danotronik

A little weird to ask but I figured this is the place for it. I am new to biking in past few months and I have some bike shorts, the tight ones. Every time I ride my *ahem* manhood goes numb after a while, I feel like I gotta keep standing up and even then its not 100% effective. Is this normal or do I need to buy new pants? When standing off my bike it is still quite the snug fit in that area. Also the padding is not a ton, I would call it medium padding.

Doohickie

Could be a seat position/angle issue.

WHOOOSSHHH...

New pants will do the job!

RookieRoadie

I'll second Doohickie's comment - seems like your pants would have to be mighty tight otherwise!

Menel

Shorts.

The 'padding' is called a 'chamois', it's purpose is not padding. It's made out of low friction, anti-microbrial technical fibres, the purpose for existence is to wick sweat out from between your ass cheeks for sanitary reasons and to reduce chafing.

Your issue is saddle related.

Many people have to stand occasionally to let blood flow. If it's really severe it's likely a saddle position, angle or shape issue. Fit or new saddle may be in your near future. Get your LBS to help you.

M_FactorX19

no that is not normal. you should try to change the angle of your saddle first. if that doesnt work you can look into getting a new saddle.

lmcq784

No, numbness isn't normal or good.

+1 to all those who said it's a saddle issue, rather than your shorts.

Check that the saddles are the right width for you.
Does it have anatomical cutouts?
Is it too soft?
Is it angled too high? Too low?
Is your seat post too high?

Menel

In hind sight, do your shorts use gel? Some entry level ones do. Stay away from, ditch anything that says it uses gel. No personal experience, but I've heard lots of issues with gel and numbness issues. Goes for saddles as well.

sanmusa

Oh! The joys of recumbent riding...

Shimagnolo

Tilt the nose of the saddle down to take the pressure off your soft bits, and put it on your sit bones where it belongs.

Carbon Unit

I use to get extreme numbness and went through a number of saddles and found one that works for me. However, I still get a slight case of Sleepy Pee Pee which still isn't good but if I stand up at least once every 15 minutes or slide to the back of the saddle, it goes away. As others have said, look into your saddle and see if it can be adjusted or replaced. What works for me is a saddle with a wide cut out.

danotronik

So I had my bike fitted and my saddle is pretty much parallel to the ground. My saddle is supposed to be pretty good I think too, its narrow and hard. It's a Fizik Aliante, https://i690.photobucket.com/albums/v...anteSaddle.jpg

c_mack9

just do what i do.

step 1: apply a thin coat of baby oil to your "manhood"
step 2: massage vigorously until feeling returns

if you have riding partners, this could freak them out so just be warned.

danotronik

so on top of my regular routine?

DScott

A "man" should be able to correctly use the word "penis" in a sentence.

At least consider a more humorous euphemism. My recent favorite: "wedding tackle."

chipcom 

While it is indeed most likely a saddle positioning issue, I still have to address the obvious - make sure you are tucking Mr. Winky out of harms way and not sitting on him.

eippo1

Just because it's good doesn't mean it works for you. I've used a Fizik Arione and it's the most comfortable saddle I've ever used, except my junk goes numb within 20 mins of riding. That's why they make one with a cutout, though. Decided to try out the Romin instead, though because I also loved the Toupe, but the flare on the sides rubbed against my hamstrings. I also have a Selle SMP that works well for me. I've also tried an Antares, a Flow, a Terry Fly, Terry Falcon, Saddleco (old Neuvation), and some others. The Terry saddles worked pretty well, but the others killed me. I also know now that I'm much more comfortable with just a tiny bit of padding.

datlas 

1. Another good reason why we need the mens forum so we can say penis
2. I agree you need to make sure your saddle is level or pointed slightly downward
3. I agree you should make sure you are using good shorts with a padded chamois

If you are doing 2 and 3 above you may wish to check in to your local bike shop to ensure your fit is correct

And if all else fails, they make special saddles (google moon saddle) and even recumbent bikes that might be an option.

slipstream8

It's a good saddle for some people, but if you are having numbness issues, you need to try something else. One more thing you could try before that is moving the saddle up about a centimeter relative to the seatpost. If your sit bones aren't making enough contact with the wide part at the rear of the saddle, this will put more pressure on the soft tissue and cause numbness.

If that doesn't work, definitely look at the Specialized Body Geometry saddles. They have the cutouts and are available in multiple widths.

Shimagnolo

The saddle tilt needs to be adjusted to fit *you*, not to fit a carpentry tool.
A level saddle is a starting point, not a goal.
Numbness indicates the nose is too high.
If you find yourself bracing against the bars to keep from slipping off the front, the nose is too low.

rmr1923

i sometimes get a b0ner while riding.. this happen to anyone else?

i should add that it usually only happens when passing young female joggers in tight pants

Shimagnolo

I get that most times when I ride the Broadway bike path past UC Boulder in warm weather.

AndyK 

Ha! I actually spit out my soda when I read this! Thanks a lot!

c_mack9

i wish, mine just shrinks up and goes into baby penis mode. i look like a ken doll after a ride.

Clipped_in

:roflmao