Numb nuts

Advice please!

When a brush of the lower-front of your top mid-ride seems to reveal strange
ruffle in your shorts, only for it to turn out to be the old meat-and-two
(all quite frighteningly lacking in sensation), it's time to change
something.

I've got the medical basics of the problem (perineal artery, etc..) but am
after some basic riding position advice and seat replacement advice.

I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it (and can't afford a new one
anyway); my saddle height is fine and I know the drill about 10 degree bend
in the leg when at its lowest pedalling position; the angle of the saddle is
not changeable. So, to go *right* back to basics, where does ideally
everything go in the saddle? Where exactly should the "veg" go? On the
saddle or over the edge? Any pics to demonstrate? As long as they stop short
of gay porn. Sitting down has never seemed a problem before, but it can't
harm to check I'm not doing something fundamental wrong.

I gather that a new saddle will help. Any advice as to models before I go
shopping? Am on a tight budget.

The perineal area is still a touch sore - should I be concerned? All is
working, though. ;-)

I've never really thought about this region till now, and wiggling the
muscle down there around is a bit like it must feel when you discover you
can wiggle your ears after years of trying (it's an ambition of mine).

RED

Red came up with the following;:

I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it (and can't afford a new one
anyway); my saddle height is fine and I know the drill about 10 degree
bend in the leg when at its lowest pedalling position; the angle of the
saddle is not changeable.

That might just be the problem then. I find that on a mountain bike I
prefer a slightly raised nose to the saddle and on a roadie I prefer the
saddle flat or a very slight downwards tilt. It might be worth investing in
a seat post / saddle combination that can be altered.

Fore and aft position is also different, on the mtb the saddle's towards the
rear, on the roadie it's centred, on the saddle rails.

So, to go *right* back to basics, where does
ideally everything go in the saddle? Where exactly should the "veg" go?
On the saddle or over the edge? Any pics to demonstrate? As long as they
stop short of gay porn. Sitting down has never seemed a problem before,
but it can't harm to check I'm not doing something fundamental wrong.

Decent padded shorts put all the bits ib the right place. In fact I've
never actually thought about where the bits actually go. I'll have a look
when I'm out later.

I've never really thought about this region till now, and wiggling the
muscle down there around is a bit like it must feel when you discover you
can wiggle your ears after years of trying (it's an ambition of mine).

Wiggling the muscle ... hmmm draw a veil over that one I think.


--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!
http://dogpoopblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/

I had same prob - can be alarming and take a day or so for normality to
return. Rolls San Marco saddle. Corrected it by tilting forward by one
click which made huge difference.
Padded shorts can make this sort of problem worse by generally
constricting the whole undergrowth so I don't always wear them. Also
regularly swapping alternative saddles is good idea - the pressure
points are likely to be different.

wrote:
Padded shorts can make this sort of problem worse by generally
constricting the whole undergrowth so I don't always wear them.


I would second that - although it's my feet that go numb, not my nuts -
when wearing padded shorts.

Hmm... that just sounds weird, no matter how I write it. Ah well...

--
Chris

Chris wrote:
wrote:
Padded shorts can make this sort of problem worse by generally
constricting the whole undergrowth so I don't always wear them.


I would second that - although it's my feet that go numb, not my nuts -
when wearing padded shorts.

Hmm... that just sounds weird, no matter how I write it. Ah well...

Are you sure read the instalation instructions carefullly?

John Kane
Kingston ON

On 06/10/2005 08:05:56 wrote:

I had same prob - can be alarming and take a day or so for normality to
return. Rolls San Marco saddle. Corrected it by tilting forward by one
click which made huge difference. Padded shorts can make this sort of
problem worse by generally constricting the whole undergrowth so I don't
always wear them. Also regularly swapping alternative saddles is good
idea - the pressure points are likely to be different.

The only saddle I ever found comfortable in this area when I rode upwrongs
was a Brooks leather saddle, it was murder breaking it in, but once
broken in it was moulded to my shape, I later fathered two children so it
did not wreck the works either. Although I understand the infertility risk
is mainly down to overheating rather than constriction.

--

Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

http://www.catrike.co.uk

I had a Brooks 'professional' for years and swore by it as painless and
a pleasure to sit on. But when I did LEJOG last year it was OK at first
but became a big pain in the arse and I have since abandoned it in
favour of Rolls San Marco. This too was a pain on a recent 250km. So
now am alternating between them and it seems to work - it gives a rest
to the parts hammered on previous saddle and hammers some new points.
Only for day rides though - you wouldn't want to carry a spare saddle
on a long trip - or would you - it might be worth it?

in message .com,
') wrote:

I had a Brooks 'professional' for years and swore by it as painless
and a pleasure to sit on. But when I did LEJOG last year it was OK at
first but became a big pain in the arse and I have since abandoned it
in favour of Rolls San Marco. This too was a pain on a recent 250km.
So now am alternating between them and it seems to work - it gives a
rest to the parts hammered on previous saddle and hammers some new
points. Only for day rides though - you wouldn't want to carry a spare
saddle on a long trip - or would you - it might be worth it?

The first long trip after I switched from Brooks Professional to Selle
Italia SLR on my fast road bike, I carried the Brooks 'just in case'. I
didn't need it and have not repeated the exercise.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Anagram: I'm soon broke.

The only saddle I ever found comfortable in this area when I rode
upwrongs
was

Just worked out what an"upwrong" is. Ho Ho. Are the others "downrights"?

On Thu, 09 Jun 2005 23:12:09 +0000, Red wrote:

Advice please!

I gather that a new saddle will help. Any advice as to models before I go
shopping? Am on a tight budget.

Not my area of expertise.
Seems to be a few Specialized Body Geometry saddles on bikes in my group.

I have a Body Geometry 2 Sport, at I think 25 quid that's good value.