Could be that you just have the magic combo of seat + shorts. But also – is your ride flat or hilly? If you’re riding changing terrain, you’ll adjust your position on the bike a lot more than if you’re just riding on the flat all the time. It’s those super flat days in the saddle that hurt more than the hilly ones sometimes!

Report back here after day 4.

Did my girst RAGBRAI that way. No bike shorts etc (RAGBRAI X). Very gee had them then. Made it through a couple more then early bike shorts. Chamois were thin, sometimes real some synthetic. Seam placement, wicking and thickness have improved. But if the seams and moisture aren’t a problem for you (At least not on the shorter rides) I’d say you’re lucky. But if the charging starts you might be off the bike for a couple days if it gets very bad.

Yeah, I really hate it when the charging starts, people going every which way. :)

Oh man. Wish you could edit on here
Charging argh changed it again. Chafing .

The bigger item it the force you put on the pedal or the force on your bottom. Noticed this my first Ragbrai. Raced long races and no issue. Riding 10 mph with a lot of people the first hour or two and after a few days wanted to through my seat away and could of because I was standing in the pedals for all 65 miles the third day. After that focused a little more on the bike position and never had any issues with any of the Ragbrai’s after that. Better to ride a little faster between towns and spend more time in the towns or along side the road at one of the other attractions (beer tent).

Two words- Chamois Butter

I have a tube of the Chamois Butter. So far I haven’t noticed a difference in soreness between padded shorts and regular shorts, with or without the Butt-er. I’m going to shoot for 50 mile ride this weekend, probably wear a pair of new padded bike shorts from Scheels that I just got for Father’s Day. I think they are the cheapest biking shorts Scheels sells.

It sounds like you are a lucky one. However, the firmer your your cheeks get from lots of riding, the less weight and less friction where your bones meet the seat. Also, you really do need to string together some long rides to understand the cumulative affect of the heat, weight, friction, etc. I highly recommend doing as much as you have time for on a Friday night after work. Followed by nothing less than 50 miles each on Saturday and Sunday and whatever you can squeeze in on Monday. Monday will feel a lot different than the previous Friday. As someone mentioned earlier, you do not want to discover at the end of day 3 or 4 that your contact points are not tough and ready. It will make you miserable for the remaining days. Perhaps to the point where you can’t ride. Although I do not typically have any issues, when I am on these longer ride events, in addition to using the chamois butter, I will supplement with neosporin and zinc oxide at nights. This really helps negate the harshness of several long days in the saddle.

I’ll planning on bringing some Desitin or Bag Balm and some Gold Bond powder for overnight recovery.

Biked 25 fast, fairly flat miles Friday evening and 70 hilly miles on Saturday. Wore the Scheels branded padded biking shorts and Chamois Butter. No chafing or backside discomfort to speak of during the ride or after. I could tell I’d been riding a bike, but really no worse for wear than if I sat in my chair at the office. Wish I could say the same for the Scheels shorts. A section of stitching unraveled/separated wear the padding is sown into the shorts, unacceptable after only a 70 mile jaunt in the saddle – I’ll be returning them and getting something more durable. My legs though were a different story. I pushed it pretty hard on Sat. and my quads were aching by the end of the ride. I learned one thing though. Food, I need more of it. Ate my typical light breakfast early Sat. morning before setting off, around mile 35 I became really, really hungry. A glazed donut and a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino from a local gas station refreshed me, but when I got home I was again famished and my legs were border line shaky. I plan on patronizing various food vendors along the RAGBRAI route.

Follow up report. I used the cost of the Scheel’s branded bike shorts towards a purchase of a pair of Pearl Izumi Attack (PIA) bike shorts. The PIA shorts cost twice as much as the Scheel’s branded shorts, but they are more than double in quality; really a night and day difference in fit, feel, and performance. And still no hind quarter discomfort por moi. Rode a fast 35 miles last evening that included some challenging hills. I’ll easily break the 500 mile marker tomorrow as I have 60-70 mile ride planned out. Looking forward to RAGBRAI.

AAR- Rode 550+ miles for the week. No saddle soreness at all. Legs were a little sore towards the end of the week and did get tiny blister on a toe, but my hind-end had no issues what so ever.