Numbness, how long will it last??

mbnut

Hi

i am an experienced mtber and have recently got a TT bike and have done a couple of 2 hour steady rides with sections on the aero bars and sections on the tops.... during these rides things have felt pretty comfortable but I must admit that during the sections on the aero bars i struggled to find the best place for my bits....

On Sunday morning (blimey you roadies like an early start :-D ) I did a 25 mile TT

Great fun and very friendly... blooming hard work too!!

The problem is that i suffered badly with pain in the under carriage region and by the end i had a completely numb penis... now i know i need to experiment with tweaking set up and trying different saddles.

So you are wondering why i am posting.... the problem is that my penis is still completely numb.... is this normal? how long will it last? etc

Any help or info about similar experiences gratefully received....

Thanks


1.07.29 by the way.... I was chuffed with that

carrock

I had the same problem a couple of years ago- what sorted it was buying a firm saddle with a cut out to relieve pressure on the said area

Don't buy a comfy squashy saddle as you'll just sink down and squash your perineal area- you need a good firm saddle with a good cut-out- the intention being that your bodyweight is distributed through your sit bones and not your unmentionable areas

Expect a bit of soreness on the sit bones until you get used to it though

keef66

Congrats on the time.

Something's wrong if you're still experiencing numbness the following day. Sounds like your TT position is putting way too much pressure on your perineal nerves / blood vessels.

What bike / what saddle do you have? Can you post a pic of you on the bike on the earo bars?

You could try tipping the nose of the saddle down a little bit?

SMP saddles are reputed to be good for aero positions (look at a picture of one and you'll see why)

Spesh Romin also meant to be for those who spend a lot of time on the drops so might be worth a go

mbnut

Thanks for the advise guys...

Don't have a picture of me riding yet...

My main concern is that even now i am numb.... think i may well have to arrange for a visit to the doc's as it is becoming a concern...

danowat

Might be an idea, I've had a numb manhood before, but its never lasted very long, over 24 hours is a bit of a worry IMO

acidstrato

its not normal to still feel numb this long after a ride, it should dissappear soon after blood begins flowing normally, for example, I only ever need to get out of the saddle and pedal standing up for a brief moment.

is it as numb as it was whilst you was on the bike? or coming back to life? :shock:

put it this way, if you cant get it up tonight or its stil numb in the morning, I'd consider consulting your GP 8)


as said, you need to try to program yourself to properly position yourself on your cheek bones and not press your entire body weight onto your under carriage. tilting you saddle downwards or moving it further forward may aid this, perhaps a combination of both

carrock

mbnut wrote:

Thanks for the advise guys...

Don't have a picture of me riding yet...

My main concern is that even now i am numb.... think i may well have to arrange for a visit to the doc's as it is becoming a concern...

Yes I would get to the docs- particulalry if you notice a specific lack of bloodflow to the area when you might expect there to be- if you know what I mean.

I suspect you have just got temporary numbness but better to be sure

timmyflash

When i got my new bike i had a numb penis for about 2 or 3 days! Only happened the first time though, and never had it since. It's effectively like touching the penis of another man..

Headhuunter

timmyflash wrote:

When i got my new bike i had a numb penis for about 2 or 3 days! Only happened the first time though, and never had it since. It's effectively like touching the penis of another man..

How was it for you?

keef66

"It's effectively like touching the penis of another man"

:shock:

Personal experience? You a urologist? Freemason?? Sex worker??? Currently detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure????

dombo6

Mine lasted about 3-4 days after doing the Dragon Ride and London-Canterbury on successive weeks back in 07.
I immediately changed the stock Bontrager Race Lux saddle to a Specialized BG avatar with the cut out. These come in 3 widths which you determine by sitting on a pad in the bike shop. Since then, no problems but it scared the hell out of me.

Pross

I still get numbness due to the pressure the road bike position puts on that area but it only lasts minutes at most (quite a pleasant feeling as the blood supply returns actually! :oops: ). I'd agree with the above that if it is lasting so long you need to get it checked out.

timmyflash

Headhuunter wrote:

timmyflash wrote:

When i got my new bike i had a numb penis for about 2 or 3 days! Only happened the first time though, and never had it since. It's effectively like touching the penis of another man..

How was it for you?

At first a little strange, but you quickly get used to it

kettrinboy

its easy on a long ride to stay sat on the seat for long periods, when you should get off the seat regularly for 10-20 secs or more when you can to relieve the pressure on your undercarriage and let the blood flow back, on some long rides when i havnt taken my own advice ive had not so much a numb penis but a numb bellend which has lasted a couple of days several times,but it has never happened on a long ride when ive rembered to lift my butt off the saddle every few miles, if it lasts for say a week then i,d definately see the doc and not ride again until its been checked out.

toontra

This is not normal... or good. I have ridden multiple 16+ hour days and never had this problem. Like Dombo6 I also use a Specialized Avatar saddle with the large perineal cut-out.

Agree with seeing the doc but also seriously consider changing your saddle.

mbnut

Thanks for all the comments... some worrying ones in there!!

There does seem to be a very slight improvement.... not much but enough to make me think it is on the mend... i did a 4 hour mtb ride today and that may even have helped.

I will be looking at saddles... i saw a few riders with ones that had no nose, just like a cut out but taken all the way to the front.... does anyone know what they were.... i can't seem to find them ...

Cheers

toontra

Sounds like a Selle - maybe the Selle SMP Avant. Have a look for Selle saddles on Chain Reaction.

Headhuunter

timmyflash wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

timmyflash wrote:

When i got my new bike i had a numb penis for about 2 or 3 days! Only happened the first time though, and never had it since. It's effectively like touching the penis of another man..

How was it for you?

At first a little strange, but you quickly get used to it

That's what they say to me at bars in Soho....

Feakster

mbnut wrote:

Thanks for the advise guys...

Don't have a picture of me riding yet...

My main concern is that even now i am numb.... think i may well have to arrange for a visit to the doc's as it is becoming a concern...

Had the same problem - I tried tipping the seat and other solutions but the only one that worked for me is to get out of the seat for 10 seconds every 30 mins or so and this lets the blood flow get going again.

As you still have numbness after 24 hrs I suggest
a) doctor!
b) self mutilation to the aforementioned region
c) several hours of sex might as well let your partner get the benefit!

good luck on B and C!!

jtmcouat

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

mousetoo

I hied a bike in Mallorca last year and had a numb cock and balls for 5 days. Really scared me but all back to normal within a week. ThT type of numbness is due to compression if the perineal nerve, rAther than restricted blood flow, which is why tge numbness subsists even after the pressure is relieved. Bought a sella italia superflow after that, which has a huge cut out (and is also a thing if beauty)

heavylegs

Ouch, has anyone suggested saddle tilt/angle, i find slightly nose down works for me, I empathise.

kingrollo

Get a saddle with a cut out

or one of those adamo types if your really serious.....

paul.k

i started to suffer numbness after replacing my saddle 3 months ago , it kind of crept up on me , numbness lasted a few hours at first ,then was ok again , the thought went to the back of my mind till after the next ride ect ,
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.

Storming

What about your riding position? I see very often riders with very bad positions and no surprise that many of them feel uncomfortable.

420cycling

What I do is angle the tip of my seat down. It makes it and me more aerodynamic and it also does not hurt my penis

on-yer-bike

You need a TT saddle on a TT bike. The position puts more pressure in that area and to make it worse you dont normally move from that position for the duration of the TT unless its hilly or very bendy.

paul.k

in my case , riding position was set right , rode previous saddle for 5 years with no problems , when i changed saddle 3 months ago i did set it nose down , but gradually brought the nose up as it was more comfier ,
everybody's different , i have never suffered with any numbness before i changed the saddle