Originally Posted by
Awesomeguy
I currently been riding a hybrid bike , but n+1 has been calling and wanted to try /buy road bike.
after trying several, the issue I’ve been having is discomfort in the privates area. I was told that bike shorts Would help, but I feel it shouldn’t be that way.
do you recall when you first tried road bikes , how did you get past this if you had such issues ?
It depends on the nature of the discomfort. Are we talking your junk falling asleep? Or a feeling of pressure on the perineum? Or are you crushing your junk?
It also depends on what you're wearing now - gym shorts? Jeans with undies? Briefs or boxers?
The first place to look is the saddle. Not just the shape, but also the height, setback, and angle. Ideally, your weight should be carried on your sit bones. If not, you'll have issues. I've had saddles that allowed my sit bones to sink in too far, which led to the middle of the saddle pressing on the perineum, causing numbness where I don't want it. I've had others where the top of the saddle was straight from front to back, which doesn't work for me because I'm low flexibility and roll my hips forward, rather than bending at the waist, so I need a 'wave' saddle, which is higher at front ant back than the middle. If your saddle is too high for your leg length and pedaling style, that can be a problem. and on and on.
Regarding what you're wearing, mostly what padded cycling shorts do is less about padding and more about fitting to you so well that the shorts provide a good interface between you and the saddle, with no rubbing, chafing, or lumpy seams. The snug fit also helps keeping the jewels out from between you and the saddle.