Question: I’ve been stuck on the indoor trainer here in Minnesota for months. I don’t mind riding inside, but my crotch gets much sorer than it does while riding outside. I use the same shorts, saddle and bike and never ride more than an hour at a time. Any solutions? — Brenda L.
Coach Fred Matheny Replies: The problem is probably your indoor riding style. Most cyclists ride trainers predominantly in the saddle.
Indoors, there aren’t any natural reasons to stand — no small hills to sprint over, no dogs to accelerate away from, no rough pavement to get off the saddle for. So the tendency is to sit there for an hour, grinding away. The constant crotch pressure leads to increased irritation.
An effective solution is to stand for one minute out of every five. If you make that a habit, you should feel a big improvement. Set a timer if you need help to remember.
Also, a saddle that’s comfortable outside can be a torture device inside. You might want to find a wider, more supportive seat for use on the trainer. While the Specialized BG saddles or the Fizik Arione work okay for me outside, I find more comfort on a Brooks B17 or Pro inside. You can mount your trainer saddle on a seatpost and mark the correct height with tape, making it easy to switch seats.
Finally, be sure to use lots of chamois cream. Many riders who routinely lube their chamois when they ride outside neglect to do so when they’re training indoors. Use plenty, and keep the tube within reach for a mid-ride re-application.
Coach Fred Matheny is an RBR co-founder who has four decades of road cycling and coaching experience. He has written 14 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach Fred Matheny, including the classic Complete Book of Road Bike Training, which includes 4 eBooks comprising 250 pages of timeless, detailed advice and training plans. The Complete Book is one of the many perks of an RBR Premium Membership. Click to read Fred's full bio.
I’ve found it helps to tilt the saddle down just a bit for a trainer bike. There is much unconscious position shifting done on a saddle. Even while seated, there is position shifting when climbing, descending, or sprinting. On a trainer, not much position shifting occurs. I use an old bike on my trainer that I have adapted. I do use an old Selle Italia Turbo saddle that tips down. I also use a shorter stem than I normally use, and I raise the handlebars at least 1 cm above the minimum line. These latter two adaptations tend to relieve the effect of putting extra weight on my arms from the downward saddle; it puts me in a more upright position. Last, I find standing on the trainer uncomfortable because I cannot tilt the bike from side-to-side as is usually done while out of the saddle. My simple solution instead is just to take a 5 minute break off the bike every 20 minutes; it works.
Put a phone book under the front wheel. When riding outside you are naturally going up and down small grades. When going up a grade your weight is forced back onto your sit bones with less weight on your crotch. This constant changing keeps you comfortable.
Agree with the chamois cream. Never used to use it while indoors but would get saddle sores throughout the indoor season. Started using Doc’s cream and a fan for a bit of evaporation and no issues since.
As a rider you are always moving your bike and body outside that reduces or moves pressure points. Although you can try to do this indooors it is difficult to duplicate. A second set of shorts or a thin seat cover over your regular saddle might also be a solution.
Coach, no offense but your suggestions of what you do (particularly saddle choice) is not really pertinent to a women’s crotch complaints. Having a women coach answer this one would have yielded better results.
Coach, no offense but your suggestions of what you do (particularly saddle choice) is not really pertinent to a women’s crotch complaints. Having a women coach answer this one would have yielded better results.
I agree with the downward tilt and I’ll have to try the chamois suggestion,
One thing that has helped me is to have several alternative hand positions.
I have a dedicated trainer bike and it has a flat top, well-padded aero, drop handlebar.
The flat bar gives more surface area that supports even resting forearms on it.
Well-padded means about 3.5 rolls of bar tape total: about 3/4 from bar end to shifter and 1 roll from the shifter across the flat top almost up to the stem. Repeat on the other side. When you take different hand positions try to move the butt a bit on the saddle. As noted by others, standing occasionally is a must.