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How do I keep a dry bottom?

Too harsh on the Soggy Bottom Boys?
Will likely be my turn in the barrel soon enough and ya'all can point and laugh, OK?
Heya Bud!! :wave

Does this mean I'm out of the running for "Miss Congeniality"?
OK just slap me.
"Larry" says Prilosec... git er dun!:wave I do one every other day.
 
"Hot damn! It's the Soggy Bottom Boys!"

Err.....not quite the right context, but funny.

I wish someone made a gel-grid seat cover. Like a bead-seat, but made from gel material. Of course, it'd have to be a higher density, but it may achieve the airflow of a beat-seat with the comfort of gel.
 
Here is another vote for the Ultimate BeadRider (UBR) and moisture wicking underwear. I ride in jeans, no "riding pants". Just got the UBR last week and after a 3+ hour ride yesterday in high 80's with 60-70% humidity I came home dry w/o the usual discomfort, that's a first.

Comfort of the beads is certainly a step up from the stock seat IMO.
 
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It'll be later next season that I get to prove out my next seat design. It'll have a center groove, or valley. about 2" wide and 1.5" deep running the length of the rider's seat portion. The main shape of the seat will be the dished cradle style common to Sargent, Corbin, etc. Under the vynil I'll have gel pads for the "sitting bones" portion of the pelvic bone. Hopefully that will address the air gap/airflow issue, and sitting/compression issues. Vital too, is to get the seat dish "angle" just right to rotate the hips into the right position for sitting comfort.

That's my plan for my 07RT.
 
As far as the powder/antiperspirant approach, some years ago in this forum a very knowledgeable rider (Rob Nye) from the Northeast recommended a baby powder called Caldesene. I had tried Anti Monkey Butt & in my opinion it was nothing special & turned my underwear pink (how embarrassing). I tried the Caldesene & I am hooked. www.insightpharma.com

I find that the Caldesene (in the pink shake container) has an antiperspirant effect that lasts longer than one day even after a shower & is the best I've found bar none. I find it at Wallgreens in the Baby department, I'm sure other stores have it as well. This stuff is really good.

I've never heard of anyone coating their bottom with the antiperspirants made for underarms & I wonder how well that might do.

Some of the beauty clinics are advertising a laser procedure that cuts off the function of the armpit sweat glands called MiraDry. I don't know if they would consider or could zap your nether regions, who knows?

As far as seat material, I'd like to see someone try wicker, springy & airy.
 
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I wonder what the "goody item" is in that powder? Your right about monkey butt-it's a nice name but unremarkable results. I use what I got for gift to powder inside my riding & work boots.
I still say that there's a reason that "Shaq is smiling!"-try the Gold Bond spray powder...:thumb

Maybe the OP needs a pill? Where's western medicine on this?
 
I have used both regular and "clinical strength" underarm anti-perspirant on the nether regions, many times, with so-so success. Does help to keep things bit more dry, but certain brands create a stickyness, of a sort that causes your jeans to stick my bum. Not bad, but not good either. Helps to limit the "layering" of clothes in the area, meaning going commando with at most a t-shirt tucked into my jeans.

I once went all out, anti-perspirant and copious amounts of body powder, with biking shorts under my jeans, for a ride down into the Joliet area from Green Bay in July. I was dry, and HOT like the freakin Sahara! I mean cooking hot, thought I was burning up down below. So it was as much the lack of airflow than anything else.

But I will definitely try Caldesene. Monkey Butt Powder did little for me, no better really than Gold Bond Powder. Have not yet tried the GB spray, so I'll test that too.
 
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I checked & the active ingredient in Caldesine Is Zinc Oxide. I seem to recall that an ointment of this was used to fight teenage blemishes at one time. All things being equal I would prefer a spray over a shaker. Standing in the bath tub to "powder up" is a pain. I read some time ago that the ladies may have some health issues with certain powders (corn starch maybe?) on their bottoms that do not effect men.

Our wet bottoms might also serve as an annoying reminder to re-hydrate.
 
I used to have this problem, and I am surprised no one has mentioned real sheeps wool. I bought a pad from Alaska leathers and it saved me. I live in the southeast , where the humidity is regularly in the high 90% and above. The real sheep wool pad did the trick for me. Google them.
 
As far as the powder/antiperspirant approach, some years ago in this forum a very knowledgeable rider (Rob Nye) from the Northeast recommended a baby powder called Caldesene. I had tried Anti Monkey Butt & in my opinion it was nothing special & turned my underwear pink (how embarrassing). I tried the Caldesene & I am hooked. www.insightpharma.com

I find that the Caldesene (in the pink shake container) has an antiperspirant effect that lasts longer than one day even after a shower & is the best I've found bar none. I find it at Wallgreens in the Baby department, I'm sure other stores have it as well. This stuff is really good.

I've never heard of anyone coating their bottom with the antiperspirants made for underarms & I wonder how well that might do.

Some of the beauty clinics are advertising a laser procedure that cuts off the function of the armpit sweat glands called MiraDry. I don't know if they would consider or could zap your nether regions, who knows?

As far as seat material, I'd like to see someone try wicker, springy & airy.

Here you go:

IMG_2992.jpg

Kontour
 
Alan, fortunately I do not share your problem. :dance

However when riding with a friend this past summer, he told me that he learned from his truck driving father, to put a small piece of lump rock or Alum rock into his pant's pocket. It apparently absorbs the moisture. He buys it at a pharmacy. I don't know if it'll work for you, but thought that I'd share this means of keeping dry.

It looks like you'll have lots of options to try next spring. Do report back and let us know which solutions work out the best (and those with less successful results). Who knows, maybe next year I'll need your experience and wisdom if my dryness should change. :dunno

Cheers!
 
For underwear I find Wickers a bit better than smoother nylon despite a published review to the contrary in MCN a few years ago. One can use only LD but for me I only want that much compression on long runs.

All healthy skin has a lot of bacteria (varies by both body location and person but serves the basic purpose of protecting your skin from far more harmful invaders that could turn you into a slime ball by pre-emptively claiming that eco niche) and their product is acidic, a proper amount of which is both necessary and normal. If there is extra stuff in your sweat or anything else on your skin that they can metabolize they will make extra acid and contribute to irritation- corn starch for example is just food to convert to acid. Perpetually moist skin can acquire embedded dermal fungus at which point it can get irritated very easily. A lot of what you get riding will depend on how susceptible you are and how good you are at keeping normal skin biological processes controlled. Dressing before getting completely dry every time you shower is not a good practice for example. It may sound strange but taking so many showers or baths that you disrupt the skins normal oils too much can leave it extremely susceptible to itching in winter and irritation in summer- maintaining proper skin "moisture" (really the amount of skin oil that promote the correct amount of hydration) isn't just for the girls. Glycerine products can make skin feel moist- it is a humectant- but when you wash it will produce drier skin as a result when removed- it is chemically an alcohol without any permanent effect.

Re gear, beads will allow better venting than Kontour or wool- I only use wool in winter. Beads can be uncomfortable for some because they focus spots and can allow sliding on some seat designs. These days I prefer an AirHawk for long runs in summer- vents enough and avoids the focused hot spots beads can produce especially if over a harder seat.

Pants need to vent- jeans or kevlar lined jeans are poor. Mesh or vented riding pants are better. What to pick depends on temp and distance.

Stuff applied to skin is a band aid for not getting basics under full control and can do little if you can't get most of the way there without it. Look at that stuff as, at most, the last 25% of controlling the problem. If you can't do an hour or more without it, you're unlikely to be able to do a full day with it.

(Used to work at a dermatology co that made both Rx and OTC items- have manufactured many such. All the above is consistent with advice you would get from any skin expert)

If all the above fails you might consider consulting a dermatologist who also rides and can apply both skills to working out an effective solution for you. There are people with odd skin conditions that will require this level to get a solution and yes there are Rx items that can help such cases. As any dermatologist can tell you, the basis of any solution is an accurate diagnosis and that is what they get paid for. The solutions themselves are typically quite straight forward.
 
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