Numbness, men?

[christob]

Hi Guys... wondering what to consider tweaking to prevent a certain male-specific numbness that sometimes seems to develop on my rides over 12-15 miles... saddle pitch? Saddle design/type? Trial-and-error changes? And if there's anything suggesting it is harmful in the long run. (Have a general physical in 11 days, and will ask too.)

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Numbness = pinching of blood vessels or nerves.

If you find that perfect spot on the saddle where all your weight is just concentrated on the sit bones, you can bike for hours on end without any problem.

This video might be useful for you.

Sometimes it is more to do with the bike fit itself.

 

[Nova Haibike]

The first thing you should check is to make sure your saddle is at the correct height. If it is too high, you put more pressure on those parts, and it is the compression of the nerves that causes numbness. After that would be saddle pitch. Normally it should be level. Sometimes it helps it is is nose up a little bit, or sometimes nose down. But only a small amount; it should not be obviously tilted. Your bike has a leather saddle, yes? That takes some time to break in.

 

[christob]

Thanks for sqlab vid!

 

[Manu]

Most seats sold with bicycles do not fit the user because they come with the smaller sizes and each person has a different width.
After the good seats usually take a lot of gel to make them more comfortable
If you pretend to be many hours you must carry a central cannula without material to avoid pressure on the blood arteries that go to the legs.

Also help cycling pants with gel shorts.

Also a seatpost with suspension.

gloves on your hands to prevent them from falling asleep due to the vibration of the handlebar

that in case of fall avoid the burning of the hands


seat altitude = crotch measurement x 0.885 = distance from the bottom bracket axis or pedalier to up

 

[MisterM]

Ravi, that SQLab video makes a lot of sense. Softer doesn't equal more comfortable on rides longer than 30 minutes. The fatter my azz got, the softer the seat I was using, the worse it got and the fewer rides I did.. Didn't realize I've likely been exacerbating the problem by continually seeking softer seats.

 

[slomoshun]

For me, the occasional numbness experiences seemed to be ergonomics related. One my drop bar pedal bike, the forward angle of my torso pushed the perineum against the saddle tongue. The problem stopped when I got an ebike which has higher bars and upright ergonomics. Its Serfas EG-8000E saddle is worth a mention, too, I can do 50+ miles on it with no discomfort at all.