I've been a recreational cyclist for years & don't do huge mileage but have always had a problem with an ache developing around the left sit bone area after a few hours (possibly inappropriate or hard saddles early on). It can be alleviated a bit by lifting out of the saddle for a while or shifting around and doesn't seem to be worsening over time but it's a nuisance all the same. Absolutely no problem at all on the right side.
It feels like there's something a bit gristly between the sit bones and the skin and I think that that's where the issue lays although I can't find any specific point or obvious lump or nodule that's the problem (judging by my hands, feet & a sticky out ear, my bi-lateral symmetry is a bit rough & ready, so it might just be one of those things).
I've always ridden in casual clothes, so the sensible thing would be to try some padded undershorts so I'm after recommendations for something basic that might help. I'd like something free of animal products too, although I gather that chamois pads these days are rarely 'chamois'
My current saddle is a WTB SL8 in wide, which is the best I've had by far.
Buy some cheap ones from Decathlon or similar to try to see if that makes any difference before you get sucked into the money pit that is branded cycle kit.
Shorts can be a bit personal, like saddles. Any quality pad will fit someone somewhere, but some brands position them further forward / back than others which affects the angle you sit on them most comfortably.
I've not had a pair of real "chamois" shorts since the 90's, and I suspect that was synthetic! They were surprisingly comfortable though despite not being padded. The pad does two jobs, provides a degree of cushioning, and reduces friction because the bin in contact with your skin can move with you a few millimeters without the bit on the saddle moving.
Do not underestimate the importance of Bum-Butter. Other inferior brands are available as well. I don't use it on short rides because I'm fine without it. But it makes a difference over 3-4hours, and especially on very long days (7+ hours).
My current saddle is a WTB SL8 in wide, which is the best I've had by far.
Wider (and more padded) is not always better. The idea is that the saddle width should match your sit bones, trusting a wider saddle to be more comfortable is like trying to walk in a pair of shoes 5 sizes too big, they'll probably give you blisters.
I'd go to a decent high-end LBS and get fitted for a saddle, any large Specialized or Selle Italia stockist should be able to do it and advise what saddles might work for you. The downside of that is they will steer you towards their own, very expensive, saddles. There are 3 criteria:
1) Width, to support your sit bones. Usually saddles come in around 133/143/153mm wide in each range. There are various online guides that involve sitting on some corrugated carboard on a hard surface (like a tall coffee table) with your pelvis at roughly a cycling position because the bones taper so leaning forward/back will affect the result.
2) Shape, some saddles have a hammock profile when viewed form the side, some are flat. Generally flat ones are for people that shuffle around (almost everyone off-road) and hammocks are for roadies that sit still, but some prefer a flat saddle. In Selle Italia the Flite is a hammock, the SLR is flat.
3) Cut out. Most brands have versions with minimal/none, a cut out, and a massive cut out. This mostly comes down to how tight your hip flexors and long your hamstrings / glutes are and subsequently how far forward your pelvis tilts. More tilt = more cut out as your pushing the fun parts of your anatomy into the saddle.
There's other styles of saddle too, modern road bikes tend to have short saddles, but this is UCI rule bending as they specify the front must be a minimum distance behind the BB (but don't specify it relative to where you actually sit). For everyone else I don't see the advantage. Or Brooks are a rule unto themselves as to what fits because they're a different shape.
Once you've figured out those three things then you can pretty much buy a saddle from any manufacturer that matches your style and it will probably be comfortable. TBH you could do the carboard test and guess the rest based on what you've found worked in the past.
My Track bike has a standard 143mm saddle on it whereas all my other bikes have 135mm saddles. It's OK for track because I'm rarely on the bike for more than 15minutes. But it rapidly becomes uncomfortable if I do a longer training session on it.
And just to disprove the fallacy that racing snake = narrow unpadded saddle. I'm 100kg, big broad shoulders and hips, and use selle italia's narrowest, least padded saddles (albeit the version with an enormous cut-out). I use the expensive one on my road bike and it's like it's not there (in a good way). The MTB's and gravel bikes use a variety of cheaper versions from their range but with similar shapes (and more padding).
If you're getting one-sided saddle soreness, your seat height may be slightly too high, so you're favouring one side when you're over-extending to reach the pedals. If it's that, shorts or different saddle may not help. Are you right-sided in the sense of being right handed and legged?
The wide version is 150mm. I ride 170mm saddles. Then at 6ft3 I am perhaps wider than average.
I ride a fairly upright position, bars lever with saddle. I have read than due to anatomy the higher you sit the wider the saddle you need.
As for shorts - IMO the main thing is to avoid seams. I use Decathlon lycra running briefs under 3/4 length Decathlon running shorts. My saddle is padded why would I need padded shorts?
The main advantage compared with when I used padded shorts is they are less sweaty as there is no pads reducing the rate sweat can evapourate at.
But that is just me. Most serious cyclists use padded shorts so worth a try.
PS Padding in saddles needs to be minimal. Too much and the weight gets taken on the area around the sit bones not the sit bones. OK for a mile to the shops buy not for all day.
Buy some cheap ones from Decathlon or similar
Beware of going too cheap though - your typical "sports direct undrshorts" will likely have a single layer of bouncy foam stitched into something resembling the right shape. They will probably feel great for about 5 mins then feel like someone's shoved a duvet down your pants and start to chafe horribly.
Thanks for the replies.
The width of the SL8 (wide) was arrived at using WTB's online calculator (I think it used a wrist measurement but seemed to tally well with the measuring of the sit bones approach) and it's a thinly padded saddle that's really comfortable. Again, the problem's just on the left side so I'm inclined to think that it's more likely me than the saddle.
My saddle height feels right (heel fractionally lower than the ball at the bottom of the pedal stroke) but I can always have a play. I'm left-handed/legged so probably push a tad harder with the left leg than the right.
Perhaps some liners might be worth a try though.
Endura do liners.
E.g. https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Endura-Padded-Liner-Cycling-Shorts-II-200-Series-Pad_238645.htm
I'd really not recommend the 200 series shorts to test comfort. They're the version that come bundled with various MTB shorts and IMHO make any comfort issues worse and not better.
The Planet-x 365 shorts are fairly good, although they're not 'stretchy' like normal lycra so sizing may be a bit hit and miss. They're also quite thick so might be a bit warm worn under other layers. Comfy though.
On a par with the more expensive decathlon shorts. Decathlon tended to have tight hems so don't go under size. And Planet-X's sizing is that XL is short and fat (the straps end up really tight) whereas Decathlon XL is 6ft4 but still slim so the legs are super long and straps go baggy.
I would say look at saddles as well as shorts. SQLabs make a measure tool to aid
Worth playing about with saddle height. My starting point is heel on the pedal at bottom of stroke. So ensuring leg is slightly bent when pedaling with ball of foot on pedal. Ensuring hips are level.
Small amounts matter. I got lower back issues on one bike. I had set the saddle height by matching bottom bracket axle to saddle height on two bikes.
Turned out the crank lengths were different so one saddle was 5mm or 10mm different.
Set height from pedal at bottom of stroke so the bike with back issues matched the "good" bike and problems gone
You described feeling something between your skin and the sit bone. That could be something like bursitis ( https://road.cc/content/feature/how-spot-ischial-bursitis-and-stop-it-ruining-your-ride-277533) but no-one can diagnose that over the internet, so see your doc if you think there is a problem.
As mentioned above, it's worth playing around with your saddle height, angle and fore-aft position in case that is triggering the problem, particularly if it is happening on one side.
Padded cycling shorts will always improve your comfort, and any reasonable quality pair should be fine. You don't need to spend daft money, just try some and find what works for you. Some people swear by chamois cream, but I've never used it in many years of cycling. I think clarting up the pad of the shorts and the pores of your nether regions with it is a bit unhygienic.
Watch a few Bike Fit James videos for why your saddle or shorts may not be the issue.
Out of interest, what about saddle angle? I've always tended to have the nose of a saddle slightly down as I tended to get numb nethers on steep climbs, but with the SL8 this just doesn't happen so I've left it exactly as I fitted it, level.
I have the same saddle at the same angle on a gravel bike I've built (but not ridden much yet) and it immediately feels a little less comfortable. The reach is longer so perhaps that changes things.
Padded shorts are unlikely fix your problem, rather like thick socks won’t fix a pair of walking boots that rub your feet. The root cause, like other have said, may lie in others areas: saddle height too high (causing you to alleviate this by rocking your hips on the saddle), saddle too wide (causing you to move forward on the saddle) etc.
The role that cycling shorts can play however is in removing any seams between your skin and saddle, because seams cause friction sores. But I don’t recommend ‘thick’ pads….they don’t breathe well and will cause the skin to sweat, resulting in friction. I’ve recently discovered the padded boxer shorts made by 7Mesh - these are pricey at about £50 but have a very thin, breathable pad that fits and breathes far better than more traditional shorts.
The ‘heel to pedal’ method of measuring seat height isn’t great. It doesn’t account for any imbalance in your hip/thigh movements. And most cyclists do have their saddle too high. What’s more important is that you can control the ‘down’ stroke of the pedal with your foot…..you want a smooth rhythm as your feet rotate around the 6 o’clock position and not a jerky piston-type movement of your legs. Suggest you drop saddle by 10mm (maybe even 15 or 20), evaluate, and stop raising below the point any pain returns.
Even with saddles that have initially been uncomfortable, I’ve also found that even modest movements in tilt and fore/aft have had a considerable impact on comfort.
Good luck.
Padded shorts are unlikely fix your problem, rather like thick socks won’t fix a pair of walking boots that rub your feet. The root cause, like other have said, may lie in others areas: saddle height too high (causing you to alleviate this by rocking your hips on the saddle), saddle too wide (causing you to move forward on the saddle) etc.
The role that cycling shorts can play however is in removing any seams between your skin and saddle, because seams cause friction sores. But I don’t recommend ‘thick’ pads….they don’t breathe well and will cause the skin to sweat, resulting in friction. I’ve recently discovered the padded boxer shorts made by 7Mesh - these are pricey at about £50 but have a very thin, breathable pad that fits and breathes far better than more traditional shorts.
The ‘heel to pedal’ method of measuring seat height isn’t great. It doesn’t account for any imbalance in your hip/thigh movements. And most cyclists do have their saddle too high. What’s more important is that you can control the ‘down’ stroke of the pedal with your foot…..you want a smooth rhythm as your feet rotate around the 6 o’clock position and not a jerky piston-type movement of your legs. Suggest you drop saddle by 10mm (maybe even 15 or 20), evaluate, and stop raising below the point any pain returns.
Even with saddles that have initially been uncomfortable, I’ve also found that even modest movements in tilt and fore/aft have had a considerable impact on comfort.
Good luck.
