Road Cycling - numb dong no good

OK folks I got to ask this question. How do you prevent this and is it dangerous when it happens. Someone I know tilts their seat forward (way too much) and I tell them that is bad because it's putting too much of their weight on their hands and then he complains that it makes his hands numb. But apparently he has his priorities.

I have my seat set level as can be on a properly sized road bike and I get it after I get into ride for a while. I can't imagine it's a good thing.

What's the proper way to prevent this.

Rob

Tilt your saddle down a little and go out for a ride, if every thing stays awake your on the right track, or you may want to try diffrent saddles, the one your using may just not fit your body. The human arse is like every other part of the body, no two are quite the same, you may just need to find a better fit. I have had people come in the shop in great pain due to riding the wrong saddle. When your sitting on the saddle you should feel two contact points. Another thing to try is standing from time to time, or moving around a bit on the saddle.

Yes, I ride a recumbent, but no I wont tell you to get one. The only reason I ride a bent is the view. I never had any real pain or numbness riding standard bikes. (not counting crashes)

Reading the forums, numbness is a pretty common complaint. I don't know if there is a correlation between numbness and dysfunction, but common sense told me, that it can't be a good thing in the long run.
I tried several saddles and tweaking adjustments and finally ended with the right saddle(dragonfly) and a shorter stem. For me, on my bike I think it was the combination of stem and saddle that solved the problem.

Try out some other saddles. The plastic shells come in different shapes and contours.
Some people like the ones with holes for your dangly bits. Some people like very hard saddles, so their sit bones dont sink in to the foam.
I like a Brooks leather saddle which moulds to your own particular shape. I can ride all day without any problem on it.

Try raising the handlebars so you aren't bent over so much. This may require buying a new stem but it's worth every penny if that solves your numbness problem.

Yes, try all of what's been mentioned here, but move around on the saddle more, too. Get out of the saddle every once in a while. You won't stop moving forward if you just stand up occasionally. When you start to feel numbnut, stand up. Try to guage how often it happens to get in a pre-emptive strike and get out of the saddle before it happens. Just changing positions on the saddle helps too. Let's face it, if you're riding for more than an hour, you're probably going to have to deal with numbnut at some point, and changing your saddle and position probably won't completely rid you of the problem.

Good luck. And, if you want to, I'm sure you can do research to find studies that address the issue of cyclists and sexual dysfunction. I think the correlation is pretty low, if it's even measurable. Put your mind at ease. Your engaging in one of the most intense cardiovascular activities around, improving the hydraulic system with every pedal stroke.

First thing, padded cycling shorts. Goes a long way toward helping the problem. Second, find a saddle that fits. When I started spending more time in the saddle, Patty at the LBS sent me a box of saddles to test ride. I tried out six of them before I settled on the Surfac Cosmos, and 4k miles later, no complaints. (On my other Paramount, I ride a Brooks, and it is fine, as well.) And, finally, get into the habit of standing, just for a 1 or 2 seconds, every time you take a drink. Gotta take care of things 'down there'...never know when you'll want to use them again!

First thing- numbness on a bicycle is NOT normal. I can ride for 8+ hours at a time and while tired, I do not have numbness at any point-ever.
Numbness indicates you are sqeezing off blood circulation and nerve endings. This is dangerous because in the long term it can cause serious dysfunction.

I would try these things in this order:
1. keep your seat level and lower the post. Even a bit too low. Ride for a solid hour at least. See what that does for you.
If it feels better but is too low for your legs than---
2. Raise your stem and raise your seatpost (still lower than you originally had it)
3. make sure you handlebar ends are pointing straight back (horizontal) or just slightly down.
If the pain continues, go back to #1 and tilt the saddle. Try again.
Now if that all doesn't work, break out the credit card----
4. Try a shorter stem
5. buy a new saddle--Terry Fly or Dragon fly are highly recommended.

I do not have problems with numbness, either, as a result of good cycling habits and the repeatedly mentioned good bike fit. I have just noticed that many, regardless of what they say they try, always have problems. Maybe it's a lack of willingness to try to change your fit or buy a new saddle every couple of months, I dunno, but it's still a trend i observe.

To add to your advice RacerX, it is vitally important to not make too large of an adjustment to your bike at once. There is a good chance that you'll end up causing more problems than you solve. Don't lower your seat by more than 1cm at a time, and I would suggest not making more than one change at a time, (i.e., lowering both saddle and bars at the same time). If you avoid doing that, you'll know what your problem is without causing more. For me, raising the stem height helped the most.

The primary cause of crotch numbness is the saddle. That's why almost all of my bikes have Brooks saddles on them.
A couple of weeks ago, I had just finished building my fixed-gear, and I slapped an old Vetta saddle on it, then went for a ride. This old saddle had been reasonably comfortable back before I discovered the comfort of a good leather saddle, but after about 40 minutes on this saddle, I was numb! I haven't experienced that in at least 3 years (when I started riding Brooks saddles almost exclusively). I slapped an old B17 narrow saddle on the bike when I got back, and now it's much more comfortable. When the weather gets bad, though, I guess I'll have to put the old Vetta saddle back on it.