I have been riding for almost one month now and fell like I am doing well.
I realized early on that I was not really sitting on the seat much and am correcting that, but man is my butt sore when I manage to sit. I did about 1.5 miles last night and tonight’s ride was uncomforable. It does not help that I am skiny, 5’ 8" 148 pounds.
I have done some searching on this forum and find that my seat is one of the better ones. ?
I see that unicycle.com sells the redone air seat for this model. They sell for 99.00, and wonder if they are worth the money, that is, do they really improve things. I would rather part with the cash that screw up the seat doing the conversion myself from the instructions on this site.
Don’t give up yet. The sore butt is a common problem.
When I started, I remember that feeling all too well. I would come home so saddle sore sometimes that it hurt to exist.
There are three methods I know of to alleviate saddle soreness.
Change saddles. You can upgrade saddles, and the airseats are supposedly very nice to use. I personally have never sprung for the cost, and don’t miss it too much (except on really long MUni rides). Your choice, although $100 seems a bit steep to put into a new saddle with where you’re at right now.
Wear cycling shorts. The most dramatic change I found was when I converted to cycling shorts. It was so much more comfortable to ride distances after I did that. And it’s a lot cheaper than buying a saddle upgrade. In my opinion, the best investment you can make, after the unicycle of course.
Ride more. Believe it or not, riding distances will not always be a pain in the a**. Just keep practicing, and soon a mile and a half will feel like nothing. After a while, you will be able to ride offroad for 10 miles without any excruciating pain. The body is an amazing thing. Before you buy a new seat, give your natural seat a chance to adjust. It will happen if you just stick with it.
I can barely remember now , But, (pun) I had the same prob when I was a kid learning.
Take it alittle slower.
The chaffing will subside when you learn not to use so much energy when riding.
(ie: sitting is easier than standing when riding)
Each year I get alittle chaffing.
Remember to wear loose pants, and ‘adjust’ yourself.
(try baby powder in the chaffed areas)
I’ve been unicycling for a good 4 years, so nothings hurting to much, my thighs are made of beef jerky and my butt never hurt. The thing thats getting me are my…well…it hurts were “IT HURTS”. Is there some way of keeping this from happening! I’ve tried the shorts and they don’t work as well as i hoped…
I had the same problem when I started unicycling, it was hard to wate for my back side to stop hurting so I could go and ride some more. As it happened I fell in love with the corker and decided to get the air seat at the same time, I can go for miles on that saddle in fact I liked it so much I purchased the parts for my Torker 24” and converted that also. Now I ride as long and far as I want.
I will admit that I might be in a real spot if some thing were to happen to the guts of the saddle but I would rather have children later in life if desired, common some one has to raise the next generation of unicyclists.
My vote is purchase the components and make the saddle your self. It is really easy if you can use a power drill and a pare of pliers.
Yep, I know how ya feel. Like everyone else has said, “that’s a common problem.” I got a torker about a year and half back… When I could finally ride it for decent lengths, my butt hurt BAD. The pain pretty much went away on its own. I ended doing the air seat conversion just comfort’s sake…
So the moral of the story is: Give your butt a few days to heal and just keep riding – it gets better with time.
So the consensus seems to be to ride longer, you will be less painful, but the air seat is better. Did I get that right?
If so, I am going for the air seat for comfort. 100.00 for a joyful ride is worth it. BTW, I rode for only about 20 minutes today as I got off work late and the light was gone, but was much less painful.
The avitar is a balanced rock. Try it you will like it. It takes a lot of time (sometimes over an hour) and patience. When you feel the rush of a balanced rock, it is priceless. Google “balancing rocks” for information and pictures.
Better than what? You never told us what you were on. But in most cases an air seat will be an improvement. You can buy one pre-made, or do it yourself for less money and more hassle.
But if you mean to ride much, you must invest in at least one pair of quality cycling shorts. This will make a big difference.
As you are still fairly new, as your technique improves you may also cut down on some of the friction down there.
