Why do we get sore bits...

[magnatom]

Am I alone in getting sore bits, down there, when I have been off the bike for a week or so?

I was off the bike for a week and a half until Sundays commute. by the end of the commute i could feel slightly uncomfortable. Today having commuted in it feels a bit sorer again. It'll be sore riding for the next few days.

It tends to resolve itself after a week or so, but it got me wondering.....what actually happens to you skin/body etc when you do or don't get the sores. By this I mean, what actual physical process occurs that, once you have been riding for a while, you don't get the sores?

Thinking about it you would think the skin might thicken, but is this actually what happens? Why after a week or so has my bits forgotten how to cope with cycling?

These are important questions!!!

 

[Globalti]

You must be doing something wrong; I've never had more than a slightly sore ricker after seven hour MTB rides in the rain.

Are you sure your saddle isn't too high, forcing you to rock your pelvis?

How good is your hygiene? Do you shower daily and give the undercarriage a good wash?

How often do you wash the shorts?

What saddle and how is it set up? - low at the front? Slightly up at the front?

 

[magnatom]

You must be doing something wrong; I've never had more than a slightly sore ricker after seven hour MTB rides in the rain.

Are you sure your saddle isn't too high, forcing you to rock your pelvis?

How good is your hygiene? Do you shower daily and give the undercarriage a good wash?

How often do you wash the shorts?

What saddle and how is it set up? - low at the front? Slightly up at the front?

I've done 100 miles without any problems, so I don't think it is the set up as such. I only seem to get a problem when I've been off the bike for a while.

For the record I shower twice a day when commuting, and my shorts get washed every day!

 

[magnatom]

[QUOTE 1154648"]
Never heard of that happening before. Maybe you have some sort of dry skin problem that has become an irritant? Have a good wash and use some Nivea.

What bits are actually sore?
[/quote]

Hmm. How do I describe it!

It's in between my legs to the sides. Not quite as far back as where my bum starts if that makes sense.

I do keep meaning to buy some 'butt' type cream. I suppose I just need to apply that for a few days if I've been off the bike.

 

[Deafie]

Form fitting, man made fibre underwear is the answer. I tried merino wool underwear but the cotton seams bit into me visciously. I have very sensitive skin.

 

[magnatom]

[QUOTE 1154650"]
Yep, when out on a bike this skin absorbs a lot of sweat and after a couple of days and get a bit dry and start to irritate.
[/quote]

I'm not sure that is the answer. It tends only to happen when I start back after a break. I can feel it even after the first ride (about 11 miles) and gets worse over the next few days. Usually it starts to settle after that, and then, if I keep riding regularly I have no problems.

 

[magnatom]

Form fitting, man made fibre underwear is the answer. I tried merino wool underwear but the cotton seams bit into me visciously. I have very sensitive skin.

Do you mean under my padded cycling shorts? I'm not sure I'd want to wear anything else apart from my shorts, it just get hotter and sweatier!

 

[magnatom]

Oi! Will folk please stop suggesting I'm not clean/have infections down there etc!

Seriously though, I'm sure it isn't anything like that. It's as if my underside just doesn't like me taking breaks from the bike. If I'm commuting regular I have no problems at all, and on the Trossachs Ton last year (100 miles) and the Etape Caledonia this year (81 miles) I had absolutely no problems down there at all.

My saddles are probably a bit more padded than they need to be, my Ribble has a Selle Italia Trans Am, but why would that be worse after a break?

I just assumed this was normal.

 

[Archie_tect]

Sudacreme... fantastic for nappy rash and cycling!

 

[magnatom]

Sudacreme... fantastic for nappy rash and cycling!

Aye, I'm using that when I get home at the moment. I should probably use it more often.

 

[potsy]

I get similar 'tender' areas shall we say,sudocreme helps as does the occasional wash

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

i get and i'm super clean. i find a mixture of savlon then lashings of vaseline helps. i put mine down to having sensitive skin (can't even shave too often as i end up with a really sore rash). like you i thought it was normal. it is worse for a few days after even a short break from the bike. kinda feels like its bruised?

 

[Deafie]

Yes, man made fibers will not heat you up that much, just make sure that they are not baggy or they will chaff you too. I cant ride more than 15 miles at a time on a daily basis without them.

Do you mean under my padded cycling shorts? I'm not sure I'd want to wear anything else apart from my shorts, it just get hotter and sweatier!

 

[fossyant]

Your bum goes soft if you have a week off....did no-one tell you that

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

mines defo not an infection as the epidermis is not broken or inflamed. just feels like a kind of bruising. it's not painful more irritating.