Pain When Cycling?
We’ve Got Something Against It!
Pain can make cycling a torture, or even impossible in the worst case. According to the Cologne Sports University, up to 90 percent of cyclists suffer from painful complaints. This mainly includes pain that occurs during or after cycling. So, cycling itself is the primary cause or trigger.
On the other hand, there are ailments that occur independently of cycling, but which prevent you from enjoying a carefree ride. In both cases, a recumbent bike or trike from HP Velotechnik can offer a solution – because we have something against pain when cycling.
Pain in the Buttocks
When Your Bottom Hurts
Buttock pain is one of the most common complaints. No matter how good the saddle and no matter how optimized the riding position, buttock pain can usually not be completely prevented – your bottom will hurt at some point.
Most frequently, buttock pain means pressure pain occuring in the area of the gluteal bones, in particular the so-called sit bones or ischial tuberosities. It is worth noting that the anatomical term for the ischium, “os ischii”, initially has nothing to do with sitting. In fact, “ischial bones” are even found in the pelvis of mammals that never sit.
Click to enlarge And yet, our ischial bones are what allows us to sit in the saddle at all. However, it becomes problematic when they have to support the majority of our body weight with pressure on more or less the same spot for a long period of time.
On a recumbent, in contrast, you sit like in a comfortable camping chair. The recumbent seat supports your body over a wide area and the weight is distributed evenly. And if you do want to change your position, you won’t slip back into your original sitting position as quickly as you would on a bicycle saddle. In addition to relieving pressure on the sit bones, this has a number of other positive effects.
Numbness in the genital area
When your most delicate parts lose sensation
The opposite of painful, but at least as uncomfortable and not quite harmless: Many people feel numb in the genital area after some time in the saddle. That is because the punctual pressure described above not only puts stress on the sit bones. It can also pinch blood vessels and nerves in the sensitive perineal area.
When blood flow in the genital area is interrupted, the result is numbness in the pubic area and testicles for men, or in the vaginal area for women. Sexual dysfunction, such as erectile dysfunction, may not even be the biggest problem from a medical point of view. In the recumbent position, however, the perineal area is practically completely relieved and blood vessels and nerves remain free of pressure.
Sore Thighs
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
Not having a saddle between your legs can also prevent another problem, namely chafing of the thighs or in the genital area. Especially with supposedly comfortable, wider saddles, your legs rub against the saddle every time you pedal, causing the dreaded chafing known as “Wolf” in German or “intertrigo” in technical terms. Sore thighs fostered by moisture or sweat.
On a recumbent bike, you pedal without annoying resistance and rubbing between your legs. You also benefit from unhindered ventilation. Why fear the big bad wolf when it can be so much more comfortable?
Pubic Bone, Tailbone, Back, Hips
Pain Caused by Relieving Posture
The list of possible pains from cycling is even longer. Pain in the pubic bone and coccyx, in the hips, or back pain are often mentioned. Of course, these can be caused directly by the saddle and the riding position itself. But they are also often a consequence of the problems mentioned above.
Our bodies involuntarily react to pressure pain or numbness by trying to take up a protective position or relieving posture. In a bicycle saddle, this means tilting the pelvis forward or backward to relieve the affected areas. Now we either sit on the tailbone, which is not appropriate, or with additional pressure on the pubic bones in the front of the pelvis.
The whole sitting position becomes ergonomically suboptimal and the incorrect position can lead to pain. This is especially true of the hips, upper back and, more often, the lower back. It can also cause sciatica, and even neck pain or tension in the shoulder area can be caused by the buttocks!
Since point loads are largely avoided on the recumbent bike, the stimulus level for a relieving posture is greatly reduced. Furthermore, you can customize our BodyLink shell seat, our ErgoMesh and ErgoMesh Premium mesh seats and the OrthoFlex seat on the Gekko fxs therapy bike in different ways. This allows you to find the best combination of comfort and support for you.
Click to enlarge Hands On
Comfort off the Cuff
The hands are another neuralgic contact point on the bike. From numb or tingling fingers to sore wrists to elbow aches and shoulder pain, hands and arms are often literally in a bad position on the bike.
On the “classic” bicycle, the upright, a significant portion of the body weight is also on the hands. And that means pressure. No problem, as long as the wrist, elbow and shoulder angles are ergonomically optimized and the contact surface on the handlebars transfers and absorbs the forces perfectly. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
From the bar ends that were popular in the ’90s, to the “ergonomic” butterfly handlebars that require you to reach around to brake in an emergency, to wing grips, adjustable stems, or impressive spacer towers that raise the handlebar position.
Click to enlarge Of course, these only make sense after an intensive “bike fitting” – right? It is obvious that there is a serious problem here.
Recumbent riders just smile because their hands and arms rest loosely on the handlebars, supporting only their own weight. While recumbent novices tend to hold on too tightly to the handlebars, experienced riders sometimes just rest their hands loosely on the ends of the handlebars.
However, it is more comfortable and safer with our handrests. Even though the angle of our lower handlebars is infinitely adjustable, you can enjoy a great deal of comfort without having to spend a lot of time trying or measuring to find the optimum setting.
A Matter of Adjustment
Pain in Knees and Legs
Knee pain can also occur when riding a recumbent bike. To prevent this, it is important to adjust the boom with the bottom bracket as precisely as possible to the correct length. This works in a similar way to an upright bike: if you place your foot with the heel on one pedal all the way forward, your leg should just be stretched out. When riding later with the front ball of the foot, your knee will remain slightly bent even in the foremost position.
Also on a recumbent bike or trike, try to keep your cadence high rather than pedaling slowly, but harder – your knees will thank you. We offer a wide range of gears for our bikes to help you do so, even in combination with an electric drive if you want.
To prevent your feet from slipping off the pedals while riding, we recommend using pedals with foot fixation. These attachments can be clipless pedals, for example, while platform pedals used on our Scorpion fs 26 Enduro also provide support with their small pins on the surface. But we also offer various special pedals in our range of adaptive accessories. These are not only suitable for ability and therapy. Our pedal with heel strap and foot fixation, for example.
It’s important to get the fit right with any pedal with a fixation option, otherwise you might experience numbness or pain in the foot or knee problems. Our experienced specialist retail partners will help you to adjust the system correctly and look forward to your test ride.
Forgot something? Indeed! Sore muscles after a long tour… Well, even we can’t prevent that. On the contrary, as you will see.
Accessories for More Comfort
Find out how you can customize your bike with us!
The Proof Is in the Pudding
Experience pain-free cycling with a no-obligation test ride!
We have explained in detail here why a recumbent bike from HP Velotechnik can be the solution if pain is dampening your enjoyment of cycling. But telling is different from experiencing. In our dealer locator you will find bike shops near you where an HP Velotechnik bike is available for a test ride. Our specialist dealers will be happy to advise you on the most suitable model for you and the accessories available for maximum comfort. Click on the dealer for details and to make an appointment for a personal consultation!
