Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Help The Historian with his Brooks

OK, ever since I stepped up the mileage on the Brooks, I've been having problems. And now I'm showing signs of what appears to be a urinary tract infection - foul-smelling urine, a burning sensation when I urinate ( and sometimes when I don't) , etc. At least I hope it's a UTI - the alternative explanation is prostate trouble. Until I can get to my doctor, I'm drinking tons of water, taking cranberry extract, and avoiding soda, coffee, and (GULP!) tea. (Since doing so, the foul smell in my urine has lessened, but the burning sensation still comes and goes.)

I'm scheduled for a metric century on Saturday, and two shorter rides Sunday. Should I do them? I rode 24 miles today with no more discomfort than I had when sitting in an office chair. Should I switch back to one of the other ass-hatchet saddles I've used?

Well, I rode, and I rode without any problems at all. The burning sensation I felt had cleared up by Saturday morning, and my urine was without any 'foul' odor that I could tell. (I'm not in the habit of smelling my urine.)

My guess is it was a delayed reaction to the 52 mile ride on the soft tissues combined with dehydration and excessive tea consumption. I used to drink tons of decaf tea. I'll continue with the lots of water and cranberry extract routine for the time being, but I think I'm OK.

Oh, and the saddle seems to be doing better.

Here's what I did to get mine - well, mine.

Adjust fore and aft to suit you.

Then adjust it to perfectly level, making minute adjustments (nose up-nose down) until you don't slide fore or aft. At this point, you should not feel the nose at all. If so, make very tiny adjustments until you can't feel the nose in your normal riding position. You should still be firmly planted on ONLY your sitbones.

This was on a B-17.

Wanderer, why do you recommend not riding on the pubic bone? That's very unusual advice.

Wanderer, why do you recommend not riding on the pubic bone? That's very unusual advice.

RoadBikeRider has an Ebook that provides an extensive study of how we should and should not be supported on a bike saddle. Basically there are a set of key blood vessels that carry the blood to the penis, and routed with that is the nerve. If you have pubic bone pressure you will probably be carrying weight on that nerve and blood vessel, causing lack of blood flow and compression of the nerve, leading to numbness.

If your saddle supports you on a different pair of bones, you ischial tuberosities, this pressure will be avoided. It's why many of us (well, me at least) don't like to tilt saddles into a nose-up attitude. For me it causes this pressure and when I scooch the nose down, it goes away.

Is that advice directed at all men or just those who experience numbness? I've never had the problem. I like my saddle either dead-level or ever so slightly higher at the nose.

To each his/her own.

I have NEVER experienced numbness.

Works for me!

HI,
I never really liked my brooks B17 saddle, when they are softer they are way to wide for my legs and tend to cause cramps in the Glutes on longer rides, when i dropped back to thinner harder road saddle my gluttes never bothered me again. Nose angle for me is critical to under carrage pain. Most bike experts say have a level saddle but if your thicker down there you may need a little more space to prevent pinching the peri anual tissues. Your weight may require a abnormal seat position to allow enough space. I weigh around 240 and Im adjust my seat till it feels right ,I carry the tools and if the nose is down a couple degree's hey its my arsss..
I plan to ride a Fisk saddle tommorow and its pretty flat but does flex a bit as you pedal due to the wings.
Most of the softer saddles actually bother me more.
Doug

A much less expensive alternative is to send the saddle to Monarch-McLaren (http://www.selleanatomica.com/dollar%20buyer.htm). Follow that link and scroll down the page to "Brooks Upgrade Service". They will cut a Selle Anatomica slot in any Brooks saddle and reinforce the underside for 50 bucks. Their turnaround time was about ten days for mine.

I have tried an original Selle Anatomica (very comfortable, but the leather sagged under my prodigious bulk), the B-17 (an absolute torture device for me - felt like I was sitting on the top tube) and a B-17n Imperial (an improvement over the B17). On a "what the hell" whim I sent the B17 to MCM for surgery and I have to say that it is far (by a country mile) far more comfortable than it was originally, and about as comfortable as the original SA. I have only had it for a week, so I don't know if it will suffer the same sagging fate, but I am planning to lace the sides which should prevent that.

Interesting. What about lacing the sides? I'm too nervous and clumsy to attempt surgery on the saddle myself.

I'm retiring the Brooks until I get the chafing problem under control. I was rubbed raw on the tour and yesterday's ride. The sides are flaring out and the pubic bone region is getting bruised - what Tom Stormcrowe described as "hammock bruising." I'm either getting a cutout and lacing the sides on this saddle or I've getting a Brooks Imperial. Or another alternative if I find one.