My daughter and I have taken to the streets going on longer and longer rides, which is really great!
We had gone about two miles or so today, but then ran into some unexpected trouble. My daughter is having a chafing problem in the folds of skin near the crotch. I’m not able to check it out because of her age and gender, but apparently it is quite painful. She says the folds look like they have a blister in them. She is using padded cycling shorts and regular girls undergarments. Should she wear a different undergarment with the shorts? Also, should we start using some sort of skin lube? If so, what brand? Thanks in advance, we’re just looking to have comfortable rides together and she’s out for the rest of the day. I shall have to forge forward on my own, the lone cyclist. Some of the kids in our neighborhood have taken to calling me, “That Unicycle Dude”. So the Dude rolls on…
On a separate note, we went to a campground this weekend and she wanted to bring her Uni. So she tooled around on the dirt (MUni style) and was doing quite well. I was really surprised. She was so eager not to miss a riding day that she wanted to bring her Uni and ride on the dirt. I wish I would have brought mine.
I’m quite the proud Papa.
My wife and I have started discussions about buying our 5 year old son a Uni this summer rather than waiting for next spring. He’s been spending a lot of his time talking about unicycles and making them out of Legos. So we might just go for it now rather than later. We’ll see…
Wear NO undergarments with cycling shorts! The seams are what you are trying to avoid. I have heard that cornstarch is beneficial for chafing problems. I used to use it on my feet for playing basketball to avoid blistering. Cyclists use it in their pants. I haven’t, nor have I used lubricants.
I was the one who originally posted about corn startch, and garuntee that it will help her out. It won’t de-blister the blisters, but will prevent the sweat and crumpled up skin in the local area from rubbing.
Apply liberally before the ride, and maybe 30 mins into it. She’ll definetly notice the comfort, and I don’t even need it anymore. Once the body gets used to the long rides, everything’s great. I still keep some in my camelback…jsut in case.
The reason I tried cornstarch is that it’s 1/10th the price of baby powder (which would work as well) and have had no problems.
However, before I post this, I think that you may want to consider the internal possibilities, you may want to get the OK from a doctor or something
You should wear the padded cycling shorts next to the skin (i.e. don’t wear any undergarments under them). The undergarments can cause pinching and chafing.
I smear Chamois BUTT’r all over the chamois pad in my cycing shorts before each ride. Much more comfy.
If you already are experiencing some chafing, Desitin creamy diaper rash ointment can help. It might be hard to get a kid to use diaper rash ointment, but it does help the chafing to heal and lets you to continue riding while it heals up.
Most cycling shorts now seem to be using padding other than natural or artificial chamois. For the shorts that still use a chamois like material the Chamois BUTT’r keeps the chamois soft and conditioned. I just rub enough Chamois BUTT’r on to keep the pad soft and comfy so the pad doesn’t dry out.
You may have already done or thought of this, but have your wife take a look. Of course, if you are re-married, that may be awkward for your daughter.
I mean, I would hate for you to advise your daughter to use some kind of lubricant, or cornstarch, only to have this be an un-related problem that would be inflamed by any foreign matter.
So, even though you are the parent and I’m not, and even though I’m sure you’ve thought of all of this, just make sure that this isn’t something else. Have your wife check it, or a doctor, or both.
Another suggestion on the chafing – Bag Balm. Used by many long distance cyclists, this stuff really works! I was told about it by a couple who biked across the US, and who wouldn’t ride without it now. I used it on a 400 mile ride this spring when I started getting chafed, and it totally cleared it up and kept me riding. You can get it at drug stores. You apply it to the skin, not the shorts. FWIW, the name comes from its original use – cow udders. But don’t be grossed out by that factoid, it’s fine for humans and it works great!
harper wrote:
>
> Wear NO undergarments with cycling shorts! The seams are what you are
> trying to avoid. I have heard that cornstarch is beneficial for chafing
> problems.
Thank you all for the advice. I know my daughter wants to, and is going
to ride this afternoon. She’s a dedicated Uni girl.
Here’s another solution that I think is just as valid, yet more expensive. Get a Miyata saddle. I’m not sure what type of saddle came with my first UNI (viscount, maybe), but I think it was chiseled out of rock. I used to have the worst chafing in that region. I’ve had no problems since A) I got my new Uni with the Miyata airseat and B) I switched to boxer briefs. Since the cycling shorts are doing the same thing the boxer briefs do, but much better, I think a Miyata saddle could help.
I can’t wait til the new Velo KH saddle is out, then I can get rid of that original saddle completely…
Animation wrote:
>
> Jason,
>
> You may have already done or thought of this, but have your wife take a
> look. Of course, if you are re-married, that may be awkward for your
> daughter.
>
> I mean, I would hate for you to advise your daughter to use some kind of
> lubricant, or cornstarch, only to have this be an un-related problem
> that would be inflamed by any foreign matter.
Thank you for the good advice.
My wife checked her out and we think we know what happened. She was
swimming at the lake prior to riding on Sat and wore her wet bathing
suite under her cycling shorts- doh!. Not a good idea. I’m sure she’ll
be fine in a day or so.
Some of the kids in our neighborhood have taken to calling me, “That Unicycle Dude”. So the Dude rolls on…
