Does it make YOUR nads ache?

"The Oracle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Sorry about the potentially vulgar subject line. However I mean a serious question. I have only
cycled in baggie shorts and have just got a racer - narrow saddle and all. I find that it makes
"dem things down there" ache

a

Quoted message said:

bit - as well as the whole pubic bone region. Is this the reason for cycling shorts? Are they
padded? Should I get some? If so which ones?

I

Quoted message said:

don't care out much.

Steve

Never had a problem with aching nads , Steve, nor the pubic bone region for that matter. Do you find
that you've got really effective brakes ?.... are you stopping so sharp that you keep shooting
forward out of the saddle ?.....are you mashing your nuts on your handlebar stem every time you stop
? Alternately it could be the angle of your saddle or your seating position. If anything I used to
get an excruciating pain where me bones met the saddle. Don't know what they're called but imagined
it to be lower rear of hip bones. This was only after rides of 50+ miles and was resolved when I
swapped the plastic/gel saddle for a Brooks leather saddle. Haven't suffered any discomfort since
until last ride out which was my first ride using a new pair of cycling shorts with padding (1st
pair, 1st time). It started to get uncomfortable, nothing more. It appeared to be due to the
padding, which I'd never cycled with before. Unfortunately my rear wheel spindle snapped so I'd only
done about 10 miles and didn't get the chance to work out what was going on. I'd check your seating
position before investing in a pair of padded cycling shorts. HTH Dave.

Sorry about the potentially vulgar subject line. However I mean a serious question. I have only
cycled in baggie shorts and have just got a racer - narrow saddle and all. I find that it makes "dem
things down there" ache a bit - as well as the whole pubic bone region. Is this the reason for
cycling shorts? Are they padded? Should I get some? If so which ones? I don't care out much.

Steve

Quoted message said:

Sorry about the potentially vulgar subject line. However I mean a serious question. I have only
cycled in baggie shorts and have just got a racer - narrow saddle and all. I find that it makes
"dem things down there" ache

a

Quoted message said:

bit - as well as the whole pubic bone region. Is this the reason for cycling shorts?

I recently bought a racer and had similar problems the first few times I went out. Fortunately I
was expecting it and went out for a few short rides (5-6 miles - just enough to give it a fair
test) armed with a set of allan keys purely to test and tune my saddle position. It took a few days
but I've now got an extremely comfortable ride whether I wear cargos, track bottoms or my serious
sport shorts.

I had to change most things - raise it (13mm) to suit my legs, shift it back
(7mm) to fit my buttocks and tilt the nose down (so the spirit bubble *just* rises) to keep it from
making my bits ache. All terribly minor adjustments but a world of difference IMO. I still
carry my allan keys with me, just in case... :-)

Cheers,

Jon

The Oracle said:

Re: Does it make YOUR nads ache?

Only if you're resting your weight on them !

Sounds like the fit is wrong, not necessarily any lack of padding. Try adjusting things, remembering
that saddles go back and forward as well as up and down. If you're really having trouble, then
adjust saddle width too - some blokes do find wider saddles and "women's" saddles more comfortable.

If your 'nads have ironmongery attached, try a Georgina Terry saddle with the hole in the middle.

I ride two different saddles on my two bikes. The commuter (fairly "sit up and beg" position) has a
cheap medium-wide saddle on it that's good for a few tens of miles in comfort. The good bike has a
skinny "[censored] nail" saddle on it that's uncomfortable for the first mile, but much better after
about 50. The narrow width avoids any chafing on my (porky) thighs, especially on a hot day. I
usually ride this in padded shorts; some lycra, some home-made by sewing a recycled chamois as a
loose liner into a pair of less obvious-cyclist baggies. The advantage of the chamois seems to be
that it's padding in a fixed position relative to me, not to the bike, and so there's less rubbing
at the side.

Andy Dingley said:

Sounds like the fit is wrong, not necessarily any lack of padding. Try adjusting things,
remembering that saddles go back and forward as well as up and down.

And you can alter the tilt as well. I like mine level, but others prefer forwards or back tilting.
Change everything in increments and test, test, test.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
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