Well I bought a bike...

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Rain203
Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
We'll like my title states, I bought a bike! I was ecstatic to begin my journey bike riding, but then my butt began to hurt! I managed to ride for maybe half hour until I couldn't stand it anymore!!

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  • msujack
    msujack Posts: 84 Member
    edited March 2016
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    It gets better! (and congrats on the new wheels!)
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    msujack wrote: »
    It gets better! (and congrats on the new wheels!)

    Thank you! I hope so lol, when I was 12 I could ride for hours (what happened?) I even have a gel seat, but it is still uncomfortable.

    I do hope it gets better, because I love my bike.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Just takes time for your sit bones to acclimate. Certain types of saddles are worse than others too (wide springy ones appear more comfortable but typically support you in the wrong places and adding a gel pad doesn't help)

    You could check out padded biking shorts (spandex ones are for road bikes and there are baggier mountain bike shorts some people prefer to protect their modesty......)

    I should also add that if the bike has not been fitted properly some discomfort may result.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    It gets easier. You harden to it. What sort of bike is it? This is a bike house...... Between me and my OH we have 4 MTBs (hard tails & full suspension), 3 road bikes, 1 hybrid and a Pashley. :smiley:
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    Just takes time for your sit bones to acclimate. Certain types of saddles are worse than others too (wide springy ones appear more comfortable but typically support you in the wrong places and adding a gel pad doesn't help)

    You could check out padded biking shorts (spandex ones are for road bikes and there are baggier mountain bike shorts some people prefer to protect their modesty......)

    I should also add that if the bike has not been fitted properly some discomfort may result.

    Hi Brian, thanks for your reply! Wow I didn't know that about bike seats... I wonder if the gel seat is making my problem worse. I hope not, because the seat on my bike I can't stand sitting on it at all.

    I had the people check the height of my bike for me and it seems like a good fit it's 14 or 15" and I'm 5.6.5 ( sorry I'm having trouble remembering its size). I should also add that it's a mountain bike.
    I really want to get to the bottom of this problem ( no pun intended
  • bakay138
    bakay138 Posts: 47 Member
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    Did you buy your bike from a bike shop? If so, they will be willing to do a fitting for you and that might be just what you need to make a difference. If you bought it elsewhere, playing around with the seat adjustment might be helpful.
    Bike shorts will help!
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    Is it your sitting bones that hurt or *ahem* further forward? I'm a girl you can tell me...
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    CollieFit wrote: »
    Is it your sitting bones that hurt or *ahem* further forward? I'm a girl you can tell me...
    Lol it's my sit bones! They feel bruised :(
  • abelcat1
    abelcat1 Posts: 186 Member
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    Oh don´t worry... you will soon be able to ride forever without this being a problem. In a few weeks after bying a bike I was able to ride 26 km... and I loved it. Only problem is the Danish weather. Winther, snow and rain ... no I don´t think so. Remember the helmet... and enjoy your time on the bike. Do you plan to ride it to work? Spring is allmost here and I will dust off my faithful old friend soon.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    Do you have bike shorts? Trust me, buy bike shorts with padding. It will help the sit bone issue somewhat, although you still have to acclimatize. Just be thankful it's only your sit bones....the "other" issues is um...very uncomfortable.
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    bakay138 wrote: »
    Did you buy your bike from a bike shop? If so, they will be willing to do a fitting for you and that might be just what you need to make a difference. If you bought it elsewhere, playing around with the seat adjustment might be helpful.
    Bike shorts will help!

    I bought my bike at sport check, they seem pretty good there. They had me sit in the bike in different positions to see how well it fit.

    I'm wondering if I'm just a huge wimp?? But seriously I'm. A lot of pain from my seat. I wonder if he saddle is a poor fit
  • gdyment
    gdyment Posts: 299 Member
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    Normal. I ride thousands of km in the summer and the first 5-6 rides always feel like a bit of bruising. Like callus on your hands if you weight lift.
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    abelcat1 wrote: »
    Oh don´t worry... you will soon be able to ride forever without this being a problem. In a few weeks after bying a bike I was able to ride 26 km... and I loved it. Only problem is the Danish weather. Winther, snow and rain ... no I don´t think so. Remember the helmet... and enjoy your time on the bike. Do you plan to ride it to work? Spring is allmost here and I will dust off my faithful old friend soon.

    I just plan on riding in he trails for a workout, I think some of the problem is I'm putting too much pressure on my bottom because my legs need strengthening lol

  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    Ah that's okay then, you'll just harden to that. Had it been the other place, that can be because the riding position might be too aggressive for your current lack of riding core strength, and can be helped by little things like raising the handle bars a little or bringing the seat forward a little to not be quite so stretched. Your butt will get used to it quite quickly. Especially as your legs strengthen, then you can keep more weight in the legs/pedals and lift yourself out of a saddle a little more often. I recently returned to cycling after some time off and it was a rude awakening at first but I did 20 miles today and breezed through it.
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    gdyment wrote: »
    Normal. I ride thousands of km in the summer and the first 5-6 rides always feel like a bit of bruising. Like callus on your hands if you weight lift.

    Hmm good way of putting it! Thank you :) I'm starting to feel less scared

  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    Saddles are a very personal choice. Personally I find "less is more". I see some ladies on the girnoooourmous wide saddles in a "sit up and beg" position and I would find that crippling (not to mention chafing!). I do like female spec narrow saddles with a "flap gap"... excuse the term, I didn't invent it... These...

    b9tqji76dyd8.jpg

    Personally I LOVE Selle Italia saddles... but it's a personal choice.

    Also a good article here...
    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/aug/14/how-female-cyclists-can-combat-saddle-soreness
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    It can take quite a few miles before your butt gets used to the seat. I ride year round now, but when I took winters off, the first few rides in the spring were always pretty sore. I'll also echo the suggestion of padded bike shorts/skirts/pants. Makes a world of difference.

    Some local bike shops will have saddle rentals or saddle libraries where you can rent or borrow different seats to try them out before purchasing.
  • Rain203
    Rain203 Posts: 47 Member
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    Thanks guys!

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