Riding a bike...

[natane.livejournal.com]

for the first time in about three years...

god my vulva hurts.

on the other hand, it means the whole sex-bike thing is even more accurate... cause having sex after a long dry spell also leaves me with this lovely bruising/aching feeling.

other than anything cold i can find and tylenol, is there anything i can really do to make it feel better? :(

oh, and anyone have solutions for PREVENTING this pain?!

Comments

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

a bike seat with a slot (for better blood circulation, since you only need support on the sitz bones)

And ride more. Your body just isn't used to it. It should clear up in a week or so (provided that your seat is adjusted properly -- tilted back slightly, and with proper leg extension)

[natane.livejournal.com]

i wish i could get another seat. borrowed bike from my college.
yeah, i'm hoping it'll go away pretty quickly because i'm going to have to use it several more times this week, and then a lot next month.

[knittinggoddess.livejournal.com]

If you think you'll continue to bike in the future and want to spend $25 to make your genitals happier, get a seat anyway! It's pretty easy to swap out seats, provided that the seat isn't bolted onto the post. An example of an ergonomic seat (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1075362_-1_64500_20000_65000) and instructions on changing out the seats (http://www.trails.com/how_3707_change-bicycle-seat.html).

[haptotrope.livejournal.com]

eh, its more that your body needs to get used to it. If your bum rocks back and forth on the seat as you pedal at all, your seat is too high. if your feet, when flat on the pedal are anything but relaxed and straight (not overextended (too high)or bent(too low)) adjust appropriately.

you can also drop your handlebars a weeeeee bit to shift your weight more forward, and consider hovering in the seat during parts of your ride to shift weight to your legs and give your crotch a break :-)

[brooklebee.livejournal.com]

I'll second haptotrope's comment:

It will go away once you start biking regularly--your body will adjust to the pressure! As long as your seat is at the right height and not too terrible.

If you don't plan to ride very often (less than once a week, maybe?) it might be harder for your body to get used to the feeling and you might want to try out different seats to find the optimum. My personal opinion is that the gel/cushy/wide bike seats aren't really all that better than other, non-cushy types. I find narrow seats with a slot in the middle the most comfortable, but you could be different, and you won't know until you try something else out!

[abrandnewhope.livejournal.com]

I know the exact feeling you're talking about-- after I stop riding my bike for a while and start up again, I get incredibly sore. I ride my bike to school twice a week after work, and after a month-long winter break, school starts up again tomorrow... Not looking too forward to getting back on that bike!

But seriously, after a few more riding sessions, your body will just adjust, and it won't feel like that anymore.. :)

[reedie4life.livejournal.com]

I bought some awesome super-padded bike shorts. Made my ride much more comfortable and seemed to help with this issue as well as my whole bum being less sore.

[ephrael.livejournal.com]

This.
Mine are amazing, and I've recommended them to all my 'returning to cycling' friends who are saddle-sore.

[ragh-iampiddles.livejournal.com]

What kind of bike is it? If it has multiple gears, you might want to try shifting into one of the higher gears, so that you can stand on the bike (my grandpa used to call this "mountain style," but I have no clue what it's called and not have to worry about any seat-vagina conflict. It will tire out your thighs pretty hardcore when you're not used to it, but imo it's better than sore vagina.

Otherwise, you should get used to it in about a week.

[natane.livejournal.com]

yeah, i started doing that after i realized it was starting to get sore :/

[glass-bloke.livejournal.com]

A gel cushion seat cover should fix that.

[ride-a-swell.livejournal.com]

I second that. I had mine for so many years that I didn't realize how bad the seats were til I took a friend's bike for a spin by the beach.

I cried. lol!

[vaguemotives.livejournal.com]

I personally hate wide cushy bike seats, but some slightly padded womens specific bike shorts can do wonders. At the very least avoiding things with tough seams right up the crotch helps. Dresses are lovely to ride in. Of course, this won't fix poor bike fit. First things first is to make sure your seat isn't too low or too high, tilt it forward or backward as needed and even adjust your handlebars if possible so your weight will be positioned differently when you riding. You want to be able to find a position so that when you ride things aren't rocking around. Everything else is just about your body getting used to it.