Dilberto

.... it has taken a huge toll on my sexual performance(or, lack thereof). I have tried virtually every saddle made by man, every size imaginable and yet, the occasional numbness in my nether regions still occur. Before I go headlong into this matter and consult with a medical professional - what is your experience with your biking passion and passion in the bedroom... if any? Don't be shy....

reedwm

Try the Selle SMP Glider. Works for me.

Rowan

Just how are you adjusting your saddles?

It is essential that your weight is entirely on the part of your butt that corresponds to your sitbones. The nerves that run through to your penis aren't located in or around the sitbones.

I can only suggest that you look seriously at these points:

1. What is the saddle to handlebar drop? If it is below, there is a good chance that you are leaning forward so the pelvic tilt is putting pressure on your perineum.

2. Is your saddle level? This is assuming it is a "normal" plastic saddle. If it's a Brooks-style leather saddle, sometimes the nose needs to be tilted up, but not so much that it interferes with your perineum area. Read also Point 1 again.

3. I know the concept of KOPS is not so popular anymore, but in my opinion it offers a starting point in these situations. Check where your knee is over the pedal spindle when the pedal is horizontal in the forwards position.

4. Look at having a bike fit from your LBS. Concentrate on avoiding contact with your perinneal area.

In the absence of any further information in the OP (style of bike, saddles already tried, current fit -- even a picture can be useful), that's all I've got.

B. Carfree

How far and how fast are you riding? How much elevation change? I ask because if you're sitting on the saddle like a sack of potatoes, you're asking for trouble. You only have five points of contact. Assuming reasonable core strength to keep minimal weight on your hands, the bulk of your weight is supported by your feet and bum. The lower your output, the more of that weight is on your bum, which is not going to end well. If you must, shorten your rides so you can increase your output, then lengthen the rides from there.

Also, there can be issues with rolling skinny, high pressure tires. All those road shocks that have been shown to make such tires slower are absorbed somewhere, most likely through the saddle. Consider rolling fatter, lower pressure tires to smooth out the ride.

Machoman121

You've tried ISM Adamo yet? and also the newer Pro - stealth or Power specialized? You'll want saddles with as large a hole as possible to remove the pressure on the perineum.

While cycling has improved my health overall - i can't say it's improved my sex life too - I think there's probably more underlying issues in the sexual performance - could be genetics, high blood pressure destroying the tiny blood vessels......etc.....try eating beet root ( I think it helps me - could be a placebo....) otherwise pop a viagra (thank god for technology).

brianmcg123

I would never ride a saddle that makes anything numb. I really don't know how anyone would put up with it.

Tokwan

Are you wearing any kind of cycling shorts with padding or any sports compression tights? If not, it would be good so that you can tuck your "crown jewels" up, away from the saddle.
One more thing, I usually have my saddle with the front (narrow part) a bit tilted down, not so much, but just a teeny weenie bit.
Please give more information on the way your saddle is positioned, what you wear etc.

canklecat

Ditto the ISM saddle recommendation. I know of a couple of folks who swear by 'em.

I just ride with Lycra covered dense foam saddles. Low tech, cheap and very comfortable on my longest rides up to 50-60 miles on the hybrid bike, especially in hot muggy weather.

I'm looking for a new one for my road bike with a deeper recessed channel, mostly to relieve some occasional pressure on the perineum. My current Lycra covered padded foam saddle on the road bike is better suited to a more upright hybrid. As my conditioning and flexibility improve and my riding position gets more aggressive, the saddle shape isn't quite right -- it's a scooped hammock type design with rounded tail, no perineum relief. But it's been okay on my usual 20-30 mile rides on the road bike. No numbness, soreness or broken skin and saddle sores.

And I wear Champion tech fabric boxer/briefs, including under padded tight shorts. The Champions with the mesh pouch keeps Johnson and the twins tucked up comfortably, wicks sweat better than padded shorts alone. I don't use creams or butt butter or any of the stuff I needed with leather chamois padded merino wool shorts years ago.

davester

I had this problem, but it is now gone as a result of adjustments to saddle position and saddle type. I ended up moving the saddle backwards and downwards (also with the handlebars moved up relatively high) so that my weight rested more on the site bones and less on the hands and perineum. I also switched to a saddle with a large cutout to virtually eliminate perineum pressure. My final grail saddle is a Brooks B-17 Imperial which is totally comfortable for me. YMMV.

FBinNY 

A few hints.

First of all, you shouldn't be sitting on any critical parts or pressure points. If you are, that's your first mistake. You have to do what's needed sit farther back on the saddle so it can support you by your sit bones, and not anything between them. Saddle shape and width plays into this somewhat, so look for one that's flatter across the top rather than crowned.

Then, check your shorts. Many today have more far padding than necessary. Until not that many years ago, shorts were unpadded, with chamois to protect you and the short's fabric from each other. Add the padding you may have in the saddle and you have about twice what you want. The problem with excess padding, is that it lets you settle deeper, and then spreads the load to those places you expressly don't want it.

Also, it's possible that your shorts are simply too tight. They should be skin tight, but they're bike shorts, not a girdle and should be no tighter than necessary to stay skin tight and no more.

Try this experiment. Put a dollar bill on the nose of the saddle reaching back about halfway. Sit as you normally would, then reach down and pull the bill out. If it resists, you need to make changes.

derf36

I got back into cycling seriously about six years ago. I dealt with numbness for a few years. Luckily no performance problems but the numbness freaked me out a bit so I tried a bunch of minor adjustments and new saddles.

I finally settled on a saddle that seemed ok, the Specialized Romin. Pretty comfortable and numbness was reduced to a maneageable level. A year or so later I got a Specialized Power saddle and surprisingly my problem was solved, no numbness even on long rides. Now, I did lose about 15 pounds around that time but I chalked it up to finding the right combination of saddle to my body position.

Fast forward to this spring. I got a new bike, Defy. I was about to put on the Power but, to my surprise, the stock giant saddle is perfect as is. I'm not sure why but the combination of the new bike's fit and saddle just works.

My advice is keep trying. Swap saddles, move stuff around, heck even try different bikes, but don't give up. Pain free riding is in your future you just need to keep at.

Wildwood 

i haven't read every reply, so if this is a duplicate = my apologies.

Are you sitting with almost full weight on your butt?
If yes = then change your riding style and get off the azz.
The legs are your shock absorbers, your out of saddle power pistons, etc.

If sitting is the problem, why sit so much. Don't take the chance.

oh yeah, testosterone injections every 10 days will help your bedroom performance and bicycle performance.

Machoman121

A lot of cyclists accepts the pain sitting on your perineum something to be tolerated....or you just needed to toughen it out....or simply ignore the pain.......or sit on it till your perineum loses it's sensitivity to being squashed.

It can be expensive to test which saddles work - it's best to find a LBS that has a saddle loaner or 100% obligation money back if not satisfied scheme. I bought mine from an LBS who promised to return my money if i wasn't happy with the ISM Attack.

Luckily the last 2-3 years saddle manufacturers have started to provide saddles with real relief for the perineum. Some are more successful than others - ISM Adamo has been pretty much the pioneer. Their saddles mostly work - I tried one...and bought three ISM Attacks for my current bikes (Road, Mountain and hybrid) [ N+1 ]. Pro-stealth and Specialized Powers are new to the solution - they looked good. Lighter and probably just as effective as the ISM Adamos.

I know riders who are in denial with the pain they experience squashing their perineums on rides.....

Myosmith

Being the OP didn't mention numbness as the problem, another possibility is overtraining. If you are constantly pushing your athletic limits there won't be anything left for other activities. Try a few days of rest with good nutrition and plenty of sleep.

If numbness is the problem, I find the #1 cause to be too much padding in either the saddle, chamois or both. Next in line, as mentioned by several, is saddle design and position. There are lots of rules and formulas you can go by, but in the end all that matters is what works for you.

jppe

Make sure you are fitted to the bike you are riding for the proper seated position. Better to go with a more relaxed posture than racing posture. Also, while riding stand and get off the saddle on a regular basis.

carl7

How much do you weigh?

elocs

If only, only there was some kind of bike made that had a comfortable seat that didn't cause any numbness.
Maybe someday one will be invented.

VegasTriker

There has been a bike out there for decades that does not cause numbness and discomfort. Only a few people find the seat uncomfortable on some specific models. It's called a recumbent bike. I only wish I had discovered them much earlier.

Before we get the usual feedback. Yes, they are expensive. Yes, you will probably be somewhat slower on a recumbent than on a DF bike. No, they are not harder to see or more difficult to ride. Sure, you can't stand up in the seat if you come to a hill and are too lazy to downshift. The upside is that I ride about ten times the mileage on a recumbent (trike) than I did when I was still riding a rather high quality road or mountain bike.

elocs

Such a simple answer and it only took 18 responses to get it. I suppose the question now would be, what is more important to you--the kind of bike you ride or your sex life? What to do, what to do, what to do?

berner

I have found that for myself, even a tiny change in saddle tilt can make a big difference in comfort. Be prepared to tilt our saddle in minute increments.

Gerryattrick

But not before a bike ride

BookFinder 

The particular issue (numbness) is not an issue for me, but apparently it is for a lot of folks. Even a few degrees of adjustment can make a significant difference.

And has been noted, it can be expensive to experiment.

With that in mind the local shop where I live has a saddle exchange program that allows a credit for a swap out on the saddle of one's choice.

Pay a deposit, experiment for a week with any of the 10 to 12 alternative saddles they keep on the shelf, and then get credit for the deposit on the purchase of the one you select.

70sSanO

Does it happen on your mountain bike or only your road bike?

John

Edit Added: Sorry, I didn't realize your Cannondale was also a mountain bike.

So are you only riding mountain bikes?

Dilberto

I weigh 172lbs. My current saddle is a SQLAB 612 MTB perch in 148cm. The nose points down ever-so-slightly. I recently slid it forward, so I can get most seating on the wide rear. It's very comfy now. I do 30% road on a converted MTB with road slicks, which has an Ergon SR3-M. The MTB is a 100mm race machine and get ridden the majority of the time. I wanna marry my girlfriend - but she refuses, because we don't nearly have sex anymore. Yeah, what to do? I cannot give up my passion for cycling: it was instrumental in me recovering from 23 years of alcohol, tobacco and meth abuse. Viagra is not covered by Insurance...and they are $23/pill.

Great insights here gents! Keep 'em coming...

70sSanO

I know you have tried every saddle known to man, but have you tried a Serfas RX saddle? While vastly different parts, it is one saddle my wife uses where she doesn't get any numbness. They have a men's version. They are not my cup of tea, but who knows.

John