I’m wondering if anyone can suggest a cause/solution to a problem I’m
experiencing while riding on the stationary bicycle at gym. It happens after
about 20 minutes of cycling, and is quite disconcerting. What happens is that my
er…um… penis goes very numb. Rubbing it (ultra discreetly) brings it back to
life again. I’m not a road cyclist. Is this a common problem?
–
Money, sex, garlic…what else is there?
Re: Numbness
At 01:09 PM 5/6/99 +0200, you wrote:
>I’m wondering if anyone can suggest a cause/solution to a problem I’m
>experiencing while riding on the stationary bicycle at gym. It happens after
>about 20 minutes of cycling, and is quite disconcerting. What happens is that
>my er…um… penis goes very numb. Rubbing it (ultra discreetly) brings it
>back to life again. I’m not a road cyclist. Is this a common problem?
I guess you haven’t been reading many bicycle magazines or watching much TV
lately. About two years ago some doctor reported that his studies suggest that
bicycle saddles are one of the leading causes of male impotency. This received a
lot of attention in the cycling world, and Bicycling Magazine ran a large
article about it. This doctor reported that saddles can compress a nerve (or
artery?.. I forget) which can cause temporary numbness or even permenant
impotency. There is some truth to this. Most cyclists (including me) have
experienced numbness. In fact, the first time it happened to me was on an
exercise bike too. If you look at Bicycling Magazine these days you’ll see a
half dozen strange looking saddle designs that are being marketed to alleviate
the fear, and hopefully the cause, of this problem.
My suggestions for you are:
Adjust the seat on the exercise bike so that the nose is pointed down slightly.
And if possible, move the handlebars closer to you so that you are in a more
upright position.
Or, if your gym has a recumbent exercise bike, ride it instead.
Try moving around on the saddle a bit, your weight should be on your “sit
bones” not your crotch, or even try standing for a short period to get the
pressure off.
Whatever you do, don’t ignore it. You body is alerting you to a problem.
-Rick
Re: Numbness
>About two years ago some doctor reported that his studies suggest that bicycle
>saddles are one of the leading causes of male impotency.
As I stated a while back about this; I stated on bikes @ about age 4 or so, now
at 49 have more than a dozen bikes and a few uni and skatebikes. Also ride
motorcycle as main street transportation, do offroad and 2-3 motocrosses per
summer. 45 years in the seats
Guess I should tell all of my kids that I may be impotent!
Joe Mayers