My groin hurts!

gareth price said:

I've started back after a long break from cycling and am now going into work
on the bike but boy does my groin hurt I've got a lightweight saddle(Selle
italia) and wear cycling shorts(carrati) as well I'm think of swopping the
saddle over for something a bit more comfortable but still reasonably
lightweight and getting some new high quality short and I'd like some
recommendations...

When you say "groin" I presume you mean the actual part of your body
that's taking your weight against the saddle? The first thing to check
is that this is the correct bit of your anatomy. If you prod around the
sensitive area you will find two small bony bits, one either side.
These are the bits that should take your weight.

If the tenderness is right in the middle, between the sit bones, then
you need to adjust your seating position, or even change your saddle
for one that fits you better. Selle Italia are generally excellent
saddles, but this is one piece of equipment where the ideal can differ
widely from one rider to the next.

If the sore bit is right over those bones then your saddle is making
contact with the correct area and you probably just need to go through
the toughening up process again. I've noticed that returning cyclists
seem to suffer far more from initial tenderness than complete
beginners. I guess this is because they're able to start immediately
with serious distances, whereas beginners are more likely to build up
the distance and the toughness together.

--
Dave...

in message <[email hidden]>, gareth

price (') said:

I've started back after a long break from cycling and am now going into
work on the bike but boy does my groin hurt I've got a lightweight
saddle(Selle italia) and wear cycling shorts(carrati) as well I'm think
of swopping the saddle over for something a bit more comfortable but
still reasonably lightweight and getting some new high quality short
and I'd like some recommendations...

You have my sympathy. I recently bought a pair of bib-shorts which were
slightly too small in the bib part, and the result was excruciating...

Saddles are a very personal thing indeed. Generally the firmer the better
but they have to fit, and different people have different shaped
pelvises. I find the most comfortable saddles for me are Brooks
Professionals, but they're very heavy and Selle Italia SLRs are
adequately comfortable and a lot lighter.

Quality matters, of course, but fit is crucial. And after that, miles are
crucial - get the miles in and your but will harden up.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Due to financial constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel
has been switched off.

On 25/06/2006 07:53, gareth price said,

Quoted message said:

I've started back after a long break from cycling and am now going into work
on the bike but boy does my groin hurt

I'm afraid you might need to be a bot more specific! Do you mean the
bits you're sitting on, or perhaps that extremely uncomfortable tingling
numbness you can get in, ah, certain areas?

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>

gareth price said:

I've started back after a long break from cycling and am now going into work
on the bike but boy does my groin hurt

I doubt it. More iikely some part of your crotch.

Quoted message said:

I've got a lightweight saddle(Selle
italia) and wear cycling shorts(carrati) as well I'm think of swopping the
saddle over for something a bit more comfortable but still reasonably
lightweight

I recently got a WTB Pure V that seems pretty good for me, although I've
not put any serious miles on it yet.

Quoted message said:

and getting some new high quality short

Caratti always used to be reasonable quality.

Quoted message said:

and I'd like some recommendations...

Your problem could be caused by incorrect position on the bike or
incorrect angle of the saddle. It's not easy to diagnose without
measurements or watching you ride, but a few rules of thumb are:

the top of the saddle should be pretty much horizontal - if you need to
tip the front down then you're sitting too high, if up then you're
sitting too low

stick the bike in bottom gear and pedal as fast as you can - if you're
rocking to reach the pedals you're too high, if you're bouncing you're
too low

for initial fore-aft position just slide the saddle as far back as it
will go - the middle of your knee whould not be further forward than the
pedal spindle at the three o'clock position viewed from the chainset
side

you should be sitting far enough back on the seat that most of your
weight is taken by the boney bumps at either side of the bottom of your
pelvis - if it's this bit that's painful it will improve as the muscles
here tone up

the bars shouldn't be higher than the seat (unless you're a downhiller
or have restricted movement in your spine)

Saddles are a very personal thing and what suits one person may not suit
another, but it's important to note that softer and wider is not
necessarily more comfortable. One of my favourite saddles is an old
Cinelli Unicanitor which has no padding, just leather over hard plastic
- it's comfortable because it supports me in just the right places, and
coupled with decent shorts I can hapily ride on it all day. I've tried
some modern high-tech seats with cutouts and gel and elastomer mounts
and stuff that just don't come anywhere near it for comfort.

gareth price said:

I've started back after a long break from cycling and am now going
into work on the bike but boy does my groin hurt I've got a
lightweight saddle(Selle italia) and wear cycling shorts(carrati) as
well I'm think of swopping the saddle over for something a bit more
comfortable but still reasonably lightweight and getting some new
high quality short and I'd like some recommendations...

Shorts will be fine.

Problem is the saddle and your bone structure. Bone structure is not the
same as weight or build; I'm thin (6ft1in tall and 10st4lbs), yet have
fairly wide sit-bones. I find Selle Italia to be too narrow for me (and
have one to Ebay when I get round to it).

Firstly try the seating position on the bike, tilt of the seat, etc. But if
its still pushing between the sit bones, try different saddles.

If having trouble working stuff out, a Specialized dealer has a "bum
measurer" which helps in selecting the appropriate width regardless of brand
of saddle selected. (bum measurer = bit of foam on a board which
"remembers" the depressions you make when you sit on it).

Saddles are incredibly personal things, what works for one person may not
suit another.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

"Rob Morley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and getting some new high quality short

Caratti always used to be reasonable quality.

And are the one pair of shorts I've given away because they were so
uncomfortable. Like saddles, obviously OMMV.

cheers,
clive

Quoted message said:

Firstly try the seating position on the bike, tilt of the seat, etc.

This worked for me. Thought it was slightly too narrow, but turned out it
was just in slightly the wrong position.