Comfort...

KentPuncheur

Some advice/help needed please gents...

This year will be my first full year of riding and I have a number of sportives lined up. I've already done the Puncheur and VO2 Sportives, but I'm finding increasingly that after 60-70km on the bike, my undercarriage is becoming very sore and staying sat on the bike for the remaining 50-60km of rides is very unpleasant. I've never had numbness to this extent in the past (having done numerous 80km+ club rides and a couple of sportives at the back end of last year) and I'm worried that I'm doing myself damage and concerned that this may impede my performance/ability to keep up with the sportives throughout the year.

What is more concerning, is that for a number of days after a long rider/sportive, my "bits" (shall we say!) remain pretty numb. Is this normal, as it is pretty alarming!?!

I presume my saddle is in need of an upgrade (it's still the stock option on a Trek 3.1c - a Bontrager Affinity 1), but would anything else be causing this (riding position etc)?

daviesee

3 things to look at for long distance riding.

Saddle position.
Saddle.
Shorts.

Try them in that order and IMHO it is better not to scrimp on cost but numbness would indicate saddle and/or position more than shorts..
You can get cheap saddles and shorts that suit you perfectly and good for you if you do, but I haven't.
I just wasted money on cheap shorts until I coughed up for the "good" ones.

getprg

Check out the sage Sheldon Brown's saddle advice here:

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

The clue is probably in his fourth paragraph. If your sadlle is:

- the same as last year (when you say it was comfortable during long rides at the end of the season)
- at the right height
- pretty much level (horizontal)

then as Sheldon Brown says it is probably just that you aren't quite as fit at the start of this season. So as your legs tire then your a___e carries more of the weight. Just get out and ride yourself to fitness and a comfortable backside.

Redhog14

Last year i did the Cale Etape on a hire bike, I only found out afterward that someone else had "tested" the bike in between my usesage of it and very marginally moved the seat post up, it was only noticable into the event and I foolishly did not have a tool to adjust it. Upshot was numbcock for about 4-5 days afterward. I had previously completed over 120miles on the same bike with no problem. So check the height and hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly...good luck.

Cleat Eastwood

Redhog14 wrote:

numbcock

The lesser known brother of director Alfred - strange how he never made it.

I had numb bits and bobs just after xmas on the winter bike, it was all down to saddle position, i rode the winter bike without cleats, only in traineys, so the saddle position was all wrong, couldnt figure out why the chafing and numbness - its a matter of trial and error figuring a good saddle position out in my experience.

Redhog14

Was out in road shoes on Sunday for the first time in ages, left toes were numb where the wee hole is for at least 1hr afterward. What was funny was Speedybirds first time out in Road shoes as opposed the Arctic Monster SPD goretex, sealpup fur lined, toasty furnace numbers she wears on her MTB. "Vents!" she exclaimed after I pointed them out, "I could fit an eccles cake through those holes..."