Cycle Touring | Health | Saddle Sores

Cycle Touring Health & Medical Issues

Cycle Touring Health | Saddle Sores

Saddle sores are miserable little boils that
develop when bacteria enters an abrasion of the
skin. These abrasions are often caused by
chaffing or continuous rubbing of cycling shorts.

Even a small saddle sore can drive a cycle tourist
absolutely nuts. What's worse, the cycling balms
and creams typically recommended for
recreational cyclists are not practical for the
touring cyclist. So, what can you do?

Try several different types of cycling shorts.
Often a seam on the chamois causes the
chaffing. If you find seamless shorts or
comfortable loose fitting shorts, go for it.
Padded cycling underwear may also be a
good solution.

Take off your cycling shorts as soon as
possible after the ride. Bacteria is breeding
down there. Get the off you body ASAP.

Wash them every night in antibiotic soap
and make sure they dry completely before
putting them on again. Rich has a pair of
shorts with a real chamois that take two full
days to dry (completely impractical!)
Synthetic chamois dry much faster and
breath better.

Sleeping without bottoms allows the area to
air dry.

Lubrication with a cycling specific balm is
not particularly practical for the cycle tourist
as he is usually washing his shorts by hand
every night and a balm can be a real bugger
to get off without a machine to do the
washing.

Seat position and bike fit: If the nose of your
seat is too high it can cause chaffing on the
inner thighs. If your handlebars are too
close you may be sitting up higher on the
bike than optimal, putting more weight on
your rear end and less on your hands.
Experiment to find the position that is right
for you.

Standing up while pedaling a fully loaded
touring bike takes some practice. When
you are comfortable standing, do it often!
Standing allow blood to circulate to the area
and the air to circulate around as well.

Rest: We met three amazing women who
were cycling from London to Sydney. They
set their watch and took regular half-hourly
rest breaks where they would dismount, gulp
down some water and eat a bit. After
meeting them we gave it a try in the tropical
Southeast Asian heat and found it
thoroughly refreshing. They never wore
padded cycling shorts, preferring instead to
callous their bottoms while wearing
seamless crotched cotton shorts.

Preparation H. A cycle touring doctor we
met before setting out on this trip told us this
tip. Apparently, Preparation H is a skin
toughener. While easing the swelling it
causes the skin to get thicker and less
susceptible to saddle sores.