really stupid newbie question?

racerx217 said:

ok here it goes i am a motocross racer, i used to run/jog for training but last year i had a little racing mishap that led to 3 knee surgerys, my othropediac surgeon does not want me running so i bought i Giant mt bike to train on , i have been cycling for about 1.5 months now and can do about 15 miles(not bad for having a blown out knee) but anyways i am getting severe chaff and numbness in my male organs(to put it nicley) is their anything i can do to prevent this? am i just on the wrong kind of seat? I have tried to adjusting it with little to no luck any suggestions

Just make sure your not sitting on your perienial (not sure of spelling) area when on your seat; that's where the nerves are and why your "stuff" goes numb, eventually causing nerve damage :eek: . Your weight should be on the two bony areas on either side of your butt. I commute about 10 miles one way and my "stuff" was numb when I got to work or home, but now it's much better since I got a new saddle that puts the weight where it's supposed to be. I also read somewhere that if your saddle is tilted to far to the rear, it can put pressure on those nerves. Tilting the nose of the saddle down is supposed to help, I think.

This is a problem that affects a lot of cyclists... for a very good explanation of the causes have a look at: http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Basically, there is a reason why a lot of bike riders use narrow, hard seats! Although they may not be as comfortable to start out with, they stop you from putting pressure on the wrong places.

Hope that helps.

Have you made the move to spandex yet? It helps with the chaffing (and comfort, and aerodynamic). If you are already using bike shorts, maybe you could try some chamois cream.

[font=Times New Roman]Regarding the chaffing…. I have to assume that you are not using cycling shorts. Stop by a bike shop and get yourself some riding shorts. If you want some shorts that look like shorts, try some mountain bike shorts. Essentially MTB shorts are 2 pairs of shorts, the outer short that you see, and the hided spandex shorts that you don’t see. I wear, spandex shorts (actually bib shorts) when I ride my road bike. And… no underwear under the shorts.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Below are some web links for examples of what I’m taking about.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]rei.com4927689.htmOpen ↗[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]rei.com4927690.htmOpen ↗[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Regarding the numbness… The web link for Sheldon Brown that daniels posted has lots of info. And you may find some general info about fitting a bike useful too. peterwhitecycles.comfitting.htmOpen ↗ [/font]