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.

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.

in message , Red
') wrote:

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 basic question is 'how soft is your saddle?' If it's at all soft,
your sit bones (ischeal tuberosities) will sink into it, transferring
weight onto soft tissue, and that's what does the damage.

So:

* You /don't/ need a gel saddle (indeed, that's probably what's doing
you in)
* You /don't/ need a saddle with a hole in (unless of the female gender)
* You /don't/ need a saddle with a groove down the middle

You need a plain, hard, saddle that's the right width across the skirt
for /your/ sit bones. I use two different saddles on my bikes: the
Brooks Professional, an old favourite because I find it extremely
comfortable:

URL:http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/race.shtml

and the Selle Italia SLR (the plain SLR, not the 'XP' or the 'GelFlow',
both of which completely defeat the purpose) which isn't quite as
comfortable as the Brooks but is adequately comfortable and much
lighter:

URL:http://www.parker-international.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/1323/

What these two have in common is that they're both pretty flat and both
pretty hard. And that (IMO) is what makes them comfortable.

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

Hobbit ringleader gives Sauron One in the Eye.

Simon Brooke wrote:

: * You /don't/ need a saddle with a hole in (unless of the female gender)

I'm going to disagree here...

: and the Selle Italia SLR (the plain SLR, not the 'XP' or the 'GelFlow',
: both of which completely defeat the purpose) which isn't quite as
: comfortable as the Brooks but is adequately comfortable and much
: lighter:

I find the SLR an instrument of torture.

What works for me is a saddle with a gentle curve to it, like a Flite. The newer
ones with a hole in the middle are even better. I was very sceptical, but I do
find them more comfortable.

Arthur


--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

Red wrote:
: 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

Why not? Get a new saddle or seatpost immeadiately. This is the single most
critical adjustment!

Others have commented on why big padded saddles are a bad idea. I'll just also
suggest that after you've got a saddle you can adjust that you consider raising
the handlebars.

How much below the top of the saddle are your bars?

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

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

"Red" wrote in message
...


Advice please!

snippage

I ride a fairly basic racing bike and like it

the angle of the saddle is not changeable.

RED


Could you clarify this please ?

On every design of saddle and seatpost I've ever come across, even
the "old fashioned" bog standard saddle clip there's always some
provision for altering the angle of the saddle. This is a fairly
basic requirement for any saddle I'd have thought.

Any thoughts about changing the saddle would appear to be jumping
the gun, until this question is resolved first.

Given that it presumably can't be the design of the existing saddle -
the actual rails - which prevents you from altering the angle at
present.


michael adams

....

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).

The saddle that came with my bike tended to put pressure on the perineum
when using the drops unless I tilted the saddle forwards. Unfortunately
then it was tilted too far forwards for riding on the flat of the bar.

Getting one with a hole in the middle took the pressure off the perineum
and it's now fairly comfy even on long rides (for it to be perfect I just
need one a tad wider). The popularity of Brookes saddles do seem to prove
that holes arent necessary even on drop bar bikes tho.

Do take the chance to measure your sitbones so you get a saddle that'll be
guaranteed to be comfy. I think it's Specialized who give dealers a little
gel cushion with a chart on to ensure a good fit. It's probably well worth
your time ringing round local bike shops until you find one that has 'em.

Oh, and an adjustable tilty wossname on the seatpost'll be a great idea.