Etydhv

I have recently made the decision to commute to work via bike, it’s about 14 miles each way (so just under 30mile return). I initially started on my old bike but it clearly wasn’t really appropriate for what I consider a fairly long commute, so I purchased an Ebike (a Cube Acid). I love the bike, it’s really opened the possibility of commuting 5 days a week whilst still giving me a decent work out with reasonable heart rate pushes.

I’m now 1 month in, have cycled every day (rain or shine) & generally really enjoying it.

However, after nearly 500miles saddle time I’m experiencing A) some quite uncomfortable saddle pains & really sore / numb thighs / legs. I also feel quite tired at points during the day & in the evening.

A lot of the above seems obvious, I am afterall putting in nearly 150miles a week. I also like to push myself some days using Strava to set new PBs etc.

My question is.

Is it normal to feel such pain on the saddle, and is this possibly the cause of numbness in my legs? Is it possible a bad saddle position is causing a pinched nerve like effect down my legs?

I do wear padded cycling bottoms (although they are cheap Decathalon ones).

Another thing, due to the nature of an Ebike you tend to sit and ride the whole journey, no standing up to push up hills etc, is this bad?

I know a lot of people will mock the Ebike, and I know this makes life easier, but although it is making life easier I’m still pushing hard and averaging fairly high heart rates over a 50 min commute each way (better than driving a car right).

Hopefully a few experienced rider / regular commuter might be able to offer some words of wisdom here.

Thank you.

Even with an e-bike going to 150 miles a week is a big jump. Likely you just need to have a few rest days to allow your body to adapt and recover. 3 weeks is the range in where you start run into problem with long term recovery.

I'd suggest switching down to 3 days a week until you feel completely recovered every day. Also lay off the strava, going for PB's is something you should keep to a minimum in daily rides. Focus on a pace that allows you to arrive at work w/o feeling stressed at all. This will help with the leg soreness/tiredness during the day.

The saddle problem is a completely different one that every bike rider has to figure out. Some of it is just that you are spending a lot more time in the saddle, but most of it is finding the right saddle that works for you and your position on the bike. Unfortunately, there are no simple fixes. There are various saddle fitting guides out there, but nothing works for everybody and almost every saddle works for somebody. The best solution would be to find a local bike shop with a saddle demo program that will let you try different saddles until you find the one that works for you.

Bike fit is an important factor in comfort on the bike and it is likely that you need to change some things about your bike to make it more comfortable. Is the saddle the right size? Is the saddle in the right position to optimize your comfort? Is the saddle height optimized? Is your reach too? These are just some other things a bike fit will consider.

Another factor to consider is over-training. It sounds like you're out of the honeymoon period where all that work might start to add up. You're no longer doing something novel and fresh and can't get by on adrenaline. You might need to change your diet to provide more fuel what you're burning on your commute.

Finally, find a way to vary up how you position yourself on the bike. If you've got drop handlebars use all the positions (on the hoods, in the drops, etc). Experiment with standing up and riding. Having different positions helps with fatigue and soreness, especially on your saddle.

I moved house in August, and have had a 26 km commute so roughly similar. Mine's got 50 metres drop on the way to work, so mostly flat.

In my experience, you're in the distance where comfort becomes more important. Anyone can smash out a short commute every day, but these longer ones cumulatively build up on you.

Clothes So expect to spend money on contact points and clothing - eg I've bought 4 pairs of armwarmers that all felt good initially but have had issues on the long ride. Your cheap pants are probably fine for normal commutes, but try different sorts/brands. I've had good luck with some cheap boxer-style padded shorts for under normal pants. But I also own one pair of bib shorts and that's a nice change. Do be aware elastic sags with age, so what was a good fit might have loosened off to give some rub now. (check for existing question about good-fit shorts)

Cumulative Check with your employer and see if there's a work from home policy that you can resort to, if things are getting just a bit too much for you. I use this about once a month when its really heavy rain on the way in.

Variety Do make an effort to mix up your routes. I have limited options because there's only so-many roads, but try and go different ways. If you have a bit of extra time, then try going right out of your way.

I also ride a couple of very different bikes. A commute on the road bike is very different to the recumbent.

Safety I have illegal quantities of lights on my bikes, because 20% of my commute is in pitch darkness with no streetlights and a 80km/h speed limit and minimal road shoulders. Its terrifying when you're not sure if the approaching car has seen you or not.

Food/drink I have a gel sitting in my toolkit in case I feel a bit underfuelled. Have needed it twice. I tend to not drink on the commute though because its not in the heat of the day. However I know where some public drinking fountains are on the way.

Preparation you're going to get punctures, so make sure your bike has all the tools and spares on it. I carry a spare tube and stickers in case of additional punctures. I also carry spare disposable batteries for one front and rear light.

Ebike Its going to be easier with the ebike, but don't depend on it. Some day you might have to ride the entire commute with a flat battery. Can you do that?

If you have a second charger, consider storing it at work. They cost cents to charge, so work shouldn't have an issue, but depending on the culture you may have to ask/check for permission.

PBs I got PBs whenever there's a tailwind. But I'm now at the point where we'd have to have a 30+ km/h wind to shave a second off any of my times. The good side is that daily commuting means a fair chance of a tailwind. But an equal chance of a headwind on the way home. There's no such thing as a "PW"

Backup plan I have a bus route that passes within 200 metres of work and home. Never had to use it yet, but if things were dire I could jump on and let someone else drive me. These busses have bike racks for normal sized bikes, so the recumbent would have to be pushed home. I wear flat shoes on the bent so that's possible, but cleats on the road bike so I carry covers in my on-bike toolkit.

You might benefit from a proper bike fit too - the time on bike could be exacerbating some minor problems. Expect to pay for this and take several hours.