Numbness in the "junk"
 

Ok, I decided to start riding last summer after 20+ years, so I went to a LBS got fitted for a bike and started riding. I did several rides of 30-40 miles last summer and had no problems, however on the couple rides I have done this year and while on the trainer I am completely numb within 30 minutes. I plan on going to the LBS to see if my riding position changed over the winter, but does anyone have any other suggestions I might try?

Most people don't stand, or even move around much, when riding the trainer. So you get numbness and soreness problems that you don't get in real life.

The easy fix is to move around and get off the saddle every 5-10 minutes.

BTW, you should measure your bike's setup (seat height, for/aft position, bar height, etc). and write it down. The bike shop doesn't keep that info. You have to. Also, put a wrap of electrical tape on the seat post where it goes into the frame. That way you can see if the post is slipping down in the frame.

The problem is, I am getting the numbness even out on the road, and I do make sure to move around on the saddle frequently, something I learned from this site when I bought my bike.

That is a good idea to write down the measurements. I did take the bike in for a tune up, maybe they change the seat or something that I am not aware of.

It could be that the saddle has changed, sagging in some way, or was never quite right, or that your body has indeed changed. When I get this I adjust the saddle angle to move the nose down just a tiny bit to reduce perineal pressure in favor of more support by the sit bones. If I then start sliding forward I try to raise the nose a tinier bit. You might also want to look at a saddle with a cutout. I think the Specialized Alias and Toupe provide good solutions of this sort. In these saddles you have to get the correct width. The Specialized dealer can help you find the correct width.

You might want to get a Thomson seatpost (probably a setback), which is one of the ones that allows you to do this kind of micro adjustment.

Then write down all the measurements. If you can be accurate to the millimeter it would not hurt.

My bad, didn't read carefully enough.

Did you change anything between last summer and now? Different shorts? Gain or lose a lot of weight? Different rides? Different weather? Sometimes grinding into a stiff headwind can make me go numb when nothing else does.

The seat recommendation is good but if the seat was ok for you last summer it should still be ok for you now.

If you do change seats, I'd second the recommendation for a Toupe. But you have to have a micro-adjusting seat post.... even with the angle just a little off it is much less comfortable.

Haven't changed anything that I am aware of, same weight, same shorts(bibs), the only thing I can think of is the seat height has dropped or the LBS changed something when it was in for a tune up. I am going to take it in next week to make sure it is adjusted properly.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/...5a07db.jpg?v=0

The illustration demonstrates that moving the saddle to a nose down from a nose neutral will increase the angle of the dangle, thus putting all of the pressure on the sit bones.

:roflmao:

Well I think I figured out my problem. I was looking at the position of my knee when my foot was in the 3 o'clock position, which to my understanding, the front of the knee should be directly vertical to the middle of the pedal in this position. Mine was more over the heel of my foot, and the hub of the front wheel was well "behind" the handlebars, so I moved my seat forward a little and it seemed to help alot. I only did 35 minutes on my trainer today, crunched for time, but I felt no numbness at all, so hopefully the seat position change will solve my problem.