Yes, I know this has been written about a hundred times, but please hear me out, i want to have children someday, and I don't know what to do:

I go numb in my special area whenever I ride. Feeling returns in seconds after I get off the saddle, so it's a circulation problem I assume.

I've tried 2 different saddles (specialized, terry fly), high, low, forward, back, tilted forward, level, tilted back, short stem, long stem, bars high, bars low, nothing helps.

I have not tried: super expensive shorts, super wide saddle, brooks saddle. Now for those of you who want to yell "BROOKS!," I really dont think it'll help. If it has to be broken in, your sit bones are sinking down and into the saddle, which means the rest of the saddle will rest against the sensitive area. As far as wide saddles are concerned: I'm a skinny guy, so I dont think my sit bones would be very far apart, they feel like they're solidly on the saddle, there's just always too much pressure in the middle.

What do I do?

Which Specialized saddles did you try, and what kind of shorts are you using right now?

It was the one that came stock on my Allez, whatever that is. I got the fly last fall, and it feels nicer on my sit bones, but hasn't helped with the numbness. My shorts are pearl izumi, I'm not sure what model. Probably the cheapest ones. I just ordered the performance century shorts, as I've heard good things about them, but I'm not optimistic. Mind you, I'm a college student, so assos is not an option.

High end shorts may help....I was surprised when I finally stopped swapping saddles and bought some Campy Racing Shield Bibs...made my rides much more tolerable but still didn't fi the root cause.

I've spent a couple hundred on Fizik and Selle Italia...this weekend my LBS gave me a cheapo San Marcos SKN saddle...its by far the best feeling saddle I've been on...couldn't believe the difference.


That said, did you try different width saddles? distance between your sit bones varies from person to person. So if you try different brands of saddle but all in the same width, you may be missing a key variable...may be worth a look.

I had some persistent numbness problems too for some time. I tried a ton of saddles and finally got a fizik Aliante, which was wonderful. The Aliante broke and I gave the Specialized Toupe a try. I'd say it's about equal to the Aliante, especially now that it's broken in a bit.

Perhaps a trip to your local Specialized dealer for a ride on the Ass-O-Meter is in order. If you're a really skinny guy and your saddle is too wide, you may be sitting on the nose of the saddle because you can't get the sit bones up on the wings where they belong...

I've tried the performance century and their gel century too. What do they cost? Like 50-70 bucks? I ended up returning mine because they fell apart on my first century ride (ironic)

You can get great closeout pricing on high end 2006 shorts for half price at many web retailers. Mine costs $217 new but was on sale for $99. (Campy's top of the line) Their mid-range stiff on closeout can be had for $50...same as Performance Century

Not yet, but my sit bones aren't that far apart. They're solidly planted on both the saddles I've tried, there's just too much stuff in the middle. Maybe I should try to find a saddle that's really flat or concave instead of convex as most seem to be?

I know I'm not sitting on the nose of the saddle. I've consciously tried to sit as far back as I can a couple times, no difference. I don't know, maybe I'll just try a real wide saddle.

I'd give the Aliante a shot too. It's not truly a cutout saddle, but it's designed to be more pliable in the center and really worked wonders for my numbness issues...

Oh yeah...sounds like you're in need of a ergo-relief type design like this Selle Italia Gel Flow.
(I rode mine for 200 miles lemme know if you want to take it off my hands )

This one:




This is what I got this weekend and seems to be a better fit for me. (sit bone pressure points are father apart compared to the above):

Although you don't want to hear it...that's not how Brooks saddles work, and isn't an accurate description of the saddle post-break-in.

This type looks promising, with the cutout that goes all the way back. The saddles I've had, the cutouts seem to be too far forward to do anything but aid ventilation.

The basic SKN costs only $30 new and sells on ebay for like $20.
It comes standard on alot of bikes and can be found laying around on shelves at bike shops. Good way to try out the design. (My LBS just gave it to me)

I had the same numbness issue as you. After reading all of the hype about the Specialized Toupe saddle, I bought one. I didn't really want to spend that much on a saddle but I figured if it did the trick, it would be well worth the money. I got the Toupe 143 and other than than the trainer, I only have about 100 miles on the road with the saddle. I have no more numbness and I would buy the Toupe saddle again in a heart beat. I say give the Toupe a shot and if it doesn't work, you could always sell it on ebay.

I wore the gel bibs last year and they really were pretty good. Problem is they are made cheap and the pads kept coming unsewed from the rest of the bib. I need to send them back for a replacement.

I have been looking at the Selle Italia SLK:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?SKU=17009

Exactly! Chammy came unstiched.
It was pretty comfortable I admit. Much better than the iffy reviews suggest.
I was ready to love em but the stiches are just crap.

...also I think the gel got bunched up and started migrating forward...

My only pair of nice shorts are Pearl Izumi Ultrasensor... think I picked them up for $80 at the bike shop. The chamois is superior and definitely provides some cushion. My current saddle is a brookes champion special and it's going to be with me for a long time (let's hope) because it is very comfortable..

It's definitely a circulation problem, from crushing that large blood vessel in the perineum. If you crush it too much, for too long a time, it does get to be permanent. Not good.

The Terry Fly solved my problem. Every one's different. Bike shorts having a pad with a low spot down the center help. Perfomance Elites were good, but I hear quality is not so good now. Getting out of the saddle for one minute in every 10 minutes (by the clock) helps really a lot. I don't have nearly as much trouble now as I had when I first started high mileage training, years ago. Maybe a change in musclulature?

I'm very tempted by the toupe, as it looks like it would help a lot, but I dont need the carbon and Ti rails, and I don't really have $150 right now. Grrr.

It's actually nerve compression. Tissue that's not receiving adequate blood flow is painful unless there's a component of decreased sensation. Think heart attack, for instance. People don't complain of chest numbness.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Specialized-Toup...QQcmdZViewItem

This and many others can be yours on ebay...

When it comes to saddles, buy the one that works, no matter how much it happens to cost. After my first century years ago, my penis was numb for 5 days, and let me tell you I would've spent $1000 on a saddle to never feel like that again.

This is the Chammy in my bib. Campy calls it the ACS (Air Cushioning System).
Keeps pressure on the sit bones and off the sensitive areas. (think Nike Air for you rear)

This thing together with my saddle has made a big difference.

If you get the Toupe 143 and don't like it, I could be tempted to buy it from you...

even better - buy Assos.