bicycle butt affliction

walnut

Howdy folks, (especially all you bicycle aficionados!)
I recently purchased an old Schwinn from the 80's or so and have ridden it 3 or 4 times. Each time my butt has been sore later and the next day or two. My bf, who is a former bike messenger, insists this will go away. I think it's a different kind of sore than he knows... see, he has one of those nice cushy round butts :bigsmile: , whereas my body apparently stores the would-be butt fat around my tummy instead. My butt hurts where my pelvic bones hit the seat.

My question is this: how do you know if you just have a crappy seat? It is conceivable that the kind of soreness I'm experiencing might go away if I just endure it for awhile? I could maybe spring $20 for a new, cushy bike seat, but can you get anything decent for that? Is there anything else I can do for $20 that could fix my butt problem? *Ahem.* I can only imagine where this thread will wind up... :laugh:

walnut

Howdy folks, (especially all you bicycle aficionados!)
I recently purchased an old Schwinn from the 80's or so and have ridden it 3 or 4 times. Each time my butt has been sore later and the next day or two. My bf, who is a former bike messenger, insists this will go away. I think it's a different kind of sore than he knows... see, he has one of those nice cushy round butts :bigsmile: , whereas my body apparently stores the would-be butt fat around my tummy instead. My butt hurts where my pelvic bones hit the seat.

My question is this: how do you know if you just have a crappy seat? It is conceivable that the kind of soreness I'm experiencing might go away if I just endure it for awhile? I could maybe spring $20 for a new, cushy bike seat, but can you get anything decent for that? Is there anything else I can do for $20 that could fix my butt problem? *Ahem.* I can only imagine where this thread will wind up... :laugh:

fitzio1015

go to walmart they carry a seat thats called gel tech me andmy husband both have it...its great it is 19.97.......i know where i first started ridin i had the same booty problem:blushing: ....then i got that seat and its all good now......so spend the $20 and get a new seat

shorerider

Sore butts take time but you will eventually get used to it--they occur usually no matter what kind of seat you get. I finally invested in a "hornless" seat (see photo in thread below to see what i mean) and it helped me a lot. I think it cost $40. It takes a lot of pressure of "certain" regions and allows a more comfortable natural seating position.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20182-morning-s-bike-ride-photo-a-host-of-sunflowers?hl=sunflowers#posts-175138

SoupNazi

That happened to me too..lol. I'm just getting into biking again and WOW...did I forget how sore you can be. I used to ride bike patrol for 8 hours a day or more for 5 days a week and would wear bike shorts with a padded seat. This helped enourmously! They feel weird to wear, at first, but you get used to them.
I'm actually thinking about combining a comfy new seat and some padded shorts, myself.

pecksun8

Yes! I used to live in Germany, and we rode our bikes everywhere!

Get a new seat, especially if you don't feel comfortable wearing padded bike shorts. It makes a world of difference which type of seat you have.

msarro

If you aren't comfortable in the seat, buy a new one. If you're still new its normal to be a little uncomfortable, so he is somewhat correct. However it should go away after a few days. If that doesn't happen, its a problem with the seat. A cover can help, but you may really want to look into getting a new saddle as it may be an issue with the seat itself. Some of the old schwinns have hard plastic seats which really rip into you if even for only a few minutes.

Brooks makes amazing saddles - they're expensive, but its like a hug for your butt:
http://www.brookssaddles.com/brooksengland.html

They're made in the same process as horse saddles. They're amazing if you do longer bike rides, like centuries.

walnut

thanks for the tips, everyone. It's good to know that there are cheap butt-softening options out there!

mommyskis

Just wanted to add my recommendation for buying a new seat. You will be amazed at how much better it is. Get something with gel. The padded shorts are great too. I have a pair for mountain biking and you can't even tell; well I guess I can!