5 Reasons You're Getting Saddle Sores - BikeFitTuesdays

[@peelandy]

Completely threw me, as it’s actually Tuesday😊

[@wpalmer5547]

Watched lots of your bike fit Tuesdays. I experimented with James's advice on my bikes. I'm the most comfortable on a bike I've ever been. Recently did 125 miles in total comfort - which would have been impossible before. Thanks.

[@MikeSmith-qu5ew]

This was the best presentation I have seen on comfortable riding ever, I am in my late 70s and have found that I am doing exactly what you presented over trial and error. I wear inserts in shoes,cleats go back,seat is not to high,and reach is not so long. I have an easy nice ride with no problems. I have seen people put a new seat on which has a lower profile or height than their old one and they think the seat was the difference when it was the height that was lowered. I would get a bike fit every couple of years from your shop but live in the us for you do know what you are doing. Very good communication skills. I ride every day not that far but daily nice to hear good advice from a bike fitting expert. Thanks!

[@LeonEvans_Guyver1]

Two saddle sore issues have plagued me for years that I have recently fixed to my great relief. 1. A tacx neo turbo trainer leans slightly to the right due to its construction meaning my saddle was laterally (side to side) sloped giving me a painful pressure sore on the my left side. Once I shimmed the feet on the right hand side of the Neo and checked my saddle laterally with a spirit level it made a world of difference. 2. I'm a time trialist and have my TT bike nose down ever so slightly by about 1.5 degrees. I was having hell on my road bike for the last few years with again a really bad pressure sore on my left side and only a few weeks ago realised my road saddle was in the same nose down position as my TT bike. Put my road saddle in a +1 degree slope and all pain gone and sore now completely healed.

[@matthewkramer8613]

I think there is a certain amount of confusion around what the saddle tilt should be. And even with a bike fit the tilt could be slightly off. Every saddle shape is different adding even more confusion, but generally I believe it should be based on the main sit area, where the saddle presents a slight trough. I my experience you want this area to be fairly level. If you have a flat saddle it is pretty much a non issue but everything else, this is a good starting point. Yeah, so this may position the saddle nose up, based on saddle shape. I had Fazik Tempo saddle which had a step rise in back and in the end had to move to a different shape. I think that saddle they recommended a more level nose. but fore me it didn't work out no matter the tilt. Glad you got your setups dialed now!

[@Dipdotdub]

saddle sauce, shadow souls - just a number of ways the subtitles are saying saddle sores lmao! love watching these

[@Hootyhoo-jq9vq]

And there it is!! Two years of dealing with saddle sores and this bloke nails it. Thanks mate.

[@IndiaDelgado]

I wish I was in the UK to get fitted by James! Lol. Whenever he comes to the states let me know. I’ll be sure to travel with my bike just to meet you guys!

[@props651]

Same here!

[@Graeme-i6d]

Far and away the best video on solving problems with saddle sores. Thanks.

[@lesliemackay1178]

Brilliant advice. Having had some saddle issues I dropped my saddle a small amount and it’s made a massive difference. Videos as always are fantastic, well done guys 👍

[@rchrisrich]

If I didn't live halfway across the world, I'd go see this man TOMORROW! All of the BikeFit Tuesday stuff is genius, but actually so so hard to replicate on my own bike. I wish you could do virtual fitting sessions! You convinced me to get a fit here in the US but it was definitely sub-par to say the least- only marginally more comfortable. You should do a US bike fitting tour, I'll be the first to sign up!

[@BettiRebel]

I've been suffering from saddle sores for the first time. Never happened before and the only thing I can think of is I changed my cleats recently so I shall look into changing the position. So thank you very much for this video, really helped!! 🤘

[@quantapz]

GCN love talking about they chamois cream. And here... is the video which truly matters.

[@billincolumbia]

Cell source, saddle sauce, saddle swords. Fun things I saw in the captions of today's video. Love the content, gents. After watching several BFT's, I always watch people's hips for rocking. Many are dead solid, but soooo many are rocking. I yell "lower your saddle!!" to them. No, I don't.

[@Through_Sams_cam]

followed your advice and now my saddle sore is significantly less. you are a star. big fan. thanks a ton.

[@Sherl0k]

James sounds always so convincing, that it prevents me from going to any other bike fitter in fear of bad bike fit and thus I keep having problems. 🤭

[@pdxbk]

Me too. I feel bad I don't live 5 miles from his shop.

[@rchrisrich]

TRUTH- I'd go get a fit from him TOMORROW if I didn't live halfway across the world 😔

[@bugrutch]

I miss bike fit tuesdays. Nice to see you back

[@gardenolagth2020]

This was an extremely useful tutorial on the causes of saddle sores. My saddle sore is indeed always on the left side in the same spot. I purchased better padded cycling shorts. It prevented the sore from opening at mile 50 of my ride but did not completely resolve the formation of the sore. After watching your presentation, I lowered my seat post 25mm, added a washer to each pedal and moved my cleats back and in. The soreness begins at mile 30 and forces me to cease my ride at mile 50. I’m looking forward to testing these remedies out (this is my rest week). If my results are not satisfactory, I will add the G8 2620 adjustable shoe inserts. Thank you!!

[@hugog930]

Please do a vid comparing your XC bike setup to road bike would love to see differences.

[@robp9553]

And a video on how to setup spd cleats on mtb shoes would be good please! 👍

[@markjthomson]

Excellent summary... check all the options BEFORE you buy a new [insert whatever new thing the bike store is pushing] - good bike fitter, worth their weight in gold!

[@Ganbertuli]

Damn ....I love this series. Keep em coming

[@vloggingvillager]

Great video, thank you so much for this information. Tried everything mentioned at the end, but nothing of the suggestions made. Can’t wait to try!

[@eo1830]

Would be interesting to hear James opinion about the new Favero Shi. They have longer Q-factor than the long axel Shimano.

[@chivacetana]

I had no problem with sores until one day. Then after about a week I found my saddle had dropped. Now I can find the sweet spot again. Ahhhhhh.

[@patrickparisienne1917]

Great as always boys. Had a fit, using the long axle pedals, and changed from a 155 Power Comp to a Romin Evo for a better bum to saddle interaction..

[@EnigmaticAnomaly]

This couldn't have come at a better time! Just got myself a nasty little saddle sore last week that forced me to take a few days off. Left side. It's always my damn left side! Moved the saddle back a bit, fixed my balance over the pedals, and comfort seems to have improved.

[@yogi.photos5494]

Wow, almost all your videos I've watched so far have explained all the pains. Cheers mate:)

[@vinnychoff]

I have owned my bike since 2009, covered around 30 thousand kilometres and changed seats recently. I bought a new leather seat to replace my original plastic seat. I had a small amount of time where i had a saddle sore on one side. This made me think it was the seat. Thanks for the video which has made me think again. I seem to be okay but might double check the measurements from one saddle to the other.

[@bleckandbleck]

I’ve noticed since dropping my saddle, the saddle is more comfortable but more importantly my IT band problems have dissipated. I did get some hip pain at first but that is better once I started new post ride stretching. We have two guys in our club who shoot in ride videos. They’ve been most useful in seeing form flaws. Seeing is understanding.

[@thebigchip]

I don't know if its the new shop refit or the impending fatherhood, but James is becoming very well turned out. Oh, interesting vlog as well.

[@robingles1282]

I had a bike fit with James back in May and it was worth every penny! The mans knows is sh@t@. What a difference long axle pedals made along with my reach adjustment and new shoes with arch support! No pressure on my foot. Get a bike fit sorted for anyone asking. Ps Francis Cade your content is awesome pal, keep up the good work. Happy birthday by the way 👍

[@kevinlyon9501]

Bike fit Tuesday, watched on a Wednesday. Yup messed about with that little lot will see how I fair with the good chap next week. I'll probably end up taking up knitting.

[@jamesgage03]

Really Loved this video, I live in Australia and have just had a short 1 hr session with my local bike fitter. He Lifted my saddle, widened my stance (using cleat position) and moved my weight back a bit as I have a slightly too small frame. It's been an adjustment at first but getting more comfortable every day. Keep the great contect coming!

[@twowheelsandcroissant]

which bike fitter did you go to? Are you from Melbourne? need someone to recommend me one :)

[@thompson9451]

These videos inspired me to get a fit... Worth every penny

[@pjcaps100]

Never been so excited to watch a video on sores, thanks mate!

[@The--Ghostspider66]

Couple days ago I got my new saddle It's decent nothing fancy But I did figured it out that I'm doing something wrong watching multiple videos I believe It's the way I set And my reach I'm definitely going to work on that anyways Thx for tips guys It really helped take care and be safe

[@mr_musette]

Agree with all of James ideas, I think it is worth mentioning that entry level shorts do have a lifespan however, I'd say about two years of regular use.

[@jameskloss6832]

Mr Cade your on the GCN home page.💪🙂

[@fastercyclist4657]

the first reason is my reason, I found that out 3 months ago, and since then, 5 hours ride became actually fun

[@carlsiveyer7164]

I know it's a year old but I am 6'6 and 95kg, chasing down a few fit issues, I have an FTP of 366 and find that when I'm all out in a race scenario, I get issues that otherwise don't reveal themselves. I've been through saddle height, fore/aft, cleat location (now new holes drilled 25mm further back) and many other changes that have been driven by James' advice. Things have improved immeasurably. However this is the only thing I haven't tried for saddle sores, medial knee pain after threshold & V02 efforts, have purchased some titanium pedal extenders (16mm) and moved the cleats outboard to absorb such a big change, I measure them as an additional 9mm stance per side. Hoping this helps and am about to do some testing. Thanks for the free advice as always, and I'll report back my findings.

[@icefiring123]

Beautiful outfit lol. Love the Paul Smith Zebra, Panerai, and those pants are a beautiful shade of blue!

[@thomasjousse2427]

"On the grounds that..." love you both.

[@HennieBours]

To my opinion there is also 'nature of the beast'. My father had this problem, I have it and my son has it. I tried everything in the video, soft daddle, hard one, low, high, forward, aft, cleats and multiple bike fitters. One thing remains, saddle sore. If I sit for 5 miles on the saddle, it is burning between my legs. I use the SMP DRAKON. It gives me the least amount of pain but not zero.

[@Fedorovification]

As usual thank you for the excellent informative video!

[@son200219]

Had 2 expensive bike fits. 1 with reteul and 1 with trek fitting system. Think I need to get in the car and visit James 😂

[@madched]

Great advice, I experienced sores, and tried creams, different shorts, and bought a new saddle, which didn't cure it. In the end I had to tweak my saddle height, angle and suspension settings which has sorted it. Got there in the end but I wish I had seen this before.

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

save me, save me!!!! lol for real tho, I thought it was the bibs but looking elsewhere now. thanks for video!

[@stefanlukic7272]

I have tried a dozen of different ones,all famous brands,Ergon etc,but at the end WTB was a winner for me...Of course,it is personal feeling...

[@aubreyxengland]

On the note of moving cleats further back, you can get some adapters (Patrocleats) to help with this.. i’m trying them out on a certain brand of shoes (starts with an “R”) to see if it helps.. they do had a small amount of pedal stack height though.

[@g.fortin3228]

Very good information.. !! thank you guys for making this vid ! I think I'll lower my saddle a touch.

[@jurehrovat5425]

I did the Selle Italia ID match measurement for saddles last year. After calculations the machine give the result L3 (widest of their lineup). But it was strange cause they only measured whole width of pelvis and not sitbones but i thought they knew what they were doing. After riding the recomended L3 for a while and having saddle problems i tried all of the tips you guys talked about in your videos and nothing helped. I then decided to measure my sitbones at home and i found out the L3 saddle was clearly too wide for me.. Bought the SLR boost S3 and all saddle issues disappeared after first ride :) i guess i am in that few percent of people whose saddle was the cause for saddle issues 🤷‍♂️ thanks for great videos 😁

[@1slow_gto]

One thing we should get is a video of what if your saddle height is too low or if your reach is too short

[@matthewkramer8613]

Too low, you can end up with knew pain and maybe too much bar pressure. Too far forward can also cause excessive bar pressure and maybe mess with your general balance on the bike, but its can benefiy climbing ability. Finding perfect balance where you are somewhat light on your hands on the bar is ideal. aslo getting the saddle height correct where your over the bottom bracket enough so that the knees have enough room to flex at both the top and bottom or the peddling stroke. Usually moving the saddle height down, may also call for moving the saddle back some.

[@eo1830]

Wouldn’t off bike exercises help with saddle discomforts? Stronger core, hips and gluts. More stability in the saddle (contingent on not running the saddle to high, etc.)

[@Finley0312]

Yes, do a bike fit for us guys that are 5ft 8in. 220lbs with a 31" inseam. Thanks

[@curtislee6242]

Just found this video. Wow! I just lowered my seat and moved my cleats in my shoes back. Blimey what a difference. Cheers guys.

[@curtislee6242]

I actually now think my bike is too long for me. I'm on a 90mm stem already and I feel like I'm stretching a bit. Let's see how I go over the next few rides. It felt so much better this morning. Bizarrely smoother.

[@nguyenho9591]

2:35 James looks so pro, he should ride in that position more.

[@MikesVlogss]

I sit to the left on my saddle, which explains the rash on the right side :)

[@chrisridesbicycles]

James often mentions the „bikes built for a 20 year old pro racer“. I wonder if that has always been the case. In the past, the 20 year old racer would have ordered a custom built frame from an Italian frame builder, got it painted in the team colours with the name of the sponsor on it. The sponsor produced a bike for normal persons, painted it the same way and sold it to forty-somethings with a bit of money like me. Today, we all have to use the same bike from the same carbon mold. Did geometries of the bikes raced by the pros in the past differ from what was sold in the shop?

[@st3ange21]

Well, James said this a lot of times, don't buy a race bike if you don't race. This sounds obvious but for a lot of people is not. Yes absolutely the mold is the same, but consider that there are a lot of bikes not used by the pros with relaxed geometries, much heavier frames ecc ecc look at the endurance geometry frames from every brand. They are not used by the pros, but for a lot of "normal" people could work much better than a race bike could ever. So yeah if a race bike works for you, great, but it's not for everyone. Cheers🤘

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@st3ange21 But very few companies notice that there is or should be a market for an endurance frame with flashy team colours and Dura-Ace. Instead many Endurance bikes come with heavy entry level parts and in dull colours. (Don‘t get me started on gravel bikes which are all brown or moss green by law of nature). A honorable exception is Trek where you can get a nice Trek-Segafredo Domane, however I don‘t want to have some „suspension“ element in my seatpost. I am heavy and long-legged (long seatpost extension) and if my seatpost is not stiff and bends around I drives me crazy.

[@nickmannerings3574]

When in doubt as to the cause of a problem try lowering your saddle. Listen to the man - everything else is secondary.

[@graemeveevers7053]

Geraint Thomas's side profile view of him on his bike for the Zwift advert really disturbs me!

[@Bikefitjames]

Me too 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@suminshizzles6951]

One reason is having Pilonidal Cysts in your perineum, If they get too big lance the sucker and stay off of the bike for a few days. Or just ride though the pain like i do till they pop on their own,

[@IanB17]

I’ve watched that many BFT I think I got all 5 before I watched the video 😂

[@chazpilks]

Bike fit competition needed 😀

[@stug45]

I am a salty sweater and get rubbed by my kit on skin, therefore I wouldn't like to know what quantity of salt is now embedded into the chamois. The chamois cream helps with bacteria management too, so makes sense on longer rides.

[@billiecook5064]

bike fit tuesday... on a tuesday? weird

[@PunjabiCyclist]

Excellent video most useful.

[@sprintkick9793]

James is the man. One thing he always talks about with cleat position is putting them further back won’t do any harm. However, I’ve tried that and felt overly quad dominant. Is there a happy medium I’m just missing?

[@Bikefitjames]

Quite often needs to be done at the same time as lowering the saddle height

[@dh7314]

I love how the auto generated captions think saddle sores is salad sauce 😂

[@kiowa21]

Watching these videos, about saddle height and the way James come from a place of authority and is assertive down the camera makes me feel like I am at work on a Monday morning and my service manager is asking me what the team actually did all weekend long. Uncanny. Thumbs up though!

[@alfredsuhrbier4166]

My butt was cramped from cycling. A stranger older woman hit me oon my bottom till it was better. 🥵😰 Was that fair, what do you think ??

[@jonasosa5126]

Hmmm I’ve had some experience with this now. I have several different saddles in my possession because of how uncomfortable they’ve been. My saddle sore was from my shorts. I won’t get into detail, saddles are important but not more important that clean shorts.

[@jnrickards]

So, I get saddle sores but I don't know how to apply your advice because I might not be your typical client. My height (pardon my Imperial) is 5ft8in and generally my weight is 170lb but, one autumn after a summer of good training and diet, my weight dropped to 146lb. I think my comfortable weight (ie, reasonably achievable) sits between 155 and 160. I do not race but my commute to work (depending on the route I choose) is up to 43km and I participate in a September 4-day charity ride that's anywhere between 90 to 160km/day depending on the day and route (changes each year). Typically, I get saddle sores at the beginning of the year and on days that I'm pushing to ride a significantly greater distance than previously that summer (a ride of 80km when all other days are 8-24). So, could an overweight and relatively short distance cyclist, especially at the beginning of a season, have more issues to overcome to reduce saddle sores than your typical (fit and/or racing) cyclist?

[@ericmah3861]

Favero releases the Assioma DUO-Shi power meter which is a direct spindle replacement for the commonly used PD-R8000 SPD pedals. However this spindle will significantly increase the Q-factor from the original 52 or 56mm to 65mm. How would I know if the new additional Q-factor will affect me or cause saddle sore if the stance is increased? Thank you and always looking forward to Tuesdays!!

[@jamest2502]

How often do you need to replace the G8 insoles? Or can you just replace the arch pieces (didn't you do just that in a previous video)? I purchased a pair last fall based on James' advice in previous videos and it was spot on stabilizing my foot in the shoe and helping with my knee tracking. The BikeFitTuesdays have helped me so much. I just wish I lived on your side of the "pond" to be able to get a proper fit at bicycle.

[@platypushatstand]

Come for a bike fit holiday?

[@cb6866]

Thanks Francis...Peace

[@jobwongzicheng3545]

I know this is not bike related but can we get a video on James' watch collection

[@KNURKonesur]

So will SuperFeet Green be a decent cheapo starting point for inproving arch support and foot stability?

[@ohmps01]

So you only mention stuff that has to do with one sided saddle sores. My current problem is that I get them pretty symmetrically. I am pretty sure my q factor is to small right now (from the video about foot issues, cleats are in, ordering long axle spd pedals next month), but if I ride for let's say 60+ kilometres my bum tends to hurt in 2 spots. From feeling, it seems to be at the edges of tge saddle (but not below my sit bones, at least from feel). I checked my saddle width with one of those ergon measuring things already and the current saddle seems to be the correct width. My foot stuff also seems symmetrical at this point, so I assume it's not saddle height? But what else could it be. I don't think I am sitting on the nose, especially because it hurts fairly far apart. Or do I just sit through my padding on both shorts and saddle? (I am running a gravelbike, so bumps tend to feature on rides) Any more tips on how I can adjust?

[@lancecrawley9542]

James, do you offer digital consultation? Just developed a painful sore. Never had this before. Please let me know. Thx!

[@travcunningham1]

How about a bike fit Tuesday video for us big and tall riders? I'm 6'5" 220 lbs and wonder if there are specific things I should be looking out for.

[@Cade_Media]

Here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXO2aKGhrL2ojJI

[@travcunningham1]

@@Cade_Media Awesome! Thanks!

[@cabeenz]

Hi, I was just wondering if the area around my sit bone aches (rather than sore) is caused by one of the reasons or combination of reasons you have mentioned? or I should just change out to a new saddle? thanks!

[@RUSSDsPhotography]

All of a sudden I am getting saddle sores in various places when I ride. I have tried going to my fitter and we have worked through a few changes in fit, and how I clean my kits, and even tried a couple of new saddles. Nothing helps and I am about to just stop ridding as it isn't fun or comfortable any longer. Any ideas on what else I could do to prevent, and help heal the ones I Have?

[@ultraorange1]

And here I am with symmetrical ones.

[@MultiEski]

I got question if you don't mind. I did 2,5h riding on zwift today , pretty much sitting all the time i had one rest in the middle of the ride. After my ride i did feel my ass a bit , is this is normal or after proper bike fitting i shouldn't feel any discomfort. ?

[@zachgrajewski]

Does James have any recommendations for an SPD pedal for a wider stance on a gravel bike?

[@frenkert3266]

The trail version have a wider stance something like the m8120 pedals easy to service to.

[@CraigRMerriman]

The pedal mentioned was the SPD LE? (Sorry about the dumb question, new cyclist 🙂). Great info, I enjoy the channel.

[@chapshobai]

It sounds like "SPD-SL E" , but my (very!) quick search ism bringing anything up at my local shops.

[@CraigRMerriman]

@@chapshobai Thank you! I had no luck either. I did find some long axle options though.

[@chapshobai]

@@CraigRMerriman not a worry =) I did end up finding them; one of my local shops stocks, for example, Ultegra R8000 pedals with the extended axle. Looks like the Duraace pedals have an extended axle option. Similar to what you found?

[@luisgonzalez1157]

Lads, I suffer from excessive heel drop. I’m a student of the 1908’s, ala, scrape the mud and pull up,on the pedal stroke. Many years of wiring for this pedal technique. I’ve been working on correcting/mitigating this over the years. I wear nortwave shoes with the speedplay adapters to achieve an almost mid foot placement which has calmed this down but not stopped it. I went to 170 cranks from 175’s (30 years on 175’s), I tried G8 insoles and the arch is not stiff enough to support my foot tilting inward. I am using bontrager’s which are static. I am 178 cm, 67 kilos. Saddle height at 75 cm., 110 stem, 8 cm below saddle height. 38 bars. Ideas on what to try to help this evolve to an at least parallel foot at the bottom of the stroke? Thank you. Luis, Arizona, USA

[@dreconde7894]

James do you plan on coming back to Los Angeles any time soon ?

[@davesamsung4545]

If a person has an issue that can't be rectified by a bike fit, do you offer a refund?

[@djordjebobic1098]

Did you try maybe BiSaddle? Especially for that asymmetrical issues?

[@joaogabriellima4359]

I use a specialized power saddle and works marvelous to me, but with time i´ve developed some "pimples" that won´t go away and when adjusting my butt on the saddle and press it accidentaly its basically a spear hitting hard. Can´t figure out why, maybe a dermathologist would help bc the saddle is really comfy

[@patrickmurray8886]

Same thing man and same saddle. Tried to pop one and it just created pain for weeks.

[@joaogabriellima4359]

@@patrickmurray8886 Exactaly! the more i try to pop the more it aches, fucking annoying

[@chrisdrewery2760]

Chris’s pelvis isn’t over there! It’s over here with me!

[@CycoWarriorx]

The only thing James missed was, “… thank you for attending my Ted Talk…” 😂 Seriously tho, James bunny hopped over touching on his concerns with using a particular software “tool” for doing bike fits… if you got that type of bike fit and are still getting saddle sores - and everything is supposed to be dialed in with greater accuracy (cause it’s software), then it’s a saddle or shoe issue??

[@yannickokpara4861]

Does James have any idea why one might sit with the ass almost off the back of the saddle? For a number of reasons I can't push it back at all most importantly because it overloads my hamstrings vs quads. It's pretty annoying, because I can't get my ass to stay forward which is where I actually have a somewhat symmetric interaction(that is also comfortable and stable) with the saddle

[@Wiskeyfury]

My problem : i bought a canyon grail xxl because all my previous roadbikes were canyon and a xxl. The reach is just way to long and for all i know there s no way in fixing this issue is there?

[@bullfrogboss8008]

The reason I have saddle pains is that there's pressure on my cheekbones, especially on bumps. I failed to find any other working solution than just getting a soft saddle

[@Cade_Media]

This video might be helpful to you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mna8haaPiJ6fqbc

[@blairemoraski882]

Do you guys do online bike fit consults?

[@Avioto]

Which brands should we be looking at for arch support?

[@bujang3022]

Is it possible to know what to adjust if i have terribly knocked knees???

[@MrMars121]

What about saddles and fit triggering hemmroids? Has that come up before? What would you recommend to prevent that?

[@Paul-M21]

Question for James. I tend to get saddle sores on the left hand side which I’m guessing means im sitting to one side (right side) but my power balance (L/R) is slightly more dominant on the left? Does this seem correct?

[@stevenfoster6521]

could you please recommend which model arione to choose please if suffering from sadlle sores