Okay, I decided to start riding a bike. Fun. Low gas cost. But, OUCH! How long will it take to ride comfortably? Any tips? Thanks!

Keep at it. You'll be okay in a week or two, and then if you keep riding it'll never hurt again.

By comfortably..do you mean your legs are sore..or your butt?

Thanks for the hope, Carla.

Slim - I'm referring to the butt and special place

If your crotch is hurting, you may have the seat angled up a little too much. It may also just be you that has a non-standard anatomy. You might want to investigate a women's saddle. They have cutouts in appropriate places that reduce pressure on the naughty bits, although they're not perfect either. The sore butt part is an easier fix, as you'll toughen up fast. I forgot to mention that you might also be more comfortable with cycling shorts, which are slightly padded. And don't wear underwear with them! That way you won't be sitting on panty seams digging into your cheeks.

Hi Melanie,
I know how you feel, ouch!! A few months ago i was you and even posted on here asking for advice too. What worked for me was getting a woman's seat, not the kind Carla is speaking off, i didn't have enough dough for that...lol but one with a wider back, and also a gel seat cover. I never got around to trying out the bike shorts with the padding but you might want to give those a try too. It gets better after a week or two, after my initial ride i took 2 days off and went back on and it was already much better.

Thanks sooo much for the info. I'll start investigating seats immediately! DH won't mind spending a few bucks to help preserve the um, anatomy.