My penis gets numb when I ride...

[Panama Red]

Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.

Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

 

[Dan Daniel]

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 04:41:41 GMT, Panama Red
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>
> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

http://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/saddles.htm

Then again, I have moved to Koobi saddles and haven't had any numbness
since the change- from Selle Italia Flite and Brooks B17. Someone else
will be sure to say that Koobis gave him numbness but a Brooks cured
it....

http://www.koobi.com/

 

[maxo]

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 22:08:22 -0700, Dan Daniel wrote:

> Someone else
> will be sure to say that Koobis gave him numbness but a Brooks cured
> it....

Yup, it's all personal. Try adjusting the angle on your current saddle and
see if that helps your picker.


Then explore the options. See if your LBS will let you test ride a few
different saddles for an extended time, perhaps borrow them overnight with
a deposit.

A lot of guys like the split saddles and some like firmer saddles because
firm=you don't sink in to the saddle thus reducing squishage.

btw, I ride a B17 cousin, the Chamion Flyer, and am very comfortable--but
tensioned leather saddles are hit or miss like all seats.

FWIW, the word "pecker" makes me think of mean chickens, a sensation quite
the opposite of penile numbness.

 

[Jørn Dahl-Stamnes]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] wrote:
>
> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>
> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

Get out of the saddle from time to time.

--
Jørn Dahl-Stamnes

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

Panama Red wrote:

> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

The Dark Side is calling! Wind resistance is futile!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington
University

 

[Bill Baka]

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 04:41:41 GMT, Panama Red
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>
> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

Been there, had that. Usually after about 15 miles though. My solution
was to get off the bike and walk around for a few minutes until
circulation came back. It happens less when I am well hydrated and
has gone away a little bit after many miles of riding. It used to
happen before my hands got tingly. Disturbing is an understatement.
The other thing I tried was to stand up after pedaling up to a good
coasting speed, which would no doubt drive riders in a group crazy,
but it worked, for a while. It also happens less after losing weight.
Bill Baka


--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

 

[cheg]

"Panama Red" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>
> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

I'm assuming this is a road bike.

Some things to try:
Make sure that your saddle is high enough above it's rails and you aren't
sitting on the top of the seatpost.
Tilt the nose of your saddle down until you fel like you're sliding forward a
bit and then tilt it up as little as possible. It should be level with the
ground or a little down in the front.
Move the seat forward to straighten your back
Move the handlebars up and/or back to straighten your back. Unless your racing
they don't need to be much lower than the seat
Get a saddle that is wide enough in the back to support your sit bones
Get a saddle with a slot in the middle
Get a saddle with less padding (eg. the Brooks line) so more weight is borne by
your hip bones.

I use an ugly Velo comfort saddle with a slot and elastomer suspension on my
nice road bike, but then I never see the thing while I'm riding and I never get
numbnuts, even after a double century. YMMV

 

[Rick Warner]

Panama Red <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>
> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

Most likely you are leaning too far forward, putting too much pressure
on the key parts. The rush to have bars 3-4-5-6 inches or more below
the saddle is the usual cause of this. Best to get the bars up and
have the plumbing work than try to get 'a bit more aero' at the
expense of the 'boys'.

- rick

 

[Bill Baka]

On 31 Aug 2004 10:31:02 -0700, Rick Warner <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Panama Red <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
>> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
>> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
>> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>>
>> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?
>
> Most likely you are leaning too far forward, putting too much pressure
> on the key parts. The rush to have bars 3-4-5-6 inches or more below
> the saddle is the usual cause of this. Best to get the bars up and
> have the plumbing work than try to get 'a bit more aero' at the
> expense of the 'boys'.
>
> - rick

I don't think the lean has all that much to do with it since I get
the same effect whether I am on my old Huffy MTB or my Schwinn
super sport road racer type. Two totally different saddles and
positions. Lean might make it worse but I don't think it is the
only cause.
Bill Baka


--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

 

[Roger Zoul]

Bill Baka wrote:
:: On 31 Aug 2004 10:31:02 -0700, Rick Warner <[email protected]>
:: wrote:
::
::: Panama Red <[email protected]> wrote in message
::: news:<[email protected]>...
:::: Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
:::: starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
:::: disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried
:::: different tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
::::
:::: Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?
:::
::: Most likely you are leaning too far forward, putting too much
::: pressure on the key parts. The rush to have bars 3-4-5-6 inches or
::: more below the saddle is the usual cause of this. Best to get the
::: bars up and have the plumbing work than try to get 'a bit more
::: aero' at the expense of the 'boys'.
:::
::: - rick
::
:: I don't think the lean has all that much to do with it since I get
:: the same effect whether I am on my old Huffy MTB or my Schwinn
:: super sport road racer type. Two totally different saddles and
:: positions. Lean might make it worse but I don't think it is the
:: only cause.
:: Bill Baka

As I understand things, part of the penis is inside the body under the
crotch area, so leaning forward on your boys is not necessary for the
problem to occur.

 

[Daniel Crispin]

"Panama Red" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Im not kidding....as soon as I hit about 6 miles or so my pecker
> starts to get numb like all the blood is cut off. It is quite
> disturbing. I have adjusted my seat a few times, and tried different
> tights and shorts but nothing seems to work.
>
> Anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

If you have not purchased cycling shorts yet, do so! I pushed my purchase
for 3 months
because I did not want to spend 50$ on cycling clothing... then I decided to
do a 250 KM ride
and decided to make the purchase.... they make a HUGE difference in comfort.
A good split saddle is great too, if you have both I doubt you will ever
have any pain after.

Dan

 

[jtmcouat]

Hi Everyone! I am repeating this post everywhere I can because I have solved this problem for myself!
I experienced this problem for many years. It got the point where I became very concerned that I would have to quit riding. Sometimes it would happen very quickly, within minutes.
But never fear, there is a solution for you! I ride with zero numbness even on long rides. As a bonus, my fatigue level has been greatly reduced.
Now I am not saying that this will be your solution, just that you can find one. Here is my story.
First of all, I don't have a specific riding style. I love to climb, with fast downhills. I also ride single track and technical stuff sometimes. I have been riding for 25 years.
First step: Saddle and saddle position. I tried several new "ergonomic" saddles, none helped much and some made it worse. The best was the Specialized Romin Expert, which I still ride. The impact was modest, but better was better. I also experimented with saddle position and height. It turns out the saddle was a little too far back. Good for climbing power, but bad for the groin. Again, this was only modest help, still got numb, just a little less.
Second Step: Pedal position. Tried several. In the end I found that just behind the ball was good. Between the ball and mid-foot. Helped me overall, but not numbness.
Third step (aka Eureka#1!): Handle bar length/rise. BE SURE TO READ THE CAVEAT AT THE BOTTOM. For 20 years I had my set-up very narrow, straight 420mm bars with no rise. No one would ever set a bike up that way now, but the idea was to have strong climbing and it was great for that. I had no problems with downhill speed.
I read that wider handlebars are generally better for a number of reasons, including this. Stem rise is also a factor. I moved to wider, 730mm riser bars and it helped right away! It was night and day! Almost no numbness!
Fourth step (aka Eureka#2!): Stem length: AGAIN BE SURE TO READ THE CAVEAT AT THE BOTTOM. I had been riding with a 120mm flat stem for 20 years. I had no idea it could have any relation, but I was wrong. I moved to a 100mm 30 degree rise and it was great. Problem solved!
It seems that being more upright was the real key to resolving the issue.
CAVEAT: BE CAREFUL CHANGING BAR WIDTH AND STEM LENGTH. Everyone gets used to a bike fit/set-up. This warning is especially true if you have been riding a long time like me.
Control of the bike changes dramatically with bar width and stem length, so take it one step at a time. I made a huge mistake moving too far to fast. I changed to 720mm riser bars and 100mm riser stem at the same time. Fatigue and numbness was improved immediately, but handling and climbing was VERY different. Lots of steer wander and harder to keep the front wheel on the ground when climbing steep in seated position (standing was improved).
I decided that what I needed (based on reading articles, etc) was a shorter stem. I went with a 50mm. Huge mistake. On the first ride I was unable to keep the front wheel down and fell backwards and broke my wrist.
Moral of the story: Make changes one at a time. Ride easy and figure out what works. Bars can be easily trimmed with a pipe cutter. Start wide and narrow until it feels right. Get used to it and work on the stem.
I now ride a 680mm riser bar and 100mm 30 degree stem. I am much more upright on the bike, which relieves numbness and I also find I am less fatigued. I gave up a little climbing power, but there is no doubt it was worth it!
Good luck!
Travis

 

[doctorold]

I don't know but it's never happened to me. That would scare the **** out of me. But it seems that if you sit on a saddle on your sit bones on the wide part of the saddle and not mash down on your perineum on the nose or skinny part of the saddle, you have little chance of cutting off blood flow to your unit. Maybe that's too simple, I dunno. Everyone is different so good luck!

 

[oldbobcat]

Saddle too high can put too much pressure on the perineum. If you're stretching your legs, rocking the pelvis, or extending the ankles to reach the pedals at the bottom of the stroke, you're fighting the legs' natural tendency to support the hips. Your lower body is functionally supported by a saddle jammed into your crotch. If any of this sounds likely, try lowering the saddle a few millimeters.

 

[mikka254]

Now that's just weird. Anyway, if your bike has an uncomfortable seat then you should get a seat that makes sense to you. Not all bikes are uniform and bicycle manufacturers know this. When you shop for a bicycle, try to buy a bike that is comfortable in terms of weight, height and seat to handle comfort.

 

[jeremy2]

It could be that there's a blood vessel that get's squeezed every time that you saddle on. You should consider going for a scan as there could be other underlying factors that you're unaware of.

 

[lordrenly]

The same thing is happening to me too. I don't know if it is just a bad saddle or if there is a problem with my posture. When I tried to shift my posture, sometimes my ass became the one that is hurting instead. This discourages me from riding for a long period of and I wish that I can find a good solution to this. I am on a budget so changing parts is something I want to try to avoid even though I don't mind doing it if it really improves my condition. I don't realize that handle, pedals, and even stem length can have huge impacts on the saddle as well. Thank you for pointing that out. I will try to adjust my handle and pedals first and see if this problem continues.

 

[OGRICHBOI]

Have you tried readjusting your saddle? If you have, try purchasing a pair of compression shorts/pants from an athletic sports store. They do run you quite a bit of money, but this may fix your problem. My picker also felt cold/numb, and when I began wearing compression clothing, the feeling went away.

 

[goldenmaine]

[SIZE=10.5pt]It is my butt that usually hurts after a long distance and not my penis. Maybe you have to adjust not just the seat, but also the position of your penis. If it is not in a position of discomfort then I guess it would hurt and get numb right. You can also seek professional help if this is really a discomfort and is affecting your cycling seriously. [/SIZE]

 

[p4lse]

Occasionally, get up and get down from the seat while riding without getting down. Don't sit idle for more than 5 minutes. Try to not focus on this too much and just enjoy riding like you always do, if you don't get distracted, you'd probably forget this.