While there are health benefits of riding bicycles, men who ride long distances may suffer serious health risks from sitting on bike seats.

“The little thin bike seats in racing bikes push up on the center of the crotch, which has arteries and nerves that go to the penis,” said Chris Hubbard, associate biological sciences professor. “The bike seat can cause lack of blood and can be painful.”

There are other consequential effects of having a bad perch for a bike. The lack of blood flow to the penis can increase the risk of frostbite in cold weather, Hubbard said.

While riding may cause numbness or pain in the crotch, it does not affect sperm production since the blood supply to the testes and the penis comes from two different areas, he said.

Like having fuel, but no car

Men who ride long distances in the span of a day or two, such as more than 50 miles, can suffer permanent effects.

Long distance bike riding can cause numbness in the penis and erectile dysfunction, said Jay Burstein, a certified urologist at the DeKalb Clinic, 217 Franklin St. Most generic bike seats put pressure on the pelvic floor and compress the blood vessels running under that surface.

Burstein said about 30 percent of males who ride more than 50 miles in one day suffer from numbness in the crotch region and 4 percent will have erectile dysfunction.

Options to reduce the risk of injury

Men can make sure to keep the handlebars lower than the saddle height and lock the seat into a comfort position, Burstein said.

Having a bike that is properly adjusted also will help evenly distribute weight and take pressure off the seat, said Jim Svehala, manager of American Bicycles in Downers Grove.

Another option, and what most avid bikers opt for, is to use a better seat.

Special seats built for long bike rides have an opening in the front area and are called split seats, Svehala said. Because they have an opening in the middle of the seat, less pressure is put on the reproductive vitals.

Standard split bike seats run for about $35 – about the same price as regular bike seats, he said. But it is possible to spend much more. Consumers should speak with a specialist and try them out to find which feels the best.