Numb Penis

I took part for the first time in the Dunwich Dynamo over the weekend which was both lots of fun and gruelingly painful depending on when you asked. Having never done a long ride like that before I wasn't the best equipped, I was on my normal commuter bike - a mid-range hybrid with a fairly cheap saddle. My friend (on a much nicer bike) commented throughout the race that he couldn't feel his member, but I didn't notice anything like that myself (perhaps I wasn't paying enough attention down there). However after the event I got home and went to indulge in a celebratory romp with my missus only to discover I'd lost sensation in that region. I could still stand to attention so to speak without any problems, but with no sensation down there it took me an eternity to get over the last hill and pop the cork. We joked at times it felt more knackering than the ride itself!

Now this didn't concern me at the time especially given it was post ride and that my friend had mentioned experiencing something similar during the event, however it's now been nearly four days and I still have this problem. It seems very localised - the undercarriage and the base I can feel like normal, it's just the bellend which is senseless and feels like someone has given it some novocaine! A bit of googling has uncovered that general numbness up to a week afterwards is not uncommon in long rides due to the pressure on the perinium from the saddle over extended periods of time, but the idea of potential long term nerve damage is what is starting to worry me. Could doing such a distance on an unsuitable bike have caused some harm? I did sit bolt upright for a lot of the event as I had a sore back.

I'm aware that getting a better saddle will be a good idea for future rides (Selle SMP I've read do a good one designed to prevent this sort of problem), but I'm wondering whether anyone else has experienced such an issue that lasted for so long. Should I be seeing a doctor about this or is this just all part of the experience? There is a thread similar to this on here but it's about preventing this problem in the future rather than what to do now! I'm also aware this could open the floodgates for bawdy replies, by all means I don't mind a good laugh but if anyone can give an indication from their experience on whether this is a serious issue or most likely temporary it'd be much appreciated. Cheers!

I can share your (lack of) pain. I've been numb since the dynamo although sensation is starting to return now. In exactly the same place too

Going to get something like this in future. Hopefully that will prevent it.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/saddles/product/review-specialized-romin-sl-saddle-10-39342.

I'd say be worried if its still numb after a week or so...

Too much weight on your gooch. How you solve this depends.

You might be too low at the front and rocking forward onto the nose of the saddle. Your saddle might be angled down at the front so you are sliding onto the nose of the saddle. You might just have a saddle that is no good for your bum, say one with lots of padding, that you actually sink into causing gooch crush.

when i put on weight i can get a bit of numbness down there, but as i get fitter this goes again.

or perhaps you are not pedaling hard enough. if you pedal harder your weight is lifted up. remember it is a saddle and not a seat.

Imperial Brooks?

I used to get terrible numbness issues TTing although that was largely during the ride and sensation would return fairly quickly once I got off the bike. Very distracting and painful at the time though.

I tried the usual plethora of saddles before I found the holy grail (for me) in an Selle SMP Evolution. Very expensive saddles but worth every penny to me. Never had problems on standard road or mountain bikes though.

A saddle change might help you but as hippy suggests look at your position on the bike first, in particular your saddle position. You shouldn't be putting pressure anywhere near your perineum. You should sit on your sit bones. Saddle height, fore/aft position and "tilt" all need to be considered.

Having never done a long ride like that before

That's probably your issue right there. Too often people blame saddle related discomfort on the saddle or their setup, but more often than not they just need to ride more (and specifically, do longer rides more).

All that said, if it doesn't go away in the next few days I'd see a doctor personally, just to be sure...

^+1

After my first few long rides I had problems from numb fingers to numb toes and numb todger. I was basically numb. In hindsight it turned out to be a combination of stepping up the miles too quickly and dodgy bike set up. The bike and saddle that gave me the worst problems is now set up differently but with the same components and is the most comfortable bike that I have.

Saddle height and reach to the hoods turned out to be the biggest problems for me.

As Fox says, give it a while and if no improvement go and get your chap checked.

Thanks for the replies, I'm sure it was to do with a combination of things - first time doing such a long ride, the set up (I realised early on in the ride that my saddle was far too low as I was getting serious aches in my lower back from being hunched over so raised it up a few inches - so not only was this my first ride of this length but first time riding with a dramatically raised saddle height too). Will look at a more optimum set up and getting more experience with long rides. If I was to also upgrade the saddle though to help with this issue - would something like the Charge Spoon do the trick? It doesn't have the cut away in the middle but it does have a dip, presumably for reduced contact on the problem area. It seems to have great reviews for comfort (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-spoon-saddle-with-cromo-rails/). Or would I need to spend a bit more on something like the Selle SMP evolution or the one Hanuman mentioned to get the desired benefits?

Was the seat post past the minimum insertion mark?

No I don't believe so.

i got awful dick n balls numbness when i was riding in the alps. it was only when climbing which was annoying