# Wife Has the Ouchies...



## RookieBiker (Mar 9, 2006)

Serious Question Here&#8230;.

My wife gets some serious pain in her <edited> crotch area when she rides. I bought her some higher quality bike shorts and also suggested the she use some of the testicle lube (forget the name of it) I use to prevent chaffing&#8230;Any other suggestions?


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

Usually it's a combination of things. Good bike shorts and no underwear and some Chamois Butt'r or the like is a good start. Her saddle could be the problem. For me - it was that my original saddle was too big and squishy. Gel saddle covers make things even worse. If anything, a cutout is usually better than padding on the saddle.

And the other part of the problem is that while to some extent you just have to get your butt used to riding, most newbies need to learn to stand up more instead of letting your butt take a beating over rough terrain.


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## Team Pro Laps (Jul 1, 2004)

*Bummer,,,,*

Gotta say if the high end (no pun intended) bike shorts and some type of lube, like Chamois Butt'r Skin Lubricant, don't do it, it is likely that the seat itself or the angle of the seat is the culprit. Lots of women like Terry saddles; I use a Selle Italia Trans Am Lady myself -- it came stock with one of my bikes. Specialized has some women's saddles as well. Saddles are one of those things where you just have to search around for the saddle that is just right for you (meaning her). I have tried men's saddles that felt like you were sitting on the narrow side of a board; only women-specific saddles with a cut out have worked for me. 
Good luck with this--nobody feels like riding when it hurts.


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## deanna (Jan 15, 2004)

RookieBiker said:


> Serious Question Here&#8230;.
> I bought her some higher quality bike shorts and also suggested the she use some of the testicle lube (forget the name of it) I use to prevent chaffing


Bag balm? I've heard it does wonders... I just use A&D ointment.

As others have already mentioned, good shorts and a proper fitting (and adjusted) saddle does wonders. I prefer the men's saddles w/ cut-outs like the Terry Men's Fly. The combo of the 3 (ointment, shorts, saddle) have allowed me to ride all day without discomfort.


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## catzilla (Jan 31, 2004)

Not having her here to ask all the uncomfortable questions, here's some "Oh my crap! My crotch hurts!" basics:

Is it friction, pressure, or both?

Friction caused pain is usually addressed with chamois butter and a good pair of bike shorts. Make sure she's not wearing panties, a very common novice mistake.

Also, bikini shaving _might_ be a factor to consider. If she's got uber sensitive skin and digs the Kojak look, she might get extra chaffing. I would imagine chamois butter would take care of this.

Check the tilt of her saddle. If it's tilting up, even just slightly, this'll put a lot of extra pressure on her groin, increasing both pain and friction. I ride with my saddle just _slightly_ tilted down.

Good luck to both the lil' lady and her man in the boat.


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

I think WTB has saddles you can borrow for like a couple of days at your LBS to see if it fits your butt... just a thought...


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## trailadvent (Jun 29, 2004)

Im no expert since Im a guy but what they said

Also take note of seat height newbies are notorious for having the seat too low at the beginning and this will put more pressure on the nether regions, plus maybe buy her a nice FS rig if shes not already on one and is really keen on riding for the long run you will be thankful for doing this too, good luck:thumbsup:


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## Obi (Oct 16, 2005)

*With Mrs.Obi.. it took a fit and three different saddles...*



> Check the tilt of her saddle. If it's tilting up, even just slightly, this'll put a lot of extra pressure on her groin, increasing both pain and friction. I ride with my saddle just slightly tilted down.


IMHO: This is leading in the correct direction. Ladies tend to feel a bit better with the saddle tilted sometimes, at least, 1-2mm down from level. Also do check the seatpost height, along with the fore and aft positioning. A good LBS will be able to help out a lot! If you were to have a shop do a fit, all this will be shown. Find a shop that has the new WTB demo saddles too, that'll also give her the opportunity to try different shaped saddles out to find out what works best.

Thanks for letting me stop in to visit ladies! 

Obi..


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## dHarriet (Sep 26, 2005)

if all the adjustments already mentioned don't work, i say get a new seat. new bikes notoriously come with uncomfortable seats. my first one gave me MAJOR OUCHIES...and there was no adjustment i could do to make it work...and i had to go through several models before i found one that works...terry butterfly in my case.


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## lkgeo (Oct 31, 2006)

ditto the other comments, &
- I ride with the saddle level, measured with a construction level, when the bike is on level ground
- I had to try a few saddles to find one that felt right. I think womens' 'sit' bones are at a different width than mens, and with a saddle that matches those sit bones (I use a Terry Liberator) I feel no pressure on other areas even on long rides
- also if the saddle is too high that can cause chafing. pedal strokes shouldn't cause hips to rock.


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## Christine (Feb 11, 2004)

Today I rode for a couple of hours wearing, of all things, cotton! Underwear _and_ sweatpants!

Maybe I like to live dangerously.......maybe I just didn't feel like wearing lycra all over town, then getting changed at the trailhead. Either way, I managed but I could feel a slight difference.

I guess it helps to have a fat butt


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## Rainman (Apr 18, 2004)

RookieBiker said:


> Serious Question Here&#8230;.
> 
> My wife gets some serious pain the groindeloin area aka meat curtain part of her crotch when she rides. I bought her some higher quality bike shorts and also suggested the she use some of the testicle lube (forget the name of it) I use to prevent chaffing&#8230;Any other suggestions?


 My wife had the same problems. We fixed it with a couple of pairs of good padded lycra knicks and a good saddle.

Here is the link to the saddle: http://www.mcmwin.com/saddle shop new.htm

http://www.mcmwin.com/faq.htm

Here is the link to the lycra kniks: http://www.zerieusa.com/

I can personally recommend both of these products. I use Zerie Kniks and An-Atomica saddles on my bike also.

My wife has no problems with riding now. No soreness or chafing at all.

R.


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## Christine (Feb 11, 2004)

Chamois But'r is helpful for longer rides. That's the only other thing I can think of, besides padded shorts. I like my WTB saddles and the Poggio- both brands are pretty narrow.


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## ☻☻☻ (Aug 4, 2006)

What about a Toronto trim?


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## Dwight Moody (Jan 10, 2004)

RookieBiker said:


> Serious Question Here&#8230;.
> 
> My wife gets some serious _in her crotch_ when she rides. I bought her some higher quality bike shorts and also suggested the she use some of the testicle lube (forget the name of it) I use to prevent chaffing&#8230;Any other suggestions?


You mean vulva and perenium? And scrotum? I mean, I just had a vasectomy, and let me tell you, when they're reaching around your testicles, it does NOT feel good. I can't imagine lubing them directly.


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## Grievous Angel (Jan 1, 2007)

Back to the shorts - I find that the roadie-type spandex shorts w/good chamois work best. The loose mtb shorts w/padded liner sometimes aren't padded so well and seem to migrate some. Good shorts, good saddle (SLR men's gel-flow or Terry men's Fly for me), correct saddle height, tilt and bike adjustment should do it. I use chamois lube only for epic road efforts (3 hrs or more) but hear that it helps for a lot of folks. Good luck to your wife.


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## Bluebug32 (Jan 13, 2006)

I've been riding for a couple of years and have had similar problems. I'm also prone to UTIs, so making sure everything down there is copasetic when I ride is of utmost importance. There's nothing worse than an ill-fitting saddle. It's the worst thing to cut corners on. Invest in a good one. I finally ponied up and bought a Terry Butterfly and that helped a lot. I also like the the Dolce (made by Specialized).

I agree with everyone else on the idea of having a good pair of shorts with a chamois that doesn't flatten over time. There are some threads on shorts and which ones we like. No underwear is important too. Also, make sure the chamois fits snug and doesn't slide. 

As for the butter, I tried the bag balm and it's got a menthol kick to it. It feels weird on already chaffed areas. I would try a lubricant or cream (maybe a baby cream for diaper rash)

Finally, the thing that made this problem worlds better was getting off my hardtail and onto a dualie. It stopped a lot of the banging and excess pressure. This is certainly a last resort. In the meantime, get the saddle height right, the seat level and emphasize the improtance of standing up to pass over bumpy obstacles. 

Good luck and let me know what works so I can try it too!


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## gabrielle (Jan 2, 2005)

catzilla said:


> Not having her here to ask all the uncomfortable questions, here's some "Oh my crap! My crotch hurts!" basics:


The WL-approved phrase is "Oh my poor sweet crotch!" often abbreviated to OMPSC.  



catzilla said:


> Also, bikini shaving _might_ be a factor to consider. If she's got uber sensitive skin and digs the Kojak look, she might get extra chaffing.


Wax. It solves everything.

gabrielle


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## kira (Jun 26, 2006)

Watch the padding on the shorts....in addition to bad seam lines, too much padding can actually cause discomfort. And as stated before, use road shorts as the padding is more secure. Voler has some really nice pads that aren't too bulky or too thin. I get them at hammernutrition.com because they are pretty cheap... in return for the low price you are doing their advertising!!
Terry seats rock!!!!


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## venus1 (Aug 4, 2006)

RookieBiker said:


> Serious Question Here&#8230;.
> 
> My wife gets some serious pain the<edited> part of her crotch when she rides. I bought her some higher quality bike shorts and also suggested the she use some of the testicle lube (forget the name of it) I use to prevent chaffing&#8230;Any other suggestions?


g___________ = ?
m___ c____ = ?
I've never heard these terms used before & I'm a girl. Please do explain.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

venus1 said:


> g______ = ?
> m__ c_____ = ?
> I've never heard these terms used before & I'm a girl. Please do explain.


I hang around too many guys I think. That would be slang for the labia minora.


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## Bluebug32 (Jan 13, 2006)

kira said:


> Watch the padding on the shorts....in addition to bad seam lines, too much padding can actually cause discomfort. And as stated before, use road shorts as the padding is more secure. Voler has some really nice pads that aren't too bulky or too thin. I get them at hammernutrition.com because they are pretty cheap... in return for the low price you are doing their advertising!!
> Terry seats rock!!!!


Interesting site. I love Hammer Gel. I mix it in my sports bottle for most rides. Tastes good too!


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## catzilla (Jan 31, 2004)

connie said:


> I hang around too many guys I think. That would be slang for the labia minora.


Precisely. It's the area just north of the Brunswick and south of the Lil' Man in the Boat.


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## Bluebug32 (Jan 13, 2006)

haha...nice. 

I actually had my first-ever saddle sore last week. It freaked me out at first. I tend to have irritation on long rides and picked up some diaper rash cream. Damn, it was cheap, didn't smell bad and did the trick. Highly recommended!


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## venus1 (Aug 4, 2006)

connie said:


> I hang around too many guys I think. That would be slang for the labia minora.


Are these guys in the 12-14 year old range? I wonder if ROOKIEBIKER's wife approves of him referring to her anatomical parts in slaughter house type terms on an international web forum. How sweet of him. And people think I am crude...
Me thinks he just wanted to talk dirty with the girls in here.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

venus1 said:


> I wonder if ROOKIEBIKER's wife approves of him referring to her anatomical parts in slaughter house type terms on an international web forum. How sweet of him.


I can see where you are coming from, but on the other hand, I somehow would find it wierder if he posted using anatomically correct terms.

Although I'd generally prefer no discussion of my own personal genitalia, if I saw my SO post about my groindeloin I would have to laugh. So his wife may not actauly mind - maybe they are her terms? People have all sorts of names....

BTW, great discussion & advice in the thread from the gang on this very "sensistive" topic


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## gabrielle (Jan 2, 2005)

catzilla said:


> Precisely. It's the area just north of the Brunswick and south of the Lil' Man in the Boat.


:lol:

Oh god...I can't stop laughing...the man in the boat....hee hee

gabrielle
"shipwrecked, I am"


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## Dwight Moody (Jan 10, 2004)

gabrielle said:


> :lol:
> 
> Oh god...I can't stop laughing...the man in the boat....hee hee
> 
> ...


So I'm familiar with the Man on the Boat (I must be an Admiral, because he stands up whenever I'm around), but while I can figure out what the Brunswick is in this context, I don't understand the derivation.


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## gabrielle (Jan 2, 2005)

Dwight Moody said:


> So I'm familiar with the Man on the Boat (I must be an Admiral, because he stands up whenever I'm around), but while I can figure out what the Brunswick is in this context, I don't understand the derivation.


NSFW text, see #2 here (NPI):
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Brunswick


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## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

venus1 said:


> Are these guys in the 12-14 year old range? I wonder if ROOKIEBIKER's wife approves of him referring to her anatomical parts in slaughter house type terms on an international web forum. How sweet of him. And people think I am crude...
> Me thinks he just wanted to talk dirty with the girls in here.


I've been watching this thread with some annoyance. The OP's gross terminology, combined w/ the fact he hasn't responded in TWO WEEKS to the helpful suggestions provided for his "wife", lead me to believe this forum has been HAD. If the OP really has a mtn biker wife, she could have posed the question herself. IMO this thread was started by an immature individual for his personal amusement and should therefore be removed.


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

LadyDi said:


> I've been watching this thread with some annoyance. The OP's gross terminology, combined w/ the fact he hasn't responded in TWO WEEKS to the helpful suggestions provided for his "wife", lead me to believe this forum has been HAD. If the OP really has a mtn biker wife, she could have posed the question herself. IMO this thread was started by an immature individual for his personal amusement and should therefore be removed.


Who cares (if it was a troll or not)? The thread ended up with useful information that would still be useful for plenty of other people. And like someone else pointed out - sure it's a questionable slang term, but I can't think of any non-offensive slang terms and using the correct scientific terminology would make it sound odd too.


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## gabrielle (Jan 2, 2005)

LadyDi said:


> I've been watching this thread with some annoyance. The OP's gross terminology, combined w/ the fact he hasn't responded in TWO WEEKS to the helpful suggestions provided for his "wife", lead me to believe this forum has been HAD. If the OP really has a mtn biker wife, she could have posed the question herself. IMO this thread was started by an immature individual for his personal amusement and should therefore be removed.


Hm, I don't know, seemed pretty lighthearted & fun to me, and, as Connie said, there is some good info here.

Easy solution for you:
go to forums.mtbr.com/usercp.php
Your "subscribed threads" will come up near the top. Click the "unsubscribe" link under this thread. Then, you won't get any notifications that it's been updated, and you can easily ignore it in the WL threads list.

(Do I know you from the TE forums?)

gabrielle


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## Dwight Moody (Jan 10, 2004)

gabrielle said:


> NSFW text, see #2 here (NPI):
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Brunswick


I guess I don't go bowling enough.

Actually, I really don't go bowling enough, it's been years and I love bowling. Last time I went bowling was at a co-workers baby shower (cool shower idea, BTW) and that kid is five years old now.


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## Arbuz (Aug 4, 2006)

"RookieBiker"

I am NOT a "Rookie" biker, yet I adjusted my G/F's bike without ever riding it myself. After I few months my bike was at the shop and I used hers. The seat angle was all wrong. A Selle Italia Gel LDY wide and commfy. She had very little experience with biking and did not complain thinking she was meant to adjust herself to the bike set up. My mistake for being a '#*&%$%# dictatorial know it all' (verbatum from spanish). I apologized, got her flowers candle light dinner and that was that.

The seat BTW, a direct recommendation from an online biker chick :thumbsup:

I've asked girls for advise for her even if she could do it herself if she wanted to. But it may be that some girls are not natural born mountain bikers as some of us would like them to be, so yes, it is up to us to help them in everyway possible. I know nothing about Rookie there, but if the seat is causing problems, then it needs to be fixed.

Now I would't jump to advise because I have no idea of what the bike is nor what the wife needs are. Some racer girls do well with a narrow saddle other non racers prefer a really wide one with springs  
I ride a Rocket V that supports me just where it's meant to. I ride everyday. My G/F uses the LDY every other weekend and has never complained about pain. She rides a hardtail in gravel at most. If Rookie comes back, or anyother guy, please get more info so he or she may get better input.

I would hate to see a women's bike gathering dust in the garage because non of us were patient enough to help 

*EDIT*
*** My wife has an IBEX Apline 550 ***

WTB Pure V Race?
I wouldn't change the saddle unless your wife is puertorrican 
Change the angle dude, lower the seat tube a notch. Ride it yourself. Ask her to ride it and get her feedback.
My G/F wears Gel (Trico) lycras under shorts or skorts, it works quite well for her.
Don't forget the gloves! Forget the toe clip straps, get her sticky shoes


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## salimoneus (Oct 12, 2004)

if a noob experiences discomfort while riding, and the bike is fitted properly with a good seat, it's usually nothing more than the body getting used to biking. you can use tight spandex and padding here and there but it can only do so much. if they like it enough (apart from the discomfort) they will just deal with it for a few weeks until it goes away (almost always does), or they will quit. not everyone is cut out for mountain biking, nor should we expect them to be.


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## CraigH (Dec 22, 2003)

connie said:


> Her saddle could be the problem.


One other point about saddles, how old is it?
The padding in saddles get harder as time goes on.
If it is say 5 years or older, and it used to be comfortable and isn't any longer, it might be time for a new one.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

I like this thread as it has some useful advice & I see no reason to delete it. Being sensitive to people's varying comfort level however I have cut out the slang in question. If you have any comments on this email me.

Thanks and happy saddle sore free riding!


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## akigirl (Mar 9, 2006)

terry butterfly for me! No butter. Good shorts help.


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## venus1 (Aug 4, 2006)

RookieBiker said:


> Serious Question Here&#8230;.
> 
> My wife gets some serious pain in her <edited> crotch area when she rides. I bought her some higher quality bike shorts and also suggested the she use some of the testicle lube (forget the name of it) I use to prevent chaffing&#8230;Any other suggestions?


How many miles is she riding? If you are serious, answer this. If she is serious, why isn't she asking?


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## catzilla (Jan 31, 2004)

venus1 said:


> How many miles is she riding? If you are serious, answer this. If she is serious, why isn't she asking?


Heh.

Yeah, the original post made me wonder a bit too, but...

Who frickin' cares?

This is probably the most common problem of newbies. More importantly, it's problem newbies are most afraid to bring up. If Mrs. Original Poster doesn't exist, it doesn't make the topic any less valid.

So, yeah. We ain't been HAD just 'cause the term groindeloin was used. I'm guessing if this question was posed from a man's perspective, he'd be more likely to substitute the term "penis and testicles" with "twig and berries" or "Richard and the twins" or "thunder junk."

(Okay, so maybe not so much the last one.)


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## Arbuz (Aug 4, 2006)

catzilla said:


> "twig and berries" or "Richard and the twins" or "thunder junk."
> (Okay, so maybe not so much the last one.)




I want to, but I'm not going to ask what and why 

They original poster talks about his wife and her bike in a different post elsewhere.
Some of us guys want our significant others to become as addicted to MTB'ing as we are.

Please don't give'im a hard time about it. My guess is that the more you ride the less it hurts.


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## energetix (Feb 4, 2006)

If the shorts aren't helping then it's the saddle!

Get a saddle that is wide enough for her sit bones (your local Specialized dealer should have a bum-o-meter she can get measured on, they will havea range of saddles she can try too) and secondly I would recommend a saddle with a cutout in the middle. It doesn't necessarily need to be a womens saddle either. I experienced similar sort of pain with saddles in the past and the main culprite was that they weren't wide enough for my butt hence all the pressure was in the soft spot and a cutout or padding probably won't help much if the saddle is not wide enough to support the sit bones.

I ride a Specialized Avatar gel 155mm width now and I don't need any special bike knicks (just shorts and undies) for anything up to 3hr rides, and after a couple of hours it's only my undies that start to irritate not the saddle.


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## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

catzilla said:


> Heh.
> 
> Yeah, the original post made me wonder a bit too, but...
> 
> ...


Ok alright already <GAWD> don't turn me into a villainess-- I'm a member here and I enjoy this forum. I was just in a bad mood that day, ok????? :madmax:

Perhaps OP isn't a very "sensitive" guy. Still, he was sensitive enough to post a concern on behalf of his wife. It was bugging me as much that he never responded to say "thanks" for all the great suggestions & support provided by the gals here at WL. That's more of an etiquette issue... oh well. Maybe his wife killed him and he couldn't respond. The topic is valid enough. My girl tip-- I've learned to snip off the tampon string if I ride on _those days_ so to avoid irritation in _that area_. Otherwise, banish "the ouchies" with the right saddle & quality padded shorts, worn Commando-style.


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

LadyDi said:


> I was just in a bad mood that day, ok????? :madmax:
> QUOTE]
> 
> Bad mood? S'ok, pull up a pint of ice cream, you're in the gals lounge.
> ...


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