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How to prevent ball crushing when on drops...

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How to prevent ball crushing when on drops...

Old 01-30-18, 06:00 AM
  #1  
aniki
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How to prevent ball crushing when on drops...

So I have my position on the drops dialled in to a point where I feel comfortable for sustained riding in terms of my neck position, back position, visibility etc.
However, in this position I still get discomfort from the (front) groin area. I have a short saddle with a cut-out designed for aggressive riding positions.
Do I just have to lift my front or is there anything else anyone can recommend...
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Old 01-30-18, 01:10 PM
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luddite_68
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Originally Posted by aniki
So I have my position on the drops dialled in to a point where I feel comfortable for sustained riding in terms of my neck position, back position, visibility etc.
However, in this position I still get discomfort from the (front) groin area. I have a short saddle with a cut-out designed for aggressive riding positions.
Do I just have to lift my front or is there anything else anyone can recommend...
I do not ride in the drops much, but i was shown to arch the lumbar part of my back to tilt the pelvis back allowing for more room up front.
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Old 01-30-18, 05:27 PM
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Tighter bike shorts, tight enough to lift and hold you up. You might have to experiment. No, do not arch your back the wrong way. Good way to screw up your back.
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Old 01-30-18, 07:20 PM
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You could cut them off.
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Old 01-30-18, 09:45 PM
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The right shorts should solve your problem. Try some different brands.
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Old 01-31-18, 03:42 AM
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Thanks for the suggestions. I'm happy with my shorts / tights. It took me a long time to find a perfect fit so I don't think I'll be changing them. They do hold everything in just fine but when I get low I am compressing my stuff into the front of the saddle.
I'll try experimenting with some positions.
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Old 01-31-18, 07:43 AM
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is your saddle level?

you might try throwing them over to one side. that's what I do when I'm riding in a bathing suit or regular cotton boxers for casual rides w the family w/o my cycling shorts
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Old 01-31-18, 07:49 AM
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I end up tilting my saddle down just a little. But like the others, I assume that you are using cycling shorts or something that can help keep the little guys out of the way.
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Old 01-31-18, 08:44 AM
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What saddle is it?
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Old 02-03-18, 12:45 PM
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Keep hips upright, bend spine above, the lumbar..
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Old 02-05-18, 07:46 AM
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I tilt my saddle down 5 degrees or so. This allows me to tilt my pelvis forward and still remain quite comfortable. I use a cut off saddle with wide split nose. Koobi 232. It works great.
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Old 02-06-18, 11:34 AM
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Since I don't ride as much in the winter I gain quite a bit of belly fat that makes being in the drops uncomfortable and "ball crushing" but as the gut goes away I can stay in the drops longer and well before winter comes it's not an issue.

Then winter comes and the process starts over.

saddle height relative to bars, tilt, fore/aft; How I hang my junk in my cycling shorts and other suggested things helped me to various extents too. And though you like that particular brand of shorts, they might not be giving you what you need when in the drops.
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Old 02-07-18, 07:32 AM
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Hey thanks for all the replies. Thought I'd report back now I've had a chance to try some things out.
With some careful examination I came to realise that what was happening was I was actually bashing my undercarriage slightly with my leg on the upstroke. It wasn't immediately obvious but gradually the discomfort would set in.
-
So, first I moved my saddle (Specialized Power Pro). I moved it back about 5mm (which effectively also moves it up slightly) and tilted it down about 1.5 degrees.
I also added a 10mm spacer to my stem stack.
So far this feels like a huge improvement and I can happily sustain riding on the drops for much longer now.
I generally have great core strength and am 67kg. No problems with where to bend; I think the problem was purely anatomical. My back, neck and arms are fine with going more aero but it seems other parts, not so much!
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Old 02-14-18, 04:18 AM
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How did you level your power saddle as I notice, with the Power Saddle, I find that you need to level it by the nose.

And seriously, why can't manufacturers specify how they intended saddle tilt to be measured with a particular saddle as I noticed some saddle is measure by the nose whereas some take the middle of the nose and tail.
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Old 02-14-18, 07:42 AM
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I usually like to point the nose of the saddle towards the bars (bar tops?)
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Old 02-14-18, 08:06 AM
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The easiest way to measure saddle tilt would be to make the rails level when the saddle is tilted the way the manufacturer intended. This is what ISM does and I have to say their PN 3.0 is pretty darn spot on with that
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Old 02-16-18, 05:15 AM
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Originally Posted by wheelhot
How did you level your power saddle as I notice, with the Power Saddle, I find that you need to level it by the nose.
With the rails level the nose is pointing slightly up. I believe this is how it is intended to be set but the shop staff recommended a slightly different approach.
When I bought it, the Specialized guy said that the guys in the shop that use it set it tilted down slightly so the nose section was perfectly level. So when you're low, your butt kind of locks 'in' rather than 'on'! This is how I had it set up for the last year. For me it's the most perfect saddle ever.
I used an iphone app with the edge of my phone resting on the nose to get the 1.5ş forward tilt.
I've put fractionally more weight on my arms and shoulders this way but not so much to be a problem. Still happy with the new position and using the drops more than ever.
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Old 02-16-18, 10:36 PM
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For slightly curved topped saddles, exactly where I sit level and maybe the nose up ~1/16".
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Old 02-21-18, 09:01 PM
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Originally Posted by aniki
With the rails level the nose is pointing slightly up. I believe this is how it is intended to be set but the shop staff recommended a slightly different approach.
When I bought it, the Specialized guy said that the guys in the shop that use it set it tilted down slightly so the nose section was perfectly level. So when you're low, your butt kind of locks 'in' rather than 'on'! This is how I had it set up for the last year. For me it's the most perfect saddle ever.
I used an iphone app with the edge of my phone resting on the nose to get the 1.5ş forward tilt.
I've put fractionally more weight on my arms and shoulders this way but not so much to be a problem. Still happy with the new position and using the drops more than ever.
Interesting that having the nose tilted upwards seems to work for you as I had to lower down cause my nuts felt numb in an upwards tilted position.
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Old 02-22-18, 02:05 AM
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Originally Posted by wheelhot
Interesting that having the nose tilted upwards seems to work for you as I had to lower down cause my nuts felt numb in an upwards tilted position.
I didn't tilt it up; I was describing how it looks with the rails level. I did the opposite; I tilted it down about 1.5ş.
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Old 02-22-18, 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by wheelhot
Interesting that having the nose tilted upwards seems to work for you as I had to lower down cause my nuts felt numb in an upwards tilted position.
Honestly I think a lot of it has to do with seat height. I had issues with mine after the initial fit, lowering the saddle a bit helped. If it is lower, it can be tilted up a bit. If it is higher, tilting it can help. There is a happy balance there somewhere, proper height and tilt.

I discovered mine was too high, after fiddling with it often, by the dimples on my Brooks being off-center. I was obviously dropping to one side more to compensate for a too high saddle. Dropping the saddle height helped, my discomfort went away, and now, after many more miles, the dimples have reformed in the correct spots.
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Old 03-01-18, 08:03 PM
  #22  
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I had the same issue & now resolved. I can't wear shorts that are flat in front & now only wear Assos T-eqipe, which have a place for your junk. Naturally men "dress" (a tailoring term) right or left. Ive heard pros slightly offset the seat to the opposite side & it worked for me.
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Old 03-01-18, 08:28 PM
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I'll never get the fascination with level saddles. Mine have been nose down a touch or more on nearly all my bikes over the years. I adjust my tilt until the seat feels dialed in. The relationship to level is whatever it is. I adjust the seat until I can ride continuously in the drops. On those days with tough headwinds and miles to go, I regret this not at all! And the rest of the time, the bike works just fine.

Edit: another who likes the nose of the seat set a few mm to the left.

Ben
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Old 03-05-18, 10:35 AM
  #24  
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hand pressure goes up as a result of always pushing your butt upslope, on a sloped saddle ,

you OK with that fine, its your boat , skipper..
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