Biking and guy parts

[Kouak]

I love riding my bike. I have never had a fantastic seat. It always starts to become a pain in the rear (pun intended) about 10 miles into the ride. On long rides, I'll sometimes get tingling in my testicles--not a good tingling but more of a foot going to sleep tingling.

I usually stand up on the pedals to give the area a rest. It seems to get the blood flowing again.

I just came back from the Doctor because my vas deferens had a dull ache. He said I had a normal exam and collected my $$. :rolleyes:

A day later, it dawned on me that this could be the result of a long bike ride I had done the previous weekend. I did notice some pulling on my vas deferens on my next bike ride. I did more of the standing up than normal and don't ache now.

Has anyone had similar issues? How have you solved the problem?

[RalphVa]

On Oprah today, she had Dr. Oz. He told about the problem with bicycle seats. He pointed out that there is a major artery that goes between the anus area and the penis. Sitting on normal bicycle seat shuts off flow to the penis, and it becomes numb.

He showed a special seat that has a dip in the area where the body structure between the anus and penis would normally sit. It ensures blood flow.

I've seen other bicycle seats that are a pair of "butt cheek" pads. This would accomplish the same purpose and would likely be the most comfortable.

[Naturist Mark]

Sell your upright bike and buy a recumbent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle). Safer, faster, more aerodynamic, and comfortable as a lounge chair.

Back in the 1930s recumbent bicycles were banned from sanctioned racing competitions because they were winning everything in sight. They were 'rediscovered' in the 70s and have been making a very slow comeback ever since.

Recumbent Faq (http://www.recumbents.com/home.asp?URL=faq.asp)

[BinCo]

Go to the specialty bike shop and tell them about it. They can get you the proper seat or a seat overwrap.

[MoonShadow]

Hey, Mark, when I open your link to the recumbent bike I get the bacon bra! LOL

I have never understood why male bikes were built the way they are with the high bar. I understand female bikes as they were built when women wore only dresses but why on earth did they design the bike for the guys with the high bar. I think the mixed framed bikes are the best. I think it is what Mark is calling the recumbent.

[Naturist Mark]

Hey, Mark, when I open your link to the recumbent bike I get the bacon bra! LOL
LOL - fixed the link - but you know ... the bacon bra is much safer than those upright bicycles!
I have never understood why male bikes were built the way they are with the high bar. I understand female bikes as they were built when women wore only dresses but why on earth did they design the bike for the guys with the high bar. I think the mixed framed bikes are the best. I think it is what Mark is calling the recumbent.

Not exactly. In a recumbent you sit in the "recumbent" position - like in a Lazy Boy chair. No skinny penis punisher supporting your weight between your legs - you sit on your butt like God intended.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Hpv-race.jpg
http://www.bentrideronline.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/front-view.jpghttp://www.bentrideronline.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/singing-in-the-rain-300x225.jpg (http://www.bentrideronline.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/singing-in-the-rain.jpg)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/2493348851_937698f658.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/2493348851_937698f658_b.jpg)

[Sigmund]

I have a recumbent trike like the ones in the last picture and it certainly solves the pressure in the groin problem. It is not a panacea, however, as "recumbutt" results from long times spent sitting with a lot of pressure on the sit bones. The problem seems to be the inability to change positions as much as it is the exact position you are in.

As far as a regular bike goes, invest in a good seat. If you ride long distances or long times a seat with less padding (but anatomically correct padding) may actually be more comfortable than a cushy looking one. You might also try a padded liner under your shorts or mountain biking shorts for long rides. That gives you the advantage of the padding that the spandex racing shorts have without making you look like a Lance Armstrong wanna be.

[narod]

I had the same thing until I went to my bike dealer and told them about the concern. I'm on one of my racing road bikes, at least three hour per day. I got male specific seats for both of my road bikes as well as my mountain bike. I had always worn padded spandex bike shorts. With the male designed racing seats, I can actually ride bike for a couple hours, wearing just plain "BIKE" Compression shorts. I get no discomfort with the proper seats. The Compression shorts are cooler , and let the air flow throuh the fabric, even better than the regular bike shorts. With a proper dealer, they will be rather up front, and ask some rather personal questions, when fitting the seat. My dealer is the main dealer that suppiles equipment to the local college cycling team. So, they know what they are doing. If its' fit correctly, the seat will solve the problem.

[Redtan]

I'm anxious to try out a recumbent bike one of these days.

If you don't go that route you should definitely follow up on getting a proper 'split' seat and decent biking shorts with padding. I got a good seat quite a while ago but found that I wasn't using it correctly because I tended to sit too far forward on the seat resulting in the narrow forward part of the seat pressing right on the perineum area (the root of your penis). Make sure your bike fits you properly and that you are properly sitting on the wide part of the seat. Of course, where you sit is difficult to focus for more than a few minutes at a time so you will have to remind yourself to check every mile or so.

[RalphVa]

I wonder if biking shorts aren't responsible for testicular cancer. The testes are outside of the body to be cooled down. Put them in the pressure cooker of bike shorts, and that cannot be good for them.

Lance Armstrong had testicular cancer. Wonder how many other bikers have had it.

[WriteNaked]

Leave it to Naturist Mark to advocate for a recumbant bike!

I've been thinking for a long time I need to take mine along with to the Nudist place I'm a member of and try it out up there. I tell you, just from the point of view of the seat it's a lot more naturist-friendly than the old racing style bikes!

WN

[mark_dee]

Recumbents are nice! No middle area discomfort. If you definitely want to ride a conventional/upright bicycle.....Trying a Brooks saddle may be helpful. You sit on your sitbones instead of straight on the plumbing. It takes a lil' pressure off but it may take time to get used to. People usually have sore sitbones after switching to Brooks but it usually goes away and they sell all their other saddles. Wallingford Bicycle used to have a deal where you can try the saddle and return it for a refund if you don't like it. The website is >> dubya dubya dubya dot wallbike dot com <<

Recumbent is still more gentle on the man-parts though.

[steve-o]

Kouak, I'm a cyclist also. I ride an average of 70-120 miles per week. If I experience any pain in that area I adust my seat and keep adjusting until it feels right (after testing for 20+ miles).

If you consistently have pain in that area when you ride you either have the wrong saddle or it is not fitting correctly on the bike - height and angle.

It does sound like you need a new saddle (spend around $100-$150 for a good new one) and go to a pro bike shop and have them fit you for it on the bike. I use one that has a cut-out in the center. You can find really good (normally expensive) saddles on Craiglist for a cheap price.

I hope that helps.

RalphkVa - tight bike shorts do not keep our testes hot -- well, no hotter than any other athletes in other sports; probably much less so. Good quality bike shorts are verrry thin (and ahem, almost see-thru when they're wet from perspiration) so they breath airy well!

[Naturist Mark]

RalphkVa - tight bike shorts do not keep our testes hot -- well, no hotter than any other athletes in other sports; probably much less so. Good quality bike shorts are verrry thin (and ahem, almost see-thru when they're wet from perspiration) so they breath airy well!

Bike shorts are also very tight, especially in the crotch where the chamois padding is. Between being squeezed by the shorts and the bike seat being in exactly the wrong place, the "boys" are often bruised and abused. Even in the best of circumstances and perfect fitting, it is not a comfortable environment.

On a recumbent you can lay back, wear loose shorts (or no shorts), and let'm hang loose and free.

But its your call.

[narod]

Recumbent Bikes may solve the seat problem, for those who experience that problem. However, in areas with heavy traffic, or on country roads where there is not a paved berm for the cyclist to ride on, it has become a real safety problem for the cyclists. You are so low to the ground that motorists have trouble seeing the cyclist. Also, most recumbents are wider than a regular style bike, and thus are out in the traffic farther. There are complaints about those bikes in the Editorials all the time. In our area, we arent' fortunate enough to have the paved cycling lanes that you see in Europe. We do have Rails to Trails and paved bike paths, but you have to load the bike on your car and drive to all those places. Recunbents are great in those situations. Riding out in the open country is much better than running into horses on the Rails to Trails, and dogs running free on the bike paths. With a proper fitting seat, and bike frame, and the proper padded shorts, I'd much rather be sitting up on a regular bike, and be seen by the motorists. However, we still have cyclists hit on regular bikes. Too many people talking on cell phones, and texting, and not paying attention to their drivig. I was the victim of a hit and run two years ago. A witness said that I was on the far edge of the road where I was supposed to be, and was clipped by the mirror of a full sized pickup truck. Ended up in the trauma center of the hospital with a brain
bleed. So, even a regular bike doesn't insure a safe ride on the roads.

[Naturist Mark]

Recumbents are much safer in traffic - mostly due to their still unusual appearance, motorists tend to pay attention rather than dismiss them from their minds like they do regular bicyclists. Still many recumbent riders do use a flag for extra visibility.

Recumbents are not wider than upright bikes. The widest part of any bike is the handlebars. Motorists tend to ignore the handlebars and get too close with often disastrous results. The wide seat of the recumbent is never wider than the handlebars of an upright bike.

Except for a few high seat recumbents the rider does sit much lower in most recumbents, which can be uncomfortable for the rider in traffic because of not being able to see from a higher viewpoint. The bike is still more likely to be noticed by motorists than a regular upright.