Sore nads

[M.C]

So anyone else get sore... err bits from cycling? Any solutions? I was thinking of a gel seat cover, although in one of Guy Martin's programmes he was tilting to seat forward to alleviate bollock pain, although everyone thought he was mad.

[Ste]

Padded cycling shorts.

[techathy]

First thing to do is buy decent padded shorts. Second up is to get a decent bike fit or learn how to do your own bike fit. This will highlight your real pressure hot spots. The third thing is to get a measurement of your sit bones. This can be done 'professionally' but a stack of 3 or 4 squares of corrugated cardboard on a hard surface works quite well.

Now you're sitting on the saddle properly and know how wide your sit bones are you can go out and buy the correct saddle. The saddle maybe a conventional shape or it might be something a little different, I ride on an ISM PN 1.1 for instance.

[bamt]

Decent shorts, gain fitness (you then push harder and have less weight on your rump), and move about on the bike (so getting out of the saddle on climbs, arse in the air on descents, generally not leaving the same bit of you taking the load for extended periods). That matters more for long rides (all day/multi-day).

Gel saddles and covers are generally not good; they don't support your sit bones and squish up between your legs so they put pressure on the soft bits (perineum) that shouldn't have pressure on them.

My personal favourite saddles are a Brooks Swift TI and Brooks Professional, but they gone a bit hipster and expensive now. Neither of those have any padding whatsoever, but do mould themselves to you. The jury is still out generally as whether a Brooks saddle gets broken in to you, or you get broken into a Brooks.

[Wull]

Fizik has a good how to on doing the measurements as mentioned above.

As for bibshorts/bibtights it depends on what mileage you're covering and how much £££'s you're willing to spend.

The best is Assos and Rapha, well worth their hefty price tags, you definitely get what you pay for.
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"Scooters are for men who want to ride motorcycles but prefer to feel the wind on their vaginas"

[techathy]

[bamt]

[mentalboy]

[UnknownStuntm...]

Sore balls? No. Sore points about the sitbone area are normal, but your nadsack shouldn't hurt. That's not right.

[skatefreak]

Tight boxers... Riding home in open/free flowing boxers is a big no no and I'll pay for making that mistake. The tighter boxers hold everything in place and there isn't any 'knocking about'.
If you're actually sitting on them errrrm, sit differently?

[techathy]

[M.C]

[techathy]

The thing is to find a saddle that fits you & your needs. I wasn't saying you'll need to spend £££s on a saddle, only that you mind find a non-conventional saddle better. The narrow ISM saddles offer me some very nice advantages over more conventional options.

[M.C]

Yeah was just adding my perspective on a cycling budget. I know people who spend 3k on a frame A few hundred quid is my maximum if it doesn't have an engine.

[UnknownStuntm...]

[Seb]

Pretty much this, when I'm midseason fit, I can do 80+ mile rides without issue in the bib shorts (don't make the mistake of having underwear on underneath them tho), whereas 20 miles in the commute jeans and I'm aching.

Soft saddles are a nono and do not help.
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[Tracey Suntan-King]

A reliable source told me that a banana skin inside your pants will prevent this.

I think he said the skin only but I'm not sure, because I'm sure some of the cyclists I've seen have a whole banana stuck down there.

Try both, either way you've got a healthy snack before or after your ride.

HTH
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[Ste]

The only problem with that is there shouldn't be enough space in your shorts for two bananas.

[Tracey Suntan-King]

Oh, I dunno

https://gomeansgo.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/superstock_1060-446.jpg
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right