Attn: Bike Gurus #2

[thestinker]

OK...the gloves helped my prefious complaint about by hands. Now for a little help with "man land" if a know what I mean. I have only rode twice this year so far. Both around an hr and covering around 5 mi each. My "boys" were killing me the next day. My usual atire is shorts and what not and I have a pretty wide cushy seat with a gel cover on it. However, its just your run of the mill department store seat. Does one from a shop, specified for men make a difference or not. Do I just need to suck it up or what. I have ridden before and even all of last year, but never had this kind of problems before.

[rg32]

Almost tore the seat off my old bike...
I just bought a new bike and I finally got used the saddle that came with it.

It’s probably a personal preference and they come in all shapes, cost and sizes.

If nothing else just to see what is a available….. (2 pages)

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_id=5210

[JR]

The one thing available in some seats addressing problems in this area is a cutout in the middle forward of the seat to provide relief specifically for the part that touches the seat there.

Is sounds like your problem is slightly different, though. Were you wearing pants tight enough to keep things from sort of bouncing around?

Fun fact: what we call briefs nowadays were originally called jockey shorts and were made specifically for bicycle riders.

Good Luck!
JR

[thestinker]

My curent saddle doesn't have any hols or dips in it at all, so I might look into one that does. I had on boxers and basketball type shorts, so no there would ahve been plenty of "bounce" as it were, but we were on the street and, I was towing the kids in the bike trailer so there couldn't have been that much oppertunity for things to fly around that much.

[MoldnMaker]

The one thing available in some seats addressing problems in this area is a cutout in the middle forward of the seat to provide relief specifically for the part that touches the seat there.

I got one of those. It is designed to relieve pressure on the prostate. I ride a couple 30-40 km organized rides a year and 5-10 miles a week 7 months out of the year. I am more than satisfied with mine. It is a low buck gel seat with the cutout from Cycle Design. I rode my bike a whole mile and a half before I replaced the original "seat" cough,cough Torture device! It was like straddling a 2X4 sideways My back side hurts thinking about it.

Also like to add, maybe the trailer was part of the problem. The extra strain from pulling could increase the pressure on the family jewels. Then there is sitting position. If you sit too far forward on your seat the narrowest part tends to attempt to divide and conquer your nether regions. A simple seat adjustment (sliding it forward a bit) could help.

Finally if the roads you ride on are rough. A seat post shock absorber can improve your riding comfort level. They can be a bit pricey though. I was lucky enough that my bike had one on it when I bought it. Hope this helps.

Reread your post and thought of one more possible cause. You said you had a seat with a "gel cover on it". My experience with those is aweful. They tend to move around on the seat while you ride and totally defeat the purpose.

[MoldnMaker]

Found these web pages to be a good read regarding "saddle comfort".

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html#gel

http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bicycleseats.html

[drumpriest]

Having spent many 4-5+ hour days in the saddle in my race days, I have gone through more seats for my bike than I can count. There are 2 main sources of pain involved.

1. Sit bone pain - there is no real cure for this, as a proper saddle causes you to bear weight on these bones. Ideally you will split weight evenly between saddle, pedal stroke, and handle bars. This is on a road bike though, and "comfort" bikes cause more weight to be born by the bum. On my second ride of this year (26 miles), the first 2 miles were very pain filled on the sit bones. Over about a dozen rides, this pain mostly goes away.

2. Testicle pain - this means you need a new seat, AND NOW! Or your position on the bike is all wrong. There is an artery that feeds your boys that can be pinched off by a bike saddle, thus the seats with the holes or dimples. I personally use a split rail saddle, there is literally no center to the seat. The reason is that I used to notice that my lower parts would go numb after a couple of hours on the bike. This is a blood flow issue caused by improper seats.

Do yourself a favor, get some good cycling shorts (they now can look like regular shorts, but have cycling insides). Don't wear underwear when you ride with proper shorts, they are designed that way. Get a good set with proper cusions in them with seams that are not exposed. And get a seat that isn't so cushy that you feel like you are floating around on it, that can actually be worse for ya.

Finally, spend at least 5 minutes per hour out of the saddle, this relieves pressure on parts and allows blood to return to those parts.

I hope this helps.

[LarryG]

Bicycle saddles are like shoes: what fits one person perfectly might be sheer torture for someone else. On a cycling forum I semi-frequent, people often ask for a recommendation for a new saddle but such questions are basically unanswerable. It usually takes some trial and error to find a saddle shape that's a good match for one's bone structure. Bike shops know this and will often allow buyers to swap out a few different models until they find one that works.

+1 on avoiding saddles that are too soft, which takes in most of the ones that come on production bikes. I bought a new road bike within the last month, and immediately exchanged the proven and familiar saddle on my existing bike with the overly-soft and differently-shaped one from the new bike. A few days ago I took the older bike (now fitted with the saddle from the new bike) out for a short 15 mile ride, and by the time I got home my butt was aching.

[Rob R]

the thought that your gel seat is causing more problems than it solves is no doubt correct. gel seats with giant cushions on them insure that your boys get no flow. it's a giant bike seat weggie waiting to happen.

so i would toss that, and go to a good bike shop with your rig. have them check your riding position to determine if you are sitting too heavy on your seat, or handlebars (your hands hurting make this even more important) then try out a few different seats and take them around the lot at least.

bike shorts are a MUST!! jean shorts and underwear are for guys with no nuts. . buy a pair of bike shorts and pull your dudes up out of harms way. i wear pearl izumi's ultrasensor shorts, not too bad in the pocketbook--but pretty comfy-- if you go on longer rides assos chamois cream is a godsend.

also remember that the first few hours will bring some discomfort as you start a new riding season. so the best advice is to ride alot.

rob

[onedash]

All this bike talk and the price of gas (2.89 tonight) prompted me to go out and buy a bike. I seen a decent schwin that weighed all of a couple pounds with some super skinny tires for $300. I went to another store and got a diamond back edgewood. I figured it should be more comfortable I HOPE since i plan to ride to work about 4 days a week. 16 miles each way.
I havent rode a bike in along time but since my knee is messed up and I cant run i have been riding the stationary bike and eliptical trainer alot.
I will see about bike shorts after a few trips.
Seems like a decent bike. It doesnt have disk brakes but it stops pretty good. I did try someones bike a couple years ago that they spent over $1k on and it had disk brakes. When I hit them I flew forward and when I let go the bike shot past me. OUCH!!!!

[JR]

I figured it should be more comfortable I HOPE since i plan to ride to work about 4 days a week. 16 miles each way.
I havent rode a bike in along time but since my knee is messed up and I cant run i have been riding the stationary bike and eliptical trainer alot.

Outstanding! That should put a hole in the old gas bill.

I've got funky knees, too, and biking is way better than running in that regard. Having worked out on the stationary bike should be a big help. Be prepared, though, 16 miles is a pretty long commute. It will take over an hour on that bike. But even if you did it a couple of times a week it would help your body and your mind, as well as your wallet.

Good Luck!

JR

[atthelastminute]

More specifically, the problem with saddles that are too soft is that the cushioning compresses fairly quick and you end up sitting on the plastic shell underneath. The best solution to this problem that I have seen is Brooks saddles which are merely a slab of leather stretched between front and rear supports, so you are essentially sitting on a hammock for your butt. They start out fairly firm but conform to your shape after 50-100 miles, some people are uncomfortable during this break in period, but I find I am comfortable on the B.17 right out of the box. These saddles have been made for over 100 years, but due to their weight and bad weather unfriendliness fell out of favor for the products everybody complains about now. Anyone riding a bike made in the last 20 year will probably look at you like you are crazy when you show up with this saddle, but after a couple of hours they will be miserable and you will feel like you are sitting on your sofa.

permaco.com has the best prices I know of, but wallbike.com has a 6 month no questions asked return/exchange policy if you aren't happy.

[onedash]

Well it took an hour and 10 minutes. First time I ever took that route though since I usually drive on the interstate.
Plus I had to pack my uniform. Should knock the time down pretty quick. And get the legs in better shape before the summer heat.