Preventing a sore "Spin Bum"?

Bicycle shorts will definitely help a lot. I know you wanted to avoid an investment but compared to the pain it may be well worth it. Check out performance bicycle online, they have great sales often on them. Oh, and do not wear panties under your cycling shorts, will make things worse.

I spin once a week and have never experienced the kind of pain you describe. Be very prepared for muscle pains in the legs though, there's nothing you can do to avoid that. If you are worried invest in some padded shorts, its only 45 mins seated maximum (half the time you'll be off the seat) I'm sure you sit longer than that in the office.

Having the spin cycle set up appropriately will help a lot in the comfort department. I think most people who say they can't ride bikes or spin because it hurts too much are just riding poorly fitted bikes.

That being said, I know my seat bones are always a little tender the first week or two of riding again. I usually rotate heavily through my various thicknesses of bike shorts (I hate thick chamois but they do help early on). A little Body Glide or Chamois Butter can help, too.

once you make it through the first handful of classes you wont even notice it anymore

There is a difference between being hard on the glutes and chafing your bum. I take a spin class once a week, in addition to logging other bike time as well. I do not pull out the bike shorts unless I am going 25+ miles, and have never had a problem.

I don't do a lot of indoor biking, but I live on my bike in the non-winter months. First week or so you're going to have some bruising on the parts that contact the seat...how much it hurts depends on the person. My guess would be that the DOMS from the rest of the workout is going to be a lot worse than the bruising. As with anything, don't go all-out the first few workouts -- you'll be sore enough just from the new movement patterns. Oh, and if your leg strength is up to it, don't go putting most of your weight on the seat -- carry as much as possible on your legs...this will reduce the bruising a lot (and the next couple of times, when you are bruised, it will cut down on the pain of it).

I was pretty sore after spin classes the first few times I went, but I ended up not enjoying it too much, so I was glad I didn't bother with an investment. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle, but I definitely wasn't used to tenderness in that area!

Don't get a gel pad, the saddles on many spinning bikes are already wider than they should be and the gel pad only makes things worse.

Have the instructor take a few moments to set up the bike for you and that should go a long way towards alleviating any discomfort but it is not unusual for there to a short time while your sit bones acclimate.......

Set the bicycle up correctly ... and stand frequently.

Personally, I do wear lightly padded shorts because I'm a cyclist and have a whole collection of the things.

I used to put a gel seat over my seat and liked that set up. Even without it, though, the pain in that area was not pain, it was soreness, and nothing very bad. Now I don't use anything and never have pain.

meritage4 wrote: »

Okay I thought someone would say it by now

Commando is best-under bike shorts especially
Avoid anything that could rub and chafe

That's padded bike shorts. The padding is designed to be next to your skin.

I did my first spin class last week,(I was scared I had heard it was painful too) and although it was uncomfortable, it wasn't painful. My sit bone area felt a bit sore the next day, but nothing major. Make sure you are sat back on the seat, and like everyone else has said get your bike set up by the instructor the first time. I did my second class the other day and that time it didn't hurt at all. It's funny how quickly you get used to it.