Sore Butt From Biking

Butt massage from significant other.

I got the "best" bike seat (based on recommendations & price), good shorts, and read up as much as I could on proper fit.  However, the bottom line is time in the saddle is what it is going to take.  At first I couldn't ride more than a couple miles without suffering.  After a couple months I could go around 8-10 miles before it became bad.  Now after 4 months or so I can go 15-20 before the ouch.  (I am, however, still a bit sore to touch the next day)  I figure once I have been on the bike 6 months or so I will be set. 

Edited by akrenik 2009-08-21 6:45 PM

Your rear has to get used to riding just like any other part of your body. You'll probably find that as you go on a longer ride than usual you'll have pain in a lot of places: neck, arms, etc. As long as there's no serious bike fit issue all those pains go away as your bike fitness improves.

BTW, I can ride 120 miles in tri shorts with almost zero padding and no lube with zero rear-end pain. Nothing magic, just slowly ramping up my mileage over 2.5 years.

You just gotta toughin' up that taint. Get your choad on the road.

It would help knowing what your definition of a sore butt is. Some minor irritation from chaffing is far different than massive, open blisters. If it's bruising, is it surface or severe internal pain you're experiencing? Some soreness is to be expected, especially if you're new to biking. Some chaffing is to be expected after a long ride. But if you're experiencing serious pain (like you can't sit) or internal organs feel bruised, then you definitely have a problem with your fit or seat or both. Stop now and go have it looked at by a local shop.

If the pain isn't that serious, wear bike shorts (remember, no underwear underneath) and go try a couple more short rides to see if the pain gets better. The first couple long rides of the season always leave some general seat pain. But it goes away quickly.

Edited by daleskibum 2009-08-21 6:55 PM

This is what makes my butt happy.

The seat on the left is my old seat. The one on the right is one I have had since April 2009. I have put around 2,000 miles on it and still loving it.

Hum, something is not right here.  I took a look at your log and your somewhat consistant on your bike and based on the miles your riding you should not still be getting a sore butt.  I would probably recommend a new seat.  After a week or two of some miles on the bike where your riding more then 1-2 a week you should not be getting a sore butt anymore until your really out there for a long time.

I must say, that is impressive, but I have a feeling your 120 mile duration is much shorter then my duration

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Thanks for the recommendations. The soreness is actually in the tail bone from sitting on a hard seat. 

I am new to biking, so additional time may be likely.  I'll look into a different seat.  I am fine the first 10 miles of a ride, and then my tailbone becomes progressively sore. 

KSH,

What is the name of your "luxury" seat and from where did you purchase it? 

Thank you!

just a word of caution, a thicker more padded seat can sometimes be worse!

i actually went the other way, got a thinner, less padded seat and my issues went away. you need to find the right seat for you, and not just address the issue with finding more padding. finding the right shape seat is going to be more important, as the bike shorts are already padded (good shorts can make as much of a diff as seats can).

is this on a road or tri bike, and are you a guy or girl?

It is a road bike and I am a guy.  It's a cheap, Wal-Mart road bike, but I'll likely upgrade toward the end of the year. 

Here's the link:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698938 

When you upgrade the new bike will likely have a crappy <pun intended> seat as well.  If you get a seat that suits you well now you should be able to move it no problem I would think.

That is some serious cushion for the pushin'

Yes, I was told this for YEARS (since 2004). I rode year after year on hard seats with no cushion. Because cushion was BAD. Last year I suffered through a sore butt, and countless saddle sores.

At the start of this year I decided I was DONE with it. I mean, I could ride on the saddles at the gym... ones with cushion... for 3 hours (yes, I did 3 straight hours of back to back spin classes)... and have NO pain.

The seat with all cushion has provide the most comfort to my butt. I love it. It's dorky and doesn't look cool on my bike, but I don't care. My butt is happy.

I call my saddle the Lazy Boy of saddles- because it's oh so comfy.

Now, I probably just have a weird butt and it's not the norm for a seat with this much cushion to work. I was just sick of being in pain and having to wear two pairs of bike shorts... AND still having a sore butt.

easy to find and easy on the parts (g/f and i both ride this on road bike, i know no one that has tried it as a raod saddle and didnt like it).

http://revolutioncycles.com/product/bontrager-womens-race-lite-wsd-...

very good road saddle, and it has lasted for over 16,000 miles so far.

Thanks for the link......This looks to be a saddle for women?  Perhaps it also can be used for men? Is that correct?

yep, womens saddle. the mens saddle looks almost exactly like it so you wont get weird looks;-)

i used one for two seasons, and it will be going on my road bike when i get it.

its a very "normal" saddle, some padding, not huge, not tiny,

Bummer since it took a bit to convince my hubby that I needed the $100 seat (Butterfly).  The soreness isn't my butt, but is (sorry for the tmi) my bones right in the private girl area.  I have been told that my seat is tilted down too far, but I was worried that having it horizontal would make it worse.  Perhaps that is the problem?  Maybe I should look into that cushy seat on this thread.  That looks like a little bit of heaven! 

g./f rides a butterfly now, was on the saddle i linked before that for about 5 years (needed a new saddle fast and we had this around).

she said NO issues with the bontrager one in 5 years with about 11 diff pairs of shorts.

try the butterfly level or very close to it, its not a good saddle to tilt.