How to Prevent Saddle Sores (and What to Do If You Get One)

Saddle sores are the one cycling injury nobody wants to talk about, and almost every rider gets one eventually. The good news: most are preventable. They come from three things working together: pressure, friction and moisture. Take away any one of them and you're most of the way there.

What a saddle sore actually is

"Saddle sore" covers a few different problems where your body meets the saddle. Some are simple chafing, a raw patch where skin has rubbed. Some are small, tender bumps around a hair follicle. A few are deeper and more painful. They all start the same way: skin under pressure, rubbing back and forth, kept warm and damp for hours.

How to prevent saddle sores

• Wear bib shorts that fit. Loose shorts move, and moving fabric rubs. Good bibs sit close everywhere, with the thickest part of the chamois under your sit bones. Our bib shorts fit guide has a five-point check.
• No underwear. The chamois is made to sit against your skin. Underwear adds seams in exactly the wrong place and holds moisture.
• Clean shorts every ride. Never wear bibs twice between washes. Bacteria in a used chamois is a common cause of the bumpy kind of sore.
• Get out of them fast. The ride ends when you stop pedaling, not when you've finished your coffee. Change out of your bibs as soon as you can, and shower if possible.
• Use chamois cream on long rides. It cuts friction. Apply it to your skin, not the pad, and use more on hot days and rides over two or three hours.
• Check your saddle and bike fit. A saddle that's too high makes your hips rock side to side, which means friction. One that's the wrong width or shape puts pressure on soft tissue instead of sit bones. If problems keep coming back in the same spot, a bike fit is worth the money.
• Stand up now and then. Get out of the saddle for a few pedal strokes every 10 to 15 minutes, and on every short climb. It lets blood flow back into compressed skin.
• Build up gradually. Skin toughens with time in the saddle. A sudden jump in hours, like a first big week of training or a cycling holiday, is when most sores show up.

What to do if you get one

Most mild saddle sores clear up in a few days if you stop making them worse.

• Take a day or two off the bike, or ride shorter and easier. Riding on a sore keeps the pressure and friction going.
• Keep the area clean and dry. Wash gently, pat dry, and wear loose clothing off the bike.
• Don't squeeze or pop it. That can push infection deeper.
• Work out the cause. New shorts, a new saddle, a longer ride than usual, a hot day? Fix that before your next long one.

See a doctor if a sore gets bigger, hotter or more painful, doesn't improve within a week, or comes with a fever. And if sores keep coming back, it's worth getting checked rather than just riding through it.

Does the chamois matter?

Yes, a lot. A good chamois spreads pressure across your sit bones, wicks sweat away from your skin, and has no seams where you sit. It should be shaped for your body: women-specific pads are a different shape for a reason. Thicker isn't always better. A pad that's too thick for your saddle can bunch and rub.

Bibs built for long days

• Prime LM3 bib shorts: Endurance 2.5 HD chamois built for rides up to 7 hours.
• Corbah 23 bib shorts: a very comfortable microfiber chamois and a supple leg gripper.
• Stealth bib shorts: solid black, Italian fabrics and chamois.
• For women: Classics Midnight bib shorts, the Some Her bibs, and the full women's range.

Look after them and they'll look after you: wash cold, inside out, and hang to dry. Full care guide. Ready for a better pair? Shop bib shorts.