailed bike fit with someone who looks at you and your bike/ saddle and fits it all together. Turned out my saddle sore issue was actually that I have one leg 5mm longer than the other so I was twisting on the saddle. Shims on my shoe sorted it instantly after spending stupid money trying saddles!
If you are even vaguely close to Worcestershire, Echelon are brilliant and won't rip you off either with expensive changes

I also recommend a bike fit - you don't need the five star one unless you plan on being an elite road racer. Mine was £100. And yes the padding does wear out and yes it is probably worth getting a different saddle! I use a Selle italia and it's great - even on a 100 mile ride I didn't get sore. Except in my legs and feet

Thanks all. This is really useful. I do have next week off work actually, so maybe I'll book a bike fit for then.
Will they do the best they can with the bike I have ie frame slightly too small?
And can you get women to do the fit? I think I'd be a bit embarrassed describing where I got sore.

also, I did have cleats for a little while, but after really, really bashing up both ankles (falling one way and then later on the other) I removed them. Now I have The Fear. I think they were way too tight.
I also don't really need them for the cycling I do, and certainly not for the charity ride I'm doing which will be slower than usual and lots of stopping.

I would like to try again - maybe in a couple of years when DS2 has left home and I have more time.

@rosemarble I have my bike fits done by a local physio who is a keen cyclist herself. I also prefer a woman and like the fact that there's nothing in it for her to tell me that I need to change components. I'm maybe a bit too cyclical but I am always a bit suspicious that if you have it done a bike shop and they say you need a lot of new things it might not all be for your own benefit! But if my physio tells me to get a longer stem she doesn't care or even know where I'm going to buy it from so I'm pretty certain she doesn't have a vested interest!
I would probably start by looking for any private physios in your area with an interest in sports injuries etc and then give them a ring to see if they do bike fits.

I had a bike fit from a man at my local shop - fully qualified and professional set up. They had a bike set up with a laser measuring thing hooked up to a computer and then transferred the 'perfect' measurement to my own bike. There was no physical contact - the only thing I would advise is to layer up as you spend quite a bit of time cycling on the set up bike then a while getting cold whilst things are adjusted or results explained! I wasn't sold anything - after all I'd paid £100 for the bike fit so they had their money

OK [head explodes with all the new bike knowledge], so I've been talking to a chap in my cycle club and he's given me some advice and has offered to have a look next week.

He sent me this https://www.cyclinguk.org/cycle-magazine/how-do-your-own-diy-bike-fit which gives me a lot of pointers.

I can get into the city next week and will get some new shorts/tights.

I don't even know if my bike and saddle are women's fit.

Another +1 for a bike fit if you are going to start racking up the miles regularly. There are plenty of independent fitters not attached to bike shops (so no hard sell). Mine will take standard bars/saddles etc as a trade in towards a replacement if one is warranted and he can source from a full range of brands, not just the ones ‘on the shop floor’ in a bike shop.

I always go for a really easy ride to test a saddle, as when you are not pushing hard on the pedals you don’t lift your weight up off the saddle so much so you notice any pressure points more. If you are pushing hard more weight is going through your feet. Now more saddle manufacturers are opening up to the idea of the cutouts and pressure relief channels, I wouldn’t get too hung up on women’s specific either. As long as the width is right for supporting your sit bones you can get a saddle that’s right for you. Both my faves are ‘unisex’ and I really didn’t get on with some of the ones marketed at women.

Fat Lad at the Back are also excellent

I've seen this brand quite a bit but never realised that they do actually only do larger sizes. Shame because they look pretty good and mid price range.

Oh actually maybe not - they have some smaller jerseys, all the shorts/tights start at 30" waist though.

I suppose it depends on your definition of "larger." I'm a 12-14 and have several pieces of kit from them. Whilst I am a bit overweight I wouldn't consider myself plus size really. But compared to most regular cycle brands where I need L or XL, yes FLAB do much bigger sizes.

I should have said they don’t do many small sizes in tights. It’s clearly not just plus sizes.