Sensitive: for women only

[jessmcph]

i shave, too, but when i wear bike shorts (not when I wear other kinds of shorts) I get ingrown hairs but not wearing bike shorts i get numb and it does cut my sex drive. i was told recently not to wear anything under the shorts. that seems a little odd and i haven't tried it because i am currently recovering from an injury. any suggestions (am i wearing the wrong types of shorts, etc) oh and i have a selle italia seat with the cut out no gel thanks

 

[cyclinggirl32]

i shave, too, but when i wear bike shorts (not when I wear other kinds of shorts) I get ingrown hairs but not wearing bike shorts i get numb and it does cut my sex drive. i was told recently not to wear anything under the shorts. that seems a little odd and i haven't tried it because i am currently recovering from an injury. any suggestions (am i wearing the wrong types of shorts, etc) oh and i have a selle italia seat with the cut out no gel thanks

You should never wear anything under bike shorts unless for some reason a Doc told you too...at that point, I would probably take time off the bike. Bike shorts have padding designed to breathe, also the seams (on good shorts) will keep sores from forming. Pearl Izumi makes some awesome shorts...they are about $119US.
Luis Garneau makes excellent shorts too. Look for the welded seam (not stitched).

 

[High Gear]

Pardon me, I'm not a girl but feel this is a universal problem with cyclists. I had all sorts of problems with finding the right saddle over the years. One would cause numbness, one would give me saddle sores from pressure points. A new remarkable saddle has graced the cycling world. The Fizik Aliante. This saddle has a carbon shell that gives in the spot that boys and girls need most. I would call it a trampoline effect, it's more rigid/firm on the outer edges but soft and giving in the center. The only down side is that it's one of the most expensive saddles out there. I guess it takes a long time to make them because they are hand made. If it happens not to work you can just e-bay it and recover most of your bux. They are a hot item. The best and cheapest way to buy it is through Performance with using one of their 20% cupons codes usually posted at the link below. Saddles are a very personal thing, ones that work for some, don't for others. But this one looks to work for most. Good Luck girls.
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=48

 

[ausgirl]

Whether you wax or shave there are some products out there to help ingrown hairs. My friend talks about a gel that her waxer sold to her and she can just put on an ingrown hair down there and it gets rid of them almost overnight. I'll see if i can find out the details of the product and post them here - I know she gets waxed at an Ella Bache salon, so it might be an EB product.

 

[countrylass58]

I to have experienced what I see the above responders have gone through and am relieved to see that it could be just the possiblity of changing my bike seat.
I bought a new mountain bike last year and unfortunately due to the discomfort and going days with bladder strain, (trying to be polite here lol) I had to put my bike to the side. I had also wondered if weight was a factor as well as I have put on a bit of poundage and if that could have something to do with it. Of course that is defeating the purpose of losing my excess weight when I am not comfortable enough to ride my bike. So will try the Selle Italia seat and see if that makes improvements for me.
Thanks for the info all...
C

Hey Grits. One other thing: my friend the doc, is about the same age as me and has quite an active intimate life(she is lesbian) and says she has no problems. She does not ride every day, but does ride alot, for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. I am willing to try anything that others have said will work. I am in the same situation as you as my return to cycling has definitely put a damper on the frequency, number and intensity of my O's. Just like you, several days off fixes things down there, but then I feel out of shape. What do we do?

Alex

 

[boobs]

Now, this is a delicate topic, but have any women out there noticed a decreased sensitivity in the area 'down there' after cycling for a couple of years (or less)? Perhaps because maybe the tissue builds up to protect us from pain and isn't as soft and sensitive as it once was. I think it might be more likely to happen with women who do lots of kms (or miles), but please let me know if anything like this has happened.

Hey, my boy friend is a doctor and I asked him about the problem. The only way to avoid that condition is to race only a few miles per day. But if you still want to race so many miles a day and want to get relieved of the condition, here is a possible solution: Bathe in a warm to hot water bath and after that apply some soothing cream on the area. You can also massage yourself gently on the area and can even try to stimulate yourself gently(no offence, just being clinical) to lower the sensation threshold of the area,which has been increased in threshold sensation due to the mechanical shock form cycling.

 

[Conniebiker]

I had kinda that problem myself, but since I am a mechanic and dad is an engineer, I don't put up with much if i can find a way out. I tried the Terry Liberators, dad has the mens one and likes it. I tried it and it was too squishy and wide. Then I tried the Lady Liberator, just didnt sit right. The Liberator Ti-Race, however has been wonderful. I'm on my 3rd one and my bf loves the one on his too. Makes things nice.
There are just some pains that are not worth taking, and I think saddles is one of them. I used to think so when I started and had a Huffy. Ick, the only thing good about Huffy sheet metal seats is they can be bent to shapes.

 

[ausgirl]

Hey, my boy friend is a doctor and I asked him about the problem. The only way to avoid that condition is to race only a few miles per day. But if you still want to race so many miles a day and want to get relieved of the condition, here is a possible solution: Bathe in a warm to hot water bath and after that apply some soothing cream on the area. You can also massage yourself gently on the area and can even try to stimulate yourself gently(no offence, just being clinical) to lower the sensation threshold of the area,which has been increased in threshold sensation due to the mechanical shock form cycling.

Thanks for the advice. I'm really pleased with the feedback we're getting here, because most people wouldn't sit down after the ride at the coffee shop and discuss it. Can you imagine how the guys would react if we did that?

Seriously, what type of cream would you recommend as a 'soothing cream'? Obviously in that area it would have to be something hypoallergenic and with a relatively neutral pH (don't want to go upsetting the body's chemistry). Hmm, I might also look in the chemist/pharmacy and see if I can find anything fitting that description.

 

[Tank7404]

Ok.. I think to post in here.

I need help too. SOmeone mentioned something about sex drive. I had .. key word..HAD.. A abnormally high sex drive. We are talking through the roof..

Now that I have been riding lets say on avg. 50 miles a day for the last two weeks, that sex drive is allmost nill and add to that a case of being icredibly sore, or a lack of sensation.

Now how many other women here have had a decrease of sex drive since riding?

I was reading that everyone is talking about this female trans am seat. I was looking into buying the specialized body geometry seat for women..

Any ladies use that seat as of yet?

I dont have my own bike right now .. I use a spanking new Giant bike at work. I am considering getting my own saddle/post set up, so I can swap out the generic male seat thats on the bike now.

Its just riding so much and my other wise obvious sex drive cut down has created relationship issues with my partner..with comments like.. ohh never mind.. you get the point. I hope I am not alone in this!

Ohh and thanks for the tip and using jergens shaving lotion stuff.. gonna pick some of that up..

I had to ughh.. shave too.. a long time ago when I was riding dirt bikes.. it creates less friction..


Kole

 

[ausgirl]

Ok.. I think to post in here.

I need help too. SOmeone mentioned something about sex drive. I had .. key word..HAD.. A abnormally high sex drive. We are talking through the roof..

Now that I have been riding lets say on avg. 50 miles a day for the last two weeks, that sex drive is allmost nill and add to that a case of being icredibly sore, or a lack of sensation.

Now how many other women here have had a decrease of sex drive since riding?



Kole

This is an interesting one. Your decreased sex drive could be a result of tiredness. I mean, let's face it, the 50 miles a day (or 300-350miles per week!) would be enough to make anyone tired and not in the mood.

It could also be partly psychological. Like, if you have a lack of sensation and are sore in that region, how much are you really going to want sex? Knowing that the sex is likely to be painful or unsatisfying due to these problems.

That said, i've heard a lot of people encounter an increased sex drive with cycling, because of the increase in testosterone production.

Still, the increased sex drive won't be any use if a person is in pain or is desensitised. Maybe it will improve with time.

 

[tjocesq]

excellant topic!!! I had the numbness problem--I switched seats. I need the cutout--I use a sella italia apside (I believe, can't recall the model name). I keep my saddle level which has also helped. Like a lot of posts said--the saddle issue is so personal--it took 3 saddles to find the right one.

since I started to use assos creme and sugoi shorts (those seem to work the best for me) the problem of numbness has decreased. That and the warm bath w/bath oil after a ride.
as far as 'breaking out'--I use eucerin cream after the bath, a woman I ride with uses baby oil (we went riding w/o the boys and were able to have this converstation). some of us just have dry skin--that includes our genitalia--but don't discover this problem until we start to ride more.
sex drive--increased after I started riding--minimal if I ride 75-100miles in a day (too tired).