ED caused by cycling ?

niall monaghan

It seems that cycling for 3 hours a week or more can cause erectile dysfunction.I am going to be getting my first road bike soon and am wondering if you have heard any stories of cycling causing ED.Sorry i cant give a link,im on my phone.

mikeyjames9

happened to me one nite

i had a lot of drink taken too

im not sure if it was the spin or the drink

crosstownk

Going out for 3 or 4 hour spins leaves a look on Mrs crosstownk's face that sometimes leads to ED

jinkypolly

Heard this theory before but under closer scrutiny it just doesn't stand up.

Hunterbiker

Come again?

Doc07

jinkypolly wrote: »

Heard this theory before but under closer scrutiny it just doesn't stand up.

Brilliant!

OP, Lance Armsrong spent more time in the saddle than any of us will in our wildest dreams, he had only one nut....and he conceived 5 kids so I wouldn't worry about it.

crosstownk

Doc07 wrote: »

Brilliant!

OP, Lance Armsrong spent more time in the saddle than any of us will in our wildest dreams, he had only one nut....and he conceived 5 kids so I wouldn't worry about it.

He knew how to enhance his performance...... :pac:

niall monaghan

That certainly puts my mind at ease,cheers.

mamax

niall monaghan wrote: »

That certainly puts my mind at ease,cheers.

Let's hope it's only your mind at ease

AstraMonti

I am currently in the hospital waiting my wife to give birth, I can assure you it works fine!

daragh_

AstraMonti wrote: »

I am currently in the hospital waiting my wife to give birth, I can assure you it works fine!

Excellent news!

crosstownk

AstraMonti wrote: »

I am currently in the hospital waiting my wife to give birth, I can assure you it works fine!

I hope all goes well for all of you.

Pablo Rubio

About 20 years cycling competitively and boy number 5 arrived 2 days ago. Still going strong.
Now I'll be suffering from EW (empty wallet).

bcmf

AstraMonti wrote: »

I am currently in the hospital waiting my wife to give birth, I can assure you it works fine!

Great news.
Will the baby weigh 5.6kgs ?

CatFromHue

I get a boner everytime I cycle.....

It's aerodynamic after all!

rollingscone

AstraMonti wrote: »

I am currently in the hospital waiting my wife to give birth, I can assure you it works fine!

upthe19th

Wouldn't worry too much about this OP. Not so much ED as maybe just a change in preference;).

If it starts happening on the bike then its time to investigate, even then I wouldn't worry.......just buy a better looking bike:D.

UCDVet

There is a lot of medical evidence that even moderate amounts of cycling (~3 hours per week) can cause problems.

http://www.webmd.com/men/features/biking-and-erectile-dysfunction-a-real-risk
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/biking-and-sex-avoid-the-vicious-cycle-201209145290

Just because you ride a lot and don't have a problem, doesn't mean it isn't a problem. I remember lots of people who smoked a pack a day, telling me the medical community was wrong because, hey, they were fine.

kumate_champ07

I have problems with 1980s saddles like turbo/laser/rolls

quozl

The right saddle is important. Which saddle that is depends on the individual.

I got some loss of sensation when doing a lot of cycling with a Fizik Arione. I was also getting perenium pain on long rides, that I stupidly was just ignoring as I tend to do with pain. Cut-out style Specialized saddles sorted things.

So, all joking aside, just keep an eye on it and you should be fine.

niall monaghan

Thanks for the reply's, I'll most probably get one of those selle smp saddles.

Doc07

niall monaghan wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's, I'll most probably get one of those selle smp saddles.

Of course get a good saddle and if you are experiencing a lot of discomfort or numbness consider a bikefit from someone who knows what they're doing. But don't be discouraged from cycling.

tomasrojo

UCDVet wrote: »

There is a lot of medical evidence that even moderate amounts of cycling (~3 hours per week) can cause problems.

http://www.webmd.com/men/features/biking-and-erectile-dysfunction-a-real-risk
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/biking-and-sex-avoid-the-vicious-cycle-201209145290

I don't think that's an entirely representative summary of what those links are saying though (a lot of evidence that even three hours a week has a quite high risk of causing ED).

The second link is summarised adequately by this:

Science supports this worry. But it mainly applies to people who cycle a lot. And it isn’t inevitable

The first link is really about sports cycling, and it's probable the three hours a week (this being American cyclists, who are predominantly sports cyclists) is more like one three-hour spin at the weekend, rather than, say, commuting to work five days a week eighteen minutes each way.

The OP seems to have sports cycling in mind, in which case the caution is somewhat justified, but even there the message seems to be that an effect is temporary and can be mostly avoided by not using a saddle that is effectively a perineum hatchet.

Driving long distances on the other hand has a strong-ish association with reduced fertility in men, since the testes sit in a warm furrow for hours on end. (I hope that doesn't sound too suggestive.)

Jabel

niall monaghan wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's, I'll most probably get one of those selle smp saddles.

That sorted my er.. problem out.
Mrs J just had our fourth child 5 weeks ago so all's well now.
Back in the saddle so to speak...

CramCycle

tomasrojo wrote: »

The OP seems to have sports cycling in mind, in which case the caution is somewhat justified, but even there the message seems to be that an effect is temporary and can be mostly avoided by not using a saddle that is effectively a perineum hatchet.

Its what the Audax crowd used to warn new comers to the really long distance stuff (ie 1000km+) about, calling it "numb nuts", apparently it disappears within days. I never experienced it though, in fact if anything it seemed to be an inspiration to do better, maybe the psycological impact of being away for long periods of time with no release so to speak is far stronger than any possible physical issue.

diomed

niall monaghan wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's, I'll most probably get one of those selle smp saddles.

The most uncomfortable saddle ever.

rollingscone

I've recently changed saddle position due toa new seatpost and it has greatly ameliorated any mild numbness I felt before.

I wonder if the people reporting the problems aren't just ignoring the call to make adjustments in their kit and fit.

quozl

rollingscone wrote: »

I've recently changed saddle position due toa new seatpost and it has greatly ameliorated any mild numbness I felt before.

I wonder if the people reporting the problems aren't just ignoring the call to make adjustments in their kit and fit.

I tried endless adjustments with the Fizik Arione - I'm a tinkerer by nature. I also got a professional bike fit with it from Aidan Hammond. Nothing stopped it hurting my perenium on long cycles - possibly tilting it forward extremely enough might have but that would have quickly wrecked my wrists.

I've also done a lot of tinkering with the Specialized Saddles that I've had in order to try and get them as comfortable as possible. I've not yet managed to cause myself the same perenium problems with them, even with all that tinkering.

Everybody's anatomy is different. People aren't just having problems with some saddles because they're too daft to try and adjust them.

Well, maybe some people are but pain is a good motivator to try and fix things, I find

CramCycle

@quozl: Could it be the sitting width on the saddle? Various saddles have different widths in terms of where your sit bones should go. Since people cannot change their sit bones to suit the saddle, they should change the saddle to suit the sit bones, although i get the impression it is not something many people bother checking or even know about. Despite my slender frame I need a saddle with quite a wide sit bone resting position (there is a name for this but i will be damned if I am bothered googling it).

quozl

I'm another person who seems to have slightly wider sit bones than average for my frame width but I've always taken it into account. The Arione supported my sitbones very well. It also supported my perenium too well

The first Specialized saddle I got was a tiny bit narrower for my sit-bones than I liked as it always felt like they were about to fall off it. However it protected my perenium.

The one I'm using now is just a slightly wider version of that first Specialized saddle - to stop me feeling like my sitbones may fall off.

In between I used a Specialized Toupe, which I also liked but I got a swap on my Romin for the larger width one so have gone back to that.

So, I really just think that me and Fizik Ariones are not meant for each other.

Green&Red

Numbness can be a real issue


http://ordinarymanironman.com/2013/03/03/cycling-first-things-first/

rollingscone

quozl wrote: »

I tried endless adjustments with the Fizik Arione - I'm a tinkerer by nature. I also got a professional bike fit with it from Aidan Hammond. Nothing stopped it hurting my perenium on long cycles - possibly tilting it forward extremely enough might have but that would have quickly wrecked my wrists.

I've also done a lot of tinkering with the Specialized Saddles that I've had in order to try and get them as comfortable as possible. I've not yet managed to cause myself the same perenium problems with them, even with all that tinkering.

Everybody's anatomy is different. People aren't just having problems with some saddles because they're too daft to try and adjust them.

Well, maybe some people are but pain is a good motivator to try and fix things, I find

I meant some people may not try anything, not fitting, not a different saddle. Nothing.

In your case you did pretty much everything short of quitting or buying a different bike. What I'm saying is if many of these cycling related ED sufferers had reacted like you did their D's would be a lot more E.

quozl

Sorry Rollingscone, I didn't get you. I completely agree with you.

Hunterbiker

This isn't the place to get medical advice you really should talk to your GP.