QUESTION: I am a 66-year-old man and have been riding for health and fun for 35 years plus. I converted to exclusively road-bike riding about 20 years ago. I ride around 150 kilometers a week. My main problem: as I get older, my softer regions have become, shall we say, saggy; they get in the way while riding and no matter how I arrange them, how much I spend on shorts, saddles or how much I try to position the saddle. I need to stop every few klicks to rearrange myself. —Nick
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: When you say “softer regions,” I assume you are referring to your penis and scrotum. Not all men on bike saddles find these male parts to be in the way in their usual orientation, but those who do sometimes find that bib shorts help, and some bib wearers, after climbing into the bibs, position their penis straight upward toward the belly button and the scrotum similarly swept upward with one testicle on each of the base of the penis. The snugness of good fitting bibs helps your parts to stay in that position.
You can also accomplish this arrangement using regular road-bike shorts that fit well, but the bib shoulder straps give extra support.
If you feel that the shorts you are wearing don’t give enough compression to keep your parts in the desired placement, you could try buying shorts one size smaller than you usually do. They will have enough stretch that you can still get into them, but the smaller size will result in tighter compression when you wear them.
You could also try compression underwear under your shorts, but avoid any that have padding since that, combined with the chamois in the shorts, would make it feel like you filled your pants.
You said you have tried repositioning your saddle, but that doesn’t mean you found the right position. Some men have found increased comfort from tipping the nose of the saddle just slightly down from level — perhaps an eighth of an inch or so. Setting it further down will cause you to slide forward, putting more weight on your hands and making them uncomfortable on longer rides.
Look at your saddle height as well. A saddle that’s set too high can increase discomfort in the genital area.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
Bib/short design can also play a role in containing your manly bits. The most common design with a seam down the front center of the shorts creates a natural barrier that pushes your bits to the left or right of the seam and from there gravity takes over if your shorts are too loose. Look for shorts with no front seam. Even better look for shorts with a special design/chamois to keep your manly bits in place.
Assos has the kukuPenthouse or sunDeck for this purpose that I have not tried. I have tried the Castelli Doppio V which replaces the single center seam with two seams offset left and right that creates a center pocket that keeps everything in place nicely. Sadly, looking at the current Castelli offerings I don’t see the Doppio V used anymore, all center seams! Endura chamois’ also seem to be very good in this respect.
-Brandon
Thanks. Good information.
Another possibility is looking for a chamois like this one from E.I.T.
Elastic Interface Endurance Anatomic Road HCS Super Air Men’s Cycling Pad with ECO X-Tract and a relief cup (yeah – all that). A long title to essentially say it’s ergonomic, highly cushioned, and designed to relieve perineal pressure.
Would a good quality “athletic supporter” work?
I’m also a longtime rider, approaching my 59th birthday, and I’ve become more sensitive in that special region over time. It seems like that skin is less able to handle even the mild abrasion with the chamois and spandex on rides of over an hour or so without some sort of additional protection.
I’ve been using a jock strap and a heavy lube (Chamois Butt’r, Cetaphil, or DZNuts) for a couple of seasons now. It’s not ideal, as it requires extra preparation and products, but it is usually at least 70-80% effective at avoiding discomfort on a longer ride. Chamois Butt’r can be purchased in small sachets for refreshing the application on longer rides.
I have heard (but never tried) that a small ice pack positioned properly can reduce size and will solve the problem:-)
I use sports suspenders for all my regular/non-bib shorts. They allow me to pull my shorts up to the ideal comfort spot!
A bike fit with a sit bone width analysis will help determine the saddle you need. Give us a call. [email protected]
I find that shorts that are a little loose are problematic. Tight bib shorts keep me in place.
I have this problem too, so following the thread even though it’s a week old. I agree with Doug that tight, good fitting shorts are helpful, but for me they are not enough. My soft tissue issues are the groin areas at the crotch. The older I get, the more issues I’m having. I like the Assos pad because it is wide and does have some coverage for those areas, but dang, they are still very sensitive. Ointment helps, too. Hoping for other ideas…