I get a surprising amount of crotch-related question in my DMs. Mostly from women (thank god lol).

As you can imagine, sitting on a hard bike seat for hours on end is not the most comfortable on your sensitive bits and pieces. I’m here to hopefully guide through the questions you may be too embarrassed to ask!

Bibs & shorts

The first step in your journey to a pain-free crotch is getting a really nice pair of bibs or shorts. What’s the difference between bibs and shorts you may ask? Shorts are simply shorts, but bibs are shorts that have straps that go up over your shoulders. Bibs are much more comfy in my opinion. Since they’re being held up more by your shoulders and not a waistband that cuts into your stomach.

The most important part of the shorts/bibs is the chamois (pronounced shammy). The chamois is thick, almost like foam pad at the bottom of your shorts that protects your ass and crotch. It’s crucial to find a good chamois that works for you, otherwise you’re going to have an angry crotch. Finding the right chamois is personal, and may take some trial and error. But personally, I really like Zoot and Ostroy! (Also, I have discount codes to both sites! Zoot: @la_triathlete and Ostroy: la_triathlete).

Triathlon

When it comes to triathlons, that’s a whole different story. Triathlon kits do have a VERY SMALL chamois in them. But it has to be small so you can still comfortably run in them. I will say, being on the bike for a long time with that little chamois does get pretty uncomfy, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The good news is, during a full Ironman, they actually offer changing tents so you can fully change into a cycling kit and then into running clothes after. I actually did this for both of my fulls because 112 miles is a long time for the crotch and I wanted her to be happy. It did add a couple minutes to my transition time, but well worth it!

Some people have asked me if they could just wear cycling shorts for an entire triathlon. NO. I’m sorry but no. First of all, if you swim in cycling shorts, that chamois is going to absorb so much water, it’ll feel like you’re wearing a full diaper. Also the thought of running in cycling shorts makes my thighs start to chafe just thinking about it. So stick to a good triathlon kit! I will always recommend Zoot for triathlon gear!

Chamois cream

Another tool in my pain-free-crotch collection is chamois cream. This stuff will literally change your life. I don’t do a single ride without it. Basically it’s a very thick cream that you slather all over your nether regions. It works by creating a barrier between your derriere and your shorts to prevent chafing. My favorite brand is Chamois Butt’r and even better, they have a women’s specific kind that won’t throw your pH balance out of whack.

Saddle and bike fit

If all else fails, and you’re still suffering from crotch pain, it could be your bike. Keep in mind, if you’re going out for a 100 mile ride, you’re crotch may hurt a bit towards the end of the ride. That’s normal. But if your experiencing pain every time you ride, that’s not good!

Much like finding the right chamois, finding the right bike saddle can take some trail and error. I recommend getting a proper bike fit and discussing saddle options with the person fitting you. You can get a bike fit at some cycling shops and also through independent bike fitters. A bike fit typically costs around $300 but it’s well worth it! Also, typically bike fitters will make free adjustments for you after the initial fit! So if you don’t like how something feels, go back and talk to them. This includes the saddle! I think most bike shops should have decent return policies that let you try them out and decide if you like them.

Sometimes you still may fail

Sometimes you do everything right. You wear good shorts, slather yourself in chamois cream, you’ve have a great saddle, but something still goes wrong. Maybe you rode too much or maybe you had a weird in-grown hair. Who knows. Sometimes shit happens.

There have been a couple times where my weekly mileage was VERY high and I was taking very few days off. This led to getting a saddle sore. A saddle sore can take many forms (Google it if you want). Sometimes it’s a literal open sore and sometimes it may be more of a bump or boil. It’s imperative that you take time off if you notice something like this happening. Otherwise it’ll just keep getting worse each time you ride and could escalate into and infection. If it doesn’t heal on it’s own, I would recommend seeing a doctor to get it figured out!

Anyway, this advice is just from my personal experience, but I hope it can help someone else out!