SemperFi

Has anyone else seen the Time Magazine article entitled "Saddle Safety"?
It basically is about bicycle related sexual problems caused by the cutoff of blood flow to the penis, resulting in numbness, and which is caused by the protruding part of the saddle. The article goes on to state that, over time, this can develop into permanent impotence.
It also mentions a noseless bicycle seat by the name of "Easyseat", and cutaway seats by a company called Terry Precision Cycling which are engineered to reduce pressure on the crotch to alleviate this problem.
I'm in my mid 50's and have only recently gotten back into cycling but I have finished a ride or two where my crotch was numb with that tingling sensation you get when a part of your body "falls asleep". Does anyone else experience this, and if so, what do you do, or what have you done about it? Is there a saddle adjustment to be made or a redistribution of weight while riding?
This doesn't happen to me after every ride but it has happened and the Time article has really made me aware of how my body feels each time I get on the bike.

edp773

I have not seen the article, but the subject has been covered exstensively here. A soft seat with plenty of padding bunches up and puts pressure on the arteries. Saddle preference can be different for many people, but generly you want a saddle with little or no padding. An improperly adjusted seat can cause the problem. You should be resting on your sit bones.

Most riders do not prefer the noseless saddle because you cannot control the bike with your legs.

Read the AndrewP response to this thread.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...addle+numbness

SemperFi

Thanks, first thing I'll do is make sure the saddle is level...then take it from there.

bkaapcke

Couldn't get it up and couldn't pee. So I went bent and solved both those problems. It is a real problem for the over 50 crowd. bk

gerv 

I have been riding an EasySeat for almost a year. After trying a couple of saddles, this one surprised me in that I could ride all day and feel no pain.

The down-side is that the saddle has no nose. So the first time you ride it, it feels all wrong. I stuck with it however and noticed a couple of things: you can't get much control (ie, balance) of the bike with your legs, so this puts a little more pressure on the arms, shoulders, wrists, etc. etc. I don't really notice this until after about 40 miles...

It seems better for a more upright position, too. Works fine on my hybrid, but I recently tried it on a Bianchi Volpe and it felt all wrong, felt like I was falling off the seat. Maybe if the handlebars were higher, it would have been fine.

I am about to try a cutaway seat like the Terry, but you should know that many folks claim cutaway seats aren't very effective. I'll try it anyway, since the vendor provides a 30 day return policy.

If that doesn't work, I might either stick with my hybrid and the EasySeat or even try a 'bent.

In Absentia

Check out the Specialized Body Geometry saddles. They are designed specifically with this problem in mind. I recently bought an Avatar and my crotch has thanked me.

SemperFi

Checked out my saddle today, and although not visible to the naked eye, there is a definite upward slope. I put something wide and flat over the saddle and then a level on top of that.
It looks like the back of the saddle has to come up about 1/4 inch. I'll make the adjustment and see how it feels.

stapfam

Angle of the saddle is critical for comfort. If the bars are higher than the saddle then I start with the saddle being level. If the bars are lower than the saddle then I point the nose of the saddle towards the base of the stem so That I am actually nose down. Will agree about an unpadded saddle aswell. I use a Flite with the pelvic cutaway and just a bit of gel. That suits my butt.

Bikes-N-Drums

Cured all the problems I was having by going recumbent also. You could chop down trees with my doodle now.