Hornless Saddles
 

Hi,

I'm 21 years old and a frequent bicycle commuter/recreational cyclist. For several years now though I have had problems with ED and sexual anhedonia on and off. I have noticed that the more I ride, the worse it gets. :twitchy:

I am sitting properly on my saddle and not doing anything I shouldn't be. The problem remains.

I think a hornless saddle would be a good idea for me. Does anyone have any they recommend? I have not got much money on hand, so something sub $50 would be ideal. I ride a Dahon Boardwalk 1.

Thank you for any advice

I'd say get yourself to a urologist rather than relying on the collective (lack of) intellect of internet strangers.45

In addition to the urologist, adjust your saddle.

"Hornless" saddles are made for people who never put enough pressure on the pedals to lift their butts off the seat. Anyone who tries pedaling with any vigor on a hornless saddle-equipped bike soon discovers that the horn is there to stabilize the bike.

From what I can see of the Dahon specs, I think your current seat is the problem, though. It's listed as a "Comfort" saddle, which usually means it has thick, soft padding. This compresses under your pelvic bones and squishes the nerves and blood vessels between your legs. You need a saddle with less padding and a stiffer shell to support body properly.

B. S.

I've got Moonsaddles on all three of my road bikes. Over 5000 miles in the past 2 years. No pain, no rubbing, no squeezing. AND no trouble pedaling in all positions. I've been there, got the t-shirt. I suspect you haven't and don't, Jeff.

The OP should check out www.moonsaddle.com. They come with a 60 day MONEY-BACK guaranty. Try it for free.

The nose of the saddle is also a lever to steer the bike, with , I'd suggest looking at some of the hole in the middle
of the nose saddles also.
Only person I knew that used a hornless saddle had a 2 pad type thing ,the pads were individually articulated
and more leaned back against it than sat upon it, and ran , essentially on the cranks ..
with more weight bearing on them than I like..

All the MONEY-BACK guarantees in the world couldn't convince me to try descending at 45 or 50+ MPH on that whacked thing, although maybe I'd try it climbing just to see how much control of the bike is lost.

Been trying 'em for the last 30 years, since the appearance of the EZ-Seat. None has been satisfactory. My WTB saddles support my sit-bones properly and don't squash things. When I want to sit upright and ride all day, I ride my recumbent.

http://www.ismseat.com/products_racing.htm

I can't recommend it, since I don't own one (and I'm a girl), but I've heard good reviews about it. I think they're actually supposed to work for women too, but I found the non-nose too wide.

Correct. I also second the possibility that the stock saddle just sucks really hard.

From years and years of actively reading this site, I'd say it appears that 95% of the cycling population ends up with no serious saddle problems when you have a properly adjusted saddle on a bike that fits.
I guess I ended part of the 5% that did. I rode a Brooks B17 for years without problems, and then suddenly, ...pain, scary pain. So I sold all my B17s, and bought a Moonsaddle, ISM touring, Spongywonder, and the Spiderflex. There are more, but these seemed to make the most sense to me.
I liked the ISM much more than the others. The 2 'prongs' in front really helped give some lateral stability. I think a good indicator for stability is what your comfortable downhill top speed is on a bike with a particular saddle. Here's mine:
B17... 40mph
ISM....30mph (ended up buying a 2nd)
Spongy wonder.. 20 (surface has a nice solid grip) (kept it)
Spiderflex....15 (surface is a bit too slippery -> lack of stability) (Returned)
I bought the moonsaddle because I thought it looked cool, but in the end I thought it was the worst of both worlds. Instability of a noseless saddle, and yet it still felt like it put pressure on the perineum. (Returned).
YMMV

I tried one, and it felt like I was trying to balance on a ball. They may be different. I got the Schwinn one from WalMart. It actually had a curve to it to make it like a bucket seat. Problem is that I am too big for their bucket. It might have worked had I fit in it, but I couldn't make it down the driveway without feeling like I was going to fall off my bike.

I was using the Schwinn comfort saddle from the Evil Empire, I liked it slightly better than the saddle I am using now.

Selle Royale Avenue is a Gel saddle with a fairly deep swale between the bumps for the butt and one on the nose ..

Maybe try more saddles , there are Hundreds of them to choose from amongst.

I've used one of these ERGO saddles on and off for a few years now. Right now it's on a BMX bike, no problem pedaling standing or sitting. It takes a bit of getting used to but it's quite comfortable

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

Looks like it's available for as low as $15 plus S&H from Amazon vendors:
http://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Seat-Clas...3712226&sr=8-1

I use a moonsaddle on my Big Dummy cargo bike. I never really got the hang of it on my road bike though: I can ride it, and I can do the fast descents that achoo is afraid of, but at the end of the day it just seems like a lot more work to ride the bike. Do you have any tips for fitting it and making it work beyond what little advice they give on the moonsaddle website? Could you post pictures of your setups and maybe even some of you riding the bike?

Can't get photo to load. I'll try later.

I follow the Moonsaddle instructions. I have a newer seat with the 20* angle built into the rails. I mount the seat with the rail parallel to the ground as instructed (actually with the front about 5* up). It is perfectly comfortable after my a** got used to it. I can ride uphill, downhill, and on the flat with equal comfort. The one thing that I can't do (and don't want to) is ride with both hands off the handlebars. I don't view that as a significant defect. An additional benefit is that you can ride it in any pair of shorts or pants you please. No pad is required.

Yeah, the any pants part is great which is why I love having it on my Big Dummy which is my Kailua Town errands and beach bike. I've got one of the new Moonsaddles and it is tilted a bit up just like yours. I just can't get used to it on my road bikes for longer rides (10+ miles) but maybe I'll work into it. I'm trying one of the Allay Topeak saddles today and I'll see how that goes ...

I've done weekly rides of 36-40 miles, occasional rides of 70-80 miles, and a week long event of over 300 miles -- all on the Moonsaddle. I've had knee pain and ITB pain (not due to the saddle) but never butt pain. Maybe my a** is too fat. ;-)

I suggest searching for "bicycle seat" or "bicycle saddle" on Amazon.com, and reading the reviews of various seats there. Brooks are highly rated, especially the wider B66 and B72 models (my personal choices). Several hornless seats or seats with relieved centers also reviewed. As the Packard automobile used to boast "Ask the man who owns one".