Numbness wile biking

Options
billsica
billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
The past few times whilst biking and towing my kiddy trailer, I have ad this issue when I start to go numb in the tip of my penis.
Its usually after about the four mile mark. It helps if I stand up, but then its feels like it has pins and needles in it. After that its a struggle to keep the sensation in it by alternating standing up and sitting down.
Does this happen to anyone else? What can I do to stop it, or at least not have the pins and needles feeling. Help!

Replies

  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Options
    You need a better saddle. Something with an anatomic cutout might help a ton.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Options
    Well, I don't have a penis, but do you wear padded bike shorts? And I'd second the saddle recommendation. Go get a nice one at a bike shop. I had my "sit-bones" measured before I got mine. Good ones can be expensive though.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Options
    You can spend $60-200 for a nice saddle. You just have to decide if the old walking stick is worth more than $60.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Options
    Well, I don't have a penis, but do you wear padded bike shorts? And I'd second the saddle recommendation. Go get a nice one at a bike shop. I had my "sit-bones" measured before I got mine. Good ones can be expensive though.

    I don't have bike shorts. I'm just in specialized cross trail.
    2006_specialized_crossroads_xc_comp.jpg
    with this
    0003867508210_300X300.jpg
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    Options
    Female here also. You are pinching nerves in your genital area. Defiinitely get a better saddle. Maybe someday you want to be driving around a sibling, too.:wink:
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Options
    Female here also. You are pinching nerves in your genital area. Defiinitely get a better saddle. Maybe someday you want to be driving around a sibling, too.:wink:
    I second the seat with the anomic cutout ...
  • deftanker
    deftanker Posts: 105 Member
    Options
    OOOH OOH!!! i know this one!!!

    Tilt the seat forward a little. I had the same issue. I felt like I was constantly peeing myself. I told a biking friend of mine and he told me to tilt the seat. It works!
  • Karlsmit
    Karlsmit Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    wow, yeah you need to get a better saddle! I just read an article the other day about how women can get permanent nerve damage from biking with a seat that pinches those nerves, which lead to decreased sexual enjoyment. YIKES! I'm sure it would be the same for guys, be careful! get a big fat squishy saddle if you have to! save your junk!
  • TravisBikes
    TravisBikes Posts: 674 Member
    Options
    New saddle, bike fit, padded shorts..
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Options
    I used to have this happen all the time on my 15 mile commute. It got so bad that I was losing sensation in both the sausage and meatballs, if you catch my drift. Fix it now.

    It's a sign of one of two things - your bike seat is not the right one for you, or has not been adjusted properly for you. You can drop money on new seats, or go to your local bike shop and most of them will help you get it fit properly.

    I played around with adjustment for about 2,000 miles on mine, and found that rotating the front of the seat down and raising the seat helped a lot (but it also meant my legs were taking a lot more weight). Finally I invested in a pair of padded bike shorts. Problem solved! I can now do 60-milers with no "losing touch with the boys".

    I don't like the type of short that has foam sticking out everywhere in the back and my sausage on display in the front, so I got what I consider "stealth" shorts - they have compression underwear with a decent but not terribly thick pad, then a pair of regular-looking shorts goes on over them. You end up looking pretty much like you're wearing regular shorts rather than advertising whether you have been circumcised or not.

    http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/68782?feat=bike shorts-SR0&attrValue_0=Black

    $60+ for a seat, or $60 for a good solid pair bike shorts - I went the bike shorts route.
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
    Options
    happens to me on stationary bikes all the time... hate it...
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Options
    New saddle, bike fit, padded shorts..

    You can get baggy mountain bike shorts if the tight ones make you feel like a gomer.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Options

    I don't have bike shorts. I'm just in specialized cross trail.
    2006_specialized_crossroads_xc_comp.jpg

    I have a Specialized Sirrus with what looks like EXACTLY the same seat. I rotated the seat forward about ten degrees and added the bike shorts I mentioned earlier.

    Bike Shorts. Now. Best money you'll spend on cycling gear this year. I went 2,000+ miles before finally discovering them.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Options
    New saddle, bike fit, padded shorts..

    You can get baggy mountain bike shorts if the tight ones make you feel like a gomer.
    OK..going off topic, but I haven't heard "gomer" in years...thanks for the laugh :laugh:
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Options
    wow, yeah you need to get a better saddle! I just read an article the other day about how women can get permanent nerve damage from biking with a seat that pinches those nerves, which lead to decreased sexual enjoyment. YIKES! I'm sure it would be the same for guys, be careful! get a big fat squishy saddle if you have to! save your junk!

    NO to the squishy saddle! When you sit, it displaces the squishy and even more squishies your junk. Get a saddle thats fits with a cut out. bike saddles are like our bodies : staying away frim squishy is best! :) happy riding :)
    OhAnd the angle is important aswell. And for heavens sake, get some bike shorts :)

    Agreed! I made the mistake of getting the squishist cheapy saddle I could find when I first started riding. It was no good. If you get one that is the right size for your "sit-bones" all your weight will be on those bones, where you want it, and not on your "soft bits" (male or female). Makes a huge difference.
  • aplusgeek
    aplusgeek Posts: 49
    Options
    What is actually happening is the circulation is getting cutoff to that body part, so you need to get a better seat unless you don't plan on using that particular body part much in the future, cause prolonged cut off circulation will eventually damage it. Get a softer seat or padded bike shorts, especially for long rides.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Options
    NO to the squishy saddle! When you sit, it displaces the squishy and even more squishies your junk. Get a saddle thats fits with a cut out. bike saddles are like our bodies : staying away frim squishy is best! :) happy riding :)
    OhAnd the angle is important aswell. And for heavens sake, get some bike shorts :)

    ^^^ Second vote against the squishy saddle. They're FAR worse than a proper-fitting hard one.
  • g0tr00t
    g0tr00t Posts: 192 Member
    Options
    Go to your Local Bike Shop and pay for the measurement and fitting, its worth the money.

Categories