Road Cycling - Numbness

I am new to cycling and have been riding for fitness. I ride 4 times a week for 40 minutes at 80 rpm. I love the shape I'm getting in but I have a problem with my crotch area and my hands going numb toward the end of my rides. Do I need a new seat? All reccommendations are appreciated.

Padded shorts and padded gloves. Should help if not cure the problem.

I am new to cycling and have been riding for fitness. I ride 4 times a week for 40 minutes at 80 rpm. I love the shape I'm getting in but I have a problem with my crotch area and my hands going numb toward the end of my rides. Do I need a new seat? All reccommendations are appreciated.

I'd recommend lowering your saddle by a centimeter or so. That will probably relieve a bunch of pressure. Padded gloves/shorts will too. Also, go to a reputable bike shop (where you see racers going in and out regularly) and have your bike fitted to you. You may need a new saddle though.

Good luck, keep us posted.

I had the same exact problem with my first ride, my crotch area was killing me, you can get a good pair of shorts from anywhere between $30-$80, I bought mine for $30 and it works like a dream, believe me the padding or chamois however they would like to call them really does make a difference.

I just put on a new saddle, WTB Rocket V Team, and I'm not nearly as numb as I was before :D :D I did a 50 mile ride today and I wasn't standing up to "let the boys breath" hardly at all.

As for the hands, I found an article that makes a lot of sense regarding the the load on your hands. Basically, if you move your saddle back, it will take load off of your hands. Here's the article: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm


Try this test. You’ll need a friend to hold the bike up, or set it on a wind trainer. Sit on your bike with your hands on the handlebars and the crank arms horizontal. If you have a drop bar, hold the bar out on the brake hoods. Try taking your hands off the bar without moving your torso. If it’s a strain to hold your torso in that same position, that’s an indication of the work your arms are doing to hold you up.

I've been trying this on the road. It's very evident when you move forward on your saddle and take your hands away, you fall on your face :eek: Move to the back of the saddle and you can hold yourself in position pretty well without hands.

Another quote:


Most fitting "systems" specify that some part of your knee be directly over the pedal axle at some alignment of the crank, usually with the pedal forward and the crank horizontal. This is pure nonsense.

Of course, good gloves and shorts will help, too.

-murray

I am new to cycling and have been riding for fitness. I ride 4 times a week for 40 minutes at 80 rpm. I love the shape I'm getting in but I have a problem with my crotch area and my hands going numb toward the end of my rides. Do I need a new seat? All reccommendations are appreciated.

Could be lots of things. Bike might be too big or too small, saddle may be lousy, saddle may need repositioning, bars may be too low. Level your saddle first. Yes, I mean use an actual level to make sure it is level. Nose down can make you slide forward which puts pressure on your hands to push back and nose up can put undue pressure on your "taint". Experiment with saddle position and if that doesn't help, get your bike shop to check your fit.

I just went through this numbness thing-never had this problem when I was younger. I have new shorts and a new seat and I must have put the new seat on a little too far back because I moved it forward and it seems to be a lot better.