Author Topic: Numbness  (Read 8179 times)

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Offline ncGeorge

Numbness
« on: June 08, 2007, 11:04:45 pm »
I am a 50 year old male that has migrated from running to cycling. My rides range from 10 to 40 road miles per day depending on available time. Over the past 25 years I have done some touring and trail riding. For the past 10 weeks I have put away the running shoes and spent more and more time on the bike. About a month ago I purchased a Trek 4300 mountain bike. Recently I have been experiencing numbness in the genital area. A couple of days ago I purchased new bike pants and Serfas gel seat. No improvement, any suggestions?


Offline gregg

Numbness
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2007, 04:11:40 am »
I found that using a seat that is too soft can cause problems as I sink
into it putting too much pressure on the wrong areas. Having a soft
seat with a lot of gell for extended rides just doesn't work for me (and
most other I understand). You actually may need a harder seat, not
softer.

Most bike shops will let you ride a saddle for a while (with a return
policy) if you ask, so you may need to try a few saddles to get one you
like. Don't be afraid to spend a bit of money on one either, you may
(like me) find that the more expensive ones fit you better.

Another thing to do are to fiddle with your seat placement (just one
small adjustment, ride to see how it feels), as I have also found that it
is important to have the seat at exactly the right angle and fore and aft
position (which of course can vary slightly from person to person).
When I get a new bike, I carry a allan wrench with me to make small
adjustments to the seat on rides until I can get it just right, then I keep
it that way forever.

Having a seat that is the right width for the kind of biking you do is
also important, Specialized has an excellent fitting system in this
regard, so just go to your Specialized dealer and get your sit bones
measured.

Finally, I make sure that I stand up a lot to take the pressure off of my
rear. I do this consciously, every few minutes or so, and this also goes
a long way towards preventing numbness.


Offline WesternFlyer

Numbness
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2007, 04:53:30 pm »
After an numbing search of many years and dozens or so of saddles with sore and/or numb results I stumbled into an eclectic bike shop/art gallery/live concert center in NE Portland, http://www.cascadecycling.com/.  Every city needs at least one shop like this.   Most of the bicycle dont have deraileurs and dont even have chains!  The owner lets me try several hornless saddles for two weeks each at no charge or deposit.  They worked OK in a very upright position, but were uncomfortable and perhaps dangerous in a drop position.  He then showed me a radical saddle he had on his personal bicycle.  I laughed out loud after looking at it, but put one on my bike and have never looked back.  It is an IMS Adamo Road, http://www.ismseat.com/.  It is designed as a racing saddle so it is not too cushy, but has sufficient padding.  Most alternative saddles I tried had a noticeable decrease in efficiency, but with the Adamo I notice an increase in my peddling power (at 60 it is very appreciated).

I will write a follow up after I finish a 2 1/2 week tour next month.

My kingdom for a saddle!

Western Flyer


Western Flyer
Western Flyer

We must ride light and swift.  It is a long road ahead.

King Theoden

Offline ncGeorge

Numbness
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2007, 08:05:02 pm »
Thanks for the replies! I did lower my seat a little. I had been riding with my leg fully extended on the down stroke. Someone suggested I should have a slight angle at the knee with my heel on the peddle on the down stroke. The last 2 days of riding have been without numbness!