Starting a Cycling Routine for Exercise - Discomfort in Saddle

ScrAgnX

10 years ago riding long distances on a bike wasn't any issue for me. Now, probably 100 lbs heavier, I'm having troubles sitting on the bike for more than 5 minutes without soreness.

I suspect it's just bruising on my ischial tuberosities (aka sit bones), and that my seat isn't prepared for placing ~345lbs on 9 square inches. There are other options (improper size seat, and improper positioning) that I'm looking at as well.

I've tried a few different seats without success, and I wear cycling shorts (they help a bit). I've also decided to start out at 5 minute rides, then slowly build up longer to try to reacclimate.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an overweight rider to become more comfortable on a bike seat other than slow conditioning? Has anyone had a similar experience and found a good way to assess the problem?

matfatcowboy

my wife, says she just started slow and built up her "sit muscles", other than that she said use some anti chafing stuff to make life easier, and to not buy a cushy seat, according to her the cushier seat she bought, the less comfortable it is long term because it doesn't sit you where you are supposed to be. hope that helps.

matfatcowboy

she also said go get a bike fitting at your local bike shop. it will make worlds of difference immediatly.

g8rforester

On the bike, wider and softer are not better for longer distances/times. Go to a local bike store, and consult with them. I went from wide/soft to narrower/less soft, and it makes long rides MUCH easier.

You will still need to build up butt endurance though!!

Chamois cream will also be your friend.

ScrAgnX

That's what I was thinking/afraid of...

Awful demoralizing to drop back in my abilities so far, but maybe that feeling well help motivate me to get back to where I was and stay there.

Thanks for the thoughts, and I'll have to check out the chamois cream when I start building some distance/time in the saddle. From what it looks like it helps with the pesky chafing I remember from years gone by.

Tweaking my seat slightly helped as well (down and forward). I'm using a road bike (narrow and firm saddle) because it's more comfortable than my slightly wider (and slightly softer) mountain bike saddle.