HELP. I love my bike BUT (rump related)

[Mitchy1nge]

I ride in bouts of about 10 miles at a time, 20 at most, maybe once or twice a week some weeks and would like to build that up a bit. Have only had my bike for a few weeks so am not sure if the severe discomfort of my underworld will get better. I think probably not, because one of the horses I ride also bruises me where seat bones manage to somehow poke through the fat, whereas the others are more comfortable. So am assuming it is the saddle. But if you tell me to give it a few more miles I will believe you!

Is it worth looking for a new one though? I don't want to spend ££££ as it's not something I will get masses of use from. I have a gel cover thing for spin but haven't tried it on real bike in case it fall off, gets caught in my spokes and somehow catapults me into the path of oncoming traffic

Have you got padded bike shorts? They make a world of difference!

Second the padded shorts! Go Outdoors do some.

Have you got a woman specific saddle?

ok, should at least try some padded shorts then although am not really short of padding in that area

no it's probably not woman specific, have read about that a little bit and it sounds like it could be helpful but is all quite individual and that seemed to take me into a more expensive part of the internet and a whole new realm of bike fitting

Padded shorts are a must. Also, you can try tilting your saddle down in front slightly - you can do this without having to go and get a proper fitting. There is also chamois cream - has helped my undercarriage immensely.

You can get cheap women's saddles too. Men's sit bones are closer together than women's so men's saddles tend to dig into our softbits as they are supporting us there rather than by our sitbones.

Just the thread I was about to post! I'm going to be doing a cycling weekend this summer (why, I'm not sure) and I'm quite concerned about my rear end.

So how on earth do you buy them? All the bike shops round here seem really macho and full of people posing. What do you look for in a good pair? And how do you pull it off say if you've been cycling along and then stop in a pub or a walk around a town before pedalling off again? Do you carry a cycle helmet just to show that you don't normally wear something so awful?

If you are doing a touring thing where you might want to look more normally-dressed for part of the day, there are shorts that have the tight padded layer underneath and then a looser pair on top which covers the lycra shorts. Like these: bike shorts

That looks much better than the visions I had. Thanks!

I have a skort from Sports Direct that looks reasonably respectable when walking round. Or you can just wear the padded shorts and a short a line or flippy skirt over the top.

For a cycling weekend, you will want to use some bodyglide or chamois cream (but not, whatever you do the sort with menthol in). Your fanjo will thank you.

ooo handy! I shall have to investigate. The creams sound a bit sticky though.

no idea what has possessed me. Long distance walking is far more my thing.

I think I have a girls saddle - it came with the bike, but I'm not quite sure.

Bodyglide isn't sticky

It's really worth going into a good independent bike shop - at ours, they get you to sit on a gel pad, to work out where your sitting bones are, and then sell you a saddle that is the right width for you, iyswim. Good saddles have special points your sitting bones go on, and it works out very comfortable. This is the best solution for someone who rides regularly - if you only go out once a month, a big old padded seat is maybe better.

(I do maybe 100km/week - mostly shorter rides, not normally more than 10km at a go. Both my bikes have proper seats, and my butt is always ok.)

What do you think of this skirt decathlon?

I looked at that on Sunday, and it was pretty good

oh cool :) I think a drive out to one soon might be in order.

I got cracking cycle gear from Lidl. The padded 3/4 length trousers have lasted me years!

Trouble with Lidl is you don't really know when stuff is going to come up.

Decathlon stuff is good, or Chain Reaction sometimes have good deals on women's stuff.

ohyoubadkitten the shorts inside that skirt have fairly basic padding, which can be bulky and a bit uncomfortable. The padding on these is much better quality www.decathlon.co.uk/700-womens-cycling-shorts-black-white-blue-id_8296122.html

skirt looks ok, I might try that or something like it and make some adjustment to the saddle

it is still too painful to sit on anything for long and last rode on Sunday, poor me

No no, just buy a gel seat pad put over the top of the current seat, lovely and comfy bum fat sort of consistency, Halfords sell them.

I suppose I could always pack a light weight skirt over the top.
I'd need a long top too. No one needs to see my bum in that much detail.

Poor you mitchy :(

poor me

I didn't organise any padded shorts (really there is plenty of padding in that area as it is, is the one part of me that is reliably enormous) but am going for a hilly* one today and can't do seated climbs anyway

might try my gel seat though, it just doesn't seem to stay put during spin so how will it on the road?

*in East Anglian sense of the term