One of the few times I got saddle sores, was when I got a cheap saddle online that had a wide nose. Bought it for my trainer-only bike. I think that I was chafing the inside of the thigh at the crotch area with the wide nose that lead to the sore. Didn’t have sores after I put the Spesh Phenom saddle back on the trainer-only bike. My guesstimate is that the nose was too wide for me.
On the sanitation theme…
I was trying to get more life out of my bibs by washing then line drying them.
Bad Move.
Lots more problems with sores and rash.
Went back to drying them on medium and problems went away. There’s definitely something to the cleanliness thing.
I’m intrigued by the idea of upping the soap game. That might make the line-drying acceptable, which should help the bibs last longer.
My thoughts too. The ideas in this topic have been very helpful. Going to try using the sanitizer mentioned above.
I have three power saddles. All at 143 and 2 power and 1 power arc. I think I prefer the feel of the power but then the arc does not rub the side of the legs as much. Im using a nine year old specialized rbx pro bib with about 19000 miles on them. I bought some rbx comp bibs this year to replace them and they lasted about 300 miles before they started chaffing incredibly bad. Im back to the old rbx pros but will need to find something before the season starts.
I also rinse my bibs out every third ride with water. I wash them every two or three weeks. It works for me… but Ya. I Know.
Get your saddle measured!
If you have not tried lowering your saddle yet…try it before you spend $ needlessly.
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Yeah I’m working with a bike fitter and my saddle is lower than it’s been in years right now. That’s not the problem. Good tip though - I should’ve clarified by now that’s not the issue. Cheers.
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I get it and I understood your op. Just IME/O a bib/pad is way down the list of probable causes…However, I admit, totally possible. So, bibs like saddles, as you know, are just personal opinion. With that, I’ve had good luck with the pads in many such as: Cuore Gold, Ale PRR and Castelli (the older body paint version around 2014). The body paint was probably the most comfortable bib to date and I’ve used many.
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My .02, as I’ve had a few saddle sore issues:
- For me, sores are usually a combination of a chamois that doesn’t agree with me and getting very wet/sweaty. Fabric rubs your skin differently when it gets saturated. This is another reason to have really good fans around your trainer.
- I’ve had bibs from Verge and JLVelo that really didn’t agree with me. Once the same pair of bibs irritates me twice, they go in the trash. It just isn’t worth it. It might not even be the brand of bib or chamois, but one bad stitch or some little manufacturing issue.
- Having just three bibs (if I understood you correctly) seems suspect. Chamois wears out; you might just need some new bibs. Also, if you are wearing shorts, rather than bibs, try some bibs; the straps can hold the chamois in place better.
- Try to wash the bibs as soon as possible after riding. If they are going to sit for days before being washed, rinse them out. I rarely machine dry Lycra, but turn the bibs inside out and let them dry thoroughly after washing.
- Chamois cream is an individual thing, but I only use it when I’m doing a very long (>5 hours) or very hot ride.
- All chamois cream isn’t the same. Get some samples of other brands to see if you’re reacting to something in the one you’re using.
- Bibs that are too big/loose can be irritating. If you machine dry Lycra, it breaks down, contributing to looseness.
- Riding a trainer holds you in a static position on the bike. Give yourself a break and move around a bit at regular intervals.
- I find Rapha classic bibs very comfortable, but too expensive for daily trainer work. Rapha’s core bibs are less expensive and are what I train on most days. I’ve also found Assos and the higher-end Castelli and Pearl bibs comfortable.
- If you do any manscaping, avoid using a razor. Blades cut hair at sharp angles that can really irritate the skin.
- Once you do get irritation or a sore, treat it like a wound. Keep it clean and don’t ride on it; riding on a saddle sore makes it worse. In general, well-moisturized skin is more resilient and injury resistant than dry skin, so consider a daily moisturizer.
Good luck; I hope you get to the bottom of it.
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There seems to be some conflation between different conditions vs. what is a very specific condition - a saddle sore.
A saddle sore is an infected pore or hair follicle that is swollen and painful, sometimes hard like a cyst, sometimes softer like a pimple. This is the reason many are suggesting hygiene as a primary line of defense against a saddle sore.
A chamois, by itself, should not be able to cause a saddle sore. It may well cause irritation or chafing, which can obviously be very painful and prevent riding., but that is not a “saddle sore”. I have had a couple pairs of bibs from a well-known clothing manufacturer that have caused me to get an irritation on my butt cheek from the edge of pad,a “quarter moon on my half moon” as I always call it. Doesn’t always happen, but does occasionally. That is definitely not a “saddle sore”.
Many years ago, Frankie Andrew had a massive saddle sore during the Tour and they had to hack away part of his saddle just so he could sit on his bike. Was unsuccessful in finding a picture of it, but they literally cut away ~1/4 of his saddle. (Side note - if you google “Frankie Andreu, Saddle Sore” the Images tab comes back filled with pictures of Lance Armstrong. 
).
ETA - I brought up this distinction because they are very different things and are not treated remotely in the same way. If the OP is dealing with a true saddle sore, all the suggestions re: chamois, etc aren’t going to help and could send him down rabbit holes.
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Just a few additional thoughts on this:
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I second and third the positive Assos comments in this thread. They are the most comfortable bibs I’ve ever worn. I have three brand new pairs sitting in the drawer waiting to be added to the rotation. I wear other brands on shorter rides, but any long distance is done in these bibs.
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I rode Selle SMP for portions of two seasons, and ended up with saddle sores multiple times. Tried different widths, etc. as I loved the feel and ride of the saddles, but just could not make them work. I then tried the Power and Power Arc. Sizing is everything with these saddles. The Power was too abrupt on the edges, and still had some problems with the Arc at 143. Got resized and moved to the 155 and the difference was amazing. No saddle sores.
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For me, good chamois cream makes a real difference. There are two that I’ve settled on - DZ Nuts and Assos. Both on the expensive side. My go to is Assos, with Dz Nuts reserved mostly for packet use for centuries and fondos as needed.
Everyone is so different, so experimentation is key. Good luck and happy riding.
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If you’re talking a big ol’ red lump-a-dump on your backside, the chamois is not the issue.
I’ve had a few of those over the decades – nasty buggers that have required antibiotics and sometimes, lancing.
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right saddle. My worst ones came in years when I was “making do” with Flites, and couldn’t find my beloved San Marco Regales.
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right position. too high or too far back can cause pressure and chafing that leads to saddle boils.
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hygiene. I’ve been washing off with Hibiclens before soap and water after each ride, especially indoor ones that turned into sweat fests.
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saddle cream. I dig Chamois Butt’r Euro Style.
I’ve never found one chamois to be better than another – some longer lasting, sure, but they’re all kind of the same once you start pedaling.
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Thanks everyone. Super helpful stuff. Once again my first steps from here will be
- Discuss with bike fitter and trial new saddle - potentially power arc and or Drakon
- New bibs
- Continue being a hygiene Nazi
…keep the suggestions coming though, I’m finding it all super helpful!
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I would look into muc-off chamois cream, it’s one of the few that is anti microbial. I’ve also had great luck with 7 mesh shorts. Their chamois is made by some high end euro company that doesn’t import much into North America ( I’m assuming ur in NA) any way it’s a very stretchy chamois that seems to lay flat and not bunch up at all, super comfy
I’m in Australia. I’ve been using DZ Nuts and find it great. But obviously it hasn’t prevented my problem. So I’m open to trying other brands - will give it a shot. My preference will be to eventually use none of course.
In regards to an infected hair follicle, what is the best treatment and defense? I’ve had abrasion sores… but have also had what seems to be the same @#$! hair follicle in a very sensitive area, become “pimple like”. But since I sit on it, it becomes inflamed and very sore. Yep, fits @Power13’s definition of a saddle sore. So, what does one do with a reoccurring, pimple-like sore? Short of a mirror and needle… or VERY understanding spouse with steady hands…
Does it really just come down to some sort of super cleanse and super antibiotic scrub?
What do others do who experience this?
@jeffott for that kind of lingering nastiness I’d highly recommend going to a Dr. I had to do that in October 2019 and immediately got told if I didn’t take a month off the bike I’d likely end up in hospital. Not really what you want to hear, but it worked a treat and I had to rebuild from there. That’s life.
Yeah, like Peter said, I’d go see a doc if this is an ongoing issue. It may need lancing, which is best done by a professional.
I have, on occasion, been able to “pop” a saddle sore like that, similar to popping a pimple, but whoa was it painful. Not recommended…
Moving forward, follow some of the hygiene advice further up in the thread to try and avoid recurrence. This is all very individual…I rarely have any issues “down there” so don’t need to be as “rigorous” in my cleansing routines, while others have to pay very close attention to the area after every ride.
Thanks, @PeterYock and @Power13. I bought some Hebicleanse (sp) and will be more conscious of hygiene. If that doesn’t work… I will go see my Dr… I am just not too keen to have her… deal with me in that… uh… position.
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Hey everyone thanks again for all the advice. Just wanted to throw in that I’ve grabbed a pair of Assos Evo bib shorts to give a solid crack. I tried on a bunch that everyone suggested and these seemed to be the best fit and feel for trying. They’d better be good, they were bloody expensive! Will keep you posted.
Hi,
I just wanted to share my experience with this issue. I was struggling with finding the right bibs for the trainer. I kept getting saddle sores. I did everyting I could to mitigate it but working out everyday was too much to heal. Ended up with 6 pairs.
One day I was out of dry bibs and did a workout in just a standard underwear and actually it worked fine. After few day of doing it this way the sores were significantly less painful and eventually they healed completely. Now after 8 weeks of not using bibs indoor I see no downsides of this approach for myself. I finished SSB1 HV without skipping a workout with few additional two-a-days. My saddle is plain carbon without any padding.
It’s not a recommendation but a suggestion to try it if everything else fails.
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