I have just come back from the NC500 ride which was fabulous, but the last two days were impaited by discomfort when seated….

I havny ridden 80miles a day for 7 consecutive days, and my normal comfy Cambium was not fun in day 6 and 7.

Im pretty sure the mechanism is haits are getting broken when riding for a long time and then getting a little infection…i showered or washed my nether regions every day, and used Germolene if i felt tender. I had spare shorts but only swapped once.

What can i do to minimise this? I want to tude my bike but im just too sore for it to be fun today….

Position.
Saddle.
Pad.
Minty arse lard.

Proper chamois cream
Don’t sit around in the shorts after ride but shower/change
Use good shorts (the new assos ones with the floating pad are good)
If you get an arse pimple use camillosan, it’s for chapped nipples but works on cyclists nether regions.

Clean shorts every day.
Clean arse every day.
Chamois cream, try and few and see what you like.
Good shorts, don’t have to be expensive but a good pad.
Take shorts off as soon as the ride is finished.
Wash arse as soon as possible after the ride.

You won’t go far wrong with the above.

Thanks guys…i thought ibwas being pretty clean but i will take your advice. No second day shorts for me..will experiment with creams too

What about toughness training? Repeatedly slamming one’s buttocks into hot coals, hot sand etc etc?

You know, build up some callouses.

As above
Keep undercarriage clean
Use chamois cream
If I get sore I use metanium (nappy rash cream)
Put clean dry shorts on every day, if you only have a couple of pairs use hand wash.
I also find it helps using different makes of shorts as the pad will be slightly different.

Bolt

Maybe rubbing alcohol?

I never wear padded shorts ever. I go commando. Bike shorts and clean every night. No creams.

Did south to North Wales last year over five days on the MTB. Long days. No problems 🙂

I havny ridden 80miles a day for 7 consecutive days, and my normal comfy Cambium was not fun in day 6 and 7.

Take a day off for a rest once in a while and enjoy where you are. Its allowed.

The traditional way is to get some surgical spirit from the chemists and lather it on the sensitive areas daily, which both toughens the skin up an sterilises it to reduce infection.

Depends on gender, but pretty sure I read something about British Cycling advising female riders (poss male too) to keep it hairy down below, as shaving/waxing etc makes their riders more susceptible to saddle sores.. here

Spare shorts but only changed them once in 7 days ! Minging

Change shorts every day if possible

Meh. Folk doing stuff like the HT550 just rude in the same shirts every day….

I find that spare bibshorts, changed each day, works well. Rinse them well after a days riding, wring them out and you’ve 36hrs or so to get them dry.

just rude in the same shirts every day

Same old shirt just a different day?

Bollocks!!

For me the biggest antagonist for saddle sores is loose fitting boxer type pants.

I find I don’t get any rubbing / chafing at all with decent tighter fitting pants dare I say it even the y fronted type.

I have tried many pads and find these don’t help personally. Loose shorts, tight pants is how I roll. However my milage limit is generally 40-50 which is less than you so may need another approach.

I found a good chamois cream made all the difference for me, i did try a cheap one and had no end of sores and I always wear clean bibs and keep myself clean. I use Udderly Smooth now and have had no issues.

Chamois cream does it for me. Suffer pretty quickly do any long riding without or ride a long distance in regular pants and trousers.

Assos is the original go to but have been using Enzo’s Buttonhole from Planet X which is better value and longer lasting (without being greasy)

For me the biggest antagonist for saddle sores is loose fitting boxer type pants.

I find I don’t get any rubbing / chafing at all with decent tighter fitting pants dare I say it even the y fronted type.

I have tried many pads and find these don’t help personally. Loose shorts, tight pants is how I roll. However my milage limit is generally 40-50 which is less than you so may need another approach.

I find cycling shorts with a chamois are more comfortable, but primarily because tight undies with no chamois would have to be super tight in order not to bunch up after a while. Also Y fronts have a seam that you can end up sitting on.

However, I tend to agree with the sentiment that a huge thick pad isn’t necessarily more comfortable, as long as it stops bunching up.

8)

Bristol Butt’r

On the HT550 I used a pair of Assos bib shorts on day one but it was very humid and I was getting chafing. Switched to a pair of Endura bib shorts and wore these for the remaining four days. Remember that you’ve to carry everything you need so carrying five or six pairs of shorts isn’t practical, even three takes up a lot of space. I think I’d still take a spare with different pad shape just in case.

Routine was: shorts off; dry myself with microfibre towel; apply talcum powder to undercarriage and to pad of shorts; put on merino shorts for sleeping in.

Sometimes during the day I applied another splash of talcum powder if I felt I was getting a bit sweaty. Only applied butt cream once when I’d an abrasion one day and that was just to a specific area. I find that butt cream keeps everything too moist and prone to infection. Even after five days I had zero problems.

I wore the same bib shorts (Endura FS260) for 6 days, unwashed, on the HT550 with no ill effects. Charlie’s Bum Butter in the morning and after a poo, and an antibacterial wipe wash of my nether regions when finished for the day. Loose fitting underwear overnight. Saddle was a Brooks Cambium.

I was actually surprised at how well it all worked out.

#tbt Team Hugh Jass at the 24 Hours of Canaan: four conspirators riding one fixed-gear hoopty for 12 laps while sharing…

Posted by Dirt Rag Magazine on Thursday, August 28, 2014

Aye, but you melted your saddle!

Cleanliness. Just got back from a couple of weeks away on the bike with only a couple of pairs of kit. Soon as your done riding get your bibs off and give them a good scrub and soak with something like the Assos hand wash liquid. Then get down below as clean, shower or baby wipes.

Bum cream can help though I only tend to bother if it’s warm enough to get properly sweaty down there.

Ultra violet light is an excellent steriliser for the skin so stop every day and bend down with your bare bum in their air for twenty minutes.

globalti – Member
Ultra violet light is an excellent steriliser for the skin so stop every day and bend down with your bare bum in their air for twenty minutes.

Wouldn’t work in Scotland. 🙂

Clean Arse, clean shorts and cream as above.
Great bibs are the ones from Red and White – supremely comfy – look em up online.

Just did 620km over a week one set of gear and hand wash detergent powder. Washed shorts and top every night. Bum fine thanks

It really comes down to 2 things, hygiene and avoiding friction.

There were no padded shorts way back when I used to do day after day centuries, and I had a hard leather saddle. I wore underwear with no seams where they shouldn’t be.

I always used Vaseline. Not so much for the lubrication but because it keeps your arse clean when you poo and stops you getting sweat rashes in the seams.

Singlespeed does help – because you are out of the saddle a lot which gives your bum time to recover, but that’s not practical for multi-day efforts unless you’re used to riding SS.

After years of using padded shorts I’ve gone to thin close fitting lycra running boxers under lightweight 3/4 lycra running shorts. Both from Decathlon. I’m finding it more comfortable on and off the bike.

No raised seams anywhere. Two layers to deal with friction. Faster drying than padded shorts when being washed at the end of the day when touring.

Not tested long rides or on tour yet but looking good. Also very light and takes up little space so easy to carry a spare pair for when no washing facilities available in camp.

In my case dropping the saddle 2cm has made a world of difference.

And witch hazel.

Ultra violet light is an excellent steriliser for the skin so stop every day and bend down with your bare bum in their air for twenty minutes.

I’m not sticking my steri pen up there!

No pads for me, baggies + synthetic boxers (Rohan) with no seams against the cheeks! Wash self and boxers every day. Ride this setup all year round. SDG Bell Air saddle. Keep germaline for emergencies but don’t usually need it.