Tag: gel seat

Pain Subsiding

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

Yesterday I said that the pain in my shoulder was starting to go away.  I’ve been using my gym on the patio about once or twice a day, not for very long, I do 1 rear shoulder exercise for about 20 reps then quit.  I don’t know if it’s helping but my pain is subsiding.  It still hurts a little bit but I’m sure over time it will be gone.

I rode my bike to the store today and I was still having pain though.  I’m pushing on the handlebars too much even though I’m sitting straight up so that could be problematic.  I wouldn’t recommend going out on my rides until the pain is completely gone because I don’t want to aggravate it and make it come back full force.

I have a feeling my handlebars are too long and that I’m going to have to cut them about the length of the grips then just replace the grips with new ones.  Or maybe I can get the ones that are on there wet so I can save them.  I put them on with hairspray so they are pretty much stuck to the bar.

I might also have to just go to Target and buy another new seat, when I bought the gel seat cover for my seat I saw that they had a beach cruiser seat so maybe I will buy that to see if that will help.  It was cheap so it’s not like I’m spending another $70 on a seat.  It would be a damn shame to lose the $70 from the “ergo” seat by not using it anymore.  Oh well, lesson learned.

Oh I just wanted to add one more thing.  My last bike ride was 7/20/09 and today is 8/19/09 so tomorrow will be exactly 1 month that I haven’t ridden so I need to get back on the bike before ALL the weight comes back.

From One Thing To The Next

On By Michel McDonaldIn HealthLeave a comment

Well good news is I can start to sense that my shoulder is getting better.  I’ve been using the BenGay patches and the Icy Hot stick and it feels good.  Most of the time I have pain but not constantly like before.

New problem lol.  I have a toothache now.  I just ate a bowl of Malt-O-Meal and the roof of my mouth on the right side hurt like hell.  I think it’s abscessed lol.  Great, just great.

If it’s not one thing it’s another.  So tomorrow I have to make an appointment with Western Dental and get it looked at.

Oh and I got my handlebars today and put it on and over tightened the screw and it snapped in half rofl.  What the hell?  So we had to go to Home Depot and thank goodness they had it.  It was a big longer than the original but that’s fine, it sticks out the bottom and nobody cares lol.  And it’s a black screw same as the stem so it blends in.  The handlebar is silver though and I was going to spray paint it but I figured that it would probably not end too good so I left it.  I may remove everything at some point and spray it, maybe.

I also got a new gel seat to put over the ergo seat but I figured that I’m having such a crappy day that I would wait to cut it up and sew it into the shape I need it until when I’m not having a bad day.  I don’t want to screw it up too much.  Sure it was only $10 but money is money.

Long Grass

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I mowed the lawn the other day but only got halfway through before the lawn mower quit on me.  I didn’t even get to do Chips rental house next door and he was mad that I didn’t mow that lawn first.  Oh well, you can’t win.  I’m mowing for free and get yelled at anyway.

So I was supposed to try again today because maybe the lawn mower just needed a little time out to think about what it did then let me mow but nooooo.  It still has an attitude.  So the rental house has long grass.  I bet I’ll get yelled at for not even trying.

It’s not my fault the lawn mower doesn’t work.  It has a full tank of gas and the oil is at the full line and I also did an oil change like 5 or 6 mows ago which was when I started mowing for the season.

Well, it looks like he’s gonna have to bring it back to Floyd’s to have it serviced tomorrow.  Good thing because I need to get that gel seat cover for my bike there anyway lol.  2 birds you know?

Pain Patches

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I got my check today and I went to the grocery store immediately as soon as I found out that I got it (direct deposit).  I got a package of Ben gay pain relieving patches.  It has 5 patches that work on the neck to arm (why don’t they just say shoulder?).  I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to put it on myself being in the back and all but I managed.

Oh boy, I feel the heat already.  My shoulder is on FIRE!!!  It’s just like Icy Hot but the icy doesn’t dull the pain at all lol.

I was going to buy the ones that last 12 hours, forgot the name already, but they were expensive so I just bought the Ben gay ones.  These only last 8 hours but that’s ok.  I also bought a Icy Hot stick, it’s like a stick of deodorant but you put it on your pain and not your pits.  Oh I better hide it so I don’t accidentally put it on my pits.  I’m not that really bright.

I was gonna go to the bike store for new handlebars but I don’t want to be in the heat so I’m just gonna force er um I mean ask Darrin to take me tomorrow.  It’s his day off so he can drive me.  I hope they are open tomorrow lol.  Then I wanna buy a new gel seat for my seat from Target or Wally World.  Actually they have them at Floyd’s the town hardware store.

The heat isn’t so bad on this patch so I’m happy.  Although the pain is going down into my elbow so I’m getting worried now.  I see the doctor again on Thursday so if I’m still having pain then I hope she has a solution for me.  Maybe she can give me a magic elixir that will turn the dial back so I can get younger and stop feeling like I’m elderly.

Can’t Wait to Exercise

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

On Monday August 3rd it will be 2 weeks that I haven’t been on the bicycle and I will still have to wait to ride it until my shoulder is totally 100% healed.  I’ve been trying my best to make good food choices but when I can’t exercise at all because of the excruciating pain in my back and shoulder it takes all of my motivation away.

I’ve been finished with the steroid meds since yesterday morning and so some of the pain caused from the side effects from that medicine are gone but the pain that I was taking them for is still there.  I still have 3 more weeks worth of the muscle relaxer medicine to go.  I sure hope I won’t be out of commission for 3 more weeks, that would suck.  It’s basically voiding the last couple of months of hard work.  I’ve already started gaining some weight back.

When I get my check I’m buying a new handlebar which is about $10-$15 (hopefully) and the grips for about $5 I guess then I can start riding again.  Of course it is possible that my brake cables aren’t going to be long enough so I’ll have to buy new cables lol.  If it ain’t one thing it’s another.  And I’m going to buy a new gel seat cover for this new ergo seat so that should top me off lol.

I’ve been out of money for the last couple of weeks now so I haven’t had some of the foods that I love so when I get my check on Monday I’m gonna go nuts because then I can finally buy some coffee grounds and some creamer.  Oh I miss coffee.  I hate being broke so much lol.  Luckily I still have some slim fast though so that I haven’t been worrying about and Darrin buys milk when we’re out so that’s not a problem either.

Monday Monday Monday hurry up and come faster!  The last 2 weeks are going toooooo slow.

Back and Knee Problems with New Bike Seat

On By Michel McDonaldIn HealthLeave a comment

As the title says I am having Back and Knee (not backne as in acne on my back) issues from this new seat.  I’ve adjusted it every way I can to get it comfortable.  No matter how I adjust it I am being pushed forward to the handlebars and it has been causing me issues with my shoulders and my upper back.

And my right knee has been giving me issues since I got this new seat.  Keep in mind this is only day 5 so maybe 10 more days (the guy said keep trying for 3 weeks, to me 5 days is 1 week since I only ride 5 days a week) and maybe, just maybe that will go away.

I’m going to keep trying though because I really don’t want to sit on anything that is going to cause numbness in my giggle area.

I removed the sheepskin during my ride today because I was thinking that maybe the sheepskin is giving me issues and it was.  That is what was making me slide forward all the time.  So just sitting on the seat without the sheepskin and the seat pretty much grabs onto my shorts like a cell phone on one of those rubber mats that you stick on your dashboard.  If that makes any sense.

I’m still going to buy another gel seat and cut the nose (or horn) off then sew it back together so it fits this new seat.  I think that will help not only raising me back up to where I was to give my knee some help but also my underwear seam won’t hurt my butt lol.  And I think it will feel better on my sit bones if I’m sitting on gel instead of the seat.  Actually the seat without any cover on it is pretty cushioned, it doesn’t really need any cushion so that’s good.

Day 3 With My New Bike Seat

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

Today is the 3rd day and final blog post about my new Ergo bicycle seat.  I’m getting used to it more and now instead of just being strange it’s starting to feel normal.

It’s still too hard for my butt so I still plan on buying another gel seat cover and cutting off the nose (to spite its face? lol) then of course sewing it back up so I can just put that on top of the seat.  The sheepskin is nice but it’s a winter coat for a bike seat, not a summer coat heh.  Hopefully by winter I will be able to slip the sheepskin over the gel but I’m not quite sure how that’s going to work out so we’ll see.

I still highly recommend “the Bicycle Seat” but I would go with the gel seat if you have a fat ass like mine and you don’t like hard seats lol.

Day 2 With New Bike Seat

On By Michel McDonaldIn BikeLeave a comment

Yesterday I felt everything was against me.  My back tire had a bump in it, my computer wire was cut from the pimple in the front tire and my seat just wasn’t comfortable at all.

But yesterday I fixed the back tire by putting in a different tube, not the presta but the other valve, I fixed the wires for the computer and I adjusted my seat ok.

Today I woke up late.  I normally set the alarm to wake me up at 4am but I guess I forgot last night because I woke up at 5:30am.  So I was able to leave at 6am.  I thought the world was going to be against me again but it was ok.

I thought that yesterdays last adjustment of the seat was good where I made it so it’s forward and not backward but that wasn’t good at all.  I just felt like I was going to fall off.  When I got to the bike trail I decided I need to adjust it yet again so I just moved it back 1 notch and it was good the rest of the trip.

I did my 20 miles and all was good.  Although, I need to sit in the Shiatsu massager for awhile because my back is killing me from that lol.  It’s like my arms are pushing too hard on the handlebars or something.  I’m sure that I will be comfortable with this new seat and then there won’t be any problem.

Oh one last thing, when I was looking at the website where I bought the new seat from I was debating on if I should buy the cheapest seat by itself or maybe with the sheepskin.  Or maybe I should buy the gel seat I just don’t know.  So I emailed the website asking them for their opinion and the guy who runs it said that he uses the classic with sheepskin so I took his word for it and bought that.  Big mistake.

I should’ve taken into consideration that sheepskin is going to be hot during the summer lol.  DUH!  And I really do need that gel seat.  It’s just too bad that I gave my old seat along with the gel cover to a neighbor.  I could’ve cut the gel part and sewn it to the bottom of the sheepskin.  Or I could just cut it at the crotch area and just make my own cover with the fabric that it has on it.  Just a little nip and tuck here and I could’ve used it.  Oh well, maybe next check I can buy another gel seat cover from Wal-Mart or Target and just cut it up and put it on there.

Bike Seat Issues

On By Michel McDonaldIn Bike1 Comment

Lately I’ve been coming home from my 2 hour bicycle ride numb in an area that would normally make me blush to mention.  I know that it’s my seat that is causing the problem because of the “nose” of the seat (yes, my crotch sits on a nose for 2 hours lol).

I have one of those gel cushions for my seat because the seat (they call them “saddles”) is really hard and I refuse to sit on a seat that hard with my body weight.  I can’t recall how much the gel seat cost me, maybe it was about $10 I’m sure, I bought it from Nashbar and that is how much they charge for them.  I’ve been using that all this time, last year for a couple of months and now this year for a couple of months.

It hasn’t bothered me before but lately I’ve come home from my bike ride and go to use the restroom and notice I can’t feel anything in my appendage (giggle I said appendage).

So I decided that it’s time to find out what’s going on and what to do about it.  Apparently it is a common thing for men who sit on a bicycle for hours and hours.  It can cause temporary impotence (YIKES!) in men and it may also probably lead to serious problems in the future because you are pressing down on your arteries and your colon so you can expect problems.

There is a solution and it is a new type of seat which has no nose, instead your butt takes all of the impact.  Here is a picture:

large_seat_b

This seat is going to cost me $63 plus shipping of course because it’s coming from Canada.  It is called Spongy Wonder and frankly I can’t wait to get it.  It is going to relieve a lot of my issues and I won’t have to keep standing on my peddles during my ride to relieve myself down there all the time.  They have an optional seat cover for an additional $16 which I will not be able to buy right away but perhaps in August I can buy that.  I’m going to have to wait until July to buy this seat because I am flat broke right now but there’s only 2 more weeks until I get more money so I can wait 2 weeks.

Other models I have seen cost around $79 and up and this is just the right price.  The cheaper the better.  Well, cheap in price but hopefully the same good quality you know?  I’m probably going to be bashed for buying outside of the US during our bad economy but I really don’t care because I need something that I can afford and I really need this now because it is becoming a medical issue.  I will be looking at other websites, after all, I do have 2 weeks to decide before I place my order.  If I do find another place that is US-based then I will choose that and of course you know I will be making a post about it lol.

Update: I am looking at the 2 other noseless seats and the one that is $79 is also from a Canadian websiteTesco-Shopping and it looks exactly like the $63 one.  Then there is the Spiderflex which is $110 plus $12 shipping so I definitely will not be buying from them.  I don’t know if they are in Canada or not, they aren’t releasing that information but they ship there and to Europe but in their shipping page they do show a map of the US showing delivery times lol.  I’m pretty sure that these 3 companies are the only ones who are selling these seats but I will keep looking.  I’m willing to pay $63 because it is a small price to pay to prevent colon problems and/or impotence lol.

I found it! Bicycle Seats | Ergo Seats this is perfect.  It’s basically the same as my regular seat but without the nose so it’s basically a half seat.  The positive of this is the price.  It’s the right price for me at $30 – $50 plus $30 for a sheepskin cover (optional).  I’m thinking maybe I can get the seat in July then the sheepskin cover in August.  That is if the seat is really that hard that I need to buy the sheepskin cover.  This is the perfect seat.  Check out the link for pictures.  Oh and by the way, this website is in Washington State!