Hi everyone,

I have recently started training to do tri's. I went and bought a new bike. I hired a trainer to get a good program together, and also hired someone to properly fit me to the bike. I tried to do everything properly. However, as the title states, I started having some penile numbness last week. It took about 4-5 days to get almost back to normal. I rode a stationary at the gym to attempt to give myself a break (sitting upright, big padded seat). I took the tri bike out for a ride again today after a 5 day break and have the numbness again. My question is: is this normal for someone new to the sport?, do I immediately buy a new saddle? Do I need to quit riding until I get the seat? I really hate to quit training, but the alternative isn't good either. Any solid advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Not normal.

Assuming the fit is correct (might not be), you ought to try a different seat - the stock seats that come on many new bikes are not always the greatest, as it's often assumed that you'll be swapping the seat regardless.

Does your seat have a cut-out down the centre? You might want to try one of those. And on long rides it's a good idea to stand up for a few seconds every now and then.

(something like this - though there are lots of models out there)

your seat may be tilting up too far - try tilting it forward a little and see if it helps. Also take a look at this thread https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=numb+numbness - if nothing else it's a hoot!

//k

wear nappies it works for me

Yeah there's no easy answer here. It comes down to trial and error. Different saddles, slightly different positions, riding style, etc.

One downside about tt bikes is you're leaning forward on the soft tissues, so it's going to be more of an issue. If you have a regular road bike, ride that for the bulk of your miles so you can sit more on your sit bones. Save the tt bars for special efforts, and a few rides to get comfortable with the handling / position.

I had this problem I switched to a Vision Tech Tri Gel saddle and problem solved.
Good luck
Dwayne

Trial and error is the only thing that works. I still get it during 70.3 races that lasts for several days afterwards. When I got started, I tried to vary my position and frequently stand for a few seconds to give the blood chance to flow. I find the Profile Designs Tri Styke to be the best--for me (tried the Selle SMP too, which I like better for road riding), though many have found success with the Adamo.

I've used the very inexpensive Forte T1 from Performance bicycle with great success, 56 miles and no discomfort whatsoever. With one of their coupons you can usually get one for around $35.

tilting the seat down in front solved this for me

I had this same problem and saw my doctor twice. He suggested I stop riding. However, I experimented with different seats and I found one that basically elimnated the problem. Its a Specialized Sonoma 155 with Gel. I found its also very important to move the seat around and find the right position.
Also, try standing up on your pedals for about 2 minutes every 30 minutes to allow blood flow back to numb areas.

you don't need that thing anyway, after a month or so of numbness it will fall off and you can get on with your life

Look at the Adamo Race saddle if you are on a tri bike, Road version if you are on a road bike. I've found most traditional saddles create numbness when you are in the aerobars for a long time. The Adamo does not have a nose at all eliminating pressure points. Numbness is signs of a problem with the seat and should not be tolerated.

Adamo ism saddle's are great, i cant ride on anything else.
https://www.trisports.com/blreismadras.html

Hi Everyone! I am repeating this post everywhere I can because I have solved this problem for myself!

I experienced this problem for many years. It got the point where I became very concerned that I would have to quit riding. Sometimes it would happen very quickly, within minutes.

But never fear, there is a solution for you! I ride with zero numbness even on long rides. As a bonus, my fatigue level has been greatly reduced.

Now I am not saying that this will be your solution, just that you can find one. Here is my story.

First of all, I don't have a specific riding style. I love to climb, with fast downhills. I also ride single track and technical stuff sometimes. I have been riding for 25 years.

First step: Saddle and saddle position. I tried several new "ergonomic" saddles, none helped much and some made it worse. The best was the Specialized Romin Expert, which I still ride. The impact was modest, but better was better. I also experimented with saddle position and height. It turns out the saddle was a little too far back. Good for climbing power, but bad for the groin. Again, this was only modest help, still got numb, just a little less.

Second Step: Pedal position. Tried several. In the end I found that just behind the ball was good. Between the ball and mid-foot. Helped me overall, but not numbness.

Third step (aka Eureka#1!): Handle bar length/rise. BE SURE TO READ THE CAVEAT AT THE BOTTOM. For 20 years I had my set-up very narrow, straight 420mm bars with no rise. No one would ever set a bike up that way now, but the idea was to have strong climbing and it was great for that. I had no problems with downhill speed.

I read that wider handlebars are generally better for a number of reasons, including this. Stem rise is also a factor. I moved to wider, 730mm riser bars and it helped right away! It was night and day! Almost no numbness!

Fourth step (aka Eureka#2!): Stem length: AGAIN BE SURE TO READ THE CAVEAT AT THE BOTTOM. I had been riding with a 120mm flat stem for 20 years. I had no idea it could have any relation, but I was wrong. I moved to a 100mm 30 degree rise and it was great. Problem solved!

It seems that being more upright was the real key to resolving the issue.

CAVEAT: BE CAREFUL CHANGING BAR WIDTH AND STEM LENGTH. Everyone gets used to a bike fit/set-up. This warning is especially true if you have been riding a long time like me.

Control of the bike changes dramatically with bar width and stem length, so take it one step at a time. I made a huge mistake moving too far to fast. I changed to 720mm riser bars and 100mm riser stem at the same time. Fatigue and numbness was improved immediately, but handling and climbing was VERY different. Lots of steer wander and harder to keep the front wheel on the ground when climbing steep in seated position (standing was improved).

I decided that what I needed (based on reading articles, etc) was a shorter stem. I went with a 50mm. Huge mistake. On the first ride I was unable to keep the front wheel down and fell backwards and broke my wrist.

Moral of the story: Make changes one at a time. Ride easy and figure out what works. Bars can be easily trimmed with a pipe cutter. Start wide and narrow until it feels right. Get used to it and work on the stem.

I now ride a 680mm riser bar and 100mm 30 degree stem. I am much more upright on the bike, which relieves numbness and I also find I am less fatigued. I gave up a little climbing power, but there is no doubt it was worth it!

Good luck!

Travis

I routinely get penile numbness and just accept it as part of riding the bike. I also get arm numbness when I use my shoulder as a pillow.

When I get arm numbness, I swing that dead hand down toward my penis. It's like a stranger is touching me.

But I haven't figured out what to do with a numb penis, which is the real issue here.

you have a fit problem. Or just gifted in that area.
But really the set up of your ride is not optimal.

it is not just "part of riding the bike". It's potentially damaging - you're putting pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that supply the penis and if you keep doing it you risk erectile dysfunction.

Either your bike is not set up to fit you properly or you're using the wrong saddle, or both. As things stand you are probably sitting too far forward on the saddle, so your weight is being borne by the narrow nose of the saddle, compressing your perineum. Find a setup/saddle combination that allows your weight to stay back on the wide part of the saddle so your sit-bones can perch there and spare your soft tissue.

i too started to suffer from this after replacing my saddle 3 months ago , it kind of crept up on me , numbness lasted a few hours at first ,then was ok and thought went to the back of my mind till next time ,
the titling point was after riding 12 hours one week ,( one ride been 75 miles in 6 hours ) after that it went numb , worried that i damaged my perineum , i thought give it a week before going to the doc`s , unfortunately , i started with back pains , groin and sit bone pains , hip pains,
culminating in a very swollen leg , darn Sciatica is bad i thought , aswell as a numb penis , If Only i was that lucky ..
turns out that the saddle cut off the blood supply giving me the numbness , But it gets much worse , 2 blood clots in my hip swollen leg , numb penis and 3-4 months off the bike , If it goes numb you are cutting off blood flow and risk DVT , listen to you body as the docs said to me , take care , saddle was prologo evo , which will be now changed to selle max xlr.

It will also free up your schedule for the training you need to do to be successful in triathlon

When I bought my slice the stock saddle did exactly what you're talking about. I went to a very firm saddle that you ride on the front of, and that eliminated the problem.

You need to find a different saddle. Hopefully you're near an LBS that has a saddle rental / trial program. I was lucky and my second saddle was a Sitero Pro which while very firm I found comfortable. But had it not worked, the store probably had 30 or so trial saddles to demo.

That's funny mate! Hope you got better though.