Chafed cheeks - special shorts?

greenbike

Hello,

Even though I have a cut-out seat, I still have two choices regarding soreness when riding my mountain bike: the lady parts or my butt cheeks. I opt for the latter, for perhaps obvious reasons.

I plan to try the creams suggested on most sites, but I honestly feel that this will not suffice.

Are there women's bike shorts (or men's) that have padding that doesn't just protect the nether area? Meaning, not just hourglass shaped, but extended to protect the lower rear, where your posterior's bones rub against the seat.

thanks

Eden

Are you talking about true chafing or just sore spots? Butt soreness will go away on its own with more riding - kind of like breaking in a pair of shoes. Chafing would be another problem all together.

greenbike

Well, basically, I have scars on my butt from years of riding. I used to ride every day, everywhere, and the problem did not go away.

I do also experience muscle soreness, but my main concern is the skin burn

I should mention that I angle the nose of my saddle a bit downward, to accommodate a chronic back problem (know as flat back, reverse scoliosis), and to avoid too much contact with my (padded) lady area. The result is a lot of pressure on the back part of the saddle.

But I would think someone would have devised a padding system on the shorts since it seems to be a common topic in discussion boards.

Eden

Hmmm, sounds like you have some special problems. I don't know of any shorts that have a pad in the back quite like that. Some of the people in the recumbent forum were asking about something similar since they don't sit the same way as upright bikers, so maybe you should search around that forum? Chamois cream would probably come through most shorts, but maybe a powder like baby powder or gold bond would help?
Maybe check to make sure your saddle is low enough or if your legs are different lengths - if you rock back and forth on the saddle that could cause chafing.
Good luck

FELTF10

I don't think your problem is with the shorts but with the saddle and you won't find a saddle to fit your needs. I suggest you look into having a saddle custom made with padding in the right places that works for you. Look into a motorcycle custom seat maker to take a saddle an remove the covering and padding and start all over again. You have special needs that will require a special saddle fit to you and you alone. I think that this will be the only real solution to your problem. Good Luck!

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greenbike

Thanks Feltf10 and Eden; you both intuited correctly. I have bad alignment/symmetry problems from head to toe. I wear a heel lift in my left shoe. I am rocking on my seat, in spite of my efforts not to. And I have tried a million saddles

I was looking into the BiSaddle, by BycycleInc (site of same name)

Anyone have input on this? Maybe it's the best quick solution for me

Eden

I don't have any experience with the leg length problem, but there are others here who do so maybe someone can jump in with more info about pedal/shoe shims. I think you have to go to clipless pedals if you aren't already using them, but there is a shim system to even out the difference in your legs and stop the rocking motion.

a search turns up quite a few thread http://www.cyclingforums.com/search.php?searchid=242763
if the link doesn't work I searched 'pedal shims'

LindaNo1

I have seen replacement padding for cycling shorts for sale in our local bike shop. If you were able to get hold of replacement padding, could you not sew it into your shorts across-ways? So you would have the padding going between your legs and across your bum as well. Does this make sense. If only I could draw a picture to illustrate what I mean!

Good luck ...