Question for John Techno and other cycling types

I've been getting chronic pain in my right shoulder which I think must be at least partly due to cycling. I'm no Bradley Wiggins but I probably get through 50 miles a week on commuting and whatnot, and carry a fairly heavy courier bag. Any idea what to do about it? I'm riding an old Peugeot racing bike. Wondering if it might be worth having the drop handlebars replaced with ordinary ones.

I've been getting chronic pain in my right testicle which I think must be at least partly due to Bradley Wiggins. I thought that by not using an anti-PNS saddle I would be guaranteed to get PNS, which would numb the pain, but it seems not.

Am I abusing the wrong testicle?

My guess would be the courier bag is to blame, rather than the bike. If not, it's more likely to be the stem than the handlebars - the only way to know would be to either have a bike fit or switch stems until you find one that suits, but chances are you don't want to spend that much. Maybe try a cheap rack and pannier, which could probably be done for around £25 all in?

Thanks, you may well be right, although I get the pain regardless of whether I'm carrying the bag. Is raising the handlebars likely to be feasible/effective?

In that case, my guess would be you have one arm slightly longer than the other, which would put more strain on one shoulder, especially with drop handlebars. Adopting a more upright position might indeed be the way forward - you'll be less streamlined, but I assume you're not going to try to beat Cav at le Tour or set an hour record or anything like that this year so it won't be an issue.

If you have a quill stem/headset (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Classic_road_quill_...), this is easy and quick to do. If you have a thread less "aheadset" stem/headset (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/3083954612_b8b8754a2f_o.jpg) it's a little trickier and buying an adjustable stem might be the answer.

Thanks JT. Looks like I do have a quill stem headset -- is it the bolt in the top that needs to be unscrewed?

Yep. The bolt connects to a big wedge or cone nut (see 'em here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_%28bicycle_part%29#/media/File:Quill...) which locks the stem into the steerer tube (the bit passing through the frame). Sometimes, because the wedge is usually made out of some really crappy sort of metal, it rusts into place. If so, undo the bolt completely and remove the stem so you can stick a broom handle down the steerer tube and smack the wedge out. It'll be obvious how to put it back together with the handlebar height higher than it was before (do pay attention to the "minimum insertion" mark on the stem, though).

only a small detour: what do you guys think of GCN and GMBN?
since watching I've really wanted a better bike

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTaETsuCOkJ0H_GAztWt0Q
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_A--fhX5gea0i4UtpD99Gg

I don't use either - I'm far more interested in women's cycling these days and neither covers it much, so far as I know. GCN seems to pretty popular with a lot of the road cyclists I know, however, so it must be alright.