Century Shorts?

stephbc said:

Hey guys - my husband & I have been riding for just over 2 years and my husband is about ready to call it quits because...well, his ass.

What kind of shorts have you found to be THE BEST? I'm willing to put some money into it to avoid having to ride alone. It isn't a chafing issue, it's his sit bone on the left side. After a couple hours in the saddle, it's painful for him to sit down at all. The right side never gives him any trouble. It's like the left side gets bruised or something.

Any input in addition to shorts would be great as well. We bought him a Koobi PRS saddle - had a Specialized Body Geometry before that one.

Thanks!

If it is sit-bone pain, the problem can be that his riding position is too upright and there is too much pressure on the sit-bone, and not enough weight being supported by his hands.

My suggestions: take a look at this bike fit:

a.) saddle height
b.) handlebar height
c.) saddle to handlebar distance
d.) saddle offset (how far saddle is behind bottom bracket)

There are many many places in books and on-line that discuss proper sizing, and I can't do them justice in a post here.

Peter White Cycles in New Hampshire, Sheldon Brown, and many others discuss in detail.

On top of that, try either a suspension seatpost or a Brooks Saddle with spring suspension like:

http://www.wallbike.com/championflyer.html

Cheers and good luck!

stephbc said:

Hey guys - my husband & I have been riding for just over 2 years and my husband is about ready to call it quits because...well, his ass.

What kind of shorts have you found to be THE BEST? I'm willing to put some money into it to avoid having to ride alone. It isn't a chafing issue, it's his sit bone on the left side. After a couple hours in the saddle, it's painful for him to sit down at all. The right side never gives him any trouble. It's like the left side gets bruised or something.

Any input in addition to shorts would be great as well. We bought him a Koobi PRS saddle - had a Specialized Body Geometry before that one.

Thanks!

If it's just his left side, obviously he's putting more weight on that side. Could be his saddle isn't straight, his left leg is shorter, or his frame (or the bikes frame) has some alignment issues. From what I've read, leg-length differences are fairly common, and can be corrected with a shim under the cleat.

Suggest finding someone who knows about bike fit to check out his position and alignment. They should be able to watch him ride the bike, take some measurements, and get to the "bottom" of the problem. Good luck.