1000yardsatare

hello
apologies if this is covered elsewhere, but do members have a recommendation for best bibshorts for 10 hours+ events and trianing rides? i am 1.82 meters, 83 kgs and i suffer bad saddle sores once i go over 8 hours per day; ive tried all types of branded shorts over the last 5 years (castelli, endura, dhb, shimano, mavic, ale), i always wash the shorts after use, i always use chamois cremme etc . any ideas?
also have changed saddles over the years, tried fizik antares, prologo and the saddles that came with various bikes, the shorts seem to be the issue though
any suggestions welcome, thanks

clasher

I wore 4 pairs of endura shorts/bibs over PBP and only had some minor saddle sores crop up. I don't use chamois creme but I do carry iodine prep pads with me and use them to clean the nether regions. They seem to really make a difference to me but you'll end up with yellow fingers after using them.

1000yardsatare

thanks Clasher i woul dnot mind the yellow fingetrs if it saved me from the SS! and well done on PBP

clasher

Thanks! I found the pads on amazon, if you search for proviodine they should come up. I use them after a ride too if the little bumps are making an appearance they usually disappear after a night. I'll use them after a shower at the end of a ride too to keep the bumps in check. Some folks have also had good experience switching short brands on the multi-day rides.

alois

The fact that you've already tried a lot of different bib shorts suggests that you might want to try something else, for instance lowering your handlebar stem or cycling faster (if that is possible). I myself use mostly Assos bib shorts, but also a bioracer bib short provided by our local randonneur club. Neither gave any problems on PBP.

1000yardsatare

i did try this also raising the stem, and changing body position ; these work form short rides and shoet races but for longer brevets it does not solve the problem. on average my speed for 300 km is ~ 25kph, and for 400km is ~22kph ; but afterwards i need 3-4 days off the bike completely with saddle sores.....

pdlamb

Where do you get the saddle sores? Is it right over your ischial tuberosities (sit bones), along the edges of the chamois, or somewhere else?

1000yardsatare

Normally over the sit bones

atwl77

Do you sweat a lot, and then find that your shorts feel sticky as you ride? If so, try cleaning your bum with something like baby wipes (and reapplying chamois cream) at regular intervals, eg every 100km or every control stop or similar.

79pmooney

Have you tried Bag Balm. either to prevent the sores or so you can continue riding after they have started? (Bag Balm, a 100+ year old ointment concocted for farm use that many cyclists found works very well. Look for it at any old-school pharmacy in a small rectangular can that looks like it was painted by an artist when it was concocted. The can is basically green. It was formulated in the very early days of mechanical milkers when cows started refusing to subject their teats to the abuse of those early machines. The machines quickly got better. Housewives just as quickly started finding all sorts of human uses for this now surplus stuff. I learned about it as a chamois cream 25 years ago from a tandem stoker.)

Ben

1000yardsatare

thanks i will try that

1000yardsatare

thanks Ben , im not sure that s available in Ireland but ill inquire, ill try anything at this stage!!

sarhog

A company in Singapore called RedWhite markets bibshorts that are supposed to be designed for long distance rides, have you tried them? I have a pair of their “race” bibs, but I have no experience with there long distance version.

samkl 

I bought some fancy schmancy Pearl Izumi PRO bib shorts and they were fantastic on PBP. I wore them for 280 miles and had no discomfort whatsoever. (In fact I kind of wish I kept them on for another 280 miles.)

I’m also happy with the Voler bibs, with the Orion chamois. The pad seems a little thicker than the Pearl, and just about as comfortable.

ThermionicScott 

+1 on this. Bag Balm is like the Chain-L of, umm, ointments, if that makes any sense at all. It applies thick, stays put, and lubes for a long time.

unterhausen

I find that if I start out with chamois cream and keep putting it on every 4 hours that I don't usually have problems. This time of year, I don't really bother with anything unless there are problems. I used Lantiseptic on my sitbones at PBP, the skin there got a little raw. In the U.S., I use bag balm as the next step up from chamois cream, but since it's illegal to import into the E.U., I decided to skip it. I'm sure there is something similar available in the E.U., I just didn't feel like tracking it down. My understanding is that it's lanolin. Vaseline/petroleum jelly probably works pretty well as a substitute. I wouldn't use vaseline as my first choice of chamois cream though.

I swapped between different chamois on PBP. First day was the thinner Voler, then Endura, then back to another pair with the same as the first day.

1000yardsatare

Ben, I did some googling and discovered a product here for curing “dairy udder chafing” so ive ordered a 1kg tub of it to test it. Thanks for the steer😂

unterhausen

Bag balm is great, and I usually use it when I start to notice that problems have gotten bad. I suggest getting some lantiseptic skin protectant if that fails or if you wait too long, which I have been known to do.

kingston 

I used to get saddle sores every season in the same spot on my left side and finally figured out that my left leg is shorter than the right. I put a shim under the left cleat, and problem solved, so look into the fit to make sure it's not something like that. I have always used bag balm as a post-ride treatment not chamois cream, so I'm a bit surprised to hear that people are using it that way. My preferred chamois cream is Morgan Blue Solid, but I usually only use chamois cream in the rain, if it's really hot and sweaty or maybe on a multi-day ride.

unterhausen

I know people who use petroleum jelly as a chamois cream. I think it's bad for the chamois though. I bet bag balm is worse, unless the shorts have a natural chamois. I use it as a rescue cream, only in case I fail to stave off problems with chamois cream. I am curious if there is a substitute for Lantiseptic skin protectant. It's obviously a zinc-based cream like diaper cream, but much more viscous. Which helps if relative motion is bad. I find that it's as good as a bandage.

siebengang

I love them and have just used two pairs of new R&W fondo shorts for a 1000 km brevet and then PBP (my 4th and 5th pair). They have a rather thick chamois, which fits me very well. I have tried both the race and the fondo version. Not a huge difference - the race version's pad is a little less bulky and better ventilated. Very reasobably priced compared to high-end Rapha and Assos, and a nice company to deal with.

Tulok

I have tried a few but Pearl Izumi stands out above the rest for me.

I have a regimen to avoid avoid getting sores:

Wipe down everywhere below the belt throughly with a baby wipe soaked in rubbing alcohol (wintergreen with glycerin is what I use now).

I then squirt a moderate amount of the same alcohol onto the chamois. I make a hatch pattern on it, about 1/4” hatching.

Then I massage creme into the Chamois. After that I slap some creme onto myself and make sure to put it in places that have been chaffed before.

Then I put the shorts on and squeeze around to make sure I don’t have any dry spots.

On long rides, if I use a public restroom I’m sure to wipe off any sweat down there, I just use a paper towel. My thought is to wipe away bacteria.

After a ride I shower with the shorts on and wash the outside first (trying to keep outside contamination away from my now probably sore and maybe raw bum) then I wash the inside. After the shower I apply alcohol on a baby wipe to my sit bones.

I havent gotten a sore sore for a long time, but before I added the rubbing alcohol I’d have them often and I didn’t like them!

pdlamb

Couple things. First, if it's on the sit bones, lots of saddle time is the only thing I've found to help. Lots of saddle time = butt calluses = no more saddle sores. At least until you've soaked those calluses in sweat or rainwater. I haven't tried some of the astringents or straight petroleum jelly, one of those might help. If you can stop and dry off, a powder (Anti Monkey Butt Powder is my favorite, if only for the name) may help save the callus.

Second, Bag Balm is inferior to Chamois Butt'r IME for lubrication while riding. My regime is to use Chamois Butt'r during the ride, re-applying as necessary. When you stop, clean the area and apply Bag Balm -- it really does speed up healing of chafed areas.

Drew Eckhardt 

I like Voler's Elastic Interface Technology Comp HP pad with 10mm of 120 kg/m^3 foam beneath my ischial tuberosities tapering at the edges to 3mm 80 kg/m^3. It's in their Black Label bibs and shorts.

It's comfortable for 200 miles hitting two of three highest paved peaks in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Orion chamois in their Caliber line is fine too, although the Comp HP is a little more comfortable around the edges so I wear those for 10+ hour rides.

As a 5'10" guy with a 30" pants inseam who wears small shorts and extra small jerseys I settle for shorts and don't try to squeeze into bib suspenders.