So, for the third time, I suddenly received a nasty stinging/zapping sensation today on my ride home; right in the inside of the top of my thigh a few mm away from my ballbags.

The first time it happened I stopped and urgently took my shorts off behind the hedge to remove whatever bug had flown up there before it could do further damage. Just as I put them on a block shot past on a road bike 🙁

The second and third times I’ve just cursed and jostled around and cursed. But, now I figured it out – it’s under a piar of really big pylons, where they cross the road. They are both metal triangulated pylons, one about 5m taller than the other. Insulators several meters long I think.

So is it that as I ride under them, on certain days, I am acting as an antenna [or more likely the bike is] and building a charge up which is contained by my thick tyres – and then at a critical point it’s arcing to my unfortunate pantular region?

If yes – how do I stop it??

Rubber pants

Edit: Take the Prince Albert out before you go riding.

One of them anti static strips you get for cars attached to your chap and trailing on the ground.

aye, I’ve had that once or twice

put it down to supernatural forces initially

– you’ve heard of spontaneous combustion though ?

How many ballbags do you have?

Brilliant, funniest thing I read in ages.

Oh wow, this has happened to other people? I thought I was a freak!

tymbian – just the normal number

I only got it on an unpainted Ti frame (odd, I thought Ti was a poor conductor – though maybe that’s contributory ?)

http://pesn.com/2005/06/14/9600112_High_Power_Lines_Shock_Umbrella/

Learned something today.

So you’re getting St. Elmo’s fire building up in the frame and shorting itself out to you via your scrotum?

Are you on a conveyor?

Perhaps try aligning the conveyor parallel to the lines so you don’t break the emf and induce a charge.

Have you tried chain mail armour?

You need a pair of those Faraday underpants

Why is the electricity electing to arc rather than go through the brake levers?

…because the brake levers will stop it from moving any further?

have you never heard of sexual electromagnetism ? 8)

Folks pay good money for this type of stimulation.. Milk it !!!!

I don’t see what the problem is. I think you just wanted to get on here and torment us with tales of your ball bag.
Next thing you’ll be crying cus you lost your balloon. It’s stuck to the back of your head incidentally.

Aaaah- the shocks have occurred when I am riding with no hands – it’s a flat straight road and i’m on a 26″ wheel bike.

I don’t wish to torment anybody – I am curious to hear if its happened to other people 🙂

I can hear the lines crackling when I sit in the adjacent field

EDIT:
plus one – I thought it was a wasp – it hurts, hence taking off my shorts.

scaredy – Yes I have heard of spontaneous combustion. Do you think it’s like in these circumstances? Can I claim danger money – it’s on the way in to my work 🙁 I think may get the train tomorrow – it’s been humid in Northamptonshite

You need a pair of those Faraday underpants

You can get those in a set with the other days in the week on too

gofasterstripes – Member
Aaaah- the shocks have occurred when I am riding with no hands – it’s a flat straight road and i’m on a 26″ wheel bike…

I suggest taking your hands off your antenna away and tucking it away in those circumstances. 🙂

Awwww pants. I forgot the forum drop-down….