Serious cyclists - a personal question! (sorry tmi warning)

[amazonianwoman]

I'm training for a 600km+ charity bike ride in August and managing to do c. 30mile rides at the weekend.

Everything is going well except for my lady bits They're killing! (no, this isn't a wind-up)

Does anyone use any kind of lubrication/chafing cream, er, in intimate areas? Have been recommended Sudocreme but I thought that was to help dry out the skin ie like calming nappy rash? DH uses something called Assos chamois cream when he's cycling but I'm a bit unsure about slathering that on my fanjo...

I don't think it's helping that I'm over 40 and getting a bit drier anyway (told you it was tmi)

I wear padded shorts & have a good saddle.

If no-one can help here, I'm going to have to embarrass the hell out of one of the cute male sales assistants in Evans Cycles...

Oh poor you

Well, I'm not a serious cyclist but dh is and he says there are some saddles specifically designed for women (you say you have a good saddle though)

He uses lanolin based nappy cream before every ride as prevention and an antiseptic baby cream for that area if he gets sore. Try and find an unperfumed one for sensitive skin.

Also wash you and shorts after every ride as it's v important to keep very clean, but you probably do that anyway.

I don't know any serious women cyclists to ask. Maybe a cycling chat site would have more tips specifically for girls.

If it's any help dh was totally unfazed when I asked him about this for you. I think cyclists are quite inabashed and spend quite a bit of time pondering problems to do with sore bits and saddles.

Sometimes I wish he'd just take up golf

Thanks

Nooooo, don't encourage golf - the clothing's even worse and you get endless stories about that fantastic shot on the 4th [yawn]

Do you know exactly which nappy cream he uses? The stuff DH uses is about a tenner a pot and I've already told him it's probably not much different to Sudocreme

My saddle is good but not woman-specific, so might look into that option. Reckon it could be money well spent!

Thank your DH on my behalf

I would use KY for lubrication.

And the seats for women have holes in them, at least mine does, which I'm sure makes a difference.

Yeah, at least I know KY is "safe" for those bits

Do you have one of those super-slim seats or a nice luxuriously padded one with a hole??

I've changed my seat and it's made a big difference, women's seats are cut quite differently than mens! I've got both a road and cross-country race version of the specialized cut out women's one. I use one on my commuter and one on my road bike.

Also the Assos chamois creme is fantastic - I use it on the sides to prevent chafing but don't slather it right on the middle. If you needed extra cream for there I'd probably try plain old vaseline - it's the least likely to irritate your skin and I'm not sure if a sex lubricant would have enough staying power for a ride lasting 3-4 hours...

Mine is fairly narrow but with a hole.

Actually, it's one you get fitted for properly, they make you sit on a weird little gel thing to tell where your butt bones are, how far apart they are, and then they sell you the right 'size'.

Cheers again

NQC - where did you go for that service?

This Specialized one looks ok do you think?

I just went to a good local bike shop.

that saddle comes in two widths - can you get to a bike shop to try it to see which suits you?

You don't want to guess about the width based on how wide your hips are on the outside, I can tell you that! My pelvis is quite wide on the outside, but my arse bones are reasonably close together, it seems.

my pelvic bones changed shape permanently after giving birth too! Fortunately my saddle ended up still being okay.

Q- what do unicyclists wear under their cycle shorts?
A - another pair of cycle shorts.

Might be worth a try if you have two pairs. Girly Unicyclists sit on their bits all the time. When I was uni riding a lot I used Chamios cream- Butt butter brand.They are mainly Lanoin- not a problem in intimate areas unlees you are allergic to wool. it helped prevent chafeing but nothig eases teh presure except a differnt saddle and or lifting your but off the saddle regulary. Oh and DON:T shave- unless you are willing to continue, stubble and bike saddle don;t go well together.

I now have an inflatable saddle- but I had to make it my self.

Think I need to go into a shop rather than buying online. My pelvis from the outside is defo wide but I remember an osteopath saying last year after DS was born that everything was locked tight whatever that means (have had 2 sections)

Unicycling - v impressed

Definitely won't be shaving - am wincing just thinking about stubble + sweat + pressure + chafing!

you are wearing cotton underwear as well, aren't you? if you're not, then any sweating that you do will make any rash/itchiness/soreness loads worse.

I thought cotton was a big no no for any sports attire these days?! Because once it's wet it takes forever to dry, which then make chafing worse?

Have actually been advised by experienced cyclists not to wear any underwear , just good padded shorts/leggings. Haven't been that brave yet though.

Definitely ditch the underwear - tis probably the main cause of your problems. Cycling shorts are designed to be worn with nothing else.
Have you got women's cycling shorts (as opposed to men's)? Do they have a fleece lining (much comfier than the chamois or fake chamois IMO).
Also, make sure the 'reach' (distance from saddle to handlebars) on your bike isn't too long - a bike shop should be able to help you with that. I put a very short stem on my slightly-too-big-for-me bike, and it helped hugely with sore lady bits.

OK will go commando on next bike ride

Can't remember if shorts/leggings are fleece lined or not (definitely not real chamois) but they are a v good quality 'proper' make - and women's ones.

I'm pretty sure my bike isn't too big for me (have raised the seat loads to get a good leg position) but I might need to raise the handlebars a bit, could shift the pressure a little.

I'm off to Evans cycles tonight to buy a new bobby dazzler saddle. Am stupidly excited

Now, different subject - how easy is it to get used to cleats and do they make a real difference?!

How you feel about cleats will depend on how confident you are - you just have to anticipate when you will need to put your foot down. I sometimes find I twist my knee a bit taking my foot out, but they def. make a difference. You can pull up as well as push down, which gives you more output, and the stiff soled shoes you will need really make a difference.

Cleats are wonderful, ime. I have Shimano SPD sandals & I go jiddery (happy) just thinking about them. (Am not otherwise into shoe fashion u c...)

I was paying attention to my nether regions while biking today, and even though I ride in normal clothes, I didn't feel any pressure or rubbing - my weight is entirely on my arse bones.

(I like cleats, but can't use them now as I normally ride with kids on the bike, so can't afford the slow falling over thing you do once in a while with them. They aren't hard to get used to, they are a great improvement, ime, but only for longer rides, not stop-and-start city biking, iyswim.)

Right, off to look at SPDs too

DH can't believe that you can get great cycling info on a parenting website...

Am I right in thinking you can flip the pedal over if you don't want to use the cleats - just like NQC I don't fancy the thought of using them when stopping & starting pulling the kids in the trailer.

Oh balls, Evans closes in 7mins, will have to wait til tomorrow

Will be dreaming of heavenly new saddles tonight