Straddle Injury

Came back from vacation and ten day off the bike. Felt some discomfort (not pain) under my left nut but continued my bike commute to work then home.
Next day bike commuted to work again but a bit more discomfort. Next three trips to the bathroom I was peeing blood.
Everything cleared the next day so I took a day off then started riding again but discomfort turned to soreness and I stopped riding.

Went to the urologist and he said no lumps, no cancer, no problem just rest and motrin.
Said I probably had a straddle injury like when kids fall in trees and land straddled over a branch.
Indicated that I probably was caused by taking a big bump without rising out of the saddle. It is sometimes unavoidable especially on a bike with no suspension.

Anyone with a similar experience? Do I need a suspension seat post like a Thudbuster?

I have hurt my balls more than once riding DH, and that is with 8 " suspension travel.
Yet, on the street it is floating on air cushion. 8)

you need a good quality seats such Brook saddle

Is your ebike full suspension? if so, maybe too stiff springs rate and need get bit softer springs like my front fork Tora 289 was very stiff preload springs and I replaced to softest as possible as i can find and replaced it. Everything is so comfortable and ate every bumps like no tomorrow! I also have a Thudbuster LT seatpost combo. Everything super comforts on bad roads where I live area.

It helped stop numb your butt or balls, I think the blood urine cause your butt took a awful beating from the bad or rough roads.

upward said:

Do I need a suspension seat post like a Thudbuster?

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You need to stand up when you encounter a bump. This ain't a hard problem.

The biggest tires you can fit in your bike, at the lowest pressures that can do the job, will yield multiple benefits: You get shock absorption, but also improved handling on soft surfaces and better traction on all surfaces. Treadwear is evened out across more of the tire.

A good elastomer or coil sprung saddle also helps, and is an easy retrofit.

Once you've done those things, then if you need even more cush for some reason, a parallelogram suspension post is a straightforward way to get it without screwing up other things about your bike.

You may want to adjust tilt of the seat on your bike for starters. Sometimes tilting it forward a little is all you need.

skyungjae said:

You may want to adjust tilt of the seat on your bike for starters. Sometimes tilting it forward a little is all you need.

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My roadbike seat was smashing my balls, I tried tipping it down in front and it just compounded the issue by making my ass always slide forward onto the skinny part that would smash my balls. I ended up tipping it slightly front-up, which kept my ass further back on the seat, and the ball smashing stopped entirely and its decently comfortable.

Until it broke in half and I fixed it with clear packing tape... Now the taped seam pinches and it's very much new seat time.

liveforphysics said:

skyungjae said:

You may want to adjust tilt of the seat on your bike for starters. Sometimes tilting it forward a little is all you need.

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My roadbike seat was smashing my balls, I tried tipping it down in front and it just compounded the issue by making my ass always slide forward onto the skinny part that would smash my balls. I ended up tipping it slightly front-up, which kept my ass further back on the seat, and the ball smashing stopped entirely and its decently comfortable.

Until it broke in half and I fixed it with clear packing tape... Now the taped seam pinches and it's very much new seat time.

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I probably shouldn't have assumed the OP was riding in a more upright position like on a mountain bike or hybrid. Perhaps we need more information before offering sound solutions.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

chroot - my bike is an early 1990's Trek 830 mountain bike with NO suspension. My current saddle is a generic performance bike road bike type saddle with a cutout in the middle.
I also have been riding 45 minutes to work and 45 minutes back in generally work clothes or jeans, so no chamois padding. Might try some bike shorts under my pants when I start riding again tomorrow.

Chalo - i do stand up for 95% of the bumps in the road. Every once in a while, I miss spotting one and get surprised and have to grab the handlebars tight before they get away from me. Put big apple 2.0s on the bike a couple of weeks ago and they ride much quieter and nicer than the kenda k-rad 2.3s. The old tires were too big for the frame and were hard to keep from rubbing on the frame, the brakes and the fenders. Have the tires at 50psi but will try 35 or 40psi.

LFP - I have been messing with the saddle height and tilt for the last four months trying to get it just right and I thought I finally got comfortable and without any knee pain.

Really looking forward to getting back on the bike again tomorrow.
Will keep an eye out for sales on brooks saddles and suspension seat posts. The brooks site is pretty but do you think they have enough models? I need to look at each saddle and put a matrix together to have a chance of understanding which one is best for me and my boys (I don't have any sons).

Dude! - been there done that.

This is really nasty shit that usually results in time in getting something called a bulbar urethral stricture. They take years to develop - the urologist should have mentioned this to you!

I had one from a downhill accident - I will PM you the details if you like, it isn't something to be laughed off and will often need reconstructive surgery to fix properly. Things like dilation and laser urthrotomy usually don't last. Keep an eye on flow and pain, and if it starts to drop, do something about it - AUR (acute urinary retention) can kill.

One thing they don't explain to you is the extent to which this is NOT from an impact you know where. The movement in pedaling is just a bit unnatural. Muscles and organs that are supposed to slide past one another can get pressed between. You often feel the pain away from where the real problem is located. This might be fixed quickly in your stomach.


http://rolf.org/about/how

http://rolf.org/find

Chronic cumulative saddle injury and I tried a couple of them from:
http://no-nose.com/

The fingers said:

Chronic cumulative saddle injury and I tried a couple of them from:
http://no-nose.com/

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It's a funny thing-- I have known lots of folks now with over 100,000 miles of cycling experience, but not one of them uses a noseless saddle. I'm not aware of a single one of them who has been significantly injured by a saddle, either. Those who do use noseless saddles are inevitably low-mileage (some approximating no-mileage) riders by comparison.

I'd wager than most of the people who invented noseless saddles and brought them to market are also low-mileage riders by comparison. So why don't they look at what the proven long haulers are doing, and just try that?

The situation with those is really quite comparable to recumbent buffs who never bothered to spend nearly as much effort and money working out their normal bikes as they do on their recumbents. They just assume that the normal way is wrong because they themselves have been doing it wrong, and they don't try to fix what they're doing before buying into something that is demonstrated not to work well enough to suit most people.

I was having discomfort from my warn out bicycle seat last year. I was riding about 25 miles per day. I ended up with a Serfas Hybrid RX Bicycle Saddle with Elastomers. It was an impulse purchase from my lbs. It had a 30 day money back guarantee so I bought it and have been very happy with it.

Serfas has all sorts of styles. I don't recommend products very often, but I can say that my Serfas Rx seat has relieved a lot of my riding discomfort.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...rting&field-keywords=Serfas RX Bicycle Saddle

Brooks, brooks, brooks brooks brooks. Take it from someone that spends 8 hours a day in the saddle, there is nothin better for the 'ol grundle. Worth every penny.

gestalt said:

Brooks, brooks, brooks brooks brooks. Take it from someone that spends 8 hours a day in the saddle, there is nothin better for the 'ol grundle. Worth every penny.

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When I first built my wife a nice fast bike, I equipped it with a brand new Brooks Flyer S. On that bike's maiden voyage, we rode 40 miles-- which was a lot farther than she'd ever ridden at one time before. Afterwards, I asked her, "how did you like the new saddle?"

She replied, "I didn't notice it."

That is the kind of saddle you want. Brooks or not. That was years and many, many miles ago now. My wife wouldn't trade that saddle for anything.

In case you're curious what a Brooks Flyer saddle is:

+1 - Get Brook saddles seriously, and I know they are ridiculous expensive but hey it's damn worth penny! I personally met Kingfish in real life and saw his brook saddle looks so comfortable.

Lotta good wisdom above here. Spend what it takes to find the right saddle for you. Buy several if you must.

Brooks are great saddles, but other types may be just as good for your particular problem. Personally I don't like lots of squishy gell, but I do like the type of springs shown on that brooks. Other spring saddles have much less effective springs. Look for the type shown on the brooks, with the springs that allow lots of movement. I do like some foam on a saddle, thick enough to help, but not too soft. My idea of an ideal foam cushion saddle feels about like a broken in brooks. It takes a few thousand miles to properly break in a leather saddle, after which it becomes the best possible solution except for thier weight. ( which doesn't matter for ebikes)

One thing went unmentioned.

Are you pedaling? It will make a difference if you are pedaling at a moderately hard level of effort. A normal cyclist does not really sit on the saddle with all thier weight. The weight is mostly carried on the balls of the feet, so you don't have 165 pounds of weight on the saddle itself. Standing for the bumps is less needed, since you basicly already are standing. An ebiker that is faux pedaling will not carry the weight on the feet enough, and sits with too much weight on the saddle.

A FS bike for street may help, but to avoid excess pedal bob you will have to set it up fairly stiff. I found it just the thing for long rides because of my lower back issues. Now that you are injured, you may need to ride with a low seat you more or less don't use, go noseless, or even just stop riding till you heal. If you can't stop riding, stand on the pedals as much as possible.

Pain alerted me to an underlying condition. Fortunately, the company Dr. mandated years before "Patient is to sit, stand, walk for comfort". So if I feel uncomfortable, I don't have to do it. Cycling needn't be a pain in the patootee. Do all you can to prevent injury, and expidite healing once a problem surfaces.

Thanks Chroot for the kind comments

I have ridden bikes all my tiny lil' life and can tell you the most dangerous saddle was the banana seat :lol: That said, some of those road-racing seats are not much better.

Depending on your type of riding and the distance, a seat can - and does make all the difference in the world. I settled on the Brooks B-17 Narrow Imperial ATB/Trekking Bicycle Saddle after much trial by fire. You can read the full discovery here:

Seats and Saddles for Electric Bikes on ElectricBike.com.

A good saddle though is just the start; as the OP mentioned - he's commuting 45 minutes each way in jeans and no suspension. This is a recipe for long term pain. Once - only one time did I ever ride a bike for an hour in the wrong gear and had developed chafing and rash that took a decade to eliminate. Today, if I'm going for more than 20-30 minutes, I'll wear bike-shorts underneath. The shorts (if good quality) will hold your anatomy in check - lending support and protection during repetitive action.

Everyone else has covered the other important factors as well: good suspension, phatty tires & inflation, riding style (bumps CAN be avoided; I make a practice of riding light and high in the seat over treacherous ground), etc.

I am sympathetic for the OP's injury, but it's time for tough love man: You'll have to figure out another way to get to work, and I'm talking about a new frame if you want to continue riding, because an injury like you described will be more debilitating in the long term than itchy chafing; blood in the urine is not something to screw around with.

Get healthy, then get your ride right. :wink:

~KF

The problem with jeans is that they are basically made from four panels of denim. All four of these panels intersect at under your sack. This creates a lump or a large seam that will rub on you in a bad way.

That said, I ride with jean all summer and don't have any issues (well actually 2 issues, both are girls). When I'm riding for larger than 10min I put on a pair of bike shorts with good padding. In my opinion you are probably better off spending money on good bike shorts than a good saddle. With a Brooks saddle you are going to have to maintain it (it's leather) and you are still going be uncomfortable on long rides with jeans on.

Brief comment: I hit my Brooks twice a year with treatment... Spring and Fall. I use their saddle treatment and slather it on warm. Then hit it lightly with a heat gun so it will soak it up from the bottom and the top until it can't take any more (usually two coats). Let it dry (solidify) for about 1/2 hour, then buff it out. The first few weeks it will stretch out and you will have to adjust the tensioner nut. I don't know of any other saddle that allows you to adjust comform in the same manner - but once you get it dialed in - and it takes about 500 miles to soften it up - rides will be much more enjoyable. I really do not get saddle sore anymore on rides < 50 miles.

But I am here to tell you that no matter what saddle you purchase, after 70+ miles they all start to become uncomfortable. This is when you need to develop the other habit and that's taking a rest after 20-30 miles: Just get off the bike and walk around for 10 minutes and stretch. Give yer bum a break, water-up, eat some grub; keep the engine fueled. Little tricks like that can allow a person to go a very long distance.

Having a good saddle though is key, and cycling shorts are a must. When you add up a visit to the Doc + the pain in the rump, it's just cheaper to do it right :wink:

Onward, through wide open country! KF

Yeah, right gear for long rides. I sewed the pad from cycling shorts into some cargo shorts, so I could have pockets along with a chamoix on the long rides. Definitely helps with chafing, but this is a whole different problem.

I just use a big fat spring seat from walmart. They work great. Most bike seats are total nut smashers. Especially at the higher speeds that we travel at.

Glad you were OK!

Thanks for all of your input guys.

healthyoung - those are some scary pictures, Freddy Kreuger scary.

dogman - I do pedal the whole way. My commute is my daily exercise.

First, after a week and a half of rest (doctor's orders) I was back on the bike commuting to work this morning and for the return trip home, 20 miles each way.
Taking montyp's advise, put on padded bike shorts under longer bike tights. Will do this always for my commutes now. Following Chalo's advise, reduced the tires of my big apples from 50psi to 40psi (noticeably smoother ride).
Then also following Chalo's suggestion, paid extra attention to stand on the pedals before any bumps. Worked well. Absolutely no discomfort during the ride to work or back. Although I did have some mild soreness after each ride. I still have some healing to do.

So I then took everyone's advise and looked at the Brooks saddles, reading up on the electric rider article Kingfish referred me to. Looked at all of the saddles and since I ride a 1994 trek 830 mountain bike with the seat slightly above the handles, honed in on the touring and trekking saddles and found the Brooks Flyer, which is the saddle Chalo recommended.

So planning to get the Brooks Flyer.
Also investigated the thudbuster LT seat post and looks interesting. Just need to figure out the seat post size I need to order.

Will take tomorrow off from bike commuting and ensure I am up to trying it again on Friday. Then the weekend off and maybe again on Monday.

Thanks again everyone for your combined advise. I am putting it into practice immediately and it will help me for a lifetime.
In a little more than four months of ebiking, I've racked up 2,500 miles, minimized my car commute and learned tons about ebikes, bike mechanics and about myself.

Wow, great initiative. You'll heal quickly and completely with an attitude like that.

About the Brooks Flyer, which is one of a huge range of models: My impression is that it's a good solid medium-sized saddle for medium duty. That is, it works well for people from somewhat small to somewhat large, on bikes whose handlebars are not much lower or higher than the seat, when a variety of not-extreme surface conditions will be encountered. The springs are very hard-- they move, but not so much that you notice them moving while you're riding. I seem to remember it's intended to be a mountain bike saddle, but that may be ancient conjecture on my part. In any case, it's the smallest sprung saddle Brooks makes, basically a B17 with springs.

My point is that depending on which side of this continuum you fall on, you might want to choose a larger or more softly sprung saddle. (the direction of this discussion suggests to me that you don't want a smaller or harder one.) The B67 is the next size up, the B73 is boingier (which may be better for mostly e-powered riding), and the B190 is huge. I use the B90/3, which is out of production but very much like the B190. Which one works best for you will depend on your size, weight, bike setup, and riding style.

You might want to solicit the advice of Bill Laine at Wallingford Bike Parts in New Orleans. He offers a six month satisfaction guarantee on Brooks saddles, and he has about the best selection of anyone around. As a result, he sells a bunch of them and has probably received more feedback than any other single person.