I kind of had a crisis this past weekend and needed a physical outlet. Bought one of the first bikes I saw on OfferUp for $300. A single speed Marin Nicaso. I had no idea what I was looking at but figured it was a good deal and honestly I only chose it for the color and the fact that it was a single speed for simplicity.
Took it to REI for a tuneup. They said it was a good size so away I went.
Did a 22 mile trip suburbs of Kent, WA to downtown Seattle, WA.
My ass hurts so bad – is it the mileage that did me wrong or normal for first time riders?
The trip scratched the itch I was looking for and now I'm hooked. Just hoping this ass soreness subdues.
by JalapenoJustice7
16 Comments
Yup, you used muscles that haven’t been used in a long time. You’ll hurt for a few days. Same thing happens to me on first day of cross country skiing.
It will likely subside, though that is a fairly good distance for a first outing. You may want to ease into it a bit more.
That said, bike seats are super personal preference. Butts are like snowflakes and all that. Give it a bit and see if you adjust and then explore options if you are t happy with seat comfort.
I’m a Dan of going to thrift stores looking for bike seats so I can try a bunch at a few bucks a piece.
1. It won’t always hurt like this after a ride. You just took a pretty long ride without building up a tolerance first. Way to go! It’ll get better over time
2. Look into padded bike shorts.
3. Apply Chamois cream if needed. It helps with chafing
4. Make sure you have a good saddle. A big mistake new riders make is getting an ultra-padded saddle; which feels nice for a mile or two, but on longer rides the deep padding means there’s pressure being applied to parts of your anatomy that are not designed to bear pressure.
5. Make sure the bike fits you. If, as you build up more of a tolerance, you find that you are continuing to feel discomfort; that might mean you need to adjust the bike seat or handlebars or just look into a differently sized bike. I don’t have good advice to give on this one and just kind of adjust things by feel; someone else might be able to give a more concrete answer
It’s hard to see what kind of seat it is but from other images of Marin Nicasos I’ve seen online they have your typical road bike seats which you’ll need padded shorts to help with your sore ass. You might try a pair. And if you haven’t gotten one yet – definitely a helmet. It will save your life. Check out REI or for look for cheaper options at your local sports stores for bike shorts. Then you’ll get clipless pedals, shoes, the whole bike kit…and then welcome to the community of cycling. And then the bike computer…new bike…etc…etc…welcome!
If I go 2 weeks without biking my butt will hurt after the first ride, but if I ride every week there’s no pain. That might be all it is, try again for a short ride in a few days, if it hurts again, then follow the seat adjustment tips others have provided. It shouldn’t hurt if you ride often.
The number of tourists on Lime bikes/scooters (or just using it as a sidewalk) I’ve had to dodge on that waterfront bike path, lemme tell ya…
Get some shorts (or better yet, bibshorts) with a padded liner called a “chamois”. Wear them instead of underwear and regular shorts.
My Marin Nicasio has a TERRIBLE saddle. The only reason I haven’t replaced it is because my commute to work is like 2 1/2 miles, and it’s not worth the effort. But if I were riding it for any distance, I would absolutely swap that bad boy out immediately. I cannot stress how uncomfortable that piece of shit saddle is.
If you rode on the green river trail, those roots will make your ass sore. No doubt about it.
Get some padded shorts
It is hardcore to start out with a single speed.
You will live, but it is going to be a journey. You will become a very strong rider.
Welcome fellow Seattle Area friend. Butt soreness is normal for your first ride, especially since you did 22 miles and on a single speed. Couple of things that could help:
1 – Buy some padded bike shorts, they make a difference. Baleaf on Amazon is a good place to start if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.
2 – Single speeds are cool, but seeing as you live near Seattle you may want to eventually buy a bike with some gears. They make it a lot easier to get up all the hills we have in the area. I love to ride around Lake Washington (I’m from Kirkland) but no matter which route I choose there are always hills to conquer. Some of your soreness may come from pushing a single speed up an incline.
3 – Your butt will quickly toughen up. The more regularly you ride, the more it will be tough. I try to jump on my bike twice a week just to keep the ‘ol taint tough as nails.
4 – If you really catch the bug (it happened to me) then I’ll see you at STP 2027. 🙂
Two things
1. Your butt somehow gets used to it after a week or two.
2. New riders usually start with their seat relatively low because it feels easier and safer when they can more easily place their feet on the ground while seated. As you build skill and confidence, you will be able to raise your seat to the proper height where you will then be placing more weight on your pedals and have less on your butt. You’ll just have to get used to dismounting while standing off the saddle.
It’s got a KEXP sticker so that’s already going the right way
that rear rack is all kinds of fucked up, it shouldn’t sit behind the rear axle like that, it won’t hold much weight that way. it should run straight up from the axle
It’s normal. The more often you ride the less you feel it. I took a bit of a break from riding over the weekend and only started back up in the past few weeks.
I rode a 50mile gran Fondo today and my ass is not feeling great! Your body just starts getting used to things and developing the necessary muscles are a lot of repetition. I’ve ridden similar rides last summer and I didn’t have any particularly egregious ass pain like I did this ride. It’s just time in the saddle…