Rode my mountain bike for the first time today, OUCH!!!!?!??!?! w?

Question

Will the pain on my butt go away or will I get used to it? I only rode for about an hour, and I put a gel pad on too. How do people ride for hours?

Answer 1

You can give me a thumbs down if this comment is blatantly obvious and, if it is, I apologize. Are you wearing cycling shorts? A chamois really helps out with the discomfort. As Overtaxed said, give tomorrow a rest and try riding again on Friday. Keep in mind also, really soft isn't always better. When you sit on a soft saddle, your butt bones which should be supporting your body weight are sinking into that soft saddle. That in turn places pressure on those soft tissues creating more discomfort. Softer isn't always better.

Answer 2

try without the gel thing.  we don't know what kind of saddle you have, but go to a bike shop and see what they have.  go for one with the "anatomically correct" center channel.  they'll know what that means and most saddles have it now.  other than that, it takes saddle time to toughen up the butt.  skip tomorrow and go back out the next day for a short 30 minute ride.  if it still hurts, skip another day.  if it doesn't hurt get back  out there--you're making progress

Answer 3

I don't care for the gel seat pads either. I have padded bicycle shorts. You can get baggy ones with a liner that has some sort of padding in the crotch, or you can get the spandex that are like ones that you see the road racers wear (tight, black). Baggy or tight is a matter of style preference as both will cushion your "seat area." However, padding only does so much and nothing will replace getting used to riding and putting some miles on your bike.

Answer 4

Well no wonder you're sore. Shwinn are c**p bikes

Get a proper bike from a bike shop, not a department store. And i'd probably help if you stand up while riding unlike heaps or noobs that sits down on hardtails while riding trails

Answer 5

For the first few times you ride, you need to make frequent adjustments to your seat to find a comfortable position.

You can change the pitch (angle of the seat), the horizontal position (move the seat forward or back), and the seat height (by moving the seat post up or down).

It took me about 3 months to find a combination of those three adjustments to make my bike seat comfortable for me.   And minute adjustments can make A LOT of difference.  For instance, even just one degree change in the pitch can shift the weight distribution from the front to back dramatically.

If you can't dial in a comfortable seat position no matter what you do, then consider buying a new saddle (it might be too narrow or too wide for you).

Hope this helps, and good luck.