Kagnos

Alright folks, I am hoping for some insight and maybe a little bit of help. (yes I have used the search tool but thought my case was a little more unique)

I am a fairly large build guy, 190 pounds 6ft., not much fat on me though as I am a pretty fit individual. I have fairly large legs(due to soccer), but nothing extreme that I would think would set me apart completely. I currently have my bike setup on a trainer as Canada is cold . and yes I wear good bibs.

I have been professionally fitted for my bike. But, nothing seems to help. The frank is always getting numb, but the beans seem to be fine.

I have had the stock saddle for a while (Fi'zi:k Arione) on my Cannondale, which I muscled through for a while.
Then I just had to buy a new saddle, which turned out to be a Selle Italia SRL Gel (one with a cutout) That helped a little bit, but the frank still gets numb.

Then I thought screw it, and I am testing out a ISM Adomo racing saddle. That helps even more, but I am still getting numbness. Max 20 minutes and I will have to change position and/or sit up out of the saddle (currently my bike is setup on a trainer as I live in Southern Ontario (about an hour south of Toronto...burrr)

At this point I just want to ride in comfort. Really, I do not care how uncomfortable my ass is, as long as the frank is not numb by the end of 30 minutes.

I am thinking that my final possible solution is the Selle SMP 'Pro' or 'Plus' model. But for the life of my I cannot find anyone that is demoing them in Southern Ontario (checked this website https://www.albabici.com/info/albabic....htm#Ontario:0 and it seems terribly out of date as none of the listed shops actually have SMP saddles)

Has anyone had the same problem? Am I just a completely unique case? I am 100% convinced I need a cutout as the couple others I have tested out without a cutout seems to give me no pressure alleviation, and the cutouts seem to progressively help the cause.

slowandsteady

Have you tried tilting the saddle down by 1 degree at a time? Use a level or a clinometer.

Kagnos

I tilted the Selle Italia down slightly each time...eventually it got a little silly and I couldn't keep my ass on the saddle.
For the ISM Adomo saddle, I followed the instructions (video) on their website, however I am going to play around with it a little more tonight and tilt is a tiny bit forward and slide the saddle a little forward as well.

StanSeven

A lot of people will experience numbness if they don't move in the saddle for 20 minutes. If you're on a trainer, stand up every 5 or 10 minutes, shift your position, and even do standing sprints.

Kagnos

Every 5-10 minutes though? That seems a little low especially with a saddle that is supposed to greatly reduce the numbness caused my lack of blood flow.
I read in one of the other threads regarding P.Numbness that a trainer will do that to you, so I am not surprised, but still 5-10 minutes?

jwible

SMP Saddles are worth the money. I ride a composit -- no padding at all. It's more comfortable to me than an Airone, Mantra, Flite, Aria, and a few others I've tried.

Kagnos

That is what I am thinking as well...sadly I cannot find anywhere that is demoing any SMP models let alone selling them.

Carbon Unit

I have heard that there are places that will send you a saddle to try. If you send it back, you just need to pay the shipping.

I have an SMP Plus and it has solved my numbness problem. When I bought it, I also tried the ISM Adomo saddle. The ISM was cheaper but didn't work for me like the SMP saddle.

By the way, if you do buy an SMP it will feel hard on the sit bones for a while, but it will solve the numbness problem. Over time the hard on the sit bones feeling will go away. I guess the saddle needs to break in. A good pair of shorts with a good pad will help make the saddle more comfortable.

zoink

Just because the saddle has a cutout doesn't mean it's going to keep pressure off your soft tissues. It probably doesn't fit you right. When you got fitted for your bike did they fit you for a saddle as well?

I got perineal pain pretty badly with the stock saddle on my bike. The rear of it was sloped down slightly and kept pushing me forward which caused the pain. I recently got my new saddle and my sit bones were sore at first because I was sitting on them the majority of the time instead of sliding forward. I just took my longest ride yesterday since owning the bike and with the new saddle I had 0 perineal pain/discomfort. I keep seeing the suggestion to stand up every so often in threads about saddle comfort, I don't think that's the answer, I just think you need to find a saddle that fits your body properly. If they didn't measure your sit bones when you got fitted I'd recommend starting there, or do it yourself, then try out some more saddles.

Competitive Cyclist has a demo program if your LBS doesn't have one or doesn't have a good selection of saddles.

edit: can't find the link to the actual demo page, they may not do it any more. Might have to call if you're interested.

c.miller64

The Selle-Anatomica was my holy grail. No numbness even after 12+ hours in the saddle.
https://selleanatomica.com/

jwible

https://prosstuff.webkit.com/index.html

They offer a number of them on demo. Might want to call instead of handling it online to make sure.

Kagnos

I have looked at getting the Comp. Cyclist demo program, but they do not have the SMP models on their bundle (I do believe they are still doing it as I have looked at that link before you posted it)

I am not worried about a saddle feeling hard, pretty much I just want my noodle to not feel useless after even an hour ride.

I think I will have to possibly get a re-fit one specific for my sitbones and how I sit. But I would like to avoid doing so as I have limited funds and I just spent money on a proper fit.

Kagnos

Thanks for the link.
I have ended up emailing them. I sure hope they mail to Canada :S

calamarichris

Have you considered going back to your bike fitter and explaining this to him? I'd trust his recommendations on saddles & adjustment over strangers on the internet, (no offense guys, but if we studied fitment/ergonomics as much as a fitter, we probably wouldn't be offering advice free on the internet.) If you've already paid him for this fit, I would hope he'd go pro-bono on the saddle recommendations.

Also, don't limit yourself to one brand or type of saddle. Find an LBS with a 30-day exchange program and try every saddle you can! I went through six different saddles (many of which felt pretty good) before picking mine.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

zoink

The sit bone measurement should be free. They just sit you on a measuring pad and tell you the reading. Using that you can determine what size saddles you should be trying out.

Kagnos

Thanks for all the positive responses!
I am not trying to discredit the LBS I went to at all. They did their best with trying to keep my current saddle.

Mostly, I am just inquiring because I feel my situation is a little more unique as I am still even getting some numbness with a saddle (ISM Adomo) that is supposed to alleviate all numbness. Thought I could see what the masses had to say before I did the runaround.

Carbon Unit

I used a Selle-Anatomica for two years and used to ride with the developer of the saddle, Tom Milton who passed away last year. The Selle Anatomica was the best saddle I have every sat on when it comes to sit bone comfort. I couldn't feel the saddle under me; but, it did give me numbness on long rides. Everyone is different and what works for one person doesn't work for another. I think if the Selle Anatomica had a larger cut out, it might have solved my problem. When I switched to SMP, I no longer had numbness, because of the large cut out, but the saddle was much harder on the sit bones. That hardness on the sit bones went away after several months of riding. I have now been on the SMP saddle for two years and it works very well for me.

Carbon Unit

There is a new Specialized saddle called a Romin that is suppose to work well. It has cut out but not as large as an SMP saddle. It is lighter and cheaper than an SMP saddle. I have never tried it.

seedsbelize 

https://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Seat-Ulti.../dp/B000AO7MKM

This one cured me. I had the exact same issues, no matter what type of bike I was on. I use this saddle exclusively on my non-roadbikes, and can ride until my shoulder\neck pain makes me stop(about an hour). Oddly(or not), with my new vintage road bike, with a normal, vintage saddle and narrow drops, I suffer no more from either issue, and could ride for days and days, if only I could stay healthy.

Kagnos

Tried it. Didn't workout. lol. It did feel comfortable apart from the numbness.

Kagnos

Thanks, but I am looking for something a little more...racier as I plan on doing some triathlons (moving to Australia in a couple months and taking my bike) This looks like a unicycle seat ^^

jwible

Cobb Cycling also has some alternative style saddles that racer folks seem to really like.

https://cobbcycling.com/

Kagnos

Looked at the saddle. But couldn't find out about demoing. I will email them now, so thanks for the reminder!

seedsbelize 

That may be true, but it works. Of course I'm a card carrying fred, so I don't care what it looks like, as long as it does the job.

thesmoothdome

Just a thought, but if you're too stretched out on the bike or the saddle to bar drop is too large, you might be placing too much pressure on the perenium nerve regardless of the the saddle.