Saddle Sores.

[Dirt]

It is saddle sore season! Aren’t you excited??? I had two friends ask me about them this week. It is a topic that some are hesitant to talk about. People often think that saddle sores are a sign of bad cleaning habits. They can happen to anyone. I’m fastidious about hygiene “down there” and I still get saddle sores from time to time.

Not only are we riding more, but it is also getting rather warm and friction and skin irritation thrive in such conditions. If you’ve never had them before, you’re fortunate. Lots of things contribute to their formation, I’ve even heard that diet has an impact, but shorts, saddles and friction are usually the biggest cause. Sometimes just the way hair follicles react to being sat upon for hours causes issues.

Avoiding them: Do I have to mention common sense things like keeping your person and shorts clean? Never start a ride with damp shorts… even if they’re clean.

Chamois cream is a very good idea. There are many on the market. DZ Nutz is my current fave. They make one formula for men and another for women. Assos and Chamois Buttr are two other brands that I’ve used with great success. I use it for any ride over 1 hour in length. I spread a healthy amount on the chamois (I really rub it into the chamois pad) and a little on myself too. There’s an art to putting on your shorts when they’ve got chamois cream on them. It is really easy to slime chamois cream all over. Figuring out how to do it is almost a right of passage in cycling. When I was a tracky, I got the knack of starting with the shorts inside-out and was able to wiggle into them without getting gooey. It is also possible to get them on starting with them right-side-out. Practice makes perfect.

What happens when I get a saddle sore? Naturally keeping clean is important. If you can take a day or two off the bike, that is good. Sometimes that isn’t possible. There is a magic product that helps A LOT! Bag Balm (http://www.bagbalm.com/) was originally designed as a cow udder cream. There really isn’t anything magic in it, but DANG does the stuff work. A little dab on and around a saddle sore before bed and another in the morning after your shower will show significant improvement in an amazing amount of time.

My local CVS sells Bag Balm in the skin care section.

I also use Bag Balm as a preventative treatment. If you get back from a ride and have an uncomfortable spot on your bottom from worn out shorts or bad saddle position or just too many miles in the saddle, a bit of bag balm on it after showering helps heal and prevent further problems.

One other use for Bag Balm. There are times when you’re going on a cold, rainy ride where having tights or leg warmers only holds the rain and gunk to your legs, making you colder. On those days I wear knickers and use Bag Balm as an embrocation from just below my knees to my ankles. The lanolin repels water and lets the natural blood flow in my legs keep me warm.

I also use Bag Balm to help heal road rash later in the healing process. Once the healing process has really started and you need to keep the wound moist… That is another topic for another day.

Word of Caution: Bag Balm comes in a tin, rather than a tube. When you buy it, buy a small container and toss it out periodically. Don’t ever “double dip”. Reaching gooey fingers into the tin will contaminate it and reduce its effectiveness. I actually keep 2 tins… I use one for saddle sores and I keep a big tin for embrocation on rain rides.

Also: if you have skin allergies, read the ingredients to make sure there’s nothing in there that will cause problems. If you are an allergy sufferer, you know that routine well.

Hopefully this kinda helps. Let me know what works for you.

Pete

Topic

[ronwalf]

@Dirt 4451 wrote:

What happens when I get a saddle sore?…Bag Balm

You can also steal your toddler’s diaper rash cream. My kid’s Butt Paste works great … or so I’m told.

[StopMeansStop]

On my last long ride, my bibs got a little damp. Well, more than a little. I felt like I was wearing a filled diaper. Other than carrying a 2nd pair, how can one stay dry? It’s not the wetness I mind, but the rash. The body glide helped, but wasnt perfect

[PotomacCyclist]

I put Chamois Glide on my skin before putting on my tri shorts (De Soto). I haven’t had any issues since I started doing that again. I forgot about that in the early spring and developed some minor chafing problems.

I like the tri shorts because the pad isn’t as thick as with regular bike shorts. No diaper sensation.

For current saddle sores, petroleum jelly works well. You can use it for any type of chafing or windburn. I don’t know if it’s good for Lycra so I probably wouldn’t use it immediately before a ride.

[brendan]

@StopMeansStop 5884 wrote:

On my last long ride, my bibs got a little damp. Well, more than a little. I felt like I was wearing a filled diaper. Other than carrying a 2nd pair, how can one stay dry? It’s not the wetness I mind, but the rash. The body glide helped, but wasnt perfect

I wouldn’t use body glide. Use bike-specific chamois butter/cream.

And if you end up with ring around the rear, I suggest investigating topical meds usually found in the baby aisle…

Brendan

[Author]

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