Anyone can ride a bike. But, as anyone who adopts a road bike as his or her tool of choice will find out when beginning to do long rides, it can be punishment for your tush.
There is a period of conditioning that really does not have any shortcuts other than spending increasingly longer periods on the saddle. However, there is a way to help provide some comfort. Cyclists should certainly invest in some good quality chamois shorts but the second purchase toward rear end comfort should be some special lotion to help reduce chafing. There are many products out there, but the ones that riders tend to lean the most toward are Chamois Butt'r, dznuts and even A&D Ointment.
The cheapest of these is probably A&D Ointment which is known mostly to mothers of infants intending to ward off diaper rash. Most commonly used though is probably Chamois Butt'r which can be found at most bike shops in tubes or handy individual-use packettes. Dznuts is a product developed by pro cyclist Dave Zabriskie. It can be used by either sex, but the marketing is largely male-prone with its tagline, Protect your Junk. (Perhaps a woman-prone product should be produced...I can only imagine some of THOSE potential names. I can't wait to see the comments/suggestions on this post...)
Applied before a ride to both your bottom and to the actual chamois pad in your cycling shorts, these highly viscous lotions are sturdier than other lotions and help lubricate and allow the material to slide rather than create friction with one's skin.
Failing to use one of these products, especially when just beginning or when riding in rides that are four, five or more hours long, in hot weather can lead to saddle sores, ingrown hairs, and a variety of nasty 'ouchies' that can prevent one from riding for a few days.
So Butter UP, as it were, and get your booty used to riding...
1 comment:
OK...so my husband has informed me that there IS a woman-prone product offered through dznuts's website.
Post a Comment