Be So, So Careful With Saddles; Seemingly Permanent Penile Numbness

I had cycled avidly, near daily, for 25 years. Including numerous hours-long road bike rides, and even a few century plus rides.

And never had I experienced any issues with diminished sensitivity or ability to get hard.

Then, five years ago, I bought a new road bike. The factory saddle didn’t have a full cutout down the center. The saddle definitely made my whole crotch numb on longer rides. I was slow to swap back to my long time saddle, putting about 24 hours of riding time on the new saddle.

And now, almost five years later, I still have never regained the lost sensitivity. I can still get hard, especially with assistant of Cialis or Viagra, but not nearly as quickly or easily, and the nerves remain far less sensitive.

(It is true that I can’t tease out the effect of aging; however my drop off was so abrupt, that I have to consider the saddle the main culprit).

The moral of the story…be hyper-vigilant to what your body is telling you with regard to saddles and numbness.

There’s more detail of the extensive treatment options I pursued, in my post history.