Hello
Sorry to even post this, but need to know. I just did a 950 mile tour up and down the pacific coast and I found myself having to pee so urgently that at times I ended up not making it off my bike quite fast enough. Getting old is so humiliating it seems. However 62 doesn't seem THAT old to me anymore :) .Has anyone else experienced a problem with sitting on a RANs seat for long periods of time. I'm guessing the seat pressure was not good for my prostate. Is there a better seat than the foam I'm currently using. Maybe the hard plastic version?Other than that I had a great trip, tho I crawled up the hills as DFs went by me adding to my feeling inadequate :( (Thank goodness I have an alias)

OK, a basic question. Are you male or female?

Prostate would be a good clue......

Prostate would be a good clue......

+1

I have the thin RANS seat pad (that comes with the cover bonded to it) on both my RANS bents. Unlike on a saddle for an upright bike, there seems to be no-to-minimal pressure on the perineal area. I've certainly experienced no numbness issues while bent compared to occasional numbness when upright. Maybe there is something about the recumbent position that contributes to feelings of urinary urgency.

I don't know if this will help or not, but I just got a cushioned car seat with a lumbar cushion to hang over the seat I already have. I was being poked in the back by my battery pack. The lumbar cushion has eliminated that. The cushion is removeable, so you might be able to position one elsewhere.

At 58 I can say there are times I have much more urgency than I use to. To a certain extent I can control this problem by carefully monitoring my fluid intake. But, you must be careful to not get dehydrated. Or, just stop and water the bushes more often. On a DF you can stand up from time to time and that seems to help so maybe some way to shift position or relocate pressure points would help on a bent. I haven't been on a long bent tour yet.

It has nothing to do with prostate and everything to do with getting your bladder jostled in the seated position. I've noticed the effect occasionally, and it's been noted by some to occur more often in cool weather.

I have to pee more often riding my bents than riding my DF bikes. I've never had any sorts of urgency issues, but my bladder gets more uncomfortable faster in the reclined position than it does on a DF.

It has nothing to do with prostate and everything to do with getting your bladder jostled in the seated position. I've noticed the effect occasionally, and it's been noted by some to occur more often in cool weather.

this is good news indeed, hate to think I'm causing some potentially serious problems by riding all day. I am also about 50 pounds over-weight so my gut is probably jumping up and down on my poor bladder as I go down the road....god this is such a depressing post, sorry folks

... this is such a depressing post ...

Oh, I don't think so! Depressing would be "sorry Chief, that means you've got prostate cancer, start tidying up your affairs!" But it turns out to be a not unusual phenomenon that hasn't been discussed much, so I'm glad you asked. Interesting, and good to know!

--Rudi
:thumb:

Don't rule out an enlarged prostate as a contributing factor. Benign prostatic hypertrophy is the eventual fate of all men, if they live long enough. At 62, you definitely should be getting a DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) to check your prostate once a year. If your prostate is enlarged, there are effective drugs to help out. My prostate started acting up when I was only 50.

Freewheel,
What firstluff said take to heart, I was also 50 when mine started acting up and the doctor put me on Flomax and since I started the meds I've had know riding problems. Get checked yearly.

Freewheel, the causes for urgency are totally different if you are male or female! Most of the advice given here (and some of it is good, others not so good as is most medical advice on the internet) pertains to the male of the species!
It's tough enough trying to figure out how to answer a medical question without trying to take a complete history, much less a physical examination. So all I can advise is
If you are male - go see a competent urologist and get evaluated properly - could be a whole list of things
If you are female - go see a qualified Urogynecologist if there are any in your area. Some regular urologists do a good job in this area, but if available see a Urogynecologist or at least a gynecologist who has special interest in this area.