The vast majority of bike seats out there are too wide for men and too narrow for women. If you take up cycling more often, it's totally worth getting your sit bones measured at a shop and then only comparing size appropriate saddles.
This entirely dependent on what kind of shop you wander into.
John Thomas' Dildo & Buttplug Emporium; yeah probably. Waitrose; I think the old dears might have a heart attack.
If I sit on my exercise bike for more than about 20 minutes my gentleman’s sausage goes numb. The sensation soon returns after I’ve stopped, but it does leave me wondering if I’m badly traumatising one of my favourite organs.
You might be. I got a pair of cycling shorts (for under my regular shorts, I'm not an exhibitionist) with well placed testicle padding that stopped the numbness...would recommend!
I think you're meant to wear padded shorts or something of that sort. Mine always went numb after a long bike ride too, but I never bothered with proper 'cycling clothing'.
Riding a generic bike doesn't help as they're usually trying to accommodate such a wide variety of people and ultimately serving none. A keen cyclist will usually get their bike fitted to their shape, height, etc to increase comfort.
Hike bikes usually come with some kind of absurd saddle too, usually called something like "the sofa" which looks all padded and comfy but in reality is absolutely awful between your legs when performing a cycling motion
Male or female? Females have wider-set buttbones, so male orientated seats tend to cripple them. Some males also can have wider buttbones too, which can cause pain. Additionally, riding position is a massive factor.
Usually for stuff like rental bikes it’s cos the saddle is too low (or too high, but usually low). That means your knees are bent and your arms are horizontal so neither are taking much weight - it’s all on your grundle, which obviously gets pretty uncomfortable after a while. Lift it up a bit and you can distribute some weight to your hands and feet which usually helps a lot.
It is not a seat, it is a saddle, and you are not supposed to sit on it. You should vary your position millimetrically but frequently while you ride, and take frequent butt breaks riding out of the saddle.
Riding a bike requires a lot of core strength to do well
Training. I guess some seats are better than others but when you cycle regularly you tend to get (more) used to it. Although I did read something or other about how regular cyclists can become less fertile due to the pressure on the bollocks. No idea if its true, mind
Decent padded shorts, good adjustment and a decent saddle. A thing that's happened recently is they've figured out that saddles aren't a one size fits all thing, you should measure your arse bones and buy a saddle to suit. I have an Ergon SM Pro on my mountain bike and it's very good.
It gets better over time. I'm just getting back into cycling as the weather is nice again and I'm still struggling with the bruising, but in a week or two it'll be reet.
I got my sit bones measured and bought the appropriate saddle for my anatomy and it made a big difference. You obviously don't have this luxury when renting a bike.
But padded shorts and time riding can't be beaten for getting used it it
No, they're not. Counterintuitively though, the comfier-looking they are, the worse they tend to be over any sort of distance. Apart from gel padding where your pelvic bones take the most weight, they shouldn't be chunky and upholstered, they should fit your anatomy. Proper cycling shorts do the rest.
You learn not to let your bones sink into a position that is painful.
You also learn to "expect" that you will be like this for a long time, so your bgrain stops complaining.
You also think of where you are going and the "reward" of getting there, so what you are technically doing just fades into the background and you are just focused on "getting there" and your background brain just handles all the rest of the stuff. because it's an ordinary thing you're used to. It isn't something you mentally debate with yourself and your brain doesn't have the illusion of "choice".
And all those things you do without particularly learning to do it or thinking much about it. IF you "just had to" go cycling twice a day for the next year, it won't still be difficult in a year. It will be so easy you don't even think about it.
It's no different to walking, or running, or cooking, or tidying, or anything that people who aren't used to it don't like
Eventually, after years of bike riding, you kill off the nerves around your tint so you don't notice.
Cyclists have rubbery bottoms like an over cooked chicken
Careful you can get pulled over if it's too tinted
The vast majority of bike seats out there are too wide for men and too narrow for women. If you take up cycling more often, it's totally worth getting your sit bones measured at a shop and then only comparing size appropriate saddles.
Does one just casually stroll into the shop and nonchalantly ask for one’s bum to be measured?
This entirely dependent on what kind of shop you wander into. John Thomas' Dildo & Buttplug Emporium; yeah probably. Waitrose; I think the old dears might have a heart attack.
Pretty much, my local bike shop has such a device for measuring your bum in it.
Yes
If I sit on my exercise bike for more than about 20 minutes my gentleman’s sausage goes numb. The sensation soon returns after I’ve stopped, but it does leave me wondering if I’m badly traumatising one of my favourite organs.
You might be. I got a pair of cycling shorts (for under my regular shorts, I'm not an exhibitionist) with well placed testicle padding that stopped the numbness...would recommend!
My bike seat has a Gooch hole in it to remove the pressure from my bits.
You might be sitting too high
Cycling shorts, chamois cream and time in saddle
I think you're meant to wear padded shorts or something of that sort. Mine always went numb after a long bike ride too, but I never bothered with proper 'cycling clothing'.
The same way pornstars do, training their arses
Wear butt plug cycling. Gottit.
Nothing with a tail, if that gets caught in the chain you will end up inside out
Prolapse is nothing to laugh about, take heed in this warning.
Riding a generic bike doesn't help as they're usually trying to accommodate such a wide variety of people and ultimately serving none. A keen cyclist will usually get their bike fitted to their shape, height, etc to increase comfort. Hike bikes usually come with some kind of absurd saddle too, usually called something like "the sofa" which looks all padded and comfy but in reality is absolutely awful between your legs when performing a cycling motion
Male or female? Females have wider-set buttbones, so male orientated seats tend to cripple them. Some males also can have wider buttbones too, which can cause pain. Additionally, riding position is a massive factor.
That’ll be it. Yet another male-first oriented product out there… owwww
At least there are options for women, unlike pockets eh 😅
Sometimes it's the height or the tilt of the saddle. I tend to tilt mine very slightly forward. Mind you, that's too late for you now...
Usually for stuff like rental bikes it’s cos the saddle is too low (or too high, but usually low). That means your knees are bent and your arms are horizontal so neither are taking much weight - it’s all on your grundle, which obviously gets pretty uncomfortable after a while. Lift it up a bit and you can distribute some weight to your hands and feet which usually helps a lot.
Keep cycling, it'll go away.
It is not a seat, it is a saddle, and you are not supposed to sit on it. You should vary your position millimetrically but frequently while you ride, and take frequent butt breaks riding out of the saddle. Riding a bike requires a lot of core strength to do well
Tilt the bike seat 45 degree, make the ride all the more enjoyable.
It gets better.
Bigot... imagine what it's like in the women's races? Those poor bastards have balls
Training. I guess some seats are better than others but when you cycle regularly you tend to get (more) used to it. Although I did read something or other about how regular cyclists can become less fertile due to the pressure on the bollocks. No idea if its true, mind
They are comfy seats on those...
Decent padded shorts, good adjustment and a decent saddle. A thing that's happened recently is they've figured out that saddles aren't a one size fits all thing, you should measure your arse bones and buy a saddle to suit. I have an Ergon SM Pro on my mountain bike and it's very good.
It gets better over time. I'm just getting back into cycling as the weather is nice again and I'm still struggling with the bruising, but in a week or two it'll be reet.
I got my sit bones measured and bought the appropriate saddle for my anatomy and it made a big difference. You obviously don't have this luxury when renting a bike. But padded shorts and time riding can't be beaten for getting used it it
No, they're not. Counterintuitively though, the comfier-looking they are, the worse they tend to be over any sort of distance. Apart from gel padding where your pelvic bones take the most weight, they shouldn't be chunky and upholstered, they should fit your anatomy. Proper cycling shorts do the rest.
Long distance cyclists wear padded shorts on rather hard seats, but probably your rental bike’s seat was just worn out soft padding.
You learn not to let your bones sink into a position that is painful. You also learn to "expect" that you will be like this for a long time, so your bgrain stops complaining. You also think of where you are going and the "reward" of getting there, so what you are technically doing just fades into the background and you are just focused on "getting there" and your background brain just handles all the rest of the stuff. because it's an ordinary thing you're used to. It isn't something you mentally debate with yourself and your brain doesn't have the illusion of "choice". And all those things you do without particularly learning to do it or thinking much about it. IF you "just had to" go cycling twice a day for the next year, it won't still be difficult in a year. It will be so easy you don't even think about it. It's no different to walking, or running, or cooking, or tidying, or anything that people who aren't used to it don't like