QUESTION: Last season I developed a bad saddle sore. My doctor told me not to ride, but being part imbecile and part fanatic, I did. Now I have a persistent small lump under the skin and it hurts like sitting on a marble. I know you’re not a physician but can you help? — Greg R.
RBR Replies: You’re right, I’m no doctor. But I do have way more experience with saddle sores than I’d like.
It sounds like you have a cyst, a malady that can result when saddle sores redevelop at the same spot.
Former Australian pro Baden Cooke was one sufferer. He had a cyst surgically removed at the end of one cycling season, then had to sit on the stitched-up wound during a long flight home. The incision opened and he faced another three weeks off the bike while it healed.
You should check with your doctor again and get his opinion on what to do. If the cyst remains, it’ll bother you all the time. Your body might eventually absorb the cyst, but there’s no guarantee. You could cut a hole in your saddle where the cyst hits it and hope for the best, although that fix is rarely effective. Probably the only certain way to get rid of it is surgery.
Some physicians are better equipped to handle situations like this and minimize your time off the bike. Ask at bike shops and clubs if there is a doctor in your area who rides or has treated cyclists.
Or course, recumbent riders will tell you they’ve found a sure way to prevent conventional saddle sores and cysts.
Learn more:
Dealing with Bike Saddle Discomfort
Got Problems? It Might be your Bike Saddle
Avoid Saddle Cysts with These Tips
Next Article: Benefits of Combining Strength and Endurance Training
I think I went through seven bike saddles before finding the one that worked without any issues for me. The best improvements came with a wider groove and shorter nose. Finally I put an Infinity brand saddle on the bike with a fitted cover and never had any more problems. The Infinity saddle basically removes the much of inner regions of the saddle where all the problems happen and adds some outer margin to the saddle compared to a common road bike saddle to compensate for the area difference. It looked so unusual to me that I decided that a stretch cover was needed, Unfortunately the prices have nearly doubled since I bought my simple plastic version. I will be continuing to use it as soon as I repair/rebuild my road bike into a hybrid. As the author states, recumbent bikes generally avoid this problem if the angle of the seat is shallow enough. My recumbent puts about half of my weight onto my back onto a breathable cushion throughout. I wonder if air circulation is part of the problem in standard seats? It is possible that multiple grooves and hole for air communication a standard race seat might help. You would have to be careful not to create a waffle butt problem by inadvertently increasing the contact pressure too much.
The Infinity saddle has also been favorably mentioned by other readers here:
https://www.roadbikerider.com/most-comfortable-bike-saddle/
A moleskin pad placed over the cyst will help quite a bit… Also make sure the area on your butt is clean before riding…
A Brooks leather saddle, once ‘broken in’ takes the form of your buttand this helps a lot…
i just stick regular white cloth medical adhesive tape right over it
a largish piece – maybe 1×2 inches
Out of the saddle and stand on the cranks at every opportunity. Watch the road ahead for rollers and stand on them. Finish short climbs out of saddle. On long grinding climbs and long flats into headwinds periodically up shift and stand.
Need to let blood return to pressure points and let air circulate frequently.
I’ve had a similar issue in the past which would wax and wain.. Mine usually start to improve over a few days of being off the saddle. They usually developed after doing high intensity intervals.
I believe mine is most likely related to an inflamed/infected skin follicle. I’ve been very successful in preventing recurrences by putting a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment on the area before I ride. I don’t use any other chamois lube (but have used almost all of them in the past). My concept is that it neutralizes and eventually reduces the cutaneous bacterial count working its way from the skin surface into the follicle (disclaimer, I am not a dermatologist or infectious disease expert). I also take a shower and wash the perineum well before longer rides (concept is also to decrease surface bacterial count).
Someone else on a different post about saddle sores said he used oregano oil rather than triple antibiotic, and there was a comment response that it worked for someone else too, but I have not tried this personally. It might be a comment on one of those related articles at the bottom.
You don’t have a cyst. You have a perirectal abcess. To avoid surgery, get on an antibiotic and apply warm to hot as you can stand it compresses with wash rag for 5 minutes or more several times a day. It will eventually come to a head, burst and drain.