# Sore Butt. Wait or Ride it off?



## kurtbrinker (Aug 21, 2011)

SO i haven't been on a bike in a long time and i paid a trip to my lbs and walked out with a specialized rockhopper 29 comp that i fell in love with at first ride.

I took it out yesterday and rode it until i could barely sit on it anymore. I love the bike and the saddle is the right width for my "butt bone" but dang it i am sore. So my question is should i just ride through the soreness or wait until it goes away and try again. Its killing me not to be out riding.


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## jonw9 (Jun 29, 2009)

Sore as in painful, or sore as in sores?

I would wait a day or 2 and ride again, but not for such a duration that makes it unable to sit down.

Start slow, work your way up in time. After a week or 2, you will have no problems.


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## kurtbrinker (Aug 21, 2011)

just painful. no sores.

feels like a bruise i guess.


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## sayzawn (Jul 15, 2011)

Chamois? I need to get a couple of these. I actually developed a a sore from too much chafing.


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## Shalom (Nov 7, 2008)

Or you using bike shorts? Good place to start is to get a decent pair with a good chamois. Stops chaffing too.

Otherwise it is often a case of getting your position on the bike sorted. A good bike fit might help (ie get seat level, distance to bars sorted so that not all weight is on seat etc etc).

If I have not ridden in quite some time, it takes me a little while to get comfortable (ie used to the saddle) again. But maybe wait a day or two before giving it another shot.


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

If the soreness is on your sit bones, that's good, because your sit bones are supposed to carry most of your weight when on the saddle. Some soreness is typical when starting. Give it a rest, get some padded shorts, and you should get used to it after a few rides.


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## pfox90 (Aug 8, 2010)

when i first started riding i couldn't go everyday.. i usually had to wait a few days for the pain to subside to get back on the saddle for a ride

a few things; your sit bones need to get used to this new found pressure and you need to get some meat in those areas which regular riding will build up the muscle mass.. you also need to invest in some decent bike shorts with good support


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## carspidey (Aug 1, 2011)

I rode through it when I could and waited when I had to. Your muscles there are getting worked out as well just whn you work out other muscles in your body. Sometimes some rest helps. You might get this a few times but you'll get used to it. I'm riding now with no pain at all as wen I started.


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## Waltah (Aug 5, 2011)

ride it off, itll go away after a handful of rides. search "my butt hurts", i posted the same thing when i started almost a month ago. 

getting padded cycling shorts helps a bunch, i still wear mine.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

Take it easy...

Keep your rides short enough that you are not in too much pain. Maybe even skip a day or two if you are very uncomfortable.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

It happens to me every start of biking season. It hurts pretty bad but you can go riding as soon as you want to, you probably won't compound the pain. I'd wait a couple days and get back to it.


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## Haligan78 (Jun 13, 2011)

Ride it off.


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## howetechnical (Aug 25, 2011)

My sit bones got extremely sore (as in, the tissue around them) after my first ride in years too (2 hour ride). Taking it in for a professional adjustment today, but took a day off yesterday.


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

This happened to me when I first got on a bike after 10+ years. I just rode it off and it eventually went away.


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## llb_dll (Aug 28, 2011)

I got on my bike yesterday after 10+ years and I got sore just riding around for an hour.


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## Shazam (Aug 29, 2011)

I'd wait... ride it too much and you'll be walking like you've got a beachball between your knees.


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

Give it a day or two, hear tons of great things on a good pair of ride shorts w/chamois. Just ordered two pair personally, loved the first pair so much, had to order the other color, for the good deal. 

Heard if you keep riding through it you can develop sores, and it will bruise. That is when the pain comes in, and you have to wait for it to go away. Which means less saddle time, and I don't know about you, but I don't want less saddle time. It will build up and become less painful over sometime.

Congrats on the bike purchase!


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## Leadghost (Sep 13, 2004)

My experience has been first ride is fantastic, second ride through about my sixth ride over 2 weeks is I feel sore but stop noticing it after about 40 minutes decreasing down to 10 minutes. I just dropped some aspirin to dull it a bit and went riding.


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## Natedogz (Apr 4, 2008)

jonw9 said:


> Sore as in painful, or sore as in sores?
> 
> I would wait a day or 2 and ride again, but not for such a duration that makes it unable to sit down.
> 
> Start slow, work your way up in time. After a week or 2, you will have no problems.


X2. Red marks on the skin will turn to sores if you keep riding, and then you'll be off the bike for more than a couple days. :thumbsup:



Shalom said:


> Or you using bike shorts? Good place to start is to get a decent pair with a good chamois. Stops chaffing too.
> 
> Otherwise it is often a case of getting your position on the bike sorted. A good bike fit might help (ie get seat level, distance to bars sorted so that not all weight is on seat etc etc).
> 
> If I have not ridden in quite some time, it takes me a little while to get comfortable (ie used to the saddle) again. But maybe wait a day or two before giving it another shot.


Yes and some Chamois Butt'r on any chafing spots can help too. The stock saddle although correct width may not be a good one for the shape of your butt. I went through many saddles before I settled on a Specialized Henge 143mm.

BTW a bruise is not a sore.


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## CheesePuff (Apr 20, 2010)

Definitely get some padded bike shorts. :thumbsup: Best comfort investment I made.
Also it'll take some time to break in a new bike seat. 

Otherwise, just don't ride as long for a while until you get used to riding again.


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## ricky916 (Jun 7, 2011)

Just get a new seat..
Some seats just aren't for some people.


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## pepethetimid (Aug 29, 2011)

Yes to the padded shorts! I had the same problem because I was only able to ride once a week. If I tried more than once, it was painful. With the padded shorts I can skip a few days and not have to break in my butt again.


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## Mamba29er (Aug 30, 2011)

+1 on the padded shorts comments. My buddy just picked up a nice pair of sixsixone padded shorts that cover the bum and hips should you take a digger. He wore them around yesterday for several hours and commented on how comfortable they were. $40 on amazon right now.


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## kikikuku (Jul 20, 2011)

Yes to the padded shorts
Went to LBS, had them adjust the saddle height and fore/aft position 
Ride it off....and after 4 weeks, voila.....no more soreness.


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## ChronoDK (Aug 30, 2011)

Ride it off. Happens for the first couple of long rides. Goes away after that.


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## zephxiii (Aug 12, 2011)

I was getting sore all the time after riding around on a cheap Schwinn Protocol 1.0, my butt just didn't like that saddle. 

Ever since I got my Hardrock I haven't had a problem.


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## C.M.S (Aug 28, 2009)

I recently purchased some Canari brand briefs that have gel padding, very very impressed and nice n comfy :thumbsup:


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