How to Avoid a Butt Rash from Long Bicycle Rides

Bicycling is fun, but riding all day can wear on your body in ways you didn’t know were possible—namely, on your seat. Cycling stars like Eddy Merckx and Sean Kelly have abandoned races because of sore butts. There are several different kinds of saddle sores including rash, boils and ulcerations. If you follow these simple instructions, you can probably avoid them all.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Mild, anti-bacterial soap
• Anti-inflammatory medicine
• Ointment or diaper rash cream
• Clean bike shorts

1. Scrub the surface of your butt before (and after) you ride with mild, anti-bacterial soap.
   
2. Take an anti-inflammatory (such as ibuprofen) before you ride in advance of any future chafing or sores.
3. Set up your saddle so you rest on your sit bones (the lower bone in either cheek). This may involve tipping the saddle upwards or downwards. Your saddle height should be the length of your leg when your foot is at a right angle to your leg, your knee isn't locked and the ball of your foot rests on the pedal at its lowest point.
4. Wear clean bike shorts designed for your butt (whether male of female) with ample padding.
5. Go commando: Your bike shorts will be more effective at protecting your butt if you don't wear underwear. They’re designed to be worn that way.
6. Use a good bike seat: Unfortunately, this is usually a trial-and-error process. However, useful information when selecting the right seat for you is your sex and the width of your sit-bones. You can determine the width of your sit-bones by sitting on a piece of paper on a carpeted floor; then measure the distance between the indentations in the paper and compare that with the seats you're considering.
7. Stand on the pedals as much as possible. You can stand while climbing, or do intervals where you alternate pedaling a certain number of times standing and then sitting.
8. Use an ointment such as Chamois Butt'r, Boudreaux's Butt Paste, A&D Ointment with Zinc Oxide or Bag Balm (designed for cow and goat udders, but perfect for this purpose, too).
9. Strip as soon as you’re done riding. Bacteria has more time to grow the longer you wear dirty shorts.
10. Apply antibiotic ointment to problem areas after you have cleaned them at the end of the ride.
11. Wash your shorts after every ride. They’ll breed bacteria even if they dry out; only a thorough cleaning will make them safe to wear again.
12. Wear loose-fitting, cotton clothing when you’re not riding, and sleep in the nude after a long day on your bike. The skin on your rear needs to breathe to recover from a day in the saddle.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider getting your bike professionally fit.
• When it rains, try to keep your shorts dry with fenders or other rain equipment.
• If your butt is very sore after a ride, ice it the first day. After that, apply warm compresses to increase blood flow and encourage healing.
• If you don’t have access to a shower, use disposable antibacterial cleansing cloths to clean your butt at the beginning and end of each day you ride.
• Tea-tree-oil soap works well to kill bacteria without drying.
• If you get an infected boil or ulceration but you must keep riding, apply a “donut”-shaped bandage (second skin) to it to keep pressure off. Shave the area to reduce pain when you remove the bandage.
• The best treatment is usually taking a few days off from riding.
• Cyclists sometimes need to get infected boils or ulcerations removed by a doctor.
• Don't use gel covers on your seat. These "saddle pads" may appear to provide more comfort, but they shift around and cause friction. If you want more padding, wear shorts with a thicker chamois.