male specific pain issues

[spindizzy]

+1 on the saddle change.

Watched the owner of my LBS fit a guy on his bike. the first thing the fittee said, with a grin on his face was "ahhh, that feels fantastic" as he sat on a Selle SMP.

I was silently cursing him as the Selle worked for some of my parts, but not all...

[Mr. SR500]

Look at saddle tilt, should be between flat and 3 degrees tilted down. Although each saddle varies.

Try a different saddle, no saddle is perfect for everyone. I think many people adapt to their saddle, but if he is starting to have problems, a change might be worth a try. I like a firm saddle with a cut-out.

Good shorts, or even better bibs. I wear Assos, worth every penny. Nice chamios, stays in place, excellent quality.

Ride harder. Pedaling harder will transfer more weight on the legs and off the butt.

Good luck, hopefully he will find a set-up that works.

[Dogmama]

Work on out-of-saddle sprinting?

+1 on getting to the bottom (ahem...yeah...pun intended) of this. Don't want to do any permanent nerve damage.

[channlluv]

My guy has a cutout seat and loves it, too.

I was teasing him when he went to pick it out. The cutouts were, well, different sizes. I had to laugh. Is this the new measuring stick? "Dude, did you see the size of his cutout? Whoa." The ladies will be eyeing the saddles. Ha!

I agree with whomever suggested going to see a professional bike fitter, too, unless your family doctor is a cyclist.

Roxy

[beccaB]

He hasn't had any more problems since I first posted the message. I think it was triggered by the century we did and not taking any time off in the next week. I did get him a better pair of shorts, and the bike store let us try a seat they had in the stock room that has a cutout, but it looks like a generic specialized saddle. The verdict isn't in on that one yet.

[PscyclePath]

Guys are plumbed down there so that constant pressure or constriction can cause numbness in the personal parts due to restricted blood flow, and ultimately some functional problems as well.

Saddle choice is the first place to look... the Specialized Body Geometry saddles work well for some, as well as the Terry saddles with the cut-outs.

Getting a good pair of shorts with a gel-type chamois is another option. Some of the cheaper shorts simply have a foam pad sewn in there, which may or may not provide cushioing in the right places. I really haven't noticed any real difference in using bibs vs. regular cycling shorts; it's a lot more a matter of getting things distributed and packed away down there to minimize friction and getting things pinched in the wrong places.

I have sort of an iron butt, and have gotten along pretty well with the Selle San Italia racing saddles on my road bikes that I use for the longer rides. I've got a Body Geometry saddle on one commuter and a Brooks B-17 on the other commuter, and have seen a notiecable difference in comfort. It's coming up time in a while to replace the saddles on the road bikes due to simple wear, and I'll probably swap them out for one of the above...

Tom