Girlfriend in agony after bike rides , any simple solutions….

The girlfriend is coming back from bikes rides in agony down below , it doesn’t matter if she’s on her mtb or road bike, she has tried various saddles and shorts and hasn’t really found any better than others, she only does 2 hour rides but she suffers from about 1/2 hr..
Anything else we can try , just for info she is very skinny …
Cheers
Anthony

A proper saddle fitting? She tried lady specific saddles?

Experiment with different saddle heights / angles?

selle italia according to my wife, made all the difference

Front, rear or middle?

Girlfriend in agony after bike rides , any simple solutions….

New girlfriend?

😈

Or perhaps, and a more helpful suggestion, higher rise / shorter stem to raise the bars at bit so she’s not leant too far forward on the delicate stuff?

Hope she can get it sorted, must make it pretty miserable….

Yeah various ladies saddles but not sure what makes, her current road one has a cut out in the middle…think from what she describes it’s her front that hurts the outer parts if I can describe it like that. She says it’s like someone has cut her …

She has tried vaseline, are there any better creams etc ..

Mrs Rexated use to term the exact same problem ‘Little Red Riding Hood’! Sorted with Terry cut-out saddle and bike fit adjusted to have her back more on her sit-bones.

So how does she get more on the sit bones , saddle tilted forward / backwards ?

Fitting is at least as important as the saddle itself. A really good bike shop should be able to spend time (for £) getting her set up right. If she’s in central scotland then I know a few ladies who report positive outcomes from similar issues using Hooked-on Cycling.

I think its also worth mentioning Chamois Cream (there is a new “female specific brand”) and that this needs to be applied liberally. Anecdotal reports would also suggest that degree and method of trimming may have an impact.

So how does she get more on the sit bones , saddle tilted forward / backwards ?

…that’s the shorter saddle to bar reach, so she’s more upright on the bike.
I agree with Poly that bikefit is probably the best solution.

My GF rides bikes every day, always has..

She’s got a fanny like a DM sole

I find if my saddle is just a little too high it puts pressure on the delicate area..

Tell her to try to see if she can move back a bit on the saddle, makes all the difference to me.

yunki, if she’s on here she may well be your ex-girlfriend by now 😀

Yunki, I think that’s an air sole 😆

My mrs went to the specialized shop at Fort Dunlop. They measured her sit bones and we picked up a ladies specific saddle at the right width. She loves it.

Where do you live?
Sure people will lend you a saddle to try.

WTB Deva you can borrow if you’re anywhere near Calderdale/Rossendale.
Mrs S tried loads before settling on that one.

andymc06 – Member
Yunki, I think that’s an air sole

If she reads that what she’ll be calling him will sound similar…

Labiaplasty.
All the pro female riders have it done they just don’t talk about it, all tipping the wink and knowing smiles. 😉

Ok.. From the context etc, I think I can work out roughly what a labiaplasty entails.. But it’s made me really confused about what a rhinoplasty may be 😕

It’s what you get in an African Greggs.

really confused about what a rhinoplasty may be

**** knows 😐

Rhinoplasty – that just stops you getting the horn.

**** knowsnose. Fixed that for you.

Have you tried numbing it?

As in mmmm-num-num-num?

In addition to the bikefit (saddle height/position) and different saddle options above already advised, this might sound numpty but please tell me she’s not wearing undies under her shorts, that will not be comfy?!

I haven’t read all this sorry

But a female facebook freind said in the end it was bike fit not saddle fit

being to upright with no weight on her arms

Going from a Hybrid to a road bike solved the problem

Having had a saddle problem myself recently I ‘d say load through seat bones

bike fitting is probably the right solution, but make sure it’s by someone who understands how to set a bike of for a woman. In particular the saddle should be tipped a bit down at the front to take pressure off. This helps a lot even with lady specific saddles.

This article is interesting. Four and a half rules of saddles. Also this one. But, to be honest they don’t say much different to above. It’s mostly about finding the right saddle that works for you, and getting your bike fit right. The ISM Adamo saddles look interesting.

Padded shorts can cause discomfort.

My g/f swears by the Morvelo ladies bib shorts and says the pad is the best she’s tried. Sadly Morvelo don’t make bib tights.
Pain occurs at the front also.
Saddle wise we’ve been through Specialized Riva, and currently have a Selle Italia gel max flite.

I don’t believe that it’s as simple as changing a saddle. Saddle and padded shorts need to work together. Some shorts have ridiculous amounts of padding and reckon that this can cause discomfort if the saddle isn’t right.

My personal preference is for a leather saddle that ‘gives’ and has a cut-away shape. I’ve found that a minimalist saddle together with minimalist padding is the most comfy.

Obviously the angle of the saddle needs checking but it would be a good idea to check the set-up ie bar height and needing more/less spacers, does saddle need moving forwards/backwards. Is she actually sitting when she should be out of the saddle?

If she’s using a saddle with a cut out make sure it’s in the right place! They all seem a bit far back for me, and I think it put extra pressure on the front of my bits until i got rid of the one I had. I think it’s trail and error though, I’ve just moved my saddle around until I found a place where it was best. And the right saddle makes a massive difference as well. I can use SDG, but the best ever is my Cannondale Raven (which I don’t think you can get any more.)

Endura make the best shorts for me, (narrow hips), but a pad that bunches up in the front can make it worse.

Saddle down a degree, bars closer and higher. Abstinence.

Saddle choice is important, but fitting more so. Is her saddle too far back? Ladies need to take more weight through their legs when pedalling to relieve pressure. A saddle mounted with knee over pedal at 90 degrees is a good start.

Could be the saddle is too wide and she’s riding too far forward so that her legs can reach down. Mrs flap_jack went to a narrower saddle which cured all such ills. Now uses a Spesh Riva at 155mm, the sit-bone machine said 168 but the 155 works much better.

Is her saddle too far back? Ladies need to take more weight through their legs when pedalling to relieve pressure. A saddle mounted with knee over pedal at 90 degrees is a good start.

With respect, I’d expect this is more likely to be part of the problem. Can you expect someone to take more weight through the legs when pedalling, as the legs will tire while riding? Suitability of bike fit and saddle are more likely to do the job. KOPs isn’t really a starting point for good bike fit, more of a coincidental outcome or a basic guide for men on 73 parallel racing bikes.

She may well be tipping forwards too much. As someone said earlier, start with a more rearward saddle to get her weight back, more likely to give a neutral balance on the bike for comfort. Weight back via saddle position will mean she can raise the bar or bring it back (or both) without affecting her balance much, so the sitting position can be adjusted to be more comfortable.

Thanks for all the answers everyone , some interesting points , I’ll check her position on the bike etc and try a few more saddles I have lying about …
🙂

Other half is currently trying an adamo saddle getting on well so far, she had a Specialized Windie which was OK – compared to ‘normal’ blokes saddles which she described as like being hit in the **** with a hammer repeatedly…