Preventing & Treatment for Saddle Sores

Saddle sores from bike riding are inevitable. I used to get monster saddle sores, like the kind that took weeks to heal. One time, I had a saddle sore so bad that wouldn’t heal, I finally had to get it surgically removed. And let me tell you: that was really fucking awkward. Now I have an inch-long scar in my groin for keepsies.

Early on in cycling, I brought saddle sores on to myself. I’d hang out in my bibs after long rides, drinking and carrying on, letting bacteria fester. But then I started taking my bibs off immediately after rides and races and I was still getting them. After the surgical removal, I vowed to do whatever I could do to avoid having a blade anywhere near my crotch again. So, this is what I personally do to prevent and heal saddle sores.

 

What’s a saddle sore?

For those that don’t even know what a saddle sore is, I’m jealous. Also, why are you reading this post? Just kidding. Save this post for when you want to try new ways to prevent a saddle sore and when the time comes and a little fucker rears its ugly head on your rear or crotch or anywhere where your skin makes contact with the saddle, then you’ll know what to do.

A saddle sore is (usually) a painful bump found along your butt fold/butt crease, groin, or perineum. It’s more than a pimple, although it acts a lot like the same and I think is caused by the same method.

 

What causes a saddle sore?

Saddle sores are caused by sweat and friction along the skin, infecting a hair follicle. It usually starts out as chafed skin but if it isn’t remedied in enough time and you continue business as usual, then that hair follicle gets super pissed off and then a saddle sore is formed.

 

How I prevent saddle sores

1. Get a bike fit often

I think best practice is getting a fit yearly since our bodies are changing, but it’s also expensive and not everyone can afford a yearly bike fit. So, I aim for every 2 years. Sometimes, I go sooner and sometimes I go later. Regardless, I get a fit often enough to make the bike fit my body.

2. Get a new saddle

There are differing opinions on how often to change a saddle. Is it every 10,000 miles or 400 hours? I usually get a new saddle every 2 years or so. If your saddle can bend, it’s likely going to cause saddle sores.

3. Get new bibs

Cycling is stupid expensive. There’s always something that needs fixing, cleaning, or updating. I wear out my bibs—to the point where some of the material is a bit see-through. Those are my trainer bibs. I’ll wear them as long as the chamois pad is still intact. Best practice is to probably get new bibs every 1-2 years too. If they’re high quality, they may last longer. I stretch my bib life out as much as I can because they cost too much money otherwise. But having new(ish) bibs helps me to prevent saddle sores.

Also, this should go without saying, but make sure to wash your bibs after every use. 

4. Invest in some good chamois cream

So, I used to use Chamois Butt’r and I still kind of do, but I lathered that shit on. So much so, that when I’d be riding for a while and obviously sweating, the chamois cream seeped out through my bibs, which made me feel really weird. Like, “why is this white cream oozing out of her bibs?”

I even used less and it was still pushing out. And it was with new bibs too, so I’ve since been using Bag Balm. I don’t have to use as much and it lasts damn near all day. I still bring the Chamois Butt’r to-go packets with meo n rides in case I need more. 

The problem with using Bag Balm now is it just sticks to the chamois pad. I had to get new laundry detergent to break through the oil. So, that also comes with downsides, but the Bag Balm doesn’t obviously seep through my chamois pad on rides.

For a while there, I was making my own chamois cream you can read about here.

5. Get out of your bibs ASAP

I used to hang out in my bibs after the long, organized rides. So, after 7-8 hours on the bike, we’d cross the finish line and immediately start drinking beer. So gross. Now, as soon as I’m done biking, I get out of my cycling kit as soon as possible and wash my body. It gets me out of clothes that have bacteria festering on them and into something clean.

If I can’t shower immediately after the ride (say I’m at a race, organized ride, or I drove to the start of the ride), I’ll at least wipe my crotch and ass down with Defense Soap Body wipes. They have tea tree and eucalyptus oils and it’s perfect for when you can’t shower immediately.

6. 100% Benzoyl Peroxide

I use Perrigo 10 Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication Face Wash. The directions say to apply to the skin and massage area for 1-2 minutes. I get naked in the bathroom and apply this to my butt crease and groin. I avoid any and all holes. I’ll have this sit on my skin while I comb out my hair and check to make sure my ride uploaded to TrainingPeaks. Then I’ll get in the shower. I don’t use this after every ride, only the times I feel like my skin is super chafed.

7. Body Scrub

I don’t always combine the body scrub with the Benzoyl Peroxide because it’ll dry my skin out too much, but I do generally use the body scrub after the majority of my rides. I use O Naturals Exfoliating Dead Sea Salt Grapefruit Essential Oil Face Body & Foot Scrub to exfoliate my groin and butt crease. Again, I avoid any and all holes when I do this. I think the directions say to massage in circular motions for a couple of minutes. I probably spend 30 seconds tops in the shower rubbing it in. Then I rinse it off.

8. Hibiclens Antiseptic Antimicrobial Skin Cleanser

I top off my in-shower routine with Hibiclens. This is used more for pre-op skin prep but you can buy it on Amazon and it’s a great way to wash away the bacteria. I usually only clean my undercarriage with this and use my normal soap for the rest of my body. But I treat this as I would normally soap when I clean myself.

9. Doc’s Saddle Ointment

Once I’m out of the shower and dried, I rub Doc’s Saddle Ointment on my groin and butt crease or wherever skin is chafed and angry. This isn’t chamois cream. This is a post-ride ointment. This stuff is super helpful so if you were only able to get and use one thing from this list, I’d recommend this. 

10. Gold Bond Ultimate Body Power

As an undercarriage sweater, I will sometimes use Gold Bond Body Powder during the summer just to make sure things stay dry. For me, if there’s too much moisture in my crotch, it can lead to saddle sores or exacerbate the one(s) I do have.

 

How I get rid of saddle sores

If the saddle sore isn’t too bad, I’ll continue to ride my bike and do all the preventative steps, but add the following to heal it. If it’s a sizable saddle sore, then I’ll stay off the bike and do the following.

1. Epsom Salt + Hot Water + Cloth

So, you’ve probably heard of Epsom Salt Baths for saddle sores and to ease sore muscles. I don’t like sitting in baths that long, so I do it differently, but it has the same effect. I heat up a mug of water in the microwave, usually about 90 seconds. Then I stir 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salt into the hot water until it dissolves. 

Following that, I soak a washcloth in the mug. I squeeze some of the excess water out and wait for it to not be scalding, but still very warm. Then I fold the cloth and hold it over the saddle sore for 10 minutes. I repeat that all over again. That way, I’ve held a hot cloth against my skin for 20 minutes, which is usually what’s recommended for an epsom salt bath. 

I usually just sit at the edge of the bath and read a book or scroll through social media while the timer counts down. Depending on the day, I’ll do this at minimum once a day until the saddle sore heals. Sometimes, I’ll do it twice a day until it heals.

2. Tea Tree Oil + Aspirin + Polysporin + Waterproof Bandaid

I’ll dry my skin and then I’ll dab some tea tree oil on the saddle sore. Once that’s dry, I crush an aspirin (make sure there’s no coating) and use a Qtip to mix it with Polysporin. I don’t use the entire crushed Aspirin and Polysporin, just enough to cover the saddle sore. 

Finally, I’ll make sure all the skin around the saddle sore is dry and then put a waterproof bandaid over the saddle sore to keep the Aspirin-Polysporin mixture in place. I’ll do this once in the morning and once at night until the saddle sore heals.

3. Take time off the bike until the saddle sore heals

Like I said earlier, I’ll take time off the bike if it’s a monster saddle sore because it’s not going to heal if I’m constantly pissing it off. If anything, taking time off the bike and doing some other activities will help you when you come back to pedaling. Go swim, hike, run, lift weights, or hit a punching bag. Let the sore heal.

Hopefully some of these techniques helped you find out how to get rid of saddle sores and prevent them in the first place. There are a lot more ways to prevent saddle sores than heal them, for some reason, but this is what works for me. I know others have recommended using Preparation H to help shrink the saddle sore. If you go to the dermatologist, they may prescribe you oral antibiotics or antibiotic cream, or they’ll do what they did with me: shoot it with steroids to flatten it and if that doesn’t heal, surgically remove it. 

 

List of things to buy for saddle sores

I realize all of this will add up quickly, so pick and choose what works best in your budget.