MMMMonday! Guest post: VP's overlord, The Main Tank, cycling, vulvas, and you!
rockstarbob! Bob is into cycling too these days, and she has started a shiny new blog at The Main Tank. This post combines her bike-love and her vulva-love...and the ways in which those two loves can sometimes need a little help to work together. We hope you'll join in the discussion, and remember that this and other MMMMonday posts can always be found under the tag "featured-posts", or in our Featured Posts sidebar (still with a delay, apologies about that).
Your friendly benevolent overlord and VP founder has recently leveled up in her obsession with cycling. I have a couple of kids now (ages 4 and 2) and we bike everywhere together--in fact, we've all but replaced our car with my newish Surly Big Dummy longtail cargo bike.
Before I had the Dummy, I was riding a bike that wasn't really configured well to me. It had all the stock components and I would end a lot of rides with vulvar pain. No one really talks about this, and the problem is made worse by the fact that most bike shops seem to be to staffed by people who don't have vulvas. It is awkward, to say the least, to walk into one's local bike shop and say something like, "Hey, my clitoris and labia minora have been chafing/hurting/going numb when I ride--can you help me adjust my seat, give me some lube, or give me some tips on how to mitigate that?"Yeeeaaahh.
Plus, the issue is compounded if you're trans* and maybe don't present as someone who has a vulva, or if you have disabilities that are also at play. So I think that for plenty of reasons, vulva-owning cyclists tend to stay silent on the matter, which is unfortunate.
I write a blog called The Main Tank about being a feminist family cyclist and I'd love to break the silence on this issue and create an informal guide on maximum vulvar comfort/health when riding. I'd like your help! Lovely Bicycle wrote up something pretty great, and the commentversation that followed was also instructive. That said, I'd love to write up something even more in-depth that is also heavily imbued with the VP spirit. When I've gotten your feedback, I'll compile everything into a series of posts for my blog. I can also repost here in VP if there's interest.
Let's talk vulvas and cycling! When you comment, please let me know:
- If you'd like to be credited and how I should refer to you (your LJ name, your real name, etc.--feel free to email responses to bob @ vaginapagina.com if you prefer not to state your real name here in LJ Land). If you don't mention it, I'll leave it anonymous.
- If you have a related blog you'd like me to link
- If you have relevant credentials (you work at a bike shop, or you've been riding for x years, etc.)
Here are some questions about which I'd love your feedback--feel free to add any other questions/comments, too! Pictures and links are especially welcome.
General: What types of vulvar comfort/health issues have you experienced while riding bikes? What kind of biking do you usually do? Do you have any issues that make achieving maximum comfort/health while riding difficult?Saddle/Bike: If you've experienced clitoral or labial numbness/pain, how have you worked with your saddle to improve it? Did you change the angle/height, or perhaps try out different saddles? Did you end up getting a different bike altogether? Is there anything that you've tried that definitely does not work for you?
Clothes: If you've experienced clitoral or labial numbness/pain, how have you worked with different clothing arrangements to improve it? Is there anything that you've tried that definitely does not work for you?
Products: If you've experienced clitoral or labial numbness/pain, how have you worked with different products (lubricant, anti-chafing powders/creams, etc.) to improve it? Is there anything that you've tried that definitely does not work for you?
Menstruation: When you're on your period, what menstrual products or clothing do you use for maximum comfort while riding? Is there anything special you need to do while riding (stop frequently, etc.)? Is there anything that you've tried that definitely does not work for you?
Health: If you've experienced urinary tract infections, yeast infections, or other health issues while riding bikes, what have you done to prevent/remedy them? Is there anything that you've tried that definitely does not work for you?
Other: Anything else I forgot to mention that you'd like to share?
Ride on!
--Bob
AKA The Main Tank
Also on Twitter!
It's not even the high bar (which never made sense to me for a man either, seems more likely to crush their junk!), but it's rather the seat being on the same level as the handlebars. And I never realized until I rented a bike when I was on vacation last year, and it was SO MUCH BETTER. I felt more in control, I didn't feel off-balance like I normally do, like I want to sit back further but I can't, especially if the seat is actually high enough so that my legs are extended like they should be when I pedal. This bike I rented was a Trek, with higher, curved handlebars, and it made me realize as much as I love biking I never do it because I HATE my bike.
I'm very much looking forward to what everyone has to say, because I think I'll be replacing it sometime soon and I need all the information I can get. This time I'll actually go to pick it out and get one that fits me, not one that we got a deal on and here you go, thanks mom. :-/
You'll have to come back here and update us. Very curious as to what you'll end up with. :)
when i DID ride bikes, i looked for a more "wide triangle" seat so that my butt is supported better, with gel cushioning because i got no meat on my ass, and it literally HURTS to sit for long, due to pressure on my pelvic bones (backside) and tailbone (which has been broken twice and is always unhappy with me).
they also make "split seats" that work better for tailbone easement, and the wider angle of the triangular seats i'm talking about puts less pressure on the vulvar area. same thing with the gel cushioning, its easier on the skin/vulva than just the standard "sheet metal seat with a couple of springs, cheap foam and vinyl over that" seats that most bicycles come with. making sure your bike is correctly sized for you helps a great deal also, and correctly adjusted to the WAY you ride.
someone who is riding in a racing situation needs a bike adjusted differently than someone who is sitting up straighter and hauling a string of kiddos. (that is a SERIOUSLY COOL BIKE SETUP!!!!)
i literally cannot ride any longer, my hips will not let me move my leg to swing over ONTO the bike, they cramp, i fall. (even sexual relations are an issue at most times, because of that problem. gah!)
adult trikes are a good idea for people with balance problems, and there are hand-powered bikes available for people who are not able to use their legs to pedal. (they're lower-slung, with a trike wheel setup, and the chain runs the front wheel and you turn the pedal arrangement to steer. much like a trike motorcycle with a higher front fork and handlebar arrangement looks, as it happens. i knew a young woman who used one, her disability was spina bifida and she was a wheelchair user.)
UTI's, man. I could not figure out why I kept getting them until I made the connection that they started when I switched to drop-down handlebars. This meant I was rolling forward in my saddle, basically riding my urethra. 0_o
As a cheap fix, I tilted the nose of my saddle down so that the only part that touches me is the wider part at the back, at my sitbones. I can tell you that this was kind of a horrible idea, but I literally cannot afford a better saddle (especially given the trial-and-error that comes with saddles --I can't afford to try one, let alone several!).
This now leads to me using my core muscles constantly to push back against the saddle (to stay on it!) while I ride with most of my weight on my arms/shoulders. So, not ideal, especially after my swimming-related shoulder injury, but it's all I can think to do. I don't want to give up the handlebars because these are sleeker, more fun to steer, and I'm pretty sure they're lighter than what I had on there before.
I put up with the back pain because I don't have any long rides (longest is maybe 35 minutes to get across town to the mall) in my daily life. But I do feel left out of longer bike trips, and that's a bummer.
Ugh.
Edited at 2012-06-18 06:51 pm (UTC)
However before bike shorts upgrading to a women's saddle and making sure to keep my weight dispersed between my legs, arms and seat bones made a huge difference as well.
Currently I have 3 bikes, all men's and all technically too large for me. I own 1) an old haggard rode bike that I ride inside on a trainer 2)a centurion that was rebuilt into single speed that I ride to work or to go out and play and 3) an 8ish yr old mtn bike that I've ridden so much nothing is original and I've bent the frame (I'm saving for an upgrade) I ride this bike mtn biking and when I'm riding with people who are slower than I am. (Not that I am fast by any means!)
I have found that for me personally, "gel" seats are too soft and not supportive enough for long riding this "too soft" is particularly worse when combined with shorts. Of the three saddles I own I like my Terry saddle the best. I think I like this saddle because it is the correct distance for my seat bones and their are no seams to get "tangled up" in my labia. This seat is on my mtn bike because the "labia tangles" tend to happen the most on uneven terrain.
Edited to included: I need no credit, and I don't really have any credentials aside from "I like bikes". My SO is a (very patient) bike mechanic so he helped me adjust my bikes and he insists saddle issues are very common problems for all kinds of people and that saddle choice is very personal. (He also jokingly insisted on calling my horse's saddle a "horse seat" until I called the a "bike seat" a "bike saddle).
Edited at 2012-06-18 06:57 pm (UTC)
I have a road bike that I use for commuting and recreational riding. My town is very small, so I never ride for more than 30 minutes. I do have some issues with my junk though- hemorrhoids, vulvar pain, and genital herpes. With regular saddles, I find that my whole area hurts and these issues can flare. Let me tell you, it was not pleasant having a herpes outbreak every time I rode my bike for more than 10 minutes. However, these problems disappeared when I got the ISM Sport saddle*. It's cushy and shaped like a donut with a slice taken out of it, so there's no pressure on my perineal area.
Menstruation can be a challenge when riding. Until recently, I was a pads-only kind of gal and found that my beloved cloth pads were too bulky and the snaps hurt during cycling. So, I had to use disposable Always pads for riding, with a dab of coconut oil to allay chafing. A few months ago, I started using the Diva Cup, and now I can ride without any bunching or pressure. The stem can get a little irritating, but it's okay if I adjust my posture.
* Here's the link for my cherished ISM saddle: http://www.ismseat.com/saddle/ism-s
I usually ride 10+ miles a day, and that's been pretty average for me for the entire time I've been commuting by bike. I've been a regular bike rider for about 12 years. I've been a car-free full time cyclist for the last six years (with occasional breaks of mostly taking public transit for a few weeks).
For road bike riders, a bike fitting is a terrific idea since proper seat height and angle, as well as handlebar type and height, make such a difference to all bicycling-involved body parts. Here in Seattle there is a female bike fitter at Cycle U (http://www.cycleu.com/services/bikefit/bikefit.html). I don't know if she has any special insight into vulvar issues, but I'd go to her for a fit. I've heard rave reviews from both men and women.
I haven't personally tried either of these, but there are two very cool looking products: My Alibi Bloomers (http://www.myalibiclothing.com/) and Pedal Panties Bicycle Lingerie (http://www.pedalpanties.com/) on the market.
As for menstruation, I just gotta give a shout out to my bike for making things easier. I suck at using my Diva Cup (possibly due to a psychic-diagnosed crooked birth canal...or I think I heard my midwife mumble something about a slighted tilted cervix so maybe that's to blame), but it stays put just fine on the bike. Walking, though, not so much. Biking everywhere has already cut down on my need for walking a lot, and I appreciate that even more those five days of the month.