Bike fit and saddle fit are so important. A seat too high will result in rocking, and therefore friction. I used to get saddle sores infrequently, despite creams (although diaper rash cream also works a treat), treatments, etc.
I got a Selle SMP saddle and that has been a game changer. Natural leather, anatomic fit, minimum padding. Since I got the saddle adjustment dialed in, no saddle sores!
2ndāing baby wipes. I first started really having issues in 2020 when I greatly increased my volume. Eventually I started using a baby wipe or moistened tp for a finish-wipe after #2s ā no real problems since and Iāve only done more volume.
Iām sure many of the other suggestions could also be in play, but this an easy one to knock out. And might even address the root cause tips like getting out of your shorts faster, washing them longer/better, or applying various creams before/after are targeting.
If āwashing longerā means rinsing longer. Getting all that soap out of the pads is prime to a happy life, I think. (I did ride with a guy who discovered he had āsome foamā in his bibs at a comfort stop. EWE!! The thought that excess detergent, hair, sweet caused āfoamā? Um, thatās just on a level I would never ever want to go to. Ever)
It is pretty common these days to see riders with suds coming out of their shorts when riding in the rainā¦ā¦I believe the issue is related to HE washers, which use lower water volume and reduced spin cycles. Not all the detergent gets rinsed out and you end up with foaming when the shorts get wet.
You can try adding spin cycles to your washer or just reduce the amount of detergent you put in.
I had never experienced saddle sores, until I switched to a āproā line of shorts, from a lower priced line from the same manufacturer. I struggled with it for a year, until I realized, the area of the sore, was not even in contact with the saddle, ergoā¦the damn shorts were rubbing my bottom raw. I concluded, even though I was assured by the sales person, I had purchased the correct size, the pro shorts did not fit the same as the every day customer shorts (trying to keep the manufacturer out of this). I upsized and the problem was solved. As cycling shorts have a lot of stretch, one may not realize they are undersized (at least I did not), and my cycling movements were chaffing me. I offer this, as one thing to consider is, the shorts may be too small and causing the problem. Something to considerā¦Cheers.
I have just started using a Reform saddle and I am pretty impressed so far. The moulding process was simple, I knew from a bike fit that I had a pressure point and the moulding process shaped around the area of pressure.
The opposite is true too. If they are too big, they can move around or bunch up.
I think it is important to once again point out the difference between something like this and an actual saddle sore.
Chafing / rubbing / etc. are not true saddle sores and require different treatments than a true āsaddle soreā. A saddle sore is typically an infected hair follicle or pore, can be hard and bumpy, etc.
Agreed on this but one can lead to the other, broken skin being an entry point for the infection to begin
I raced a rainy crit with a guy with this issue. Suffice it to say no one wanted to ride his wheel.
Chafing / rubbing / etc. are not true saddle sores and require different treatments than a true āsaddle soreā. A saddle sore is typically an infected hair follicle or pore, can be hard and bumpy, etc.
I occasionally will get a saddle sore and itās like you describe. It almost reminds me of acne, but on the undercarriage. To that end, when showering after longer rides, Iāve taken to using some neutrogena face wash on the olā sit bone/undercarriage area. Only started recently, so not sure if it will make a difference, but figure it canāt hurt?
Iāve been suffering more sores and chaffing on longer MTB rides recently. Historically I havenāt need Butter for MTB rides less than 4 hrs or 6 hrs on road. Then I realized the problem was happening with one pair of bibs and not the other. The padding seemed OK but my rear-end said otherwise. Thinking back, the Problem Bibs are 10 years old, so those bibs will be replaced.
Also, I always take a change of clothes no matter what style of ride. Those bibs come off as soon as the ride is over. Changing under a skirt in a parking lot is well worth the effort and awkwardness for the sake of long term skin health.
I couple of things that were game changers for me (after a long bout of suffering on this front) were:
Both of those items are available at your local pharmacy. The antiseptic wash goes a long ways in eliminating bacteria before you start your ride. The hydrocolloid bandaids were transformational to my ability to continue to ride and not be bothered if I had a small sore. It creates a sealed healing environment for your body to do its thing, and the built in padding dispersed pressure so I wasnāt bothered. Just donāt leave them on too long (more than a few days) as theyāll REALLY adhere to your skin. As always, YMMV.
After having to sit out for 3 weeks and take some horse sized antibiotics I managed to get this situation under control. Since then the main changes Iāve made:
Doing these things has reduced the amount Iām relying on chamois cream, Iām still putting a thin film on for longer rides but itās not something Iām finding Iām as worried about now that Iāve got the fit setup.