I went into the article not having any clue that “saddle pain” is a euphemism.
Progressing from 200 to 400 and finally 600 kilometres, Williams started to experience what she described as “abrasion” of her labia.
Ohno
My nips have been rubbed raw on long runs, I couldn’t imagine my lips 🫠
Pro cyclists use padded chamois, and creme embrocations. Tour de France is 2200 miles and no one needed different saddles.
padded chamois
creme embrocations
saddlesAre these also euphemisms?
Do women wear underpants when riding? I know guys don’t but were less vulnerable to that kind of…abrasion. Surely a pair of low friction underwear would combat that…abrasion.
Guys don’t wear underwear when cycling? Why?
Cycling shorts have padding in them already; adding underwear is counterproductive.
Underwear is not for padding. I suspected my insistence on wearing both wasn’t a “real” cyclists’ choice, but this comment is first confirmation I’ve seen of that.
Your shorts must be nasty.
The reason for not wearing underwear is that it can cause chafing or pressure points where it shifts or creases. Cycling shorts are designed to minimise that by not doing either. There is nothing nasty about cycling shorts if you wash them after each ride. If anything they handle sweat better than cotton underwear would.
That being said, if you feel better wearing underwear, then you should feel free to do so. But there are practical reasons why most people don’t and they don’t have anything to do with trying to be a “real cyclist”.
I got laughed at a little for how thick this saddle is, but I’ve ridden from San Francisco to Los Angeles on this thing and absolutely love it:
I solve this by not going far on the bike, but a wide seat slightly tilted down is working well for me on the electric bike. On an endurance racing bike I don’t understand how anyone can stand the seats for that long, most bike seats seem almost intentionally designed to be uncomfortable.
A well fitting road bike saddle is designed to have you sitting on your seat bones, rather than your soft tissue, often with a cutout in the middle to relieve pressure from the genital area. This is much more comfortable on long rides. The padding is minimal, since you are expected to wear padded shorts to minimise friction. Some people also use chamois cream to further reduce chafing, although I personally don’t find this to be all that necessary and only really use it on longer rides, if at all. This setup is much more comfortable if you’re going to spend long hours in the saddle, especially if you do it regularly and your butt is used to it.
Like with most bike parts, saddles come in all different shapes and sizes and different types make sense for different types of riding.
Hardened (pun intended) cyclists will tell you that this is normal, because sit bones blah blah etc, but I think you’re right. The real reason seasoned cyclists have no issue with washboard saddles is that they use them every day and their butts have become conditioned (read: numb) to them. The simplest explanation is usually the best.
The simplest explanation is usually the best.
or the fastest way to an incorrect answer.
Fair. So I will fall back on a better source: my butt. A few years ago I rented an expensive razor-saddled racing bike for a few days. The gluteal agony of those few days I remember better than the actual cycling. Never again.
The thing is if you would’ve stuck with that setup for a month or 2 (assuming a not overweight person, and the saddle being correctly sized/ the whole bike fit being correctish ) the agony would have most likely subsided. And it likely wouldn’t have existed if you had built up/ trained yourself to it in smaller steps. Starting with rides as short as 15min.
It’s almost like saying running 10km is impossible after your first run in years. Or hitting the bullseye in dart is impossible after your first game. The saddle requires training. The position and movements on the bike require training. Because if not trained your body will be sore, if you overdo it.
Yeah, sure, that was my point. The most uncomfortable shoes are usually fine once you’ve worn them in. But the non-washboard saddle on my e-bike was not uncomfortable to start with. It didn’t hurt after the first 3 hours and it doesn’t hurt 1500km later.
Unlike uncomfortable shoes the saddles have a point, not chafing/ allowing for the pedalling movement while also supporting part of the riders weight.
Wide/cushiony saddles prioritize comfort of the latter point over the former. They will support more of the riders weight more comfortably, while neglecting the comfort of the movements of the rider. So on shorter and easier rides the cushion saddle is fine, the longer you go the more such a saddle will cause discomfort.
If your saddle works for you by God keep using it, im just trying to explain why other people use different ones.
