Ramona_W

Which is what I suggested but you have greater standing on this issue being a dude and all.

eja_ bottecchia

I am not buying it either.

OTOH, there is a great deal of incompetence out there.

Carbonfiberboy 

If ED for you means a numb dick, then it's a saddle issue. It's certainly a fact that cycling with the wrong saddle for you can and often will cause a numb dick. Those who say otherwise haven't had the problem. Usually, getting the right saddle with a cutout mostly solves the numb dick problem. It's not true that a cutout saddle always makes the problem worse. A small minority need a noseless saddle, but for most the right cutout saddle works fine. I ride with randonneurs who do 1200k rides with a variety of saddles. There's not one right answer in terms of saddles. It's also true that getting out of the saddle for about 1 minute out of every 10 is a very good idea, no matter what saddle one rides.

If the ED is not from a numb dick, then usually it's a circulation issue, i.e. cardiovascular. The study you found linking ED to aspirin found correlation, but not causation. There seem to be more people who think taking aspirin helped their ED because it can be a cardiovascular issue. I'd ignore the aspirin issue for now and focus on saddle (if appropriate) and cardiovascular issues. You could try taking 3g of citrulline malate 3 X day. That's been reputed to help circulatory problems of this sort. https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/

Having your T checked is also a good idea.

raria

It's not real unless you send photos ...

Hope you sort out the issues.

trailangel

I'm surprised! The answer is simple. You need a new girlfriend.

Wspsux

lots of faulty penis threads today...SS/FG got one going too.

johnje

There goes your chance to form an all-women oversight committee to address men's cycling and sexual performance issues. ;-)

popeye

Before we over think this, too high a training load kills libido. You may just need a break to catch up.

roadwarrior

You guys know who Jens Voight is, right? The former 35,000 mile a year pro with seven kids and a perfectly fitted bike?
At 20,000 miles a year back in the day, all my teammates have not had an issue based on the kid count.

My guess is this is a fitting issue putting too much pressure "down there" and pointing the seat down is not the answer.

Suggestion I already saw was give it a rest for a while, get your fit checked, and make sure you have a good pair/pairs of bike shorts.


Thirty miles a day is not a lot of miles, although it is above the typical average for recreational cyclists.

Cuyuna

Agree. For a (competent) doctor to just toss ED off as "cycling and aspirin" without looking at testosterone levels is ridiculous. And unlikely.

Ramona_W

I agree it's ridiculous but doctors are sometimes sloppy or in a hurry. I once had my physician of several years ask if I was making any progress quitting smoking. I reminded her that I had never smoked and offered to give her a few minutes to review my chart before we went any further. It happens...

Cyclist0108

Thirty-six posts and no one said "just HTFU." It is a civilized forum after all.

DiabloScott

thenewjs

Honestly, I hate to get out of the saddle. I tend to get a butt when I do. I already do and staying in the saddle seems to keep my butt down.

Yes, my doc offered to refer me to a sports doctor, he and agreed there was nothing he could do about my ED. I went just to see if could suggest better equipment. All my cycling gear is race fit and all he could suggest is looser gear. Exactly the same thing my regular doctor suggested. He knew nothing about cycling. Looked around my area and doctors with cycling knowledge was slim.

Doctor said my testosterone levels were nowhere near a level that would cause my problem.

I did have numbness problems but that was a while back and I corrected that but tilting my seat.

He didn't toss it off. I went through a battery of tests first with the VA, then my private doctor. My follow up was to today and told me to lay off the asprin because my tests came back and said I was salicylate intoxicated at the time of my tests.

CliffordK

Well, I'm glad you're following up on this.

I have wondered a bit if pain meds are addictive, and perhaps one can learn to deal with the pain without the meds. Even over the counter meds like Aspirin.

I've had achy knees for a few years, but have discovered that the more I ride, the less the knees ache. I also have changed my sleeping which has improved the back. Oddly, sleeping in a chair seems to have essentially cured a low level back ache that I have had for decades, to the point where I can sleep almost anywhere now, and wake up pain free.

NO BELTS!!!

WhyFi

How long ago? My friend ignored a numbness issue on a 6+ hour ride and he said that it was more than three months before he could get an erection again.

nycphotography

You mean the guy who ran through steroids like most people go through cans of beer? That Jens Voight?

With that much T, I'd expect near instantaneous penile reflexes.

At least until one of my nuts blew up and had to be removed.

nycphotography

Holy bajeezus, Batman! That's insane!

I think of a "numbness problem" as being that I had to wiggle or stand for 15 seconds to get the blood moving.

I can't even conceptualize someone just letting it be numb for 6 hours and just assuming it would still work fine the next day.

Does he ignore the oil light in his car too?

thenewjs

That was probably a year back and the numbness didn't start until after I got a half-assed biking fitting. The erection thing started a few months back.

WhyFi

It is insane, but IIRC, it was cold and wet as well (I lived on the other side of the country at the time and was not present) and he was grinding out his longest-ever ride with some more accomplished friends. I suppose at some point you get numb (ha) to the misery.

Carbonfiberboy 

Numbness sneaks up on you on a long ride. It doesn't hurt, seems OK, but it you reach into your shorts, you can easily feel you have a problem. Without that, you don't really know. If you have enough numbies, you wind up with ED. The little damages accumulate. The OP sounds like a poster child for cycling-related ED.

oujeep1

So much misinformation so little time. First 30 miles isn't a long enough ride that you should have any issues. Numbness, ED and lowered libido are three separate but inter-related things. Numbness is a nerve issue, ED a blood vessel issue. The average sports medicine doc is either orthopedically or family medicine trained and doesn't know much about any of these, a urologist(like me) is who you should be seeing. Unlikeliy its a Testosterone issue given your age but easy to check. A one time problem can occur with anyone, you don't say whether its ongoing on not. See a urologist.

Cuyuna

Good advice here. I agree completely. Classic example of medical advice on a bicycle discussion forum. I'd be amazed if the OP's problem was saddle-related.

CliffordK

I don't see notes whether anybody has asked...

Is the OP wearing padded bike shorts or bibs?

The padded shorts can make a seat much more comfortable.

Ramona_W

Good advice usually but he doesn't want things to be easier, he wants them to be harder.