I’ve been battling these saddle sores for a few weeks now after almost a year of totally trouble‑free riding. Nothing has changed with my bike fit, saddle, shorts or hygiene routine, which is why this has thrown me a bit.
It started as classic sores. It was mainly on the left side with a bit on the right as well and has now turned into one main lump with a couple of smaller spots next to it, all in the same general zone. I took about 5 days off the bike with a steroid cream, it settled a bit, but as soon as I went back to riding it flared again. Now it feels more like a small lump under the skin rather than just a surface pimple. I’ve seen a GP and I’m on a short course of oral antibiotics.
I’m curious how others have handled this stage:
If you’ve had saddle sores turn into a lump/nodule or a cluster of spots, what actually solved it long term?
Did you change saddle, fit, or chamois, or was it mostly about giving it more time off the bike than you expected?
Just trying to avoid this cycle and would love real‑world experiences from people who’ve been through something similar. As you can imagine it’s super frustrating when I’m on the peak of my build phase as it’s just thrown a spanner in the works.
Also, thought it would be worth creating a thread for everyone to share their experiences as we don’t have one yet.
Been there, but it was a long time ago. Definitely had to see some doc’s and get antibiotics a few times. I am curious your age, because this was in my mid-late 20’s and now in my early 40’s I rarely have issues and when I do it’s not something that keeps me off the bike. I wonder if it’s something with greater skin sensitivity in younger people?
I am a fan of Enzo’s Buttonhole cream. It seems to both mitigate and heal issues and has a nice consistency to it, not slimy like some.
I also have lowered my saddle quite a bit over the years. I look at photos of my old bikes now and the old saddle height and I’m like “wtf…how?”
I also try to keep it pretty tidy down there. I just have a reminder on my phone. Some people swear by going natural but I find that the less hair the better.
Maybe just check to make sure your seatpost didn’t slip, and check out your cleats.
Last thing, even though the care instructions say otherwise, it may be worth it to wash your bibs just once on hot/sanitize mode in the washer.
Some changes that have helped me once riding is possible but not necessarily totally comfortable:
hydrocolloid sticking plaster over the top (these are sold in Aust as Band-Aid Advanced Healing Hydro Seal Gel Plasters) - note they are harder to remove than a regular band aid so expect them to stay there for quite a few days
Double bibs
Moving around on the saddle more
Haemorrhoid cream
Impossible to be sure but it it’s truly “out of the blue” it could just be an depleted immune system or trainer being off-level half a degree or even just a grain of sand and bad luck. In which case longer term solutions might not really be solutions
Bike fit is not ‘get right once and that’s it’. As we age, or daily routines change, our bodies change. Flexibility reduces, joints stiffen, etc. Perhaps the sores are a symptom of a different problem, and you are now unstable on the saddle, which is causing undesired movement and therefore friction. Try reducing the saddle height a little, and/or saddle layback, or reach.
Have you changed shoes, or have your current shoes or insoles worn out? I.e. Have you developed foot instability that’s triggering other issues?
Maybe go to a good bike fitter, ideally one with physiotherapy experience/skills or similar.
With a single lump, I’ve been able to do some riding by covering it with antibiotic ointment and an adhesive bandage. Pulling the bandage off is not fun.
Long term: Nothing is static. Bodies change, saddles and shoes wear out. I had a saddle that worked for years and then didn’t. A fit update might be useful. Many fitters can do saddle pressure mapping.
I gave myself sores a couple of times by thinking that finishing the workout was more important than the “something doesn’t fell right” sensation I was getting. I also got lazy about changing out of the bike shorts immediately after a ride. Lessons learned.
With age(60+) and thinner, less elastic skin I found that chamois with grooves could be a problem. I also use cream more often than I did.
On the fitness side, you can do a lot with off-the bike work and cross-training. You won’t lose as much as you might think.
I will occasionally get a saddle sore if I’ve had some impairment: a strained hamstring, a tight back, perhaps a crash that resulted in some hip alignment problem. Point being, even though nothing has changed in my bike setup, my sit bones end up slightly differently situated on the saddle. I’ve had good luck with neosporin (antibiotic cream), even though there’s no broken skin (don’t ask me why, no idea). Good luck!
Another vote for hydrocolloid bandages, I use Compeed and the longest ride I have done with one of those (and an active saddle sore) was probably 200+ km and I lived to keep riding the following days just fine as well. If you don’t use something like that, you really have to stay off the bike for a looong time to be sure the sore has completely healed, which probably wasn’t the case in your situation. And an oral antibiotic sounds to me like shooting a horsefly with a cannon and probably missing (but topical antibiotics haven’t been helpful for me either). For prevention I use a benzoyl peroxide wash occasionally and whenever first symptoms occur.
It’s rare I get them anymore, I will echo the other reply that they seemed significantly more common in my 20s than my 40s.
The best solution is something every physician will tell you not to do. Lance it, drain it, remove the (ingrown) hair follicle, then cover the area in topical antibiotic.
I am also a proponent of tea tree oil and the Assos skin repair gel.
I heartily endorse the suggestions others have made about fit and anything else that may have changed. I personally have had very good results using Crotch Guard Anti-Chafing Skin Care Oil. It absorbs into the skin and protects it, having been developed for people with prosthetic limbs. eBay has it here. The Selle Anatomica blog happens to have a fairly thorough discussion now too.
Thanks all - I think the hydrocolloid bandages with oral antibiotics and light riding will be the next course of action. I only recently had a bike fit, and I don’t feel like coughing up another 250 bucks for a review. We have had a very humid spell this past month, so it could be something to do with that, but yeah, might tinker with saddle height as well.
I battled saddle sores on and off and eventually ended up with the big hard lump that necessitated a visit to the doctor.
What solved my issues is a lot of what’s been said above. Hydrocolloid bandage (3M Nexcare) over the sore to deal with the issue in the short term; new saddle as long term prevention.
Also being diligent with showering immediately after a ride making sure to give the undercarriage a good blast/scrub. Always use liberal amounts of chamois cream. If I do a bunch of big rides I can start to get the signs things are going wrong down there, I’ll bring out the hydrocolloid bandages again with some sudocrem underneath. Usually a few days of that will let things settle down.
Always wash your kit straight after a ride, preferably with a detergent that has antibacterial attributes (such as Bosistos)
Part of this sounds like bike fit - check with a specialist - where do you live? This group can provide some recommendations.
If you use shorts, switch to proper bib knicks.
Look for an anti-bacterial body wash
Use a quality chamois cream (not Sudocrem or the cheapest available). The best on the market IMHO is fastlegs.cc Anti-Chafing and Chamois Cream - Australian owned and made, no parabens, no sulphates. I am a bit biased - I designed it. Happy to offer you a discount code.
I can usually fix them early with a bit of cortisone cream, but if they’re persistent, I move my saddle up or down by a couple of mm. That seems to change the contact points enough for them to go away. It feels a bit weird for 20km or so, but I find 2mm either way isn’t enough to completely throw off my fit. A couple of years ago, I had a lot of sores, so I lowered my saddle by a full cm, and I have never gone back up to where I was originally.
Ha! Thanks @Campbell_Fuller! Will definitely have a look. I’ve been through a long journey with multiple bike fitters in Sydney and had a good run with Mick until this flare up. I genuinely think it’s my skin more than a bike fit. It’s my first week back and it’s been overall good with minimal discomfort but I get the feeling that it’s going to be back after a long ride.
At the time I had been riding a Bontrager Aeolus saddle (the narrower one) and really loved it. Still the most comfortable saddle I’ve owned and worked great in a variety of riding positions. But… it was still a little too wide and this was a big contributing factor to the saddle sores situation. I ended up on a Specialized Romin Evo, which is not as comfortable but the narrower width works for me and I don’t have the same saddle sore issues anymore.