How can I stop my A*s from hurting so much on a bike??

Question

I've already gotten one of those gel seats for big asses....what next????

You guys have been great! Thank you everyone for the answers and help - how do I pick just one best answer??

Answer 1

You can go to the nearest Specialized brand bike dealer and sit on the Assometer. It will then tell you what your measures are.

You can also try the following:
WTB Speed V
WTB Speed She
Sportourer
Terry Butterfly
Mountain bike saddle

But, how do you know?

Handlebar height is strictly relative to saddle width.
Higher handlebars facilitate using a more comfortable saddle.
This can be accomplished without loss of areodynamic performance as long as the riser stem is also able to maintain optimized reach--with the end result being a more comfortable posture. My favorite for the road bike is Profile Designs H2O and for the mountain bike, is Nashbar ATB adjustable.

Adjust your handlebars up for good fit first before doing more saddle shopping.
That "changes the rules" a bit and opens more options for comfort.

I like the Sportourer because of its medium size, slight padding, and gently sloping sides. In fact, gently sloping sides is extremely important in the larger saddles.

The very finest fit I've seen has been on Diamondback's road bike hybrid Edgewood/Winwood (flat handlebars, 700c wheels) and is called Avenir. This is not available seperately, but viewing one and going on a test drive can give you a good idea of how a touring saddle should feel. Not that $350 is too big of a price for a super comfy saddle that comes with a free bike. Oh, I don't want to make fun of that bike. It is a speedy one, despite its funny looks.

You might also need to report to the bike store to have your bike adjusted for fit. It sounds like you're suffering from some sort of reach issue that is affecting your posture into leaning down onto the horn of the saddle or causing a lot of sliding and posting.

Touring size saddle with gently sloping sides:
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=list&Category=469&Brand=583&type=T

Mountain/Road saddles:
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=SA1531
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=SA2207

Don't miss going to the bike store to get professionally fitted.

EDIT: The action of gel is to remove pressure from your "sit bones," which it shouldn't do and then squish into your soft tissues, which it shouldn't do either. Marine foam (a type of foam that encapsulates gel so that it won't travel) is a non-squishy type of gel, and the non-squishy works well.

Avoid the squishy, jello-like stuff that promises relief, but delivers pain instead.

It seems that gentle curves are the way to go. I like to look underneath the saddle to see if the backplate is curved at the "edges" or flat, and avoid the flat because that makes sharp edges no matter how much padding there is on top.
See the bike store for more details.

Answer 2

A gel seat isn't the answer, even though it seems like you need MORE padding. The way to make a seat not hurt is to prevent chafing and have a seat that FITS you.

Many women make the mistake of getting a seat that is much too big thinking that the extra width will help, but all it does is spread your pelvic bones apart and cause more @ss and low back pain.

If you haven't gotten some good padded lycra shorts, do so. They should be tight, but not restrictive. The idea is to let the fabric become a second skin instead of your tender nethers being rubbed raw. Oh, and BTW, you do NOT wear underwear with bike shorts, in case nobody has told you yet. Cotton chafes, which is what you DON'T want!

As for the seat, you need one that fits your sit-bones properly. When riding, most of your weight is centered on the tips of your pelvic bones, and you need a seat that is supportive above all else.

Some shops have a gel pad that you can sit on to measure the width of your sit bones, but if that's not available try any saddle made by Terry, such as the Butterfly (VERY comfy from what my wife tells me).

Also realize that if you don't ride very often that it will take some time for your keister to get used to riding- about two weeks or so. If you STILL hurt after this, have someone at a shop evaluate your riding position to make sure the bike fits properly.

Answer 3

Bikemoj has it right. Try to get your behind measured in a bike shop. Usually, women have wider pelvises than men, so you *might* need a wider saddle, but every body's behind is different.

Usually, the saddles comes at 155, 145 and 135mm (more or less). Having a gel saddle is actually more hurtfully than help full. When you put pressure on the saddle, the gel tends to go, er, someplace you don't want pressure on. There are several saddles that have a cutout or a groove in the middle, you can try one of those.

And, just because a seat is comfortable to someone, it doesn't mean it will be comfortable to you. It's like shoes, does your best friends shoes fit you comfortable? (I think not, but I admit they might, but don't ask her to lend them to you, she might feel you're crazy).

Also, you can check that the saddle is leveled horizontally, since that might also put some pressure if it's not right, or at the right height. You should be able to *almost* extend your leg when it's furthest from you, but not locked.

Answer 4

Aisha Your question very just about continuously comes from a clean rider. in reality you and your butt are out of,structure from basically walking round. you want to journey more desirable low mileage rides till it stops hurting. 2d, is that your seat will be adjusted incorrect. Your saddle should be extreme adequate, so as that once seated, your legs are very just about thoroughly instantly at the same time as your pedals are in the six o'clock position. ultimately, you do not basically sit down on you saddle you spread the load between your ft, saddle and hands. on your different answer, the superb saddle for a lengthy distance journey is an exceedingly agency, narrow, saddle. no longer. Tractor seat with padding. :-) Soccerref

Answer 5

Get a decent saddle and build up seat time more slowly than you have been doing. Obviously that's a tender part of the anatomy and slowly and regularly increasing time in the seat works best.

Answer 6

there is also a recommendation after a lay-off from biking to start with riding only 30 minutes every other day and then slowly working up from there. There's a good article on this topic at:

Answer 7

Two things:

You can try riding your bike standing up while riding to your destination

or

Buy a new seat that you just have to sit on the back end of your butt. That problem should've been resolved with the gell seat that you mentioned that you bought.

Answer 8

well, cycling shorts help, but really you just have to get used to sitting on a bike seat. i cycle, and it also used to hurt my @$$. but afetr a while it prettymuch stopped. You could also try stretching ur butt muscles more, cuz that might be the source of the problem too.

Answer 9

It'd help to know how long you've been riding, how far you ride and what kind of shorts you wear.

The first step is definitely buying a good pair of shorts. Don't go cheap! Then, it's just a matter of riding lots and getting used to it.

Answer 10

often too large a saddle is a problem,and gel saddles are unbalanced,try a medium cutout saddle,with a really good pair of shorts