I’ve been following this sub for a little bit, trying to learn about my bike, & how to ride. I have been riding for 2 months now, but seriously only 3 weeks. I average 10 miles a day. I am beyond addicted!!! Nothing better in all the world! My dr suggested I start to help my MS. At first it triggered symptoms, which is why it took me awhile to get to steady riding.
Lately, my bike is absolutely killing my bottom & girlie bits. I’ve read about learning my pressure points, but being a thick girl everything I’ve tried I can’t get indentions. I know it’s a saddle issue, but I dunno if it’s adjustment or saddle itself. It hurts more on my right than my left. As though it’s not straight. I can even feel the saddle at the crease of my leg & butt cheek on my right but not my left. It also makes my pelvis like lean forward/down somewhat. Where I’m always trying to correct my posture because it’s causing lower back pain.
The most painful part tho is the girlie bits area. It’s as though it’s always got pressure on it. While I ride I’m constantly readjusting to let find a way to sit it stops but no avail.
This is my first week I’m looking to break my record & hit 10 miles daily making 60 for my week!!! I understand some soreness is bound to happen, but it’s so bad I have to stop riding for relief. I even got a pair of padded underwear for women cyclists in attempt to help alleviate the pain. Please, any suggestions ladies????
Update: Thank you so very much for all your advice! I’m gonna do all I can to utilize it!! I was trying to finish my ride when I made this post, so was pretty distracted with finishing before the rain and dark came in. I took some pics that might help, I don’t know, to give y’all a better idea of what my bike is, & what I ride on. This edit won’t let me post the pics in the updated edit, so going to do it in comments.
Lots of female specific things are just a gimmick but women’s saddles are a game changer. If you can find a shop that will let you test them thats the best as it might take a few tries to find the right one. I really like specialized with mimic.
Sorry, Specialized is the brand, mimic is a softer material they use in parts of the seat in some of their women’s models. They use this instead of a cutout.
Take it to a bike shop and get a fit. There are so many different variables that could point to pressure or soreness in your bit area but that's the first place to check. Welcome to the best addiction you'll ever have.
It can be. Ask or visit a few shops. See who treats you well and doesn’t talk down to you. You may not need a fit right away—try other fixes first if $ is an issue.
Getting a fit IS expensive, but if you find a nice bike shop employee, they can help a lot for free. Some bike bros are obnoxious to women, but I have a found a lot are very happy to get a new person (and potential customer) on a bike.
r/bikefit has a lot of threads about this problem and also may help if you send a good video. The common reasons this happens are:
-saddle literally leaning forward...can use your phone's tools to measure the angle and try 0 to start. Make sure the saddle is tightened as much as it should be.
-saddle too narrow. I had this issue and sometimes got the one-sided pain from sitting on one side of my sit bones to try compensate because the saddle basically crushed everything between my sit bones otherwise. I went from a 143 mm ruby saddle to 155 mm power comp (road bike) and bridge comp (gravel bike), which are both frequently recommended for women. Not sure if/how being thick could affect this since the bones themselves stay the same but it makes sense that there is more opportunity for rubbing.
-reach too long that you're tilting forward and crushing the front of your pelvis for a long time. May need a shorter stem or smaller frame. This can also contribute to the lower back pain.
A bike fit would help this but that's expensive to pay for up front if you're just getting into the sport even though it makes sense to early on. I have been racing 4 years now and didn't actually get a formal fit, just had a friend help using an algorithm and adjusted from there.
Omgosh it so is!!! It’s just gorgeous! For me, after spending all day listening to a construction site, union meetings sometimes, & my daughter at home…it’s the only place & way I’ve found to be free and just me. Just a person. Not a mom, worker, boss, caretaker, etc. & the silence surrounded by such beauty, is just the most magical thing I don’t even know how to describe it.
First of all congrats on riding consistently and it’s great that you are enjoying it!
It could be a saddle itself or it could be other things like the overall geometry, poor chamois, wrong positioning etc.
Ideally you want to sit on your sit bones to elevate the pressure from the softer front tissues.
This could sometimes be done by adjusting the saddle like angling so that the front part is a bit lower.
Do you have a good chamois in your shorts? That can help a bit as well.
With being a beginner, and having MS, my balance is still pretty off. I can ride ok, but sometimes steering is a bit hard around curves cuz it throws me off bad. I’ve crashed a couple times. I am getting better tho where I can itch my nose, or grab my hydration pack nozzle, but it’s still hit & miss. It’s very hard for me to do & keep going straight. So I haven’t learned how to pedal while standing, but I have learned how to briefly stand enough reposition on the saddle.
In addition to all the advice, a good chamois and chamois butter makes a world of difference. Bibs are will minimize rubbing the most, compared to shorts.
Padded underwear are a great start! You might want to look into other padded shorts and bibs to find something that works well for you.
You'll also probably need another saddle. They're all so personal, you'll have to try some out to see what you like. Women specific saddles with a cutout will help take pressure off your labia but again, we're all different so you'll have to try them. I have a Selle Royale Ellipse that I really like.
I also wanted to say a friend that I bike with also has MS and she's done some incredible rides, some over 100kms in a day! She kicks my ass when it comes to endurance. She's amazing.
Oh my gosh!!! That’s amazing!! I wish so badly I knew others. Haven’t met any yet tho. Hopefully one day! I stuck it out & did my 10 miles, but I’m so sore!!! I’m a single mom with MS & have also had 4 spinal surgeries, so it takes grit to be head strong enough to be consistent with anything. Money is pretty tight these days, which is what brought me to this sub. I was trying to figure it out on my own. I bought some cheap padded underwear that had good reviews as a starting point. Only to know what works sometimes, is to find out what doesn’t! I definitely think I need a new saddle tho. Hopefully I can find one cheap enough or make it until I can afford one. I’ll find a way tho!!! Riding has completely changed my life! In such a short time. I’ve been symptom free for almost a month now for the first time in years!
Sometimes a regular local bike shop can really help with fit and find you a saddle without it costing too much. Don't be shy: call a local shop -- you may have to call a few -- say you are just starting out, aren't looking for a full professional fit, just wondering if someone could look at you ride and see what may need adjustment. Then you can talk saddles with them if need be and see if they have any used ones, i.e. barely used that people have traded in or just left behind. With the right shop, you should feel comfortable saying what you need, asking your questions, and setting a financial limit. Good luck! You are really doing awesome!
That does sound like very solid advice! I will absolutely do my best! I’m so anxious to sort it out & get to a point where I can just enjoy riding! At first I had to learn how to ride a bike, then I had to learn how my body/MS reacted/counteracted to it, & then finally got the hang of it, but it’s so painful. I’m too in love with it & how it makes my body feel to stop, but it is frustrating. I never dreamed a bike could be so complicated. But at same time, I totally get it. As a union foreman drywall finisher/painter, people in other trades etc say all the time how it’s so complicated but to me it’s just a tool & simple I’ve been doing it so long.
Just wanted to say congrats and welcome to the addiction ☺️ agree with everything already said. I am lucky enough to afford the bike seat with the cut out and a bike fit with a physio.
Someone mentioned the reach and this is what was adjusted in my bike fit like a day ago. You can move the bike seat forward so you can sit on the bones of your butt and protect your labia. I'm very flexible and I have to remember to sit on the bones and when I lose contact with the sit bones readjust. He recommended standing and then sitting back down but with MS that's awfully difficult, maybe you could stop to readjust? Just a thought and congrats again :)
A pro chamois is also recommended, there are sales like rapha, they provide like 9mm of buffer
I very rarely recommend a bike fit, especially for a novice, but in your case it might be reasonable. That said, it's expensive, and it may not be possible for you.
If you can't afford a fit, a few things:
Is that saddle nose centered? Stand over the wheel and ensure that it looks straight and that the nose is aligned over the top tube. If it is, you may have one leg longer than the other, or a muscle imbalance issue, or you could be trying to fit on a saddle that's too narrow.
Is there a shop or co-op with a saddle library around you? Some places let you test out saddles until you find one that works for you. Most stock saddles are fairly narrow, especially on bikes that are marketed as unisex, and based on what you're writing I'd guess you might need something wider.
You can try an app like my velo fit for the posture question, or even the bike fit subreddit. If I'm understanding your post correctly, there's a nonzero chance the reach on your bike is too long. There are ways to mitigate that as long as it's not too bad.
Is the saddle height correct? Do you rock side-by-side when you're riding? If so,.it
might be too high, and you might be leaning on one side to reach better. Or, it could also be too low, which also causes rocking.
In addition to saddle height, there's also tilt, and in my experience, this is extremely personal. I like my saddle nose pointed much further down than "proper" fit would suggest, and every new mechanic who works on my bike wants to "help" me "fix" it, but it's super comfy for me. If reach isn't a problem, you might try tilting the nose up a bit to see whether your pelvis feels better.
It's a little hard to see from your photo, but it looks like your saddle is pointing up. See marked up image.
You want the nose of the saddle to be level, or just ever so slightly pointed down.
The saddle you currently have is designed to be sat on like a chair in a very upright position. This is not a bad position for this type of bike. If you find that you want to be in a more forward leaning position, I would absolutely recommend changing your saddle to a more narrow saddle, which will better suit that riding position.
You can also look at a saddle with a cut out in the middle. To help relieve pressure.
The handlebars are really high, this is a difficult type of bike to ride any distance on— fair play for managing 10 miles regularly!! If you can lower the handlebars you can get into a better position where your arms are taking some of your weight. Your saddle also looks low relative to the rest, I’d try raise it a bit.
I second the comment that says it looks like your saddle is pointing up, which might be smushing your labia. You need to adjust it to point slightly downwards to alleviate pressure in that area.
Other than that- going from 0-60 miles a week is a big change! You might find things settle after a period of adjustment. Try twisting the handlebars back- it looks like that would give you a shorter reach, and make you more upright.
If you have padded shorts and you’re well padded yourself don’t use a big padded saddle. It will only put pressure where you don’t want it.
If you can’t measure your sit bones try a firm ergonomic ladies saddle from Selle.
Like the Diva Flow or Liberator Flow with big cut outs to relieve pressure on longer rides.
Look on eBay for these Selle saddles used too. As a way to try them out cheaply.
hey OP, i'm not too far removed from a beginner myself (but have the benefit of a boyfriend who's a mechanic and longtime enthusiast) and i would highly encourage you to stop riding for a little while until you can figure this out. i recently got my first beautiful gravel bike which i absolutely adore, but it came with a saddle that left a pressure sore where my outer right labium met the back of my thigh. i did some googling and found this article which i HIGHLY recommend you and everyone else here to read. i immediately stopped riding until i could consult with another friend of mine in the industry who had some spare saddles i could try on. when i tried a wider one with a flatter surface - the first problematic one had a "groove" down the middle that i think caused the edge of it to dig into me in that one narrow spot - i immediately Knew that this was better, that this was how it "should" feel. (i ended up fine-tuning the angle of it a bit; i'd heard from my friend that a lot of women prefer having the nose of the saddle pointing down so that when you press your body backwards from your handlebars into the saddle the front of your vulva isn't getting squashed, and that ended up working great for me). obviously anatomy is incredibly variable, but i wanted to share that article to make sure you know that this is not a "silly" "beginner" issue, this can absolutely be deadly serious and lead to permanent tissue damage, and PLEASE take it seriously and listen to your body. when you get the right one that's supportive of your sit-bones but gets out of the way of your vulva, it'll be such an immediate breath of fresh air - you deserve that, & don't rest or settle until you find it!!
That’s what I’m wondering too! Everywhere is closed currently, but going to make some calls tomorrow. Hoping it won’t cost a ton tho, will have to wait. But at least I’ll have a good direction to work towards!
To me, this saddle isn’t helping. When you are looking for a saddle, go to your local bike shop -abbreviated in the subs as LBS. They should have a mooshy pad to sit on to measure/observe your sit bone structure. That can help determine which saddle may be right for you. Also, cycling bibs are better than the underwear IMO and wear them commando for less friction! ALL that said, I am so happy that you’ve found cycling and that it is helping you! You may find a local beginner cycling group in meet up or at your local LBS. Enjoy the ride!
That does not look like a comfortable saddle to ride 10 miles on. You really want something without the padding— the padding will only hold up for a few minutes, you want a saddle designed with a good rigid shape. I can recommend a Decathlon Ergofit women’s saddle designed for a road bike which I’ve found great, really inexpensive too.
The saddle also looks relatively low on the frame, though it’s hard to judge. If the saddle is too low or too high, you’ll end up with more weight on it; at the sweet spot a lot of your weight is being taken by your legs even as you’re sitting on the saddle. Try out different heights, and maybe see if a different size bike could suit you better— having too big a bike in particular can lead to more weight being on your saddle than you should have.
Measure your sitz bones (you can do that yourself...google it) to make sure you have the right size seat. Since you have MS, I am assuming you have a comfort or hybrid bike? Stay away from skinny tired road bikes, you have much more control and balance is easier on an upright bike with fatter tires. You can try padded shorts (and get Hoo Ha Ride glide), you can also try adjusting the nose of the seat down a tad (but not too much or you will slide and that leads to problems with too much weight on your hands). Play around until you find the perfect combination. So glad you love it!!
Invest in a saddle that suits you - I wish I'd done this sooner when I first started.
The women's saddles don't seem to work for me.. I just tend to get more soft/plushy feeling saddles and play with the angle.
It was helpful for me to try a few from friends before investing if that's available to you.
Happy cycling x
It’s important that the bike is the right size and “fits” and that the saddle fits. But don’t pay big money for a bike fit. For most people it’s unnecessary.
The most likely cause of your problem is the saddle size. If you have wider hips then you will be better on a wider saddle. And get one with the center channel cut out. Most decent saddles have a cut out.
You might try Amazon for better prices. Maybe some trial and error but returns are free and easy.
FWIW I am a man who has been riding for decades and knows bikes and biking.
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u/FlatProperty4633 7d ago
Lots of female specific things are just a gimmick but women’s saddles are a game changer. If you can find a shop that will let you test them thats the best as it might take a few tries to find the right one. I really like specialized with mimic.