Pins and needles in yer bits!
Discussion
Hi,
I've been riding a fair few miles over the last 25+ years, mostly offroad / light trails. For the past year or so I've been struggling with pins and needles in my gentleman parts.
I've experimented with different saddles, saddle height, seat angles, stem lengths etc and can't seem to get it right. I've ridden thousands of miles over the years with no issue but now it has come to a point I may have to give up cycling. I'm just about to try buying some high rise bars to try to raise the front a little on one of the bikes but I'm not expecting this to help a great deal. And yes I do sit with my butt bones on the right part of the saddle.
I've not had a professional fitting which is the obvious next step but I've not seen this offered for mountain bikes, only for the roadies. I've also asked a couple of experts who have both agreed my setup on both my bikes look really good.
Does anyone have any other suggestions before I hang up my cycle hat? Has anyone else experienced this?
I've been riding a fair few miles over the last 25+ years, mostly offroad / light trails. For the past year or so I've been struggling with pins and needles in my gentleman parts.
I've experimented with different saddles, saddle height, seat angles, stem lengths etc and can't seem to get it right. I've ridden thousands of miles over the years with no issue but now it has come to a point I may have to give up cycling. I'm just about to try buying some high rise bars to try to raise the front a little on one of the bikes but I'm not expecting this to help a great deal. And yes I do sit with my butt bones on the right part of the saddle.
I've not had a professional fitting which is the obvious next step but I've not seen this offered for mountain bikes, only for the roadies. I've also asked a couple of experts who have both agreed my setup on both my bikes look really good.
Does anyone have any other suggestions before I hang up my cycle hat? Has anyone else experienced this?
I was going to suggest seat angle, angling mine down mostly fixed issues I was having with numbness of the dangly bits while riding. But it sounds like you've already tried that.
Every now and then I still get it - but standing up, bouncing a few times to loosen up and then sitting in a slightly different position seems to solve it.
Every now and then I still get it - but standing up, bouncing a few times to loosen up and then sitting in a slightly different position seems to solve it.
Tilted forward slightly and a seat with a a ballbag channel. Should help.
As a mountain biker though, train yourself to get out of the seat more as well.
Remember also, those "comfy" looking seats with all the padding and bulges are rarely better for you, unless you are riding a sit up and beg to the shops with a basket on your handlebars.
As a mountain biker though, train yourself to get out of the seat more as well.
Remember also, those "comfy" looking seats with all the padding and bulges are rarely better for you, unless you are riding a sit up and beg to the shops with a basket on your handlebars.
Try going to a shop that will measure your arse bones and get the correct saddle width. I've seen this done at Specialized and Prologo dealers.
That said, I had a similar problem a lot of years ago, caused by an ill fitting saddle. You might find that even after you've got a better saddle, that the issue takes a while to go away, if the nerves in that area have become irritated.
Hi All,
Thanks for the replies.
I've tried adjusting the seat angle. If I tilt it any further forward I end up sliding down it constantly. I have mine set to horizontal with a spirit level which has always worked in the past. If anything I have the nose down just a touch.
I'll look into the recommendations for the saddles. I currently have 5 or 6 saddles in the parts bin so I've have already experimented a bit. I usually use a Charge spoon which is what I have on one bike and on the other I have a nice Selle Italia with a cutout. This saddle I self-measured using tin foil and bough the correct one (at least I think I did!). I will look into a proper seat fitting but when I looked while ago I couldn't find anywhere local.
I've also tried the moving around a bit but at it's worst I'm lasting a mile before I get uncomfortable. It wasn't that long ago I was regularly riding 50+ miles offroad with no issues.
What was suggested to me today was that it may be related to a back injury I had about 10 years ago which did give me alot of nerve grief for a long time. I'll look into this as well.
I've also ordered a riser bar so will see if that makes a difference to raise the front a bit. It'll look daft but it's worth it so see if it helps.
Thanks for the suggestions and I will follow them up. I feel a bit more positive today that I'm not going to stop riding - I'll find a way!! May be I should buy a recumbent?
Thanks for the replies.
I've tried adjusting the seat angle. If I tilt it any further forward I end up sliding down it constantly. I have mine set to horizontal with a spirit level which has always worked in the past. If anything I have the nose down just a touch.
I'll look into the recommendations for the saddles. I currently have 5 or 6 saddles in the parts bin so I've have already experimented a bit. I usually use a Charge spoon which is what I have on one bike and on the other I have a nice Selle Italia with a cutout. This saddle I self-measured using tin foil and bough the correct one (at least I think I did!). I will look into a proper seat fitting but when I looked while ago I couldn't find anywhere local.
I've also tried the moving around a bit but at it's worst I'm lasting a mile before I get uncomfortable. It wasn't that long ago I was regularly riding 50+ miles offroad with no issues.
What was suggested to me today was that it may be related to a back injury I had about 10 years ago which did give me alot of nerve grief for a long time. I'll look into this as well.
I've also ordered a riser bar so will see if that makes a difference to raise the front a bit. It'll look daft but it's worth it so see if it helps.
Thanks for the suggestions and I will follow them up. I feel a bit more positive today that I'm not going to stop riding - I'll find a way!! May be I should buy a recumbent?
Sounds like you've tried a few options re the saddle and riser.
Have had the same issue myself and have tried the Charge Spoon and a Specialized Phenom and am now on a Selle SMP Extra.
All gave me some form of numbness (not pins and needles though). The Selle is looking like the best option at the moment, still playing with micro adjustments.
One thing that all my saddles worked with and eliminated numbness was a riser on the front tube. My missus thinks the extra inch and a half makes all the difference. Not sure she means cycling though
.
Didn't like the look of the riser so have gone with new handle bars that give a 5cm rise along with a 17% sweep back - all to get me sitting slightly more upright. Seems to be working well.
I also got a shorter stem with a 33% degree lift.
Basically all of the above have resolved the brunt of the issue.
However it all stems from getting a bike that may well be slightly too big for my reach. It was fine for 5-10 miles when I bought it, but the longer distances I now do are now highlighting the small discrepancies - the further I go , the greater the impact.
Eventually I'll upgrade the bike/frame, but as part of that I'll be getting a pro fit.
I use a 29er hardtail, but mostly for touring. (yeah I know, should have got a gravel bike)
Have had the same issue myself and have tried the Charge Spoon and a Specialized Phenom and am now on a Selle SMP Extra.
All gave me some form of numbness (not pins and needles though). The Selle is looking like the best option at the moment, still playing with micro adjustments.
One thing that all my saddles worked with and eliminated numbness was a riser on the front tube. My missus thinks the extra inch and a half makes all the difference. Not sure she means cycling though
.Didn't like the look of the riser so have gone with new handle bars that give a 5cm rise along with a 17% sweep back - all to get me sitting slightly more upright. Seems to be working well.
I also got a shorter stem with a 33% degree lift.
Basically all of the above have resolved the brunt of the issue.
However it all stems from getting a bike that may well be slightly too big for my reach. It was fine for 5-10 miles when I bought it, but the longer distances I now do are now highlighting the small discrepancies - the further I go , the greater the impact.
Eventually I'll upgrade the bike/frame, but as part of that I'll be getting a pro fit.
I use a 29er hardtail, but mostly for touring. (yeah I know, should have got a gravel bike)
I had saddle issues when getting back into road cycling. Went through a few and researched as best I could.
Width.. I think the important factor. You want the sit bones taking the weight. This was the primary solution. Look up the methods for measuring and this will be the main guide to choosing one.
Shape.. All the cut out designs are said to make things less pressured, but I found the opposite. The ridges created for the cut out made for hardened areas right where I don’t want it. I have now gone full flat (fizik antares).
Angle.. I’d go flat, but any angle forward should be a matter of a few degrees, not too extreme.
Ride position.. getting the basic fit right will help so you’re not uncomfortable and having to compensate moving around on saddle.
Width.. I think the important factor. You want the sit bones taking the weight. This was the primary solution. Look up the methods for measuring and this will be the main guide to choosing one.
Shape.. All the cut out designs are said to make things less pressured, but I found the opposite. The ridges created for the cut out made for hardened areas right where I don’t want it. I have now gone full flat (fizik antares).
Angle.. I’d go flat, but any angle forward should be a matter of a few degrees, not too extreme.
Ride position.. getting the basic fit right will help so you’re not uncomfortable and having to compensate moving around on saddle.
Thanks all.
My gut feeling now is that it is both the reach (bike fit) and the previous back injuries.
I'm going to take a break off of the bike for a little while. I'll try the high rise bars for a quick spin to see what difference if any they make.
Another idea I may do is pop up to Swinley and hire a smaller bike for a few hours and see what happens.
The redshift components look pretty good but one of my bikes is full suspension xc so is already quite smooth.
If it is bike fit then the conversation with the Mrs will be great. ie. "I know I have two bikes I can't ride but I plan to buy another one!!!"
I quite fancy something new and shiny!!
I will report back with the outcome!
My gut feeling now is that it is both the reach (bike fit) and the previous back injuries.
I'm going to take a break off of the bike for a little while. I'll try the high rise bars for a quick spin to see what difference if any they make.
Another idea I may do is pop up to Swinley and hire a smaller bike for a few hours and see what happens.
The redshift components look pretty good but one of my bikes is full suspension xc so is already quite smooth.
If it is bike fit then the conversation with the Mrs will be great. ie. "I know I have two bikes I can't ride but I plan to buy another one!!!"
I quite fancy something new and shiny!!I will report back with the outcome!
A bit late to this, but I can't recommend a proper, comprehensive bike fit enough. I was having all sorts of niggling bike issues once I started riding longer distances, but a bike fit sorted 95% of them, and a follow up session sorted the rest. I know they're not cheap, but IMO they're worth every penny. But make sure you get a good one, as not all bike fitters are equal.
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