Saddle sore , short pad thickness?

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cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
I have recently started getting a saddle sore/ chafing on my right inner thigh/ groin area .
When i scoot forward a little bit i am more comfy ,is it worth putting my saddle forward or is their another underlying issue ?
EDIT i think it more of a pad thickness issue issue , see later post
 
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I have recently started gettign a saddle sore/ chafing on my right inner thigh/ groin area .
When i scoot forward a little bit i am more comfy ,is it worth putting my saddle forward or is their another underlying issue ?
Saddles and saddle position are a very individual setting. As far as the actual saddle is concerned, trial and error is the only way. Once you've found a saddle you get on with, get a professional bike fit carried out. The quality of your kit / chamois is important, and again its trial and error. General rule being, if you spend money on anything, spend it on your shorts / bibs / whatever. Get some decent chamois cream, you'd be amazed how much difference it makes.
 

zaza123

Well-Known Member
I guess I'm just reinforcing the point above but check the padding in your shorts. I recently developed a sore because the padding had started to come away from the material and was irritating the skin.
 

jessand

Veteran
Why only on your right thigh? I had the same problem until a physio pointed out that my right hip bone is slightly lower than my left (an age thing where your spine has become a bit wavy resulting in a slight tilt at the hips. After being told this I consciously made sure I was sitting 'square' on the saddle. Problem disappeared! After 3 rides I didn't even need to think about how I sat, I haven't had a problem since. For goodness sake don't spend a lot of money on a bike fit until you've tried saddle adjustments and checked your symmetry.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I was getting that at one point. It turned out that one leg is significantly longer than the other so I was tending not to sit absolutely central on the bike. I changed the cleat position slightly on one shoe to take up some of the difference. I think I also point the toes on the shorter side down slightly so I can reach down to the pedal better.

PS Ah, kind of beaten to it by jessand with a similar post!
 
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cyberknight

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Right saddle, shorts and set up i have ridden many miles in before with no issue and cream , odd thing is if i twist the shorts around the leg it stops for a bit even though the bit rubbing is not actually on a seam .
 
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cyberknight

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Update
Looking at the shorts i rode on the last two occasions that i got saddle sore the pad is thicker in the centre and i can feel the edge on the area where i have been getting issues , the cheaper ones i commute in and have done club runs in have a thinner pad and it means it doesnt bunch so much i guess ?

Can anyone recommend some shorts with a pad that has thinner central pad but are comfy ?
 
I have one particular pair of shorts that I can't wear. They cause an itchy irritation that corresponds with the stitching along the edges of the pad. It's more like an allergic rash than friction damage.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Someone posted that Morvelo women's shorts have a thin pad, perhaps the men's are a similar design. Think Wiggle sell, so could buy, try on and return if no good :smile:
 

Kernow Cyclista

Active Member
Location
Kernow
That was probably me. Morvelo pads are very comfy for me, enough padding to be comfy but no nasty moulding to dig in and make you sore. Castelli pads very similar and they use the same pad across the whole range, it's that good.
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
I don't always find more expensive means fewer saddle sores. I had my worst saddle sore from a pair of £90 mavic bibs which fitted well, whilst my comfiest in recent years have been a £19.99 pair of On One bibs. Like saddles bibs are personal.
 
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