Need advice on riding style

[diabloz]

Ok guys, this is going to sound funny but here it goes...

I just got this brand spanking new mountain bike but I realize that there is one issue at hand.... The seat is way too narrow and stiff.

After that I've hoped on the net to do some research on bike seats and to my total astonishment I found numerous articles that directly link bikes with impotence. In light of my recent encouter with bike seats, the proposals put forth in these researches were not too far fetched.

I have now decided that the only way I will ride my bike is by pedaling standing straight, and resting on the pedal when my feet give out.... I know that 99% of you will tell me I'm crazy and all that, but do you guys feel that biking without using the seat is viable for longer distances? The NYC bike tour is coming and I'll see if I can pop 40 miles using this ridiculous style of riding. I know I'll get denounced but I'll do it. Impotence free bike riding at its best.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

To answer your question, no, you will not find anyone here that believes biking without using the saddle is a viable option. Of course, you may ride whichever way makes you happy: standing, backwards, sideways, or even upside-down.

I recommend doing a bit more in-depth research on the subject of biking and impotence.

 

[diabloz]

To answer your question, no, you will not find anyone here that believes biking without using the saddle is a viable option. Of course, you may ride whichever way makes you happy: standing, backwards, sideways, or even upside-down.

I recommend doing a bit more in-depth research on the subject of biking and impotence.

The real problem seems to be that there is no argument about the link between bike seats and impotence. The very editor of some popular cycling magazie attested to the fact that he became fully and irreversibly impotent as a results of cycling. I was aware of the issue before I got a bike but I didn't know that things are this severe... A famous quote that floats around about this subject goes something like this... There are two types of cyclists: The ones that are impotent and the ones that will soon become so. It's not like thre is just one or two articles abotu this, it seems to be a very well documented issue.

Anyways, I'm going to remove my saddle for now and that's the end of that for me. You guys do as you please but impotence is a high price to pay for sitting while riding.

 

[triguy98]

Wear bike shorts and find a properly fitting saddle. I can go for 5 hour rides and still make my girlfriend happy in the evening.

 

[HowardSteele]

I also pondered this startling information when i first started ridding 5 years ago,
And since then ive had sore legs ,backache,numb hands and numb butt from longer rides but thankfully never numb nutts ,or failed at athe given oportunity.

 

[HowardSteele]

I also pondered this startling information when i first started ridding 5 years ago,

And since then I’ve had sore legs, backache, numb hands and numb butt from longer rides but thankfully never numb nuts, or failed at the given opportunity.

Not saying the problem doesn’t bother some people but so far no one I know has experienced a problem.

 

[FivetenFrank]

The real problem seems to be that there is no argument about the link between bike seats and impotence. The very editor of some popular cycling magazie attested to the fact that he became fully and irreversibly impotent as a results of cycling. I was aware of the issue before I got a bike but I didn't know that things are this severe... A famous quote that floats around about this subject goes something like this... There are two types of cyclists: The ones that are impotent and the ones that will soon become so. It's not like thre is just one or two articles abotu this, it seems to be a very well documented issue.

Anyways, I'm going to remove my saddle for now and that's the end of that for me. You guys do as you please but impotence is a high price to pay for sitting while riding.

You're an uneducated idiot, pardon my french. There are thousands upon thousands of riders, both mountain biking and road, that have been turning the cranks for years without any problems, me included.

There was a time that I suffered from numbness, but a professional bike fitting and a lot of research cured that. If you're that scared, maybe you should take up running or knitting.

Impotence is caused by an improperly sized bike. You can certainly ride around without a saddle and look like a complete fool in the process, and certainly suffer all of the soreness and back pain associated with trying to hold your own body weight over the bike for mile after mile...

or...

...you can go out and get a properly fitting bike, and pay for a fitting, and sit down and actually enjoy yourself during a ride.

BTW do you believe the Earth is still flat? Oh, and I have some land I can sell you in Nevada very cheap. It just glows in the dark at night.

 

[diabloz]

I see that I instigated a lot of hate with my comments.

I have decided on the E3 saddle for now which seems to be the best compromise. However, I still like the feeling of riding standing. I did a 15 mile practice run and my back is not hurting at all.

As for denying the fact that ciclying is directly related to impotence, that is just plain ignorance in the face of hard research.

 

[FivetenFrank]

I see that I instigated a lot of hate with my comments.

I have decided on the E3 saddle for now which seems to be the best compromise. However, I still like the feeling of riding standing. I did a 15 mile practice run and my back is not hurting at all.

As for denying the fact that ciclying is directly related to impotence, that is just plain ignorance in the face of hard research.

Look, I am not disputing the hard research. What I was trying to say was that its not a hard and set rule that EVERY cyclist will suffer from impotence, and that before you go blindly riding off into the sunset without a saddle, there's plenty of rescources available at your disposal to find some less stringent solutions.

What pace did you ride at for miles? Try it at race pace and see how you feel. Go do a century standing up and see how you feel.

I know that in this area, there are some urologists that deal specifically with cycling related injuries and perhaps you should look to see if any are in your area. Schedule a consultation with one and see what he/ she could offer you in saddle choices.

I bought a $130 dollar saddle after my fitting. For years, I had suffered with numb nuts (pardon the expression) while on my road bike and since the fitting and the new saddle, I have had ZERO problems. To back it up, I had done a ton of research on this forum and other forums regarding various saddles.

It just seems to me that removing your saddle is the LAST RESORT option. Theres plenty of options you can explore before you get to that point.

To further my advice, go take a bike ride at a really popular spot and take a poll in your head as to how many other cyclists are riding without a saddle. In 10+ years of riding I cant say that I have ever seen a serious cyclist ride without a saddle. There's absolutely no good reason why one would have to do such, unless they have explored every available option

 

[diabloz]

Let me say one thing about the numbness you feel. Firstly, by the time you feel numb, things are pretty serious. It means that the arteries and veins are compressed to the point where even minimal bloodflow that allows tissue to function minimally (eg feel pain) is unavailable. What this implies is that you are pressuring those veins pretty much flat. This is pretty much like the way your arm goes numb when you have your girlfriend sleeping over it the whole night except that it happens in the most sensitive part of your body.

Sure, once you get off the blood will start flowing again and you'll regain feeling but the problem is not solved. The optimal shape of your arteries is round like a straw. You compress the straw once, it will rebound to its initial roundess. You do this repeatedly and you'll flatten it more and more with time. Now this is a problem because your organ doesn't just need "normal" blood flow to achieve an erection.... it needs extreme blood flow. The fact that you might not feel any numbness while you ride might not mean that you've stopped the compression of the arteries totally. You've probably reduced the compression severity but did not eliminate it.

I have to admit that removing the saddle is indeed an idiotic approach. Secondly I must clarify that I am not interested in racing and I am doing this more for enjoyment. I am aiming to ride mostly trails and this whole bike tour is just a deviation from my normal riding patterns.

Obviously I cannot do a race pace standing up the whole time, that would be ridiculous. But I can easily alternate to in-saddle, out-of-saddle style every 20 seconds or so without any dammage to my back. Again, if your back hurts, then just get those muscles to toughen up and that's the end of the story.

The philosophy of a healthy saddle is not hard to comprehend. Esentially the less pressure you have in between your legs, the better off you are. This means that most of the weight has to be supported by your sit bones. However after having probed many saddles at my local bike store it seems to me that the majority of the saddles are still too narrow adopting style over function.

Now I've done some research for the past couple of days and it seems that the E3 saddle might be an ok choice. I'm not endorsing it but I'll give it a fair shot.

And don't tell me to toughen up and take it. I don't have to take stupid side effects because of stupid saddle designs. The only reason this issue bothers me it's because such an innocent looking activity can have such perverse side-effects and most of the cycling community is turning a blind eye.