bicycle riding

Padded shorts are the solution to your 'pain problem'.

You need to adjust the seat so your leg is straight when your heel is on the pedal. When you put the ball of your foot on the pedal your knee should be slightly bent.

If you do a search on You Tube you should be able to find some videos explaining how to set up the seat. You may need to move it back/forward as well as up/down and you need to look at the angle front/back as well.

It's a complex topic. The best way to set your bicycle up is have a shop do a fit for you.

Failing that, there are a lot of bicycle fit articles on the internet, and a lot of rule of thumbs.. I dont know if its ok to post links, but PM me if you want and ill send you the one I use.

Let's talk about your saddle for a moment.

You would think a big cushy seat is a great idea, but it's not.

Your butt is designed to actually rest on your sit bones. When you have a squishy saddle, it compresses your soft tissues rather than letting the sit bones do their work. This will get you sore quick.

There's a reason the men and women in the cycling world doing 100+ mile bike rides have small, narrow saddles. Of course, you probably don't want to get into hard seats and special cycling pants, do you? Cheap pants are $45. The last set I bought was $150. It is the best way to go though.

Anyway, if you just want a good saddle:


Find a Specialized dealer and have them fit a saddle to you. They will measure your sit bones (in a gel pad, don't worry, no creepy touching) and talk to you about how you ride (upright, bent over, etc) and suggest a seat. A decent one is $35-60. Anything more might be a waste for a casual rider.

Even with all that, it takes some time. Don't ride for more than 15 minutes at a time without taking a 5 minute walk break. You still have to build up to it.

Padded Cycling shorts AND padded knickers... a good saddle seat for your gender. Correct set up of your bike. It's never going to be 100% comfortable but it should be more bearable... I cycle twice a day at the mo without padded shorts and it's not too bad 'cos the saddle seat is good!

Everyone is giving such good advice! As an avid biker, all I can add in way of encouragement is - it will get BETTER. You're only really sore at the start and after only a few days or week, the pain will be gone. And, for some reason, unless you're doing really really long rides, it never seems to be as bad again - unless you stop riding for a very long time. Riding is probably my favorite form of exercise - especially when i can find scenic rides that include all types of riding, including short challenges.

Keep it up .. and ENJOY!

When I got my trek I got the smallest seat, that is less contact, and padded bike shorts. I also use butt butter for long rides.

When I got my trek I got the smallest seat, that is less contact, and padded bike shorts. I also use butt butter for long rides.

Butt butter is a good suggestion as well. A lot of the time what you are feeling is irritation from micro friction.


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padded bike short, a proper seat (not covering), and proper seat height will change how you feel when you ride.

seat height is very important. you are not supposed to put your feet flat on the ground while sitting on the seat. you should barely be able to touch on your tip toes.

I can deal with the seat pain...but what about pressure on your hands? My wrists hurt like crazy after a challenging ride.

gloves and strength training. to strength your arms, try things like push ups and forearm curls.

Not sure what pain you are referring to but in my opinion (I've got 35 years+ on bikes with the occasional break) all people will suffer a little soreness when their behind isn't used to riding. If I would hold up for a month or two now, and then get back into the saddle, I'd be sore for 2-4 days i imagine.

The good news is that it does go away after that.

Generally padded shorts help a little bit but IMHO shouldn't be needed unless you cycle really hard or long (60 min+ at high intensity).

The wrists.. that's another story. Like others I'd suggest that you'd consult someone knowledgeable to check how the bike fits you. Having said that, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpal_tunnel_syndrome) is quite common and even people who are fitted to their bikes (or vice versa) suffer - it's more likely due to individual physiology. I suffer on longer rides. Thinks like obesity could also be a factor.