Cassava_boy

Hi guys...

I read the health article in our local magazine about dead d*ck syndrome and the one of its cause is cycling...
I know some of you have read similar article from every source such as magazines or internet health sites...
what do you think about this guys? Should we stop cycling or what...
If I, I won't take the viagra as the solutions

Cheers,
Cassava

Chris L

Yeah, so some crackpot (crackhead possibly?) reckons one in about 400 cyclists may develop impotency in later life (like, when they're 70 or something). Guess what? You'll also grow fur on your palms and all the hair on your head will fall out.

Until such time as someone does a credible study from a large sample which shows some conclusive results, I'll treat it with the contempt it deserves.

Rich

Actually I've heard this too, but I've got a hole in my saddle to let my family jewels dangle through, so I'll be right!

Rich

john999

Well, it doesn't frigging well help me...

[Cornflakes doesn't work either]

Allister

It's a myth, probably dreamed up by some fat slob behind the wheel of a car to make himself feel better.

fubar5

Yup! Rationalization, the spice of life.

DnvrFox

Chris I need to take you to the woodshed and have a few words with you about "ageism."

Incidentally, I truly don't have that problem. Nor have I grown hair on my palms, and I still have SOME hair on my head - but I know guys in their 20's who have less.

For shame, Chris. You know better.

bikeman

Back on topic.

The one study that appeared all over the news a few years back and made everyone worry was shown to be a bit over zealous. The doctor said that it wasn't as bad as they originally said. Same for Bicycling Magazine that jumped on the bandwagon. They'll probably never live that down.

I have a doctor in my club that shows occassionally for rides (road) and he has heard medical evidence about constriction of certain vessels leading to problems in males, but the study was done in Canada (I think) on Mountain Bikers only. Of course they tend to "crack" themselves on a regular basis on the bike frame so that makes sense.

I do also have a riding buddy that gave up riding for a year because his numbness was so bad and his doctor recommended him to stop. He changed over to a rather unique saddle (looked like two pads and no nose) and he's been better since. His doctor says that since he has a somewhat malformed set of internal pathways for the vessels his case is unique. There is always a recumbent bike that helps.

I've only had a couple of minor problems with numbness and usually had to do with the saddle being tipped incorrectly or being too far forward. Bike fit is everything!

Don't stop riding!!

Piratello

When Indurain ended his career, he became some times later father. So I don´t really think that cycling or sitting on racing saddles will harm your potency much. So many men are said to be impotent and how many of them did cycling for a long time ???

--walt--

My doctor pointed out that the #1 & 2 causes of impotency was lack of exercise and stress. The most common recomendation for either problem was low impact aerobic exercise. Now I wonder where we can find that?

cycletourist

This whole thing is a myth. Dr Goldstein is the quack who came up with this crap about 5 or 6 years ago and the news jumped all over it. He later admited he was wrong but no one cared - apologies don't make the news.

The truth is....

Bike saddles have nothing to do with numbness in the genitalia. Poor bike fit is the cause. If the reach is too long, or especially if the handlebar is too low relative to the saddle (like on most bikes being sold today) you will lean to far forward and squish your sexual parts.

I had numbness problems in the mid-1990's but solved them with a shorter, higher stem.

chewa

Apart from an occassional bout of numbness (and the cold shrinking my parts!), I have to say that cycling has a very beneficial effect on my libido (can't say about potency).

Maybe I just like lycra!!

John E

Yes, this is the story of a urologist wanting some free publicity from a shocking news story. The facts have already been covered in this forum -- as with everything else on the bike, proper fit (saddle height, stem height, saddle tilt, saddle-to-bar length, etc.)is crucial! A bad (e.g. conventional padded vinyl) saddle can indeed cause damage. My most comfortable saddle is still my never-tightened 1973 Brooks Pro, with almost 70K km of my own use on it. (That kind of durability is one mark of a superior product!) Second-best is a somewhat older, but less-used, Brooks Competition I recently picked up on eBay for $20. Almost as good is my 5-year-old Serfas ARC anatomical.

Felix C

I still have the 20/20 show with Goldstein on it and the whole thing is a crock. They used the pelvis of a female to demonstrate a male problem. Sure enough, when the pelvis was placed on the saddle, it looked like the nerves and blood vessels would be impinged. Only thing is, a woman has a slightly different anatomy than a man. (Something I'm sure most women are truly grateful for.)

So I emailed ABC and told them what I thought and that they were wrong about this. They gave me a polite form letter and then a few months later they ran a show that provided the other (correct) view on the subject.

If you do experience numbness, don't ignore it. The first thing you should check is the bike fit, riding on a frame that is too big can create real problems in this and other ways.

Chris L

I didn't know you were 70!

MichaelW

The study on damage caused to mountain bikers used a sample group of extreme MTbers in the Austrian Alpes who ride several hours a day.
The control group was a bunch of medical students who used bikes for commuting a few miles in a city.
The scientific result was that taking numerous crashes, and pounding downhill at high speed is not good for you, compared to normal riding around town, and can result in the buildup of scar tissue.
The result of the research according to the newspapers was that cycling is bad for you.

DnvrFox

Chris's statement was

I emphasize the "or something."

No, I am not 70, I am approaching 63 and my wife is approaching 65. However, I do know a number of riders who ARE 70+. They neither have hair on their palms nor have necessarily lost all of their hair. I guess I speak for myself and others I know.

There is an association of more mature riders (70+) around here who call themselves the "old parts". One of their regular activities is a challenge/training ride going up Lookout Mountain, a noted very tough and steep climb on the west side of the metro area, avoided by many riders.

Cheers.

velocipedio

I'll say this [and I apologize for the direct language of this post ]... When I rode on a Specialized ProLong Evo saddle, not only did I frequently get a sleepy peepee, but I had frequent, though not constant, difficulties rising to the occasion. Since I switched to a saddle with a cutaway, I have not had the problem. I'm not a urologist, but my own experience seems to indicate that a good saddle with some kind of perineal relief feature does help.

Coffee

I get wood everytime I see my giant....I'm still good to go 8)

SpiderMike

I had a scare. Was not sure if I was going to be a 28year old Lance or Bob Dole. I had gone to the doc, since my "taint" was not feeling good. You know "taint your balls, taint your bunghole". The urologist corrected the slang term. It is the Peranium. He told him that I needed to stop riding, I told him I had to kill him. We compromised on not riding for a while. I got Selle Italia Trans Am Flite, nut canyon. The "cracking" or "racking" does not help. Tip from my doc, ice the crotch post ride if you inflected trauma down there.

RegularGuy

I am nearing 45 and am starting to get hair in my ears.

Felix C

I'll be more to the point, if you have numbness, try first to lower the saddle. Too many people have the saddle adjusted too high or even ride on a frame that is too tall. You should not have to reach for the pedals with the foot and if you ride with the toe pointed down all the time, you may in fact be losing efficiency.

One other thing, make sure the saddle is level if you are a guy and slightly tipped down if you are a woman. For a guy to have his saddle tipped down, it will create more pressure on certain areas. Having it level will roll the pelvis back and relieve pressure.

Chris L

I hadn't realised you were taking that comment so seriously, I had better explain. The whole "you'll get hairs on your palms etc" thing was a cynical parody of the report itself. People in the media often say stupid things like that with no facts to back it up (like, that drinking milk was gonna make me fat, when does that happen?). I was merely taking the p!ss. I apologise if I offended.

I did not at any stage suggest that people couldn't ride beyond the age of 70 (or at least, that wasn't my intended message). That merely referred to the fact that people who don't look after themselves very well in their younger years tend to have poorer health at that age, and that maybe one or two people mightn't be as sexually active at that age (although this mighn't be the right forum to debate that point).

Nobby

I had real problems with numbness and pain but when it passed (after a ride), like Chewa, I was rewarded. I tried for a long time to adjust my bike to fit but nothing worked, neither did a number of different and imaginative saddles.

In the end, I switched to recumbents. I'm especially pleased that I did, riding bents is (for me) MUCH more enjoyable and only partly due to the extreme comfort.

Impotency I ain't buyin, pain and numbness is very real, as most of you know.

Spring is here! Only 2 feet of snow left in the yard but more importantly...the streets are clear! Yippee!