Looking for peoples experiences with different bib shorts I'm having a frustrating time with them!

[MichaelW2]

How long have you been riding? Have you given your butt long enough to become conditioned to cycling before riding big miles?

You need a suitable saddle with or without padded shorts. The right width, the right firmness, the right profile.
Check your riding position is not too low.

 

[iluvmybike]

I have a few prologo ones including a nago evo and a dimension plus a richer skyline comp and the various OEM saddles

Ok but which one is on your bike and giving you the problems? Measure the width - some models of saddle come in different widths. Does it have a centre cut-out - this can take pressure off

 

[HarryTheDog]

I think shorts are like shoes and sometimes saddles you sometimes have to just try them out to see whats best for you and when you find the one you like buy several ( I have 4 x prologo evo 40 saddles cos they seem to be the best for me) Over the years I have worn Gore,Castelli, Rapha, decathlon and various club shorts made by manufacturers I cant remember, I finally got a pair of shorts I loved Assos Mille, 2 years later I bought some more, they changed the dam design and I was not so keen ( leg slightly longer and newer pad did not feel so comfy) , when my original Milles started to grey with age and washing I ordered some Assos Cento's to try which are my favourites now so bought another pair for the future.
However I gotta say apart from the cheapest Decathlon and club shorts I have never had hint of a saddle sore.

 

[Lozi]

How long have you been riding? Have you given your butt long enough to become conditioned to cycling before riding big miles?

You need a suitable saddle with or without padded shorts. The right width, the right firmness, the right profile.
Check your riding position is not too low.

I have been riding years on and off i have done about 6000 miles on my MTB and 3000 on my road bike total but i recently started up again a year ago after a couple years off, i only started wearing padded shorts and tights this time round i didn't used to years ago with the OEM seats and really struggled with endurance.

Its funny you should mention the low seat as i thought i was probably too high so i started stepping the seat down incrementally and the rubbing and sores got way worse!

 

[Lozi]

Ok but which one is on your bike and giving you the problems? Measure the width - some models of saddle come in different widths. Does it have a centre cut-out - this can take pressure off

All of them are giving me similar issues which is why i thought id go back to shorts being the issue all the seats i have are different in width etc i have narrow sit bones and big thighs so i find the narrow seats better, they all have a centre cut out but its not a pressure issue its the back of my legs right at the top where it meets the butt cheeks rubbing, the leg to butt pit you could say lol

I think shorts are like shoes and sometimes saddles you sometimes have to just try them out to see whats best for you and when you find the one you like buy several ( I have 4 x prologo evo 40 saddles cos they seem to be the best for me) Over the years I have worn Gore,Castelli, Rapha, decathlon and various club shorts made by manufacturers I cant remember, I finally got a pair of shorts I loved Assos Mille, 2 years later I bought some more, they changed the dam design and I was not so keen ( leg slightly longer and newer pad did not feel so comfy) , when my original Milles started to grey with age and washing I ordered some Assos Cento's to try which are my favourites now so bought another pair for the future.
However I gotta say apart from the cheapest Decathlon and club shorts I have never had hint of a saddle sore.

Id love to get to the point where i know what seat and pad work for me I'm really motivated to do a load more miles but comfort is holding me back so I'm clutching at straws a bit, i did manage 3 50 mile rides on my MTB earlier in the year i did a 170 mile week and many other over 100 mile weeks for some reason now I'm not able to do much more than 10 miles without a dead arse its incredibly frustrating i am regressing and i cannot find out why!

 

[PaulSB]

In the past I have suffered from saddle sores and I feel it may help to identify the type you are getting.

My impression is the sores you suffer are through rubbing or chaffing. There is another type of saddle sore which I think is called a pilonidal sinus. Basically a pore in the skin gets blocked, becomes infected and instead of forming a head which breaks the pus goes inwards. In my case this was always caused by a pore containing a hair becoming blocked and infected. Google will tell you these occur at the top of the area between the buttocks. I can guarantee they can occur on the cheek and in the groin. I've had the surgery.

If it's chaffing which is causing the issue the answer is in position, saddle and bibs. If the other may I suggest scrupulous hygiene is important. I wash the whole area before riding and strongly believe this helps.

As for shorts I have worn Assos F1 Mille and now these are discontinued Assos Mille GT for 20+ years. Both are designed for comfort and long distance riding. The quality is absolutely outstanding. The price is eyewatering and can be as much as £140 but Google is showing a lot of very good offers at the moment at around £90-100.

The pad in the Mille GT is only partially sewn in and is intended, and does, to move with the body. I was sceptical, it works.

I reckon to get at least three years from a pair. I ride 7-8000 miles per annum. I cannot recommend these highly enough.

I'm 5'6", 72kg, 32" waist and wear a medium size.

Try Sudocreme instead of chamois. It's far superior and much cheaper. It works on babies who are a damn sight more delicate than you or me.

 

[Lozi]

In the past I have suffered from saddle sores and I feel it may help to identify the type you are getting.

My impression is the sores you suffer are through rubbing or chaffing. There is another type of saddle sore which I think is called a pilonidal sinus. Basically a pore in the skin gets blocked, becomes infected and instead of forming a head which breaks the pus goes inwards. In my case this was always caused by a pore containing a hair becoming blocked and infected. Google will tell you these occur at the top of the area between the buttocks. I can guarantee they can occur on the cheek and in the groin. I've had the surgery.

If it's chaffing which is causing the issue the answer is in position, saddle and bibs. If the other may I suggest scrupulous hygiene is important. I wash the whole area before riding and strongly believe this helps.

As for shorts I have worn Assos F1 Mille and now these are discontinued Assos Mille GT for 20+ years. Both are designed for comfort and long distance riding. The quality is absolutely outstanding. The price is eyewatering and can be as much as £140 but Google is showing a lot of very good offers at the moment at around £90-100.

The pad in the Mille GT is only partially sewn in and is intended, and does, to move with the body. I was sceptical, it works.

I reckon to get at least three years from a pair. I ride 7-8000 miles per annum. I cannot recommend these highly enough.

I'm 5'6", 72kg, 32" waist and wear a medium size.

Try Sudocreme instead of chamois. It's far superior and much cheaper. It works on babies who are a damn sight more delicate than you or me.

Thats interesting what you say about the sores mine are from rubbing i can sometimes feel it happening but the place they appear is where the join between the back of my leg and arse is and they are like little sore bumps sometimes a little bigger the hair thing sounds logical, i have found the shorts and me being fresh and clean or not make absolutely no difference.

EDIT: I have just checked again and they seem to be on the buttock towards the base and more towards the inside rather than outside, there's an area of very small bumps so pores sounds very logical.


My main issue is the amount of time i can actually spend sat on the seat before my arse becomes tired or dead/uncomfortable i feel i have to move around a load, the closest i have been to comfortable is with the thicker pad but that is the pad that gives me the sores really quickly.

To be honest the way i ride isn't ideal i do minimum 10 miles every single day and have done since i started back up in September last year so im approaching 365 consecutive days! every time i have had sores i have managed too wear the other shorts and tights that don't give me sores and recover from them while still riding every single day.

i would like to be able to spend more hours in the seat and that's something i have never been able to do its dead arse that stops me doing more almost every time and has done for 10 years!

 

[Venod]

Try Sudocreme instead of chamois. It's far superior and much cheaper. It works on babies who are a damn sight more delicate than you or me.

Sudocreme is good, I use use similar from B&M, Aqueous cream, my bums never been as soft.

https://www.chemist.co.uk/xbc-aqueo...cP-Jc8k2JXyMH4yEsxmMaT9hkfi1V9bRoC55wQAvD_BwE

 

[Sharky]

I was having problems with bib shorts after breaking my collar bone. The straps were just too tight. Solved this by using waist shorts and tights, with good old fashioned braces which can be adjusted to exactly the right tension.

 

[PaulSB]

@Lozi the little bumps you describe sound like blocked pores to me. When I get a blocked sinus, thankfully rarely, it is usually multi-headed.

My suggestion would be to try Sudocreme. It's designed to protect babies skin providing a barrier between the nappy contents and the skin. There's a big similarity between this and our sweaty bums and pads. I swear buy it when I'm on tour, it provides day long protection.

 

[Lozi]

@Lozi the little bumps you describe sound like blocked pores to me. When I get a blocked sinus, thankfully rarely, it is usually multi-headed.

My suggestion would be to try Sudocreme. It's designed to protect babies skin providing a barrier between the nappy contents and the skin. There's a big similarity between this and our sweaty bums and pads. I swear buy it when I'm on tour, it provides day long protection.

Thanks ill give that a go i always have a load of sudocrem on hand anyway for another unrelated problem i have!

 

[PaulSB]

Thanks ill give that a go i always have a load of sudocrem on hand anyway for another unrelated problem i have!

So that's why you want to cycle further......

 

[newts]

Chamois cream pre ride & Sudo cream post ride works for me when things get a little uncomfortable downstairs. Perhaps shifting your saddle back a few mm may also help?

 

[vickster]

This stuff is good once things get sore, use after post ride shower, before cycling. Not cheap but only a little needed
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Assos/Skin-Repair-Gel/YV7?
less mucky than sudocreme

 

[Lozi]

Thanks guys, i have rolled the dice on another pair of shorts and a different seat to try and give me more options to find the right combo hopefully i can get past this rut and get out for longer its so frustrating actually being super motivated to ride but not feeling good on the bike its not often i feel motivated lol