I just completed a 100km MTB race. Prepped well with good rest and nutrition.
I have been following the LV Gran Fondo plan ( as my A event is a gravel fondo in 3 weeks time)
The first 75km was GREAT; no pains minimal fatigue.
I knew the last 25 I would feel some fatigue so no surprise for me there. But at 90km my sitbones began to feel like I was sitting on nettles and my left foot developed a painful spot right above the cleat.
Both pains were well above an 8/10 and stole my joy, and almost had my bike up for a cheap sale at race end
My kisser spent 5 hours kissing that saddle.
So Iâm wondering and hoping that those with experience in this area can advise - is my butt likely to âtoughen upâ with repeat efforts?
Does anybody have experience using 2 pairs of chamois for this problem??
Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated as, if this issue doesnât improve, it may mean a new sport for me
Here is what happens with me: each year on my first very long ride, one of my shoulders and arms gets tired. Everything gets miserable, my body position gets worse, which exacerbates everything.
The other bit Iâd do is dial in saddle, saddle position, etc. And try other chamois. Bib shorts are so much aber personal preferences, and many butts have expensive tastes.
This is only my second ride of that duration. The previous one was 7.5 hours and on a different saddle (WTB rocket). My present saddle (Specialised power comp) Iâve had for about 3 months or 90 hours of riding. Longest single ride on it (prior to this event) was 3 hours at 65km. Butt felt fine then.
Less padding not more?? I spoke to a mate who suggested ( and uses) 2 chamois for longer rides - although I know this is not popular, he doesnât suffer the same kick in the ass that I did. But then, he does ride longer and more regularly than me.
âGet out of the saddle regularlyâ - yes, air on the chair regularly certainly helps.
That makes such a big difference. My favorite bib shorts are my 7Mesh, they essentially become âtransparentâ, as if they werenât there. The straps are wide, soft and super comfortable.
Iâd invest money in finding âyour 7Meshâ bib shorts, unless you have already found them.
Yes. It seems counterintuitive at first, but I think with wide, soft saddles, basically your whole butt may end up becoming numb. Thatâs very uncomfortable to put it mildly.
The perineum was hurting with the previous WTB saddle. This new saddle is 100% fine in that area ( professional bike fitter was right about that) itâs definitely the sit bones this time.
I think on the positive side, you made it 90% of the way before you experienced the tough situation. That says that perhaps you arenât far off and maybe a little tweak to the fit, a higher quality bib, some additional standing time, etc, might get you that last 10%. I will say that MTB is tough on you. I think most doing endurance MTB find discomfort at some point in the event. Should it be an 8/10 of pain, no, I donât think so, but itâs part of what makes endurance events tough.
The foot pain could indicate a fit/position issue. You might consider getting a professional fit - though that isnât cheap (usually $150-$300+ depending on whoâs doing the fit).
You do get used to it to a degree but you also have to spend more time in the saddle.
Butt - better shorts and chamois cream really help with the longer rides. I like Noxema (Chris Horner recommendation). I also switched to Assos shorts and love them. I wonât ride anything else.
My buddy who is a bikepacker / gravel racer switched to a Brooks saddle for his frequent 6-7+ hour rides.
Shoes - I start all my longer rides now with my shoes practically loose. If I donât my feel swell enough that Iâll have discomfort if I donât. It took me a long time to figure this out because I could do 90-120 minutes no problem but then in hour 3 my feet would be killing me. If the shoes start off on the loose side then no problem in hour 3+. And loosening the shoes after the pain sets in doesnât help much.
I have been musing on this after reading earlier replies and I am now tendng to agree with you: the fact that my issues only cropped up 90% of the way in is probably, actually, not as bad a harbinger as I initially thought.
I now plan to:
Measure the chamois on my bib against the saddle / sit position.
Rise more frequently when riding for short butt breathers
Try some chamois cream
Chamois cream will help if the butt pain is from chafing, but wonât do much/anything for a deeper âboneâ pain. But, itâs cheap to try, so may as well give it a shot.
Honestly, like you said, I wouldnât worry too much about it unless it happens on shorter rides. 100km is a pretty long off-road ride by most peopleâs standards and it takes a few to get your body accustomed to the beating it takes.
If the foot pain returns, Iâd start with loosening the shoe, as suggested already. Then, if that doesnât help, cleat position - possibly move them backwards some. Too far forward puts more pressure on the small bones in the front of the foot/toes. This might require bringing the saddle down a hair, as moving cleats rearward effectively shortens your leg. This is assume the shoe is wide enough - if you have wide feet, you might need to try a wide shoe (though thatâs an expensive thing to try, so would be my last resort).
FWIW back in 2015 I went from 40-60 minute workouts in the gym (twice a week) to doing my first 100km ride. Two issues after getting 70-80% thru: my butt hurt and I got hot foot. But now I can ride 8-12 hours a week without issues.
The more I ride, the longer I am able to ride comfortably.
Iâve had both issues in the past. Solved with the right saddle and right pair of shoes.
Saddle: Softer saddle definitely helps for me. Most saddles on high end bike models have minimal padding. The stock saddle on my current MTB was really light, carbon rails, no padding. I switched to a cheaper, heavier mode with more padding. Really requires trial and error to find a saddle that works for you.
Shoes: the one pair of shoes I did have pain with I fixed by moving the cleats more to the inside of the shoe, and leaving the shoe looser while riding (gravel shoe, not MTB; wouldnât recommend leaving MTB shoe loose ). This relieved the pressure on the outside of my foot where I was having the pain.
). This relieved the pressure on the outside of my foot where I was having the pain.