gabiker

No I am talking about pain, however if I get off and walk around for a minute it goes away for awhile. The funny thing is it is on the right side. The left side is fine, so once again I am :confused:

Thanks...

velocipedio

I don't want to get too personal here, and I don't know how old you are but... do you examine yourself regularly? If the pain is on one side, rather than distributed, then there's a possibility that it may not be the bike but your... er... guys, or at least on of them.

It's also possible that you bruised one of them recently. That can cause pain that doesn't go away for quite a while, particularly if you keep aggravating it.

gabiker

That is OK and yes I do and so does my wife. In fact not only we do but as stated earlier I have a complete physical once a year. This pain is not long lasting and as soon as I get off the bike it goes away.

I guess it could be me physically, however I really think it has more to do with the setup of the bike.

I am 49yo male that is not over weight at all, in very good shape and when I ride my other bike I don't get this pain at all. Of course I don't ride it 30 miles either, but probably enough to cause it. The big difference is it is a comfort bike so it is more upright with a gel seat.

Maybe I just don't have tough enough nuts.

Rich Clark

The more you describe things the more convinced I am that the problem is directly caused by too much drop to the handlebars. The fact that it doesn't happen when you're on a more upright bike is very telling.

RichC

gabiker

Rich,

Would there be that much of a difference between 3" and 4"? I have been thinking about that and if I bring the bar up any I think it would bring me up more than I want.

I am a tall fairly big guy at 6' 2" and 195 with log legs and long arms. My arm length is 35" so I am fairly comfortable in this position.

I have spoken to my LBS and will take it back in there on Saturday to see what they think. Of course they fitted me to begin with so maybe they missed it. Or maybe there not as good as I thought and if that is the case maybe I am just screwed.

Thanks Again...

Rich Clark

I would think that getting rid of the sort of pain you're describing would tend to trump any other consideration, unless you're riding competitively. If you're using a medium-length, level or negative-rise stem, then you could try a stem with some rise as an experiment to raise the bars.

If you get the bars up as much as possible this way, ride for a week, and the pain goes away, you'll know what's what. If it doesn't work, you can change it back without having messed up your bike. Your LBS can probably find you a loaner stem for this experiment.

This sort of issue is not something that can be predicted during a bike fitting. It's covered by the question "are you comfortable with the bars at this height?" In your case, if the answer is "yes, except for this excruciating pain in the balls," maybe the answer is really "no."

Or not. Try the experiment.

RichC

gabiker

Rich,

Your absolutely right and I will take that up with them on Saturday. I did notice something when I got home tonight though. I put a level on my bike to see if the seat was turned one way or the other and it is turned to the left a little. This would be odd because the pain is on the right unless it is making me lean that way a little. Anyway I am going to see them on Saturday afternoon, but in the mean time I am going to try to straighten out the seat and go for a ride to see if that helps. I am also going to tilt it up a tad, but at different times in order to rule those out before I go.

The reason I am waiting until Saturday because my LBS isn't exactly local he is 60 miles away. That is a whole other story.

Thanks...

RonH

Since you live in Rome where did you buy the bike?

BTW: I had the saddle you are complaining about for 3 months. Couldn't get comfortable on it and gave it away.

gabiker

Ron,

I bought it at Atlanta Cycling, but don't get me wrong I don't think it is there fault. I also think they will make it right if they can and it probably is the saddle but it could be the setup too. Like I said earlier the saddle was turned to the left a little, but it doesn't make since that would make it hurt my right side. Of course there are a lot of things in life that don't make since.

Pat

deliriou5

thanks for bringing this issue up, and thanks to everyone for the helpful replies. This is the exact same thing that I've been experiencing, and if I hadn't peeked at this thread, I prolly would've tried to just get used to the pain. I went on a really long ride on Sunday and when I got back I could not feel anything down there. In fact it was still sore till yesterday! Then I got on my bike today, intentionally trying to sit on my a$$ instead of my .... precious equipment..., and it made WORLDS of a difference.

gabiker

I adjusted my seat a little and rode for 15 miles yesterday and felt no pain. I haven't had time to ride further than that yet, but hopefully will Saturday. Like I said earlier my seat was pointing to the left just a hair, but maybe that is what was doing it. Will let you know for sure this weekend.

I would like to thank everyone that gave advice as well. It is nice to have a forum like this with so much experience to ask questions.

gabiker

I rode for 32 miles today with very little discomfort and the little I did have I was able to adjust my position on the saddle to get rid of it. I took the advice about tucking my butt in a little to sit more on my sit bones and the minor adustment of my seat seems to work.

I am riding 60 miles next Saturday so I hope the problem is gone.

Thanks for everyone's help on this. Oh yea I did go back to the LBS today and had everything checked on my fit and it all seems to be just fine. There were 3 working and none of them seeme to think my reach was to far or the drop to the bars was to much.

Thanks again.

JimQPublic

I've had similar problems. Here's my advice:

No saddle was designed to be painful or destroy your ability to reproduce. They're a bit like shoes, what fits one person may not fit another.

Find a good LBS. My Local Bike Shop has a policy that you keep trying saddles until you find one that fits. No questions asked.

I use a Terry Ti-Race saddle. I am very happy with it but your body construction might be different.

The positioning relationship between pedals, saddle, and handlebars is critical and very individual. Your body geometry, weight, flexibility, and fitness all influence the proper position for you. For the most part, the popularity of the threadless headset and non-adjustable stem really screws the cycling consumer.

My road bike has a quill stem. I usually start the season with it raised all the way. By the end of the season it is 2" lower.

There are adjustable stems sold on some "comfort" or low end hybrid bikes. Check with your LBS to see if they have any old ones laying around that you could try. Play with it in different positions until you find one that works. Then buy a stem with those dimensions, or even have a custom one made.

Jim