Nikon Fan

Wasn't quite sure where to post this, but imo it probably is related to improper fit.

Today I only rode 12 miles. The wind was brutal (24 mph), and I ended exhausted. Long story short I have this incredible pain in what I believe to be the gracilis muscle area (inner thigh about 2 inches bellow my groin area).

My saddle a Planet Bike 5020 ARS Standard Anatomic Relief Saddle with Gel. I have that same saddle on two bikes, never had any issues.

Today I felt it pressing against my inner thigh ultimately causing (imo) pain along my inner upper thigh.

Is my saddle the culprit, or is my bike fit in need of some modification?

Bike in question is a Trek FX 7.2, I am 5'10", 265 pounds.

CliffordK

Heading into a 24 MPH wind (steady?) with an upright bike can't be fun.

Perhaps you pulled a muscle.

How far do you typically ride? How fast? And when was the last time you've been out on the bike before your ride today?

Carbonfiberboy 

What does the sore area look like? Any raw tissue? Any hard lumps, maybe the size of cashews or so, just under the skin? If not, it's a pulled muscle. When riding into a stiff headwind, gear way down until you are spinning 80 or so if you have the gears to do so. Accept that 8 mph is a very fast pace and relax, because it's going to be a long haul. Don't try to push the pace or push a big gear.

berner

Check your cleats also. Maybe one of them moved so you are pedaling splay footed.

Nikon Fan

Yes, the wind was steady except when I rode a couple of miles in the oposite direction.

In terms of ridingn my distances vary. Sometimes 10, sometimes 20, etc. I had only been off the bike for 3 days.

Nikon Fan

No raw tissue at all, only muscle pain. I rode again today, same 12 miles but took your advice to gear down and not push for a higher speed. Overall it went well; much better than yesterday. It took me a bit longer to finish the 12 miles, but I have almost no pain at all today. Thanks!

Tomorrow I'll probably do 16, hopefully 20 miles. My ultimate daily goal is to ride 40 miles per day by July. I'm doing this because I want to do a century ride for the first time in my life this coming January, 2018.

Carbonfiberboy 

You don't want to do the same thing every day. Variety is best. Here's a decent century training plan:
https://www.bicycling.com/sites/defau...INING_PLAN.pdf

For now, do different things like in that plan and increase time by no more than 10%/week. Even that's a little high. Ride some flat, ride some hills, ride some easy, some hard.

CliffordK

It sounds like you have done well with that saddle in the past.
No chafing, so I'll blame the soreness on the wind, and not on the saddle.

However, keep in mind that most "roadies" use narrow saddles with minimal padding. I think the idea is that the big cushy saddles simply aren't necessary, and rob a person of energy. You are mid-weight. Certainly not a lightweight, but not huge either, so perhaps the needs are somewhat different than a 150 pound roadie.

There are better quality saddles now than a few decades past. And, I'm reading more about fitting "sit bones". Personally, I like my well worn Fizik technogel saddle, with wide flat wings in the back, and just he right amount of padding. But, I have a different saddle on every bike, and will ride a variety of saddles.

Anyway, if your current saddle is comfortable on your bikes, then keep riding it. But, also keep in mind that there are many choices out there.

IK_biker

Lol...
How in Hell can you pronounce this determination for someone with 265 lbs bodyweight?!

CliffordK

Read the Clydesdale Forum

Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Bike Forums

Nikon Fan

Thanks! I have been recently reading about padding on saddles and how some people swear by them, yet others dislike them.

The current saddle I have worked well for me on my Fuji Tahoe MTB; So much so that I purchased another one for my Trek FX. Problem is that I have been feeling a bit more discomfort while spending more time on the saddle. Ironicaly, the "break-in" period went well. The first couple of hundred miles went great (unlike the stiffer saddle that came with the bike). It's almost as if the saddle feels a tad bit to wide now. In addition to the pain I felt a couple of days ago, the toes on my right foot felt as if they had fallen asleep.

My weight has remained unchanged for the past 4 years or so, so I can't say that my saddle discomfort is due to weight gain. I have micro adjusted my bikes to near perfection, so it's not (imo) due to improper fit. However, I am not an expert at bike fitting, so I might be completely wrong. I'm just wondering if the width of my saddle had something to do with the discomfort I felt.

Today I didn't get a chance to ride (dark rain clouds, high wind speed again, plus I got busy at work). Tomorrow I hope to ride again, hopefully do over 20 miles this time in order to get a better idea of what is the true cause of my discomfort.

Road Fan

With all this I think Carbonfiberboy had it right - that ride at that time under those conditions was too much for your leg. Ride gentle for maybe a week to let it recover (heal, grow back new tissue), and plan some kind of conditioning, perhaps the Century plan that was suggested.

pakossa

For saddle comfort, I think it's more important to look at the flex in the saddle shell rather than the amount of padding. (A saddle with quite a bit of flex, but minimal padding will usually be much better than one with thicker padding but a really hard shell that doesn't give much . . . which is often the case with cheap saddles.)

Phil_gretz

I would say that 5'10", assuming 60 yrs old, and 265# is between 85 and 95 lbs overweight, depending on bone structure. That's over 30%...


Preparing for that century will help, as will dietary adjustments.