Oh, my poor, aching ...

[flipper]

testicles, balls, nuts, low-hanging fruit, whatever you want to call em, ever since i starting riding my ebike(s) regularly, they have been in pain, sometimes just throbbing and localized to the right one, other times throbbing all the way up into my belly. yesterday, i had to turn around early and return home. and while the pain is much reduced while off the bike, it is still there. anyone else have this problem? anyone else come up with a solution? should i visit the dr even tho i'm 95% sure the problem is bike related? (i think i know the answer to that last question.)
i'd sure hate to have to give up the plush seat on my Interceptor. Or to have to start wearing compression shorts, which will really take the fun out of just being able to hop on the bike for a quick ride around the neighborhood.
thoughts, anyone?

 

[PowerMe]

Saddle. Bad saddle (for you). Seek another saddle.

 

[stevenast]

Absolutely, don't give up, there's hope for sure. Read the linked post, then do some additional research; saddle noses are injuring people and lots of times they don't even know it for years. The damage they are doing doesn't always cause noticeable pain, although in your case I think it is. Please read this:
http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/noseless-saddle.1705/

...by the way plush seats and padded shorts just make the situation worse by spreading pressure into the sensitive areas. You want the pressure on your sit bones and not up on the sensitive nerves.

This is from the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bike/

You will see that NIOSH recommends noseless bike saddles and they have worked together in conjunction with the National Police Mountain Bike Association, and the Chicago Police Department to produce very positive on-duty testing.

The saddle I use and mention in my post link above is inexpensive and feels odd to many riders (although I love it). There are alternatives that feel more like a regular saddle, but still relieve the pressure, one great source is:

http://www.ismseat.com/

I also saw an article, I will look for a link, about the stigma of admitting this problem is holding back sales of noseless saddles. Don't let that influence you!

 

[stevenast]

i'm 95% sure the problem is bike related?
i'd sure hate to have to give up the plush seat on my Interceptor.

I agree with your assessment and I would say 99.9%, as PowerMe also realized immediately, its the saddle.

That plush seat is actually harming you with its plushness ...also seats with cutaway holes in the middle, but with a nose protruding, are no better, and can be worse, as you will see as you research this topic.

 

[J.R.]

testicles, balls, nuts, low-hanging fruit, whatever you want to call em, ever since i starting riding my ebike(s) regularly, they have been in pain, sometimes just throbbing and localized to the right one, other times throbbing all the way up into my belly. yesterday, i had to turn around early and return home. and while the pain is much reduced while off the bike, it is still there. anyone else have this problem? anyone else come up with a solution? should i visit the dr even tho i'm 95% sure the problem is bike related? (i think i know the answer to that last question.)
i'd sure hate to have to give up the plush seat on my Interceptor. Or to have to start wearing compression shorts, which will really take the fun out of just being able to hop on the bike for a quick ride around the neighborhood.
thoughts, anyone?

http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/saddle-sores.1751/

 

[stevenast]

http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/saddle-sores.1751/

@flipper I will just say that in my opinion, the type of saddle most mentioned in that thread will continue to injure you.

If your pain is in the sit bones, that's actually a good thing. There's definitely a problem with soft saddles - you need one that's firm.

The pain you are describing is made worse by the nose of a saddle, no matter how high-quality the saddle is.

Find your sit bones, if you are sore there, you may get some value from the "saddle sore" thread above. I repeat, that's actually a good place to feel pain, you can toughen up and it will get better.

But if the soreness is where you describe, there's no such thing as "toughening up", only further injury will result. Don't continue to harm yourself using a bicycle saddle with a nose.

Note: it is possible that you could experiment with conventional bicycle seats with a nose and find something that doesn't feel quite as bad, but it would still be subtly damaging sensitive areas.

 

[Paul E.]

You can replace the soft saddle with a firm saddle and a suspension seat post.

 

[stevenast]

The linked article points out that there's a "certain amount of machismo in bicycling" and for that reason many bicyclists resist noseless saddles.

Saw a quote somewhere a week or two ago, a journalist was interviewing someone who said they were "afraid of electric bicycles" (part of the NYC anti-ebike issue). In the article below, a bicyclist is quoted as saying they are afraid of people who are riding on noseless saddles.

http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-he-cycling9apr09-story.html#page=2

 

[flipper]

noseless saddles. never even knew there was such a thing. i will definitely look into them. thanks, all, for the thoughts and advice. btw/ i also have an ejoe and the saddle on it does not cause near the problems of the interceptor.
i have a regular specialized bike. it hasn't been ridden in years, but i can't recall having problems w/ it. maybe i'll see if a swap can be done.
thanks again!
btw / is the one you're talking about, steve? http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-No-Pr...09113&sr=8-1&keywords=Schwinn+noseless+saddle

 

[stevenast]

btw / is the one you're talking about, steve? http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-No-Pr...09113&sr=8-1&keywords=Schwinn+noseless+saddle

Yes, but some of the photos on Amazon seem to be of regular saddles. Look at the pictures of the teal colored bike there... also, here's a photo of it on my bike


So here's the full story, I tried this saddle on my Trek mountain bike and adjusted it, and adjusted it, and it did not feel right... it felt like I was sliding off.

Put it on my e-bike, worked great from the start.

From comments I've read on Amazon, and my own experiences, I think this saddle is difficult to get used to... however, it's been a lifesaver for me.

 

[stevenast]

I also tried the noseless saddles from ISM and they are much easier to get used to. From some angles it seems to have a nose, but it is removed in the areas where it would harm you.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001F...sm+saddle&dpPl=1&dpID=31viWSlBsNL&ref=plSrch#

I recommend you give one of these a try ...you sit further forward on the saddle than on a conventional saddle, but there's none of that slipping-off feeling.

I've read that bike racers under contract with other saddle makers have sneaked these on their bikes in races (not this specific model, it's more for comfort, but they also have competition models).

 

[Mike Smith]

You can replace the soft saddle with a firm saddle and a suspension seat post.

I wish I could comment, but since I am married my wife has my "low hanging fruit" locked up in a box somewhere and only let's me play with them when she's in the mood, lol.

But seriously, I agree with Paul that a firm saddle where you are resting on your sit bones and not your crouch with a suspension seat post will make a huge difference. Just watch some videos of how the suspension seat posts function to see for yourself. The noseless saddles that I tried took a long time to adjust to and just were not that comfortable in the end. It's definitely nice to have the safety of the nose of the saddle there when you need it for leverage, unless you are only doing extremely leisurely riding. All IMHO.

 

[stevenast]

I wish I could comment, but since I am married my wife has my "low hanging fruit" locked up in a box somewhere and only let's me play with them when she's in the mood, lol.

But seriously, I agree with Paul that a firm saddle where you are resting on your sit bones and not your crouch with a suspension seat post will make a huge difference. Just watch some videos of how the suspension seat posts function to see for yourself. The noseless saddles that I tried took a long time to adjust to and just were not that comfortable in the end. It's definitely nice to have the safety of the nose of the saddle there when you need it for leverage, unless you are only doing extremely leisurely riding. All IMHO.

Agreed about the leverage, for the most part. The ISM totally provides that.

However, I haven't experienced any safety issues in handling of my ebike and I ride fairly fast at times: single track, paths, with a totally noseless saddle, but I agree each person will be different.

The suspension seatpost will only absorb shock when you hit something. The kind of damage the OP is describing occurs constantly, even if you're pedaling on something as smooth as glass. The nose of the saddle digs into sensitive nerve areas whenever you're on the saddle, even if you are standing still.

I probably don't want to get too deep into this debate, but anyone who is using a saddle with a nose: Brooks, road-style, cruiser, gel, whatever, is damaging sensitive nerve tissue every time they get on the bike, even if its not to the point of feeling pain.

Folks reading this might want to click on some of the links I posted above, as well as this one, you might be glad did:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28tier.html?referrer=

 

[Mike Smith]

Please don't tell my wife about that monitor that measures "percent of time erect", lol. She'll strap that to me every time we go to the beach, God help me, LOL.

 

[PowerMe]

@Mike Smith