Dear Experts, there has been a lot of talk saying that cyclists tend to be impotent (for males).....any advice or tips on what should a cyclist do...maybe how to park ur crownies (not Ossie lager but ur crown jewels), does sitting down while cycling cause this or what.....not that I wanna have more kids or what. Rgds.

-- Faz Harris (slowfaz@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002

Answers

Hi Faz

There are some saddles in the market with gel inserts or cut-outs. I'm not sure whether there are any studies that show that these saddles work.

We might be able to take some comfort in the fact that the riding position for mountain bikers tend to be more dynamic - we move around a lot more - than road riders, who tend to stay seated in the same position longer.

As for the parking position, my preference is North West, but since I don't have any kids of my own yet, this should not be taken as advice!

Happy trails, Joe

-- Joe Adnan (joeadnan@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

To minimize discomfort position your crown jewels (everything up!!! pointing to the sky) when putting on your cycling shorts, so that u do not sit on them when riding. If u r riding on the road, it is a good habit to regularly be off the saddle for a minute (let say every 15 minutes or so), to let the blood flow again. And if u riding off road, it is a good idea to be off the saddle when u r going thru some bumpy sections.

-- IceCube (adadli@pc.jaring.my), March 17, 2002.

Faz,

Check this out:

http://www.bikewor ld.com/jpg4/saddle/fly.jpg

-- Joe (joeadnan@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002.

Here's my two bits worth: my understanding is not so much where your crown jewels are parked as the way you fit to your seat. (I don't know about you but if my jewels wind up in the wrong place the feedback is instant and highly unpleasant.) It's pressure from a poorly fitting seat just behind that area and cutting off circulation to the tackle that is the problem. If you come out of the seat after an extended period of pedaling and get a tingling (or worse) sensation in the family making area that can't be attributed to a really nice piece of singletrack or outclimbing your best riding buddy, you might try tilting the nose of the seat down or another seat style. It's the lack of blood flow to the area that will cause the long term damage.

Regards, Pigpen

-- Pat Brunsdon (peeb@pc.jaring.my), June 11, 2002.