Commuting - My Crotch hurts... :(

Well, I finally got back into biking yesterday. It was cold when I left...but I was all bundled up. Shorts, jogging pants, tights, layers, gloves, balaclava's etc...everything but helmets.

I don't get it though....my crotch is hurting though.... It didn't hurt when I was regularly cycling....not sure why it's happening now. Should I get a new seat? Any ideas?

How cold was it, and how long had you been off the bike?

You may have to check/adjust your seat position if you're wearing different clothes. I find that pad thickness varies among my different shorts/pants, not to mention the effect of layering. I find that I'm very sensitive to these changes and often have to raise or lower my saddle to compensate. Several years ago I actually spraigned {sic** my groin and experienced pain and numbness. I really worked on seat adjustment and have eliminated the problem.

I get this from time to time for no apparent reason.

Last time i tried all sorts of adjustmenst and couldn't get rid of it. As a last resort I bought a new saddle with the middle cut away and that seems to have cured it.

Need more info. Are you a man or a woman?

slide back on the seat to take pressure away from the soft tissues.

Your sit bones should be taking up more pressure on the seat pads than the soft tissues in the middle.

If you don't already have a seat with a center cut-out ... GET ONE.

and how long had you been off the bike?

This would be my guess also. Just like the rest of your body, you rear has to be conditioned to riding. If you've taken several weeks off, be prepared to break-in your backside all over again. :eek:

... Brad

I had gotten a Brooks B17 recently and after much adjusting, things were great except it still I was sore on the right side of my crotch. Eyeballing the saddle, turns out it was not pointed straight. Voila! It's so comfy now. And by getting new PI shorts to replace the old ones, and I never thought riding a bike could be so cushy!

Check the saddle out carefully, and yes, account for "breaking in" your arse again.

Even if you ride regularly your rear is accustomed to a certain length of time in the saddle. There is generally a point where it will start to hurt. Mine is somewhere around 6 hrs. After winter since my saddle time has decreased, it will drop to around 2 hrs or so. As I increase my mileage my tolerance level will increase.
I am curious to see what happens when I try my first double century next summer.

Well a lot of people, when the get back into cycling have crotch problems. The saddle is not a seat, you're not suppose to put your full weight into it. Try putting more weight on your pedals, and make sure you saddle is high enough. When I got back into cycling I had the same problem. Time, and saddle height adjustment did it for me.

Here's is the Sheldon Brown article on saddles, I recommend you read it, it's quite insightful. (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html)

When you say that your crotch hurts, just exactly what do you mean. Does it sting, ache, is it a dull pressure type of "hurt"? Is it a pinching sensation? Is it at the skin surface, or within the tissue type of pain? What are you trying to say?

By your description, the crotch is an area as big as the saddle. So, where exactly does it hurt? With all the bundling up, it's very possible that you have a couple of wrinkles or seams that are folded over and creating a pinch or a pressure ridge.

More specific info please.

Well, I finally got back into biking yesterday. It was cold when I left...but I was all bundled up. Shorts, jogging pants, tights, layers, gloves, balaclava's etc...everything but helmets.

I don't get it though....my crotch is hurting though.... It didn't hurt when I was regularly cycling....not sure why it's happening now. Should I get a new seat? Any ideas?

don't be a pansy. rub some dirt on it.:eek:;)

I think that it was a combination of not riding that much lately, and having all of those clothing layers spreading the pressure over your entire crotch, instead of your seat bones. That much extra padding could feel about the same as riding on a really wide saddle, and that is known to tear a lot of people up. Fewer layers in the crotch-area until your butt is tougher?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html -- you need one of these saddles. That'll cure you right up =)

Try a vigorous massage.

I don't get it though....my crotch is hurting though.... It didn't hurt when I was regularly cycling....not sure why it's happening now. Any ideas?

Time for a recumbent? :)

Looks like all the good bits of advice and questions have been dealt out.

The OP's issue does have me wondering. How much longer before we see disclaimer stickers on saddles that read "***If pain or discomfort persist, consult with your doctor. Not recommended if ....***

I was just gonna say try penicilin lol jk. yah it happens whenever I take a break from cycling which useually only happens when my bike breaks

wow, thanks for all the responses. I've been away all day. To fill in:

I was stopped cycling for about a month, maybe 6 weeks max. I rode yesterday, with padded shorts, long johns and tights. The area that hurts, I believe is called the perineum. It king of was like an on and off again dull pain very very faint...but i would notice it from time to time during the day (not while riding). The area in question was towards the right side of the body. I've done some reading on this issue and I kind of get scared..i sometimes wonder if I should give up biking...I don't want to go impotent because of cycling. I will try seating further back in the saddle tomorrow. I was at my LBS and they were selling a Specialized AVATAR seat...roughly $100.00 though. I sat on it, but it was very hard, but it did have the cut-away in the middle. My current saddle has a V grouve, not a cuttaway.

Go see a Doc, if you can that is. Sounds close to what I felt when I bruised my perineum thanks to the that tree that jumped out in front of me on the Ho Chi Minh. And whatever you do, don't refer to it as "taint" to the docs.

My doc originally told me to stay off the bike for good. The time limit was changed to three months after telling him that those were fighting words. During the three months I bought a Selle Italia Prolink Trans Am. Have not sat on a seat without the cutout since.

As for the impotence... just be careful, listen to what your body tells you, and listen to the doctors. I've been riding for years... and my avatar is of my soon to be born daughter.

Speaking of Avatar... give the seat a chance. You either break the seat in, or the seat will break you in. This said from someone running the Specialized Ti Toupe on my roadie, and the Specialized Phenom on my fixed.

Time for a recumbent? :)

Yes, that's the obvious solution to the problem.

Um, when you stop the bike do you land flat footed?
Have you changed to a rougher route? Did you change the bike, tires, tire inflation, saddle position?

Robtown,

I did raise the seat level about an inch and no...i do not land flat footed. My toes barely touch. I was at my LBS today, and the guy was showing me two seats with cut-outs...both sepecialized....but i guess that is what they push...they didn't have any other brands

Robtown,

I did raise the seat level about an inch and no...i do not land flat footed. My toes barely touch. I was at my LBS today, and the guy was showing me two seats with cut-outs...both sepecialized....but i guess that is what they push...they didn't have any other brands

Sorry about the flat foot remark :D As a confession, I once landed flat footed at a traffic sensor - I'll never repeat that stunt :eek:

One specialized saddle I had on my MTB for a while worked very well. On my road bikes I've switched to different models of Brooks. The B17 standard has been reliably comfortable once dialed in.

I've also had a saddle slightly off center which was rather painful after a few miles.

wow, thanks for all the responses. I've been away all day. To fill in:

I was stopped cycling for about a month, maybe 6 weeks max. I rode yesterday, with padded shorts, long johns and tights. The area that hurts, I believe is called the perineum. It king of was like an on and off again dull pain very very faint...but i would notice it from time to time during the day (not while riding). The area in question was towards the right side of the body. I've done some reading on this issue and I kind of get scared..i sometimes wonder if I should give up biking...I don't want to go impotent because of cycling. I will try seating further back in the saddle tomorrow. I was at my LBS and they were selling a Specialized AVATAR seat...roughly $100.00 though. I sat on it, but it was very hard, but it did have the cut-away in the middle. My current saddle has a V grouve, not a cuttaway.

Ok, the perineum area. Get a cut out saddle. It sounds like you compressed one of those two nerve sheaths that run down each side of the perineal area. It's like carpal tunnel syndrome.