Avoiding saddles sores on multi-day rides?

[DoctorRad]

If you're travelling lightweight and maybe only carrying two pairs of shorts maximum, how do folks keep things clean to prevent saddle sores and other possible nasties down below?

Thanks,

Dr. Matt...

[JAGI410]

Keep yourself clean after taking care of business, if ya know what I mean. Chamois butter or similar helps. Those are the only tips that I know. Hopefully someone can chime in with more "less obvious" ones.

[bmike-vt]

wipes and lantiseptic for me.

[aghartha]

DZNuts has been pretty good for me so far.  Chamois cream with an antiseptic.  The tingling is a bit odd at first, but it kinda helps you feel cool down there.  If you've got a bad saddle sore though, then best thing to do is just not ride and let it heal for a bit.  You don't want to make it worse!

[jonesy792]

A quality pair of shorts with a good chamois (forget the $20 generic shorts), a good saddle that fits you, chamois cream, and many many miles to harden your butt

[jeffkerkove]

Chamois Butt'r, good shorts, and handy-wipes.  Target sells a travel sized package of handy-wipes.  They are cheap and small.....about the size of a small cell phone.

[mnmtb]

If you have kids you might be familiar with A&D ointment.  It is great to heal things up when not riding.  Almost works like magic overnight.

That and keep things clean and tidy down below.

[boddunn]

I've been thinking about this since I read this (I know, first time for everything) and wondering why I've never had saddle sores even though I don't wear padded shorts at all and don't even seem to suffer from numb bum. The 3 things I've come up with are:
Selle Italia modeled their SLR on my arse (which wouldn't be pretty),
My arse is used to it so it's become massively calloused (please stop thinking of my bum, it's making me feel uncomfortable),
Or because I don't wear padded shorts it prevents infections, keeps me cooler and maybe some other things I haven't thought of. This seems the most logical to me; does anyone else ride long distances without padded shorts and find the same?
 

[Slowerthensnot]

agree 100% seems issues arise for me when i'm in humid environments.... i even wear jean shorts at times.... but my fav are board shorts.... light ez to dry and pretty cheap at wally world or what have you

I've been thinking about this since I read this (I know, first time for everything) and wondering why I've never had saddle sores even though I don't wear padded shorts at all and don't even seem to suffer from numb bum. The 3 things I've come up with are:
Selle Italia modeled their SLR on my arse (which wouldn't be pretty),
My arse is used to it so it's become massively calloused (please stop thinking of my bum, it's making me feel uncomfortable),
Or because I don't wear padded shorts it prevents infections, keeps me cooler and maybe some other things I haven't thought of. This seems the most logical to me; does anyone else ride long distances without padded shorts and find the same?

[JF-mtnbiker]

All good advice but don't be disappointed when you get sores anyway. If you are riding all day for several days, you will have some sores. Just doctor them at night, load up with butter the next morning and deal. During the day, putting your hand down your shorts and putting butter directly on a hot spot can sometimes take the edge off.

[bmike-vt]

does anyone else ride long distances without padded shorts and find the same?

i've done paved and a dirt road century or two sans pad and numerous 40-60 mile rides.
brooks saddle, wicking unmentionables, various shorts.
chickened out the last 3 years when doing a solo double... (road) went for the padded shorts. regretted it a bit on the last trip... had pearl izumi's pad pattern rubbed raw into my behind.



lately i've been doing most of my riding sans pad, including on a cheap wtb rocket v.
seems to be working.

[trebor]

+1 on the brooks saddles. i've got about 600 miles into my first one and it's geting better all the time.

[wdlandparker]

i also ride sans padded shorts, and I never have issues, though if you are wearing undies with seams, you do have to watch where that seam is to prvent chafing!

[longman]

1 pair of padded bibs, Dr Naylor's Udder Balm and baby wipes, antiseptic cream while sleeping, up to 4 days between washing shorts and showering. No sores

Udder Balm is about $10 for a 9oz can and is intended for cows with sore, infected or just plain nasty udders, or teats. 'Animal use Only' probably just means it hasn't been tested on humans, I hope. It works fantastic for me, slap a bit on in the morning and it'll last 5 or 6 hours of actual sitting in the saddle. The antiseptic properties reduce the chance of infection by stopping those evil bacteria from growing. It's better than any of the expensive chamois creams or butters I used to try.

Only problem I've found is when it gets really cold outside this stuff gets really thick but leave it on your finger for a while and it'll loosen up.

If your local bike shop doesn't sell it I'm not sure where you'd get it. My friends always stock up when they visit.

[rperks]

I have ridden in nothing but surf trunks for 20 years or so and never had too much trouble.  When I was younger and less picky my saddles came out of the free bin at the LBS.  Then I discovered Selle Italia Flites.  As I have aged into my thirties I find the Brooks B17 near perfect on or off road.  

The biggest contributor to long term comfort is fit in my opinion.  Second is hygene. and third is keeping weight in check and thereby extra folds of flesh.  Wipes help with the second, the third you are on your own.  

At the moment I am recovering from a year long job with 4 hours a day in the car, now followed by a 6 week old baby.  I admit having a bit more flesh than I should at the moment.  I caved and bought a pair of the Ibex knickers, the built in knee warmers are a dream, but I am not so sure about the chamoix, I may remove it in the next week or so.

KEEP YOU PLACES CLEAN

Rob

[boddunn]

Just got back from 2 weeks riding round the Hebrides and no sores for me. My girlfriend, whose not been riding too long, had some "lady problems" (TMI?) for the first few days but after she stopped using her padded shorts it all cleared up.
 I'm surprised by the amount of people to respond who don't use padded shorts, maybe there's something in it?

[Gotte]

Ride without padded shorts, just seamless man made sports underwear and, most importantly, a brooks saddle. You not only slide on it, rather than pounding, but it flexed sideways as well as fore and aft. Old technology, but the best.
My first two tours, I used padded shorts and was in agony. After moving to a Brooks and no padded shorts, it still hurt for the first few days on my sit bones, but nothing compared with the agony of before, and it cleared up after a couple of days once the muscle covering my sit bones had got used to it.

[LaurensDXC]

Padded shorts, a stripped carbonium slr saddle, and some baby powder does the trick for me. The saddle got quite some flex in it.

[joeydurango]

$18 Dickies and a WTB Devo saddle does it for me... tried the chamois for a couple years but really all that extra material is chafe central.  In the long run, though, what works for you will be what works for you - you'll just have to try a few things out.