A Sensitive Question

General
1

Fellow unicyclers -

Here’s a question I’ll phrase as delicately as possible in the hope that someone
else interested in endurance riding has some hints.

I’m getting ready for a 50-mile ride for charity in late November (half of a
100-mile PBAA sanctioned bike ride that takes place around Tuscon every year)
and am finding that at about 15 miles my legs are feeling great, my attitude’s
terrific, and everything’s go except for where my body hits the seat, which is
either numb or in a fair amount of pain. I’m not planning to have any more kids
soon, but this is still a part of my anatomy that I care about.

Any advice for me? I’ve tried Vaseline, tight pants, loose pants – all kinds of
things. Anyone ever ride with a cup (sounds painful, but what do I know)? By the
way, I’ve got an old Schwinn – perhaps you know a way I can modify the seat for
long distance riding?

Sorry for the bizarre question. Thanks for any advice!

Dave

2

RE: A Sensitive Question

>at about 15 miles my legs are feeling great, my attitude’s terrific, and
>everything’s go except for where my body hits the seat, which is either numb or
>in a fair amount of pain.

>I’ve tried Vaseline, tight pants, loose pants – all kinds of things. Anyone
>ever ride with a cup (sounds painful, but what do I know)?

Cups weren’t made to be sat on. Athletic supporters (from my limited experience)
put the straps in the wrong place, so you sit on them.

You didn’t mention cycling shorts. Cycling shorts are made for cycling and there
is no substitute. Fabric on the legs reduces possible chafing from pedaling
action against the seat, and the big padded thing in there makes a huge
difference. They are designed to be worn directly against the skin.

But this alone won’t get you from 15 miles to 50.

>By the way, I’ve got an old Schwinn – perhaps you know a way I can modify the
>seat for long distance riding?

The old style Schwinn seats are the easiest to upgrade to an air seat. If you
have the seat with the removeable vinyl cover you can do it. As these seats get
old, the foam breaks down and crumbles away. Take out the foam, put in a 12"
inner tube (scooter tire). Run the valve stem out thru the hole in the seat
base. You don’t even have to put much pressure in it.

I just made one for my MUni, which has a Miyata seat. I cut the seat cover for
the valve stem (in the rear), and used a 16" tube, which I consider to be too
big. Rode almost 17 miles on Sunday, all on trails, and it felt great!

That, plus a good pair of cycling shorts (you get what you pay for, don’t buy
the cheapest ones you can find) should get you at least to 30 or 40 miles. If
you’re like the average person, your crotch may have to still suffer on a 50
mile ride. How did Bradley and I do the March of Dimes 75k in 1980? With pain
and numbness!

I also hold onto the front of the seat when I ride. When cruising, I’m pushing
down. This takes some weight off the crotch, similar to riding a bike. On a road
bike, about 40% of your weight is on the handlebars. This, and the different
position of your pelvic structure on the seat make it easier to go longer times
on a bike seat, so press down (may take getting used to) while riding.

Two important points:

  1. Personal comfort is a very individual thing. What one person finds
    comfortable may not be true for another.
  2. Don’t go on a 50 mile ride with anything new! Make sure you’ve tried out your
    shorts, your seat, your shoes, anything you’ll use. Many people have learned
    this the hard way and it can’t be overstressed.

I’ve learned this from marathon and orienteering races at the competitions: If
you ride as fast as you can for the whole time, you won’t notice the saddle
pain. It’s true! If you do feel pain, it just means you weren’t going fast
enough. :slight_smile:

Let us know how it turns out!

jf

3

RE: A Sensitive Question

I almost always wear 2 pair of high quality ($35+ on sale) padded bike shorts.
If I was doing a marathon I might try 3. If you’re not a biker, you may not know
that bike shorts are to be worn without underwear. Another product I have found
to be helpful is called Sport Lube which is like Vaseline only thicker and at
the same time more slippery. I don’t know if it will solve the numbness, but it
will keep your skin from getting irritated. Never wear jeans. If I need long
pants I wear a light weight nylon (Reebok) warm-up shell.

            -----Original Message----- From: dberry@fc.cfsd.k12.az.us
            [<a href="mailto:dberry@fc.cfsd.k12.az.us">mailto:dberry@fc.cfsd.k12.az.us</a>] Sent: Wednesday, September
            16, 1998 3:49 PM To: unicycling@winternet.com Subject: A
            Sensitive Question

            Fellow unicyclers -

            Here's a question I'll phrase as delicately as possible in
            the hope that someone else interested in endurance riding has
            some hints.

            I'm getting ready for a 50-mile ride for charity in late
            November (half of a 100-mile PBAA sanctioned bike ride that
            takes place around Tuscon every year) and am finding that at
            about 15 miles my legs are feeling great, my attitude's
            terrific, and everything's go except for where my body hits the
            seat, which is either numb or in a fair amount of pain. I'm not
            planning to have any more kids soon, but this is still a part of
            my anatomy that I care about.

            Any advice for me? I've tried Vaseline, tight pants, loose pants
            -- all kinds of things. Anyone ever ride with a cup (sounds
            painful, but what do I know)? By the way, I've got an old
            Schwinn -- perhaps you know a way I can modify the seat for long
            distance riding?

            Sorry for the bizarre question. Thanks for any advice!

            Dave