Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - It hurts when I pee!

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.




View Full Version : It hurts when I pee!


PedallingATX
06-14-09, 10:29 PM
Anyone else have a painful experience w/ a Brooks B17??

I really wanted to like this saddle, but it is killing my nether-regions. I think I am going to switch back to a Selle Italia SLK gel flow on the FG. I use bullhorns on my FG, so I am in a pretty hunched over position and the b17 just gives to much perineal pressure. I might try it on my road bike to see if it's more comfy there.

Just thought I would throw this out there b/c i know a lot of FG riders are interested in this saddle. Try it before you buy it b/c I found it to be really painful while riding in an agressive position.


jet sanchEz
06-14-09, 10:43 PM
Rode mine for a few months and sold it. Yeah, just didn't work for me but I am not a very patient person...

Johnny Nemo
06-14-09, 10:54 PM
There's a reason why those things don't come as standard on track bikes.!

The last time I was in as much pain from something leather, involved stillettos, chains and a 'safe word' !


SpaceFace
06-14-09, 11:01 PM
There's a reason why those things don't come as standard on track bikes.!

The last time I was in as much pain from something leather, involved stillettos, chains and a 'safe word' !

LOL!!! Yeah, not really for a fixed gear, though everyone and their crazy grandmother buys one for the fixie!? I have a b-17 on my Nishiki Riviera GT, for the 50 mile rides, and it is super comfortable. I would suggest moving it to your touring bike.

Also, hunched over on bullhorns?

Cyclaholic
06-14-09, 11:01 PM
After my brooks broke my taint in I was fine.

JJPistols
06-14-09, 11:05 PM
How far a drop from saddle to bars?

chadbrochill17
06-14-09, 11:07 PM
click (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonorrhea)

skijor
06-14-09, 11:09 PM
Anyone else have a painful experience w/ a Brooks B17??

I really wanted to like this saddle, but it is killing my nether-regions. I think I am going to switch back to a Selle Italia SLK gel flow on the FG. I use bullhorns on my FG, so I am in a pretty hunched over position and the b17 just gives too much perineal pressure. I might try it on my road bike to see if it's more comfy there.

Just thought I would throw this out there b/c i know a lot of FG riders are interested in this saddle. Try it before you buy it b/c I found it to be really painful while riding in an aggressive position.

If you still want leather, go with Selle An-Atomica. My Brooks Swift and B17CS are gathering dust for reasons similar to yours, minus the pee pain.

dudezor
06-15-09, 02:34 AM
Pics or it didn't happen.

cradduck
06-15-09, 04:04 AM
After my brooks broke my taint in I was fine.

LOL! Holy crap that was funny. I think I might end up with a new sig.

znomit
06-15-09, 04:28 AM
The tilt on the brooks needs to be dialed in.
Most people say point it up a little, mine is slightly down.

Good for 10+ hrs in the saddle.

UCP
06-15-09, 05:10 AM
I'm on a $35 Charge spoon and I can pee just fine??? Hell, I did a metric yesterday.

BigDaddyPete
06-15-09, 05:51 AM
Pretty sure there's something you can take for that.

godugr8
06-15-09, 06:05 AM
i sometimes pee out my butt

the_don
06-15-09, 06:09 AM
thank you for that golden nugget of info

eogie
06-15-09, 07:00 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_DxT2UOyo

1fluffhead
06-15-09, 07:10 AM
Sounds like a swift would probably be better brooks saddle for you if you set your handlebars somewhat lower than your saddle. B17 is for better for you if you set you saddle at handlebar height or or only a little lower.

Also playing with the nose tilt for the saddle may help too. I have a swift and ride it with the nose pointed slightly up and have no problems once I dialed it in.

Thetank
06-15-09, 07:21 AM
I do think the B17 is hit/miss especially with people in the sub 200 lbs range. My buddy rode his for a month before he gave up and sold it to me, this is my 2nd B17 and I find it more comfy than my leather recliner. Dialing it in is what will help with any pain issues because this thing is so wide and comfy it has to be an installing issue, and my saddle to drop angle is far beyond what people think the brooks is set up for.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/djxdkinya/bikes/IMG_0094-1.jpg

PedallingATX
06-15-09, 08:17 AM
I'll get some pics up when I get home from work today.

My saddle to bar drop isn't more than 2.5 or 3 inches, but I am positioned prettty far forward. I have a reasonably long stem (110mm I think) and Profile Design Air Wing bars, so I am usually hunched forward pretty far.

It sucks b/c the Brooks is the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden on as far as my sit bones are concerned, but the perineal pressure is just killing me. The inch or 2 of steel at the tip of the saddle is what's killing me, I think. And I'm pretty sure this isn't a fit issue b/c the bike felt fine w/ my SLK saddle.

I donno, I'll post some pics later and y'all can tell me if you think there's another problem, but I'm starting to think that there IS a reason people don't put B17s on track bikes.

Maybe it will be more comfy on my roadie where I am not as hunched over

devilshaircut
06-15-09, 08:42 AM
Gonorrhea.

Seriously though, how long are you on your bike in a single ride? I find that my saddles cause little to no pain, but at about the 40 mile mark it gets really, really painful (really suddenly). The effect is more pronounced on my aluminum bike also (although the steel bike also has the more comfortable Brooks on it). In that case, the answer is to wear chamois or ride a more comfortable bike.

If you're experiencing pain from short rides, I am not sure what the problem is though. I have the same setup you are riding and I haven't noticed any pain from short rides.

LoRoK
06-15-09, 08:49 AM
I loved my B-17 team pro from day one. I was riding on a Storika before that, though, so you know… Anyway, I have more saddle to bar drop than the picture above and never had any pain problems. The team pro is much thicker/harder leather than the regular B-17 so I didn't sag in the middle which is what helped. I would, however, get a little numb on rides over 40 miles, but no pain. Because of the numbness I switched to a Swift. While I was breaking that saddle in I was making a lot of adjustments to get it just right. At one point I was feeling that I was getting too much pressure on my perineal from the front of the saddle, like you say. What I did for that was move the saddle forward on the rails just a touch, and raise the nose a little. I know that sounds backwards, but that put more of me on my sit bones and the back of the saddle, and less of me on the nose of the saddle. If you haven't given up totally on it yet, try that.

PedallingATX
06-15-09, 09:02 AM
Gonorrhea.

Seriously though, how long are you on your bike in a single ride? I find that my saddles cause little to no pain, but at about the 40 mile mark it gets really, really painful (really suddenly). The effect is more pronounced on my aluminum bike also (although the steel bike also has the more comfortable Brooks on it). In that case, the answer is to wear chamois or ride a more comfortable bike.

If you're experiencing pain from short rides, I am not sure what the problem is though. I have the same setup you are riding and I haven't noticed any pain from short rides.

My average ride is about 5-10 miles. In the past 3 days, though, I rode about 75 miles, and last night is when I noticed the pain. My balls were sore/numb as well, so I know it's not an STD :)

Lorok- I'll give that a try. It actually does kinda make sense. I am used to tilting my saddle downwards a bit on my road bike, but I will try tilting the brooks up just a notch and move it forward a little bit. I don't WANT to give up on it totally. It came w/ the used bike I bought, and I re-tensioned it and proofided it after I bought it.

adriano
06-15-09, 09:51 AM
brookss are very angle sensitive so play around.

Tex_Arcana
06-15-09, 10:02 AM
I rode a century on my B17 Imperial with no problems. Maybe you just need to cut a hole in the top of your saddle and lace up the bottom.

devilshaircut
06-15-09, 10:07 AM
If you are riding more lately than you normally do, I would guess it is probably that. Were you going over particularly rough roads (i.e. ones that would cause constant vibration)? If you aren't used to riding 75 miles in a short period of time (and particularly if your saddle isn't fully broken in), you might experience some pain. I can tell you that when I end up riding more than I plan to (and thus don't go into it properly prepared), I do experience numbness to my man parts.

Generally, you can do things to prevent pain and numbness down there but sometimes you end up biking more than you plan to and them's the breaks. It's happened to me many times.

jpdesjar
06-15-09, 10:22 AM
the nose on my brooks b17 is ever so slightly tipped up...mine was comfortable on day one

Thetank
06-15-09, 10:37 AM
The issue with leveling the brooks is that because the nose seems like is the flatter part of the saddle most people will level it based on that part. for me its the rear section where my sit bones are supported that is more important and when I level that part of the saddle the nose does seem to look slightly pointed upwards. Fiddle with it don't give up on it yet because one other thing you have to take into consideration is that the B17 has way shorter rails than most other saddles so your position may be different from your previous saddle only slightly but its enough to cause discomfort.

Tigerprawn
06-15-09, 10:43 AM
Anyone else have a painful experience w/ a Brooks B17??

I really wanted to like this saddle, but it is killing my nether-regions. I think I am going to switch back to a Selle Italia SLK gel flow on the FG. I use bullhorns on my FG, so I am in a pretty hunched over position and the b17 just gives to much perineal pressure. I might try it on my road bike to see if it's more comfy there.

Just thought I would throw this out there b/c i know a lot of FG riders are interested in this saddle. Try it before you buy it b/c I found it to be really painful while riding in an agressive position.

I had a B17 on my conversion with bull horns. Loved it. I think my longest ride was ~60 miles or so.

Brooks, just like all other saddles, is going to be hit or miss. I love my B17 and my Team Pro. Comfortable right out of the box and just kept getting better. However, a friend of mine absolutely detests the brooks design and can't stand more than a few miles. He went for a different option.

There is definitely a break-in period for Brooks saddles, but it shouldn't be causing you excruciating pain. If you tried different positions and adjustments and the Brooks is still causing pain I say go for another saddle or try one with a cutout.

meangreen
06-15-09, 10:57 AM
is this a problem that spans both sexes? I have been thinking of purchasing a brooks for a while, but I dont want to shell out the money if my "va-jay-jay" is going to be killing me!

Tigerprawn
06-15-09, 11:01 AM
is this a problem that spans both sexes? I have been thinking of purchasing a brooks for a while, but I dont want to shell out the money if my "va-jay-jay" is going to be killing me!

Find an LBS that has a good saddle policy. Some LBS will let you buy and try a saddle for a few weeks or a month and if you don't like it you can return it for store credit.

Or you can try to find a used one. Saddles are some of the most difficult bike purchases to make since everything is so personal and a hit or miss type of deal.

PedallingATX
06-15-09, 11:31 AM
My GF doesn't ever experience any pain from riding and she has ridden some really crappy saddles.

bratton
06-15-09, 01:50 PM
do you ever stand up and give your nuts a rest?
I usually try relieve my junk from the saddle at least one minute out of every ten, and that's with a chamois.

Thetank
06-15-09, 02:03 PM
is this a problem that spans both sexes? I have been thinking of purchasing a brooks for a while, but I dont want to shell out the money if my "va-jay-jay" is going to be killing me!

Something tells me with the resale value of brooks' saddles and you being a girl that you wouldn't have a problem selling the saddle if it didn't work out. hell you might even be able to make a profit!

CliftonGK1
06-15-09, 02:19 PM
It sucks b/c the Brooks is the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden on as far as my sit bones are concerned, but the perineal pressure is just killing me. The inch or 2 of steel at the tip of the saddle is what's killing me, I think.

Probably not. If you're properly over the back of the saddle with your sit bones, your not likely to be contacting the tensioning bolt apparatus with enough pressure to be painful, no matter how aggressively forward your position is. (Seriously, think about it. You'd be rolled so far forward you'd be squashing your marbles flat to pull off that kind of position.)
I've got around 10,000 miles on B-17 saddles between 3 bikes. The trick to alleviating perineal pressure is the correct angle adjustment. Start with the rear (where your sit bones go) level, and adjust it from there. For those of us with our bars close to level with our saddles, we usually go with a slight "nose-up" tilt. It's commonly a slight "nose-down" for people with a steeper saddle-to-bar drop or more stretched out position over the bike. The issue with that becomes pressure on the hands/arms/shoulders since the B-17 is pretty slick and a forward lean could cause you to slide forward off the back of the saddle and onto the nose.

You say the saddle was on the bike when you got it. If the saddle was already broken in to someone else, that may be pitching you into the wrong position on it.
The other possibility is that you just need to change your position over the bike. What's comfortable for a 5 mile ride down the street isn't necessarily going to work for a 50 mile ride around the county. I had to make a lot of adjustments when going from 40 miles up to 100 miles, and again when I started riding doubles and longer.

trueno92
06-15-09, 02:31 PM
urinary tract infection. get it checked out.

Cyclaholic
06-15-09, 05:49 PM
Pics or it didn't happen.

:eek:
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

mrevo
06-15-09, 06:41 PM
My b17 was comfortable out of the box. It's one of the most comfortable saddle I've ridden on.