ggbo951a

Few months back, I bought my n-th bike as summer nearing after my bike stolen last summer. Meaning I started suddenly riding aggressively after purchase 2-3 hours a day almost everyday. It is a low end mountain bike from dicks. Now with covid-19, I was feeling mild symptoms like very occasional coughin and I have a family history of heart issue (father died of heart attack relatively young @ 60) I am concerned as I am feeling some pressure, slight tickling on left lower abdoment and pressure on left testicles. I am 42 and relatively young so if any issues it is currently quite mild discomfort at worst but I am seeing this as some sort of signal. The possible covid-19 coughing has developed for a few days and subsided after I smoke few days ago and also went to crowded beach. I could not be sure which one possible caused it and whether it was covid or smoker's cough.
For testicle slight pain, I am wondering sudden intensive biking has any relation. Does anyone have seen/developed or experienced similar symptoms after not riding for quite some time and then started riding???

icemilkcoffee 

Perineum problem. Does the seat have a center cut out? If not you need to change to a seat with the center cutout. Once I went above 20 mile or so, I started feeling a little numbness down there and I right away switched to a specialized seat with the center cutout and no more problem since. (Well actually I siwtched to about 3 different seats before settling on the Specialized Romin)

Pop N Wood

I was have nut pain for awhile that extended up into my lower abdomen on the same side. Thought it was related to the bike. Turns out I had a cyst, completely unrelated to bicycling, that was causing some abdomen issues when it would try to retract.

Chances are it is nothing but a urologist will give you a definitive answer.

spelger

I'm leaning toward "go see a doctor." This is no place for medical advice. especially when a heart is involved.

Good luck and enjoy riding.

CAT7RDR

See a Doc. It is NOT always cause and effect and might be something entirely different than you think. My first thought was to R/O a sports hernia.

Thomas15

As others have said get an exam by your doctor. After you get the all-clear then we can work on the problem at hand.

Assuming no medical issues we can chit-chat regarding physical conditioning, riding position and bicycle set up. I think it is great that you want to get in better condition which will improve life in general. This is not a bunch of old guys saying "get a physical" rather it's a group of bicycle enthusiasts who advocate priorities and the number one priority is to make sure you don't have any underlying health issues that might be simple to correct now but difficult later.

I spoke to my PCP right when I was getting started with more intensity then what i was doing and he really fell over backwards to make sure I was up to it. And the last time I was in his office he told me that he wished he had more patients like me who are interested in their fitness. No one ever said late in their life that they wish they didn't have so many physical exams.

ggbo951a

Thanks all, I may contact, my last engagemetn with my PCP just sucks the way she approaches my condition with nothing seriousness, and I am afriad of going to hospital for appt due to virus and it is known hospital are also potential hotbed of transmission vector at times. Once virus subside I would like to. I may change my PCP try to get new one.

ClydeClydeson

WHat are you wearing while you ride? Loose fitting clothing can allow unwanted movement of your equipment which could lead to pain. Tight fitting bicycle shorts keep all your bits still and pressed against your pelvis, a relatively stationary part of your body.

Also, make an appointment with your doctor. I know generally how to get comfortable on a bike, but I am not a ball doctor.

79pmooney

I totally get the apprehension on going for medical advice now. I have a hernia that is slowly growing, Yes, see the doctor when it balances out to be safe, But in the meantime you can take action to improve seat comfort. Seats with cutouts or full length grooves can help a lot. I use both and have them on all my bikes. But cutout and grooved seat are just like all the others, the exact fit to you matters a lot. So does the exact placement of the seat.

On any new seat, I go for rides with all the wrenches for adjusting seat height, tilt and fore and aft position. For me, tilt is critical. The clicks between settings on many posts is far too crude for me to be able to dial in comfort. Now the curse of many seatposts, especially those with just one clamp bolt, is that when you loosen the bolt, all reference is lost and you are starting from scratch every time. I far prefer the 2-bolt seatposts with one in front and one in back. With those, you can loosen the rear bolt, then either simply slide the seat to a new fore and aft position or tweak the forward screw to adjust the tilt, then re-tighten the rear. Easily done accurately and repeatably on a ride. Two makers who have excellent 2-bolt seatposts are Nitto and Thompson. (And a framebuilder can make you a custom post using the excellent Thompson hardware which they sell for just that purpose.)

So, yes, see the doctor when safe. But give yourself (and the doctor) the benefit of a seat that isn't making things worse. (You can look at the new seat and perhaps post as being some additional out of pocket medical expense. Really not a huge burden in that light.)

Ben

ggbo951a

I am not serious rider at all, just put on some shorts or pants and ride. Now when riding i daresay I nowadays ride lot of time standing up instead of sitting on the seat, possible 70-80% of the time.

ClydeClydeson

ggbo951a
Any tighter underpants might help, like a pair of snug 'boxer-briefs' , preferably with no seams in the saddle area, will keep your old chap and berries stationary. The constant jostling as your sack gets tossed back and forth by your legs could be what is irritating your testes.

Did you know the 'jock strap' was originally designed to improve crotchular comfort for male cyclists?

rydabent

Wouldnt be a problem on a recumbent.

shelbyfv

^^^ I agree. Since you are experiencing so many issues right off, just go directly to a 'bent or even ebike. Regular cycling doesn't suit everyone!

Pop N Wood

Except you have no idea if the problem is related to riding a bike. Mine wasn't.

mightymax

Two and a half years ago I had to have Heart Valve replacement surgery. I had been riding a lot in the previous years and believe cycling kept me alive with an undiagnosed heart problem. Anyway after the surgery and my 12 week recovery I went into rehab which consisted of mostly treadmill and stationary bike. I asked the nurse that if I could ride a stationary, if it was okay to get back on the real deal. I was told yes but don't push it. I started riding and experienced discomfort in my left testicle almost immediately. Then over a short period of time the testicle started to get big. It got to the size of a small grapefruit but other than minor discomfort never was very painful. I asked my Cardiologist if any of the Heart Drugs he had me on could cause the swelling and he said possible but not probable. When I had blood one morning I finally broke down and found a urologist. He took one look and said I need to operate! I had developed a Hydrocele in the left testicle. So 9 months after Heart Surgery I had the surgery on my testicle. It was done as out patient but I had to take a couple days off work and wear a tight supporter for weeks after with no riding. Anyway once healed and back on the bike the pain I had leading up to the Hydrocele was gone. I would get it checked out if it stays consistent and does'nt go away.

Max Bryant

ggbo951a

that is scary as s***! how old were you? I will take a note of it. ....

ggbo951a

normal trousers not tight but not loose either. i will be mindful about it.

ggbo951a

This is the bike : https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

It is not really a good bike lot of shifting problems, I started riding again but not sitting on the saddle anymore.

ClydeClydeson

Unless that bike is damaged or badly worn out, there is no reason why the shifting should not be perfect. It is very likely a problem of minor adjustments, which is common on new bikes after a few weeks or months of riding.

79pmooney

Have you gone for a ride with the wrenches to dial in seat comfort yet? (My post, #9 ) Riding and not sitting really doesn't work. If you have a seatpost with just one bolt or nut to adjust the tilt, bring a small carpenter's level with you. (There are very cheap ones at Home Depot. 6" long and plastic.) Another approach. lay a yardstick on the seat and measure down ti the handlebars. Really easy to document small changes of tilt. A tape measure or the same yardstick or a sewing roll of measuring tape to measure both seat height and distance handlebars to nose of seat will also see real use.

I don't care how cheap your bike is. Not getting your seat as comfortable as you can make isn't doing yourself any favors.

And yes, I know this comes across as internet "I'm superior, I know what I'm talking about. You don't." ggbo951a, I've been riding a LONG time. I've learned some stuff. Getting you seat right is so important! I say this with love. I want the best for you and I want you to keep riding.

Ben

fietsbob

Dicks is selling commodities that happen to be a bicycle, they are not a bike shop.

seek a tune up at a proper bike shop and they may be able to get it working better..

maybe even have a better saddle ..






...

Pratt

Others have said it more succinctly, but maybe the reason there is not a subsection here labeled 'Medical Advice' is we are mostly not doctors, and even those riders who are would probably not give you a diagnosis or prescription without examining you. Please go see a doctor

phughes

Sudden exercise of any kind can cause issues, but for this, I will say, be sure your seat height is correct, for you. If you are having perineum pain and pain in the testes, most likely your seat is too high. Dropping it slightly can help immensely. Pain like that is usually caused by too great of reach, or too high seat height. A seat that is too far forward can cause the issue as well.

Look here for some information related to seat height: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ard-can-it-be/

And also here: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...d-can-it-be-2/

63rickert

Getting back to original question. Yes, what you are experiencing is common and known. Get very fit - I do mean very very fit - in any sport and the scrotum, possibly the entire phallus retracts into the abdominal cavity. In martial arts this is positively trained, for obvious reasons. The problem arises when the athlete in question is only halfway there, or only beginning to go there. Sudden strong contractions of the strong muscles in the abdominal floor can directly squeeze the testes. It hurts, and it takes considerable time to recover. All you can do is avoid intense efforts until you feel better. Each time I experienced this it was directly and obviously caused by hill sprints.

As should be clear by now from the thread above there are abundant other possibilities. No definitive diagnoses online. The possibility I am pointing to is not something doctors think of. Some coaches are familiar, definitely not all. But if I am right what you are experiencing is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Sounds like you have plenty of worries.

If riding a lot, and doing it intensively as you say, time to ditch the bike from Dick’s.

A badly fitted, randomly equipped commodity bicycle is slightly more likely to provoke the situation than a good bike. But this happens on any bike. Steady aerobic efforts until you feel better. The possibility of these things is always there. Cannot be entirely avoided. Common enough to be known, not likely to occur more than a couple times in a lifetime.

Crazygreg10

of your situation bro I’m kinda in the same predicament,I went to a huge party, I was riding a bike tough for a week straight then bam this crap happened