Seat comfort

[Iron Rider]

Does anyone's butt not chafe/hurt after a 20+ hour ride? If so, what
are you doing that I'm not?

[Ryan Watson]

On May 23, 2012, at 9:26, Iron Rider <100...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Does anyone's butt not chafe/hurt after a 20+ hour ride?

Mine doesn't :-)

> If so, what
> are you doing that I'm not?

Brooks B17, Rapha Chamois, and Anti Monkey-Butt Powder!


Ryan

[Jan Heine]

I use a similar solution - Brooks Professional, real leather chamois,
Sixtufit chamois cream (applied hours before the ride to let it soak
in).

Coasting on the downhills allows me to lift the behind off the saddle slightly.

Also, interval training. The harder you pedal, the less weight is on
the saddle...

That said, even when touring with less power output, I usually don't
suffer from saddle problems.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.bikequarterly.com

Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/
--

[Jim Logan]

Mine is good for 48 hours ==>. Sella Anatomica saddle.

I use a B17 on my century bike, and a Sella Anatomica on my ultra-distance bike.

Jim Logan

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[Mark Wolff]

Pretty much the same thing here: B-17, Bag Balm and plenty of training miles....

It takes some time to figure out what works best for you.

MW

[DistanceBiker.com]

After most 10+ hour rides my right side always had chafing. After battling this for two seasons I determined it is related to leg length inequality. I have now shimmed up the shoe on my short leg and the problem has mostly disappeared. I have also had to go with a leather saddle (Gilles Berthoud) as it compensates for such problems, unlike a plastic saddle (I'm a bit of a weight wennie so I prefer plastic IF they would suit me better).
For an extensive blog report on my quest for the perfect saddle visit this page on RandoRichard.com.
Cheers,
Rando Richard
RandoRichard.com (blog)
Distance Biker (roadie gear)
eoGEAR (rando & SUP bags)
RUSA member # 4638 & UMCA member # 5305

Does anyone's butt not chafe/hurt after a 20+ hour ride? If so, what
are you doing that I'm not?

[Jim House]

I use a Brooks Pro - I am on my second one -first lasted about 25 years and
over 100,000 miles.
I am on my third year of the replacement and my butt is almost broken into
the new saddle.
I did a 1000K on the new saddle after having it two months without any
issues (and a lot of rain).
I did PBP on the new saddle after 1 year of use without any issues

I never use any creams.

I will change bibs to a different brand of bibs every day - different seam
pattern as well as different pads.
First pick is Hincapie Emergence 9 panel bib
Second is Santini 8 panel with a DuPont Cool Max Techno Pad (pro team
quality with radio pocket)
A close Second is Casttelli VELOCISSIMO EQUIPE 10 panel bib with the kiss
pad
I also love the Casttelli nickers and winter weight long leg bibs

Keeping very clean down there is very important, I even go as far as to try
NEVER to pass gas...

Good luck in finding what work FOR YOU!

Jim House
Maumee, OH

[Susan Otcenas]

>>Does anyone's butt not chafe/hurt after a 20+ hour ride? If so, what
are you doing that I'm not?

I can ride pretty much forever with little discomfort.

Bucking the pervasive rando Brooks/Selle An-Atomica cult (I seriously
dislike those things), I've found the Terry Butterfly to be the best
thing since sliced bread. It's firm, has no hard edges, and doesn't
require a break-in period. It's great from day one. There's a men's
version (the Terry Fly) that's a little narrower than the women's
butterfly.

On long rides (I don't bother until 300K or so), I also find Lantiseptic
to be a great preventative tool. It's tenacious (stays in place and
doesn't disappear or require frequent re-applications) and purchased in
bulk is quite inexpensive.

It also helps to wear QUALITY cycling shorts, and to replace them
regularly. News flash: cycling shorts don't last forever. Even the
softest chamois fabrics become rougher and stiffer after regular use and
many washings. Even the best quality fabrics lose their "recovery"
properties, by which I mean that they stretch out over time and the
fabric doesn't "recover" to it's former close fit. Shorts should fit
snugly but without discomfort. Shorts that are too loose or have lost
their compressiveness will not sit as closely to your body. If the
chamois is not snug against your backside, it will subtly shift around
and back and forth as you pedal. Over the distances we ride, that
subtle movement will cause chafing. If your shorts are "wrinkly" when
you're wearing them, or the chamois sags away from your butt, the shorts
are TOO LARGE or are WORN OUT. Time to replace.

I've ridden behind a few too many randos who *really* need to replace
their shorts...

Make sure you choose shorts with chamois that are appropriate to your
body shape. Do you chafe from the chamois at the inside of the upper
thigh? Perhaps you've chosed a short with a chamois that is too wide or
bulky in the center. Do you chafe on the buttock, closer to where you
butt cheek meets the upper thigh? Perhaps you've chosen a short with a
chamois placement that is too fore or aft for your particular anatomy,
so that the edge of the chamois is causing abrasion. Once you find a
pair that works, buy another. Or two! Vendors tinker with this stuff
all the time, so get another pair before they change it.


Susan


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Susan Otcenas
Team Estrogen, Inc.
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877-310-4592
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[David Buzzee]

Huh? Never pass gas? This concept boggles the mind (and other parts as well).

db

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[William D. Volk]

I solved the problem by riding a rolling lounge chair :-)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/bikingbill/3f18df02.jpg

Not only did I get a recumbent (BACCHETTA), but then I modified it with a bigger seat from a different recumbent company (RANS). Not to mention really fat tires.

All comments on the size of my posterior are probably accurate :-(

William D. Volk

On May 23, 2012, at 8:26 AM, Iron Rider wrote:

> Does anyone's butt not chafe/hurt after a 20+ hour ride? If so, what
> are you doing that I'm not?
>

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[Iron Rider]

Rich. That was a very detailed and helpful article. Thanks

On May 23, 12:20 pm, "DistanceBiker.com" <Rich...@DistanceBiker.com>
wrote:

> After most 10+ hour rides my right side always had chafing. After battling
> this for two seasons I determined it is related to leg length inequality. I
> have now shimmed up the shoe on my short leg and the problem has mostly
> disappeared. I have also had to go with a leather saddle (Gilles Berthoud)
> as it compensates for such problems, unlike a plastic saddle (I'm a bit of
> a weight wennie so I prefer plastic IF they would suit me better).
> For an extensive blog report on my quest for the perfect saddle visit this

> page on RandoRichard.com <http://www.randorichard.com/hints-helps/saddles>.
> Cheers,
> Rando Richard
> RandoRichard.com <http://www.RandoRichard.com> (blog)
> Distance Biker <http://www.DistanceBiker.com> (roadie gear)
> eoGEAR <http://www.eogear.com> (rando & SUP bags)

[Iron Rider]

Thanks for all of the responses. They contained some very helpful
information.

[Ken Freeman]

Jan, I've been thinking of getting rid of bulky padded chamois, too.  Can you suggest some souces for real chamois chamois?  Or as John Forester suggested, do you make them?

On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 12:17 PM, Jan Heine <hei...@earthlink.net> wrote:

At 9:56 AM -0600 5/23/12, Ryan Watson wrote:

I use a similar solution - Brooks Professional, real leather chamois, Sixtufit chamois cream (applied hours before the ride to let it soak in).

Coasting on the downhills allows me to lift the behind off the saddle slightly.

Also, interval training. The harder you pedal, the less weight is on the saddle...

That said, even when touring with less power output, I usually don't suffer from saddle problems.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
http://www.bikequarterly.com

Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/
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Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA

[Bill Olsen]

Ken - Kucharik makes some great wool shorts with real chamois.  This year I've gone back to riding wool shorts with both faux and real chamois.  I have to admit that although the real stuff felt just as good as it did when I first rode it over 40 years ago, it does have some drawbacks which, I believe are why it is not in demand.  First the plus - the thin chamois with the wool felt sooo smooth on my leather covered saddle, especially for the first 200K of the ride.  Unfortunately when I wore these shorts on a 300K with a high amount of rough chip and seal road surface, using my bike with 23mm Conti-4 Seasons, I ended up with some minor bruising on my "sit bones."  Previously I had never had a problem, but then at the time I was riding silk tubular tires that were more forgiving. I am also, to paraphrase the Jane Mansfield ad, "a full figured kind of guy."  I don't know your mass but if you are slightly more petite, and riding a bike with 650 wheels shod with 42mm Gran Bois tires inflated to 60psi you may be more comfortable.

On the other hand, I had a good week last week and managed to get in 1400K on the same bike, over similar roads, wearing the Ibex wool shorts with the synthetic liner, and also the non-wool section where the shorts contact the seat, and had no saddle issues, what-so-ever.  I was concerned that the wool shorts were a little heavy but they performed well even though we were going through a hot spell (at least for here) with temps in the 85-90 deg. range and humidity exceeding 100%.  (The lightweight wool jersey was also quite comfortable.)

I didn't respond to the first question regarding "butt chafe" but I also do not have any issues in this area.  I try to keep everything clean (using handy-wipes) and dry.  I only resort to the cremes when I find that the humidity is too great, or I end up riding through the rain and have wet shorts - and this is generally only for the rides over 40 hours as it doesn't usually develop as an issue for me on ride of 600Ks or less.

I also am not one to worry about breaking in my new Brook saddles.  As I was packing for last summer's Big Wild Ride I took out a new Brooks saddle and put it on the bike as I assembled it in Anchorage.  It worked well and although I couldn't discern any difference, assume that it was well broken in by the time I returned to Anchorage 1200K later.

Bill  

---

Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 08:55:46 -0400

Subject: Re: [Randon] Seat comfort

From: kenfre...@gmail.com
To: hei...@earthlink.net
CC: rswa...@me.com; 100...@gmail.com; ran...@googlegroups.com

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[Iron Rider]

Bill,

I also tried Kucharik shorts with the leather chamois and did not like it for the over 200k distance for the same reason you mentioned. The ibex wool have done well for me. But I am thinking that my B17 seat position needs tweaking, (it changed when I got a new seat post back in Feb.) We'll see as my experiment of one continues . . .