Cycling for Noobs

88 watchers

PK Aug 2021 8:14am, 17 Aug 2021 1,018 posts	PK Thanks Meglet. When you say type of saddle, what do you mean by that? (It's more of a numbness on my ass as time goes by - so you come out the saddle fur a wee bit- so it could just be more time on the bike as you suggest)
Mandymoo Aug 2021 8:14am, 17 Aug 2021 12,346 posts	Mandymoo I have never used chamois cream - do wear dhb padded stuff though
Metro_Nome Aug 2021 8:33am, 17 Aug 2021 6,233 posts	Metro_Nome I’m a big fan of castelli.
MazzyH Aug 2021 8:50am, 17 Aug 2021 11,417 posts	MazzyH I have an admiration of Castelli... that'll never materialise into owning any.... another upvote for DHB, or even the less budget Decathlon range.
Meglet Aug 2021 9:18am, 17 Aug 2021 21,975 posts	Meglet Castelli make the nicest kit but as with all italian stuff it is really small! PK, saddles vary enormously, as well as people's bums! The key metric is the width to support your sit-bones, some shops have a device to measure that (you sit on a gel pad and they look at the dimples!). But things like the size, shape and amount of cutout can make a big difference to comfort. A sore bum from sitting too long is probably ok, but if you have numb genitals that really isn't good. (I have actually dated several cyclists with, ahem, issues :-o). The pressure should be over the sit bones, not anywhere else, which includes soft tissues in women. More padded saddles isn't necessarily the answer either. I went through a lot of iterations and eventally had some pressure mapping which showed I did have pressure in the wrong place, and a completly different saddle has massively improved it. Yes it's still a bit sore after a long bike ride but I did 100 miles on sunday so to be expected, and it's not painful on my ladybits any more.
PK Aug 2021 10:01am, 17 Aug 2021 1,019 posts	PK Thanks Meglet, that makes sense and is something I can look into. Thanks all for your suggestions. I di have a couple of decathlon bib shorts, but dhb and castelli (which I had already guessed would be popular) are two makes I'll investigate further.
MudMeanderer Aug 2021 10:46am, 17 Aug 2021 2,141 posts	MudMeanderer As Meglet says, the saddle size and shape possibly matter more than the shorts, as long as the shorts themselves actually fit well. Another aspect can be overall position. If you end up with too much weight on the saddle that can lead to numbness. That's often a challenge to identify the solution though, as you're trying to balance weight between pedals, saddle and bars without any becoming uncomfortable. If it is something that persists a bike fit may pay dividends more than new shorts.
PK Aug 2021 12:47pm, 17 Aug 2021 1,020 posts	PK Thanks. That had crossed my mind as I think the frame is a shade too short for me. I'm not a tall guy, but I do feel slightly hunched when down on the drops.
fetcheveryone Oct 2021 4:16pm, 2 Oct 2021 26,590 posts	fetcheveryone Time for me to start watching this thread again. Two enjoyable rides so far this week, giving my calf a rest from the running.
The Mussile Oct 2021 4:22pm, 2 Oct 2021 666 posts	The Mussile Sundried bib shorts are my current fave, particularly if you know someone with a 20 or 30% discount code.