Numbness after a 50 mile ride...

[Arous]

Hi,

I just completed a 50 mile ride in about 3.5 hours (with a couple of pee breaks along the way) on a
bike I've ridden for several years and now I'm experiencing numbness in my penis...no joke
intended...I had no problems out on the ride but when I got home I realized things weren't right...I
've ridden this bike 25 to 40 miles a day before without problems...This is wierd...and I hope
temporary.

I guess i'm kinda' curious as to why this would happen all of a sudden like this...I had no aches or
pains indicating a bike fit problem...?

Cordially, Arous

 

[Alan Acock]

check that your seat is level. Getting a seat with a cutout helps. Brooks B17 is a great saddle. The
numbness probably stems from a constant pressure which probably doesn't cause pain.

Alan Acock "Arous" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:rEJLa.56088$Fy6.16072@sccrnsc03...
> Hi,
>
> I just completed a 50 mile ride in about 3.5 hours (with a couple of pee breaks along the way) on
> a bike I've ridden for several years and now I'm experiencing numbness in my penis...no joke
> intended...I had no problems
out
> on the ride but when I got home I realized things weren't right...I 've ridden this bike 25 to 40
> miles a day before without problems...This is wierd...and I hope temporary.
>
> I guess i'm kinda' curious as to why this would happen all of a sudden
like
> this...I had no aches or pains indicating a bike fit problem...?
>
> Cordially, Arous

 

[David Kerber]

In article <rEJLa.56088$Fy6.16072@sccrnsc03>, [email protected] says...
> Hi,
>
> I just completed a 50 mile ride in about 3.5 hours (with a couple of pee breaks along the way) on
> a bike I've ridden for several years and now I'm experiencing numbness in my penis...no joke
> intended...I had no problems out on the ride but when I got home I realized things weren't
> right...I 've ridden this bike 25 to 40 miles a day before without problems...This is wierd...and
> I hope temporary.

This is the classic "numbness" people mention when they talk about either a poor fit, or a seat
which doesn't fit them. This happened to me routinely on any ride over about 15 mi, until I got a
seat with a cutout in the middle.

...

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

 

[Lindsay Rowland]

Arous <[email protected]> wrote:
: Hi,

: I just completed a 50 mile ride in about 3.5 hours (with a couple of pee breaks along the way) on
: a bike I've ridden for several years and now I'm experiencing numbness in my penis...no joke
: intended...I had no problems out on the ride but when I got home I realized things weren't
: right...I 've ridden this bike 25 to 40 miles a day before without problems...This is wierd...and
: I hope temporary.

: I guess i'm kinda' curious as to why this would happen all of a sudden like this...I had no aches
: or pains indicating a bike fit problem...?

Just make sure you get out of the saddle occasionally, like about every 15 minutes or so.

Cheerz, Lynzz

 

[Bentrider]

Just a thought...

A better fit might (and probably will) help. As would a better fitting seat or a seat with
a cut-out.

However... this is why many people switch to recumbents. It's not why I did, but it is why many
people do.

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

 

[Arous]

Thanks everyone for your opinions! I talked to my doctor today and he pretty much confirmed that I
need a seat with a cutout...Of course the other possibility that has already been offered is to
switch to a 'bent(!)...I kinda' like my ol' style road bike but I must admit if I have problems down
the road I can always look into a recumbent for a change...I enjoy cycling too much to stop
riding...Again, Thanks!

Cordially Arous

"Arous" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:rEJLa.56088$Fy6.16072@sccrnsc03...
> Hi,
>
> I just completed a 50 mile ride in about 3.5 hours (with a couple of pee breaks along the way) on
> a bike I've ridden for several years and now I'm experiencing numbness in my penis...no joke
> intended...I had no problems
out
> on the ride but when I got home I realized things weren't right...I 've ridden this bike 25 to 40
> miles a day before without problems...This is wierd...and I hope temporary.
>
> I guess i'm kinda' curious as to why this would happen all of a sudden
like
> this...I had no aches or pains indicating a bike fit problem...?
>
> Cordially, Arous

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 23:27:18 GMT, "Arous" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I talked to my doctor today and he pretty
> much confirmed that I need a seat with a cutout

Be aware that he may well know nothing. A good quality leather saddle (Selle San Marco Rolls or
Brooks B17) with no cutout works very well for many men. The source of such troubles is almost
always padded saddles.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com Advance
notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of downtime
between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same equipment on
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[B A R R Y B U R]

On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 20:31:05 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 23:27:18 GMT, "Arous" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I talked to my doctor today and he pretty
>> much confirmed that I need a seat with a cutout
>
>Be aware that he may well know nothing. A good quality leather saddle (Selle San Marco Rolls or
>Brooks B17) with no cutout works very well for many men. The source of such troubles is almost
>always padded saddles.

It sure was in my case! I get the best results from saddles with no cutout, that are quite hard, and
only very lightly padded. _Good_ shorts help a lot, too.

Barry

 

[Arous]

Thanks for the advice! Needless to say now that the numbness has gone away and everything is
functioning on me as normal...It was very disconcerting to have that happen...I plan on changing out
the saddles on both my bikes before I ride again...The doctor advised me to let things rest for
awhile and let the nerves and blood vessels heel up...

I'm checking out the web sites on saddles right now...the Brooks B17 has been mentioned to me
several times...And I plan on staying miles away from padded saddles...I agree they're BS and I
don't need this to happen to me again...It wasn't any fun having no feeling for a day or two...!

As for bicycle shorts I wear Pearl Izumi MicroSensors...They're very comfortable!

Cordially, Arous

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 30 Jun 2003 23:27:18 GMT, "Arous" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I talked to my doctor today and he pretty
> > much confirmed that I need a seat with a cutout
>
> Be aware that he may well know nothing. A good quality leather saddle (Selle San Marco Rolls or
> Brooks B17) with no cutout works very well for many men. The source of such troubles is almost
> always padded saddles.
>
> Guy
> ===
> ** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com Advance
> notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of
> downtime between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same
> equipment on the same line in the same exchange and billing it to the new ISP.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 20:36:09 GMT, "Arous" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm checking out the web sites on saddles right now...the Brooks B17 has been mentioned to me
>several times...

It's a good saddle, it works very well for a lot of folks - but of course some people just can't get
on with it. Forget the old wives' tales about how to soften it up and accelerate the breaking-in
period, just use plenty of Proofide and ride your bike.

The Selle San Marco Rolls is more expensive but generally reckoned to be worth the extra by the
Discerning Gentlemen Cyclists who use it.

Or (my personal favourite) you could End Sore **** Misery with New! Improved! Recuumbent I rode
my first recumbent century on Sunday
- to end a 100 mile ride with no soreness from hands, wrists, back, neck, bum... ah, bliss!

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com Advance
notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of downtime
between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same equipment on
the same line in the same exchange and billing it to the new ISP.

 

[Per ElmsäTer]

Arous wrote:
> Thanks for the advice! Needless to say now that the numbness has gone away and everything is
> functioning on me as normal...It was very disconcerting to have that happen...I plan on changing
> out the saddles on both my bikes before I ride again...The doctor advised me to let things rest
> for awhile and let the nerves and blood vessels heel up...
>
> I'm checking out the web sites on saddles right now...the Brooks B17 has been mentioned to me
> several times...And I plan on staying miles away from padded saddles...I agree they're BS and I
> don't need this to happen to me again...It wasn't any fun having no feeling for a day or two...!
>
> As for bicycle shorts I wear Pearl Izumi MicroSensors...They're very comfortable!
>
> Cordially, Arous

Before you go spending money on a new saddle, just try tilting your saddle forward a notch. This is
what I did and I finally managed to get comfortable on my Selle San Marco Era Pro. In the meantime I
had tried a Selle Italia Genuine Gel. This saddle was very nice the first fifty km. Then it seemed
all the Gel started moving to where it shouldn't be and it got steadily worse. The San Marco saddle
is a pretty straight forward no thrills saddle that is absolutely wonderful once I figured out how
to adjust it. I ride app 300 km a week up to 200 km on a ride. Oh yes a pair of expensive bicycle
shorts also helps, not against numbness maybe but against saddle sores.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

 

[Larry Schuldt]

On Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:49:30 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 20:36:09 GMT, "Arous" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>The Selle San Marco Rolls is more expensive but generally reckoned to be worth the extra by the
>Discerning Gentlemen Cyclists who use it.
>

I've been riding the San Marco Rolls for the past 16 years or so and love 'em. That said, I don't
have the budget to experiment with different saddles, so I've never tried the cutout saddles or the
classic Brooks line. I've been comfortable on the saddle so I've stuck with it....

larry
--
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