You are supposed to enjoy your ride, and not feel disappointed. There’s nothing more frustrating than to experience a sore butt while you are cycling. “Why does my butt hurt after riding a bike?” is the question of many cyclists. It is normal to feel slight pain because most of your body weight spreads on the small bones found in the bottom part of your pelvis when you sit on a bike seat. To help you with this, we’ll figure out why this occurs.
The common reasons and causes of sore butts while riding a bike:
- Sore butt usually occurs when you are driving a bike for a lengthy time. This can trigger the pain as you are sitting in one position only while riding for long-distance hours.
- Your bike’s saddle and seat can also be the cause of sore butt while riding. You better change your saddle that can adequately support your butt and hips. When the size of the saddle is narrow, the tendency of your sit bones may hang off the seat’s edges. On the contrary, too much wide saddle can cause chafing and irritation that will affect pedaling.
- How about the outfit you are wearing? The proper outfit to wear when you are driving a bike for extended hours should be a pair of cycling shorts because their skin-tight and short-length design can help you feel at ease and more efficient riding. If you are comfortable with your outfit you can decrease the pressure on your butt and hips muscles.
- Only your crotch is protected when riding a bike, not your legs. You feel pain at 2-3 hours of your ride, and sometimes you will experience numbness around your sit bones area which is most debilitating. In some cases, cyclists experience genital numbness when under excessive pressure.
If ever the above-mentioned does not work for you, maybe it’s time to change your bike if it does not let you feel comfortable. You might need to get a brand new bike with a fitting saddle. But remember, there’s no way for butt pain when you are cycling using a good bike fit and suitable saddle plus correct riding methods.