First long ride and I have questions.

[InvisibleRider]

So yesterday I rode my first 26 miles and I really enjoyed it but it came with butt sore
Today morning I thought that my knees and my back would be in bad state but I feel completely normal but my butt is sore .

I was thinking of buying a gel cushion but then I read that padding is bad it puts more pressure.

I have a good pearl Izumi padded riding shorts and tights.

So I was wondering is the sore but common? I am just starting to ride. Some say it will go away the more I ride. Is it?

Thanks in advance.

[rearviewmirror]

It is very common, it'll take a few rides before the soreness goes away. Once you get into ride heaps of kilometers you'll start realizing what is comfortable and what's not, then you can experiment with different saddles. But again, the soreness is completely normal, just keep riding and it'll go away.

[InvisibleRider]

It is very common, it'll take a few rides before the soreness goes away. Once you get into ride heaps of kilometers you'll start realizing what is comfortable and what's not, then you can experiment with different saddles. But again, the soreness is completely normal, just keep riding and it'll go away.

Ah ok, I thought its the saddle that's bad

[PJ352]

Ah ok, I thought its the saddle that's bad

That may be true, but as rearviewmirror alludes to, you have to log some saddle time/ acclimate to road riding before thinking in those terms. For a number of reasons, take care to incrementally ramp up the length of your rides.

[drodrigueznyc]

the soreness goes away after a few weeks of riding... your body will get used to it..

i also ride with padded shorts and thought about putting a gel cover on my saddle but was told not to waste time since the cover will slide around and will never provide a super tight fit... those things are usually universal fit and much larger than your seat..

you can swap the saddle for a slightly larger one with gel padding.. they make them for road bikes so look around... visit a bike shop so you can examine it up close...

i would just keep riding till you get used to it... it gets better with each ride...

[leadout_kv]

I relate beginner saddle soreness to not playing tennis for a while. What I mean is when you first start playing tennis ever notice how your hands will get rough and even blisters? Well if you keep playing tennis regularly your hands will become conditioned to holding the racket. Generally it's the same with a saddle, usually minus the blisters, eeck. Your butt will become conditioned to your saddle after a while.

[InvisibleRider]

I relate beginner saddle soreness to not playing tennis for a while. What I mean is when you first start playing tennis ever notice how your hands will get rough and even blisters? Well if you keep playing tennis regularly your hands will become conditioned to holding the racket. Generally it's the same with a saddle, usually minus the blisters, eeck. Your butt will become conditioned to your saddle after a while.

Yeah, that's what my bike fitter told me, I need to make my butt callous. But I will keep an eye on it. It it does not go then will look into changing the saddle.

[wrcRS]

I have found that ensuring the saddle is angled correctly is the first step to making it comfortable.

Try some other angles prior to buying another seat. That's my suggestion.

[3XBiker]

All responses r correct , but u won't go wrong with
Getting a decent padded , non gel saddle, no hard tails.

[tihsepa]

All responses r correct , but u won't go wrong with
Getting a decent padded , non gel saddle, no hard tails.

Padding is generally bad. Padding gives, ass meat generally dosent?


Smell what I'm steppin in?

[PJ352]

Padding is generally bad. Padding gives, ass meat generally dosent?


Smell what I'm steppin in?

Once again, tihsepa cuts to the chase!!

[veloduffer]

As others posted, your posterior will adjust. You want a firm saddle, as opposed to lots of padding. It's a bit like a bed mattress. The nice and soft ones feel great initially, but the lack of support after an hour or more will kill your body (back/bottom).

After you've been riding a while, if your posterior still hurts then you might need to try a different saddle. There is no "best" saddle, only a saddle that fits. Unfortunately, it can be trial and error finding the right saddle for you. Some bike shops have test models that they can lend you.

Once you do find a saddle that works, I strongly recommend getting a couple of backup saddles. If your model becomes discontinued, you don't have to go through the trial and error again.

[DoubleD85]

Great tip, veloduffer.

[bio_research]

I have a secret I discovered the other day... Embarassing, but hey... I have padded shorts, but my butt is sore after longer rides. I started putting one of my daughter's diapers(un-used of course, size 1) in the shorts on the inside over the padding. I keep it folded. IT WORKS WONDERS and also absorbs my butt sweat.

That is my TMI tip of the day...

[InvisibleRider]

I have a secret I discovered the other day... Embarassing, but hey... I have padded shorts, but my butt is sore after longer rides. I started putting one of my daughter's diapers(un-used of course, size 1) in the shorts on the inside over the padding. I keep it folded. IT WORKS WONDERS and also absorbs my butt sweat.

That is my TMI tip of the day...

well that is a good idea. But will it not increase the padding that way ?

[rearviewmirror]

I have a secret I discovered the other day... Embarassing, but hey... I have padded shorts, but my butt is sore after longer rides. I started putting one of my daughter's diapers(un-used of course, size 1) in the shorts on the inside over the padding. I keep it folded. IT WORKS WONDERS and also absorbs my butt sweat.

That is my TMI tip of the day...

Please tell me this is a really late April Fool's joke!

[captain stubbing]

those gel covers are horrid....a mate rides with one, and i borrowed his bike and was slipping and sliding all over the place.

one tip to improve ride comfort is to find your ideal tyre PSI......overinflating your tyres can give you a veryharsh ride....and cause havoc with your butt!

concidentally my said mate pumps his tyres upto the recommended maximum PSI (120) and hence the need for the gel cushion.

[rcharb]

I experience the same thing however i had numbness in my legs. Is this common,and will this also go away the more i ride or is there another problem?
thanks

[PJ352]

I experience the same thing however i had numbness in my legs. Is this common,and will this also go away the more i ride or is there another problem?
thanks

IME experiencing leg numbness while cycling is not common. I think you need to provide more info before anyone could provide reliable advice, like...

have you been fitted to your bike?
do you wear padded bike shorts?
is it in both legs?
upper leg/ lower leg?
does the numbness/ discomfort start at your feet/ toes?
if so, what pedals/ shoes do you use?
how long are you into the ride when the numbness starts?

[rcharb]

I pretty much figured numbness wasn't common. I just got the bike (used) and i am going to get fitted, hopefully that will take care of the problem.Thanks for the feedback.

[InvisibleRider]

I did another 30 miles today and my butt feels lot better looks like I am getting used to it