Everyone experiences discomfort in the buttocks during cycling. The areas that come into contact with the saddle can sometimes feel sore or painful. These issues can be avoided or alleviated with the following tips.
Everyone’s buttock shape is different, and no single saddle can suit everyone.
Almost everyone experiences discomfort in the buttocks during cycling. The areas that touch the saddle can sometimes feel sore or painful. Fortunately, these problems can be avoided or reduced with the following methods.
Step 1: Pay close attention: If you start to feel stiffness in your lower back, you can’t ignore the damage the saddle may be causing. Thinking that this is just a process and that you’ll gradually develop an “iron butt” and get used to it is a big mistake. Ignoring your body’s warning signals and continuing can lead to more serious consequences.
Step 2: Lift your butt off the saddle: Even if you’re not climbing, standing up and getting off the saddle every 10–15 minutes helps keep blood flowing smoothly.
Step 3: Check the saddle position: Carefully and correctly adjust your bike, especially the saddle height. Proper adjustment often leads to a noticeable improvement in riding comfort and can also prevent you from shifting around uncomfortably on the saddle.
Step 4: Wear proper clothing: From my experience (see the image on the right), a well-fitting cycling shorts with padding provides excellent protection. Applying a bit of skin cream can further reduce friction and offer significant protection.
Step 5: Maintain personal hygiene: Keeping clean helps prevent various bacterial infections. Always wear clean cycling shorts, and avoid sitting around when your shorts are soaked with sweat. Some skin creams contain antibacterial ingredients, such as herbal extracts.
Step 6: Choose the right saddle: Everyone’s buttock shape is different, and no saddle fits everyone. Don’t naively think that a big, wide saddle is best for your butt—sometimes those slim, narrow, and very lightweight ones are actually more comfortable. Although over time, a saddle may gradually deform to fit your shape, this is precisely because it didn’t fit well initially and could be the cause of back and sacral pain.
What gear can prevent saddle-induced pain?
You really need to try out cycling shorts, skin cream, or even using a band-aid on the perineum to see how much difference they make. I tested six times on a stationary bike, sitting on the saddle the whole time at a cadence of 90–95 rpm and power of 250 watts, until my butt started to hurt. I rested for two days between each test to let my butt fully recover before the next ride.
First time: No cycling shorts – lasted 19 minutes 21 seconds
Extremely painful. Discomfort started right away, and by about 10 minutes, I was in real misery.
Second time: Wearing regular cycling shorts – lasted 40 minutes 22 seconds
The padding looked better than cheap ones, but in reality, there wasn’t much difference. Just hop on the bike—the padding does a good job isolating and protecting, with a comfortable and not overly soft cushioning effect. Even after an hour and a half, I only felt minimal discomfort, which might have been due to the previous two rides.
Third time: Cycling shorts plus skin cream – lasted over 2 hours
Apply a bit of skin cream to the padding, spread it evenly, and gently sit on the saddle—you’ll find it’s a really great feeling, effectively preventing pain. It reduces friction, keeps things comfortable, and inhibits bacterial growth. If you haven’t tried it yet, go buy a bottle and give it a shot.
Fourth time: Cycling shorts plus suede seat cover – lasted over 2 hours
The suede seat cover is the ultimate weapon against butt pain. Like a giant band-aid, you stick it on the perineum before riding to reduce friction. At first, I was skeptical about its effectiveness, but after trying it, I was convinced. It’s washable and reusable, so soft that it’s even suitable for protecting sensitive areas.
Fifth time: Cycling shorts plus suede seat cover and skin cream – lasted over 3 hours
The ultimate combo: using cycling shorts, suede seat cover, and skin cream together gave me the most comfortable ride ever. After three hours on the stationary trainer, I only felt a bit tired with zero discomfort or pain—even could have ridden all day.
To sum up, what is saddle-induced pain?
Any discomfort is your body’s warning that something is wrong and that it’s about to turn into obvious pain and injury—saddle pain is no exception. The ischial tuberosities are the main weight-bearing areas in the “seated” posture, taking on most of your body weight during cycling, while the perineum (the area from the genitals to the ***) is where pain mostly occurs.
Skin abrasions: Often occur on the inner thighs, caused by constant friction against the edges of the saddle. Very painful, and women are more prone to such abrasions than men.
Folliculitis and boils: Folliculitis is inflammation of the sweat follicles, and boils are a more advanced stage of this. Folliculitis is usually not very painful and may heal on its own, but if boils are not treated promptly, they can be extremely painful, last a long time, and prevent you from cycling for quite a while.
Skin ulcers: Even minor skin injuries can turn into ulcers if not cared for properly. Once the epidermis is damaged, bacteria can invade the dermis and multiply in the warm, moist environment there. Without treatment, the ulcer can gradually expand and develop into a serious skin infection.
What factors lead to pain?
Pressure: When sitting on a saddle, your body weight is concentrated on a very small surface area, creating high pressure that compresses capillaries and impairs blood circulation.
Shear force and friction: Pedaling causes slight side-to-side movement on the saddle, leading to friction against the saddle edges. This generates heat, which can soon cause pain and skin damage. The combination of shear forces from friction and the pressure further worsens circulatory issues.
Moisture: Sweat-induced dampness exacerbates the effects of shear forces.
Temperature: During cycling, skin temperature, especially in the perineal area, rises significantly. Elevated temperatures accelerate skin metabolism, and when combined with impaired circulation from pressure and shear forces, the skin can no longer receive adequate nutrients, leading to necrosis.
Due to these four main reasons, the skin in contact with the saddle does not get enough nourishment, resulting in pain, tissue necrosis, and ulceration. Connective tissues like skin have relatively poor self-repair capabilities, making them more prone to breakdown.
After prolonged cycling, the skin in these areas may become red and hot, but this usually subsides after a night’s rest. However, it serves as a warning to manage your cycling frequency properly, and especially to take preventive measures before riding.
Xingzhe Wuyu Outdoor Forum Cycling Knowledge (http://bbs.xzwyu.com)