Really not a Seat Thread
 

I got a new bike this spring. Had a professional fitting and put about 800 miles on my bike with no problems with numbness or pain. When riding with a group a guy come up and told me I sit too low on the seat and had to much slack in my legs when fully extended. I didn't think much about but a few days later another person told me the same thing that I was sitting too low. So I called the guy that did the fitting and he told me to measure from my pedal lined up with the seat post to the top of the seat. I was about a CM lower than he had set it. So I moved it up and went out riding to only come home with a lot of pain. Went in with bike and shoes and spent about an hour with the fitter and now I get no pain but I have this numbness that just does not seem to go away. I always spent plenty of time off the seat while riding prior and now after my pain/numbness I spend more time off it. I have no pain just the numbness that bothers me. Everything works and I want to keep it that way.

Anyway I have a great LBS that has made adjustments and has not charged me one bit for the extra work and now is allowing me to try out different seats. I am sure many here will give me seat suggestions which I have read many but will they work for me??? So I will start the process of trying seats.

I guess what I am asking is once you have this numbness what is the best thing such as exercise to get back to normal? I have done a lot of searches and I can find all kinds of things as to why and how but not anything to fix. I have not ridden now in almost a week and am getting impatient. How can I get back on the saddle the quickest?

My bike came with an Affinity RL which has felt good to me less the numbness. I have a Fizik Aliantes on right now and without really giving it a long ride it seems really hard compared to the Affnity RL and I am thinking I would not last long on it.

Do you mean 'numbness' there or numbness in other areas?

As a guy I started having numbness to the point of, I had no feeling or sensation, and would have to stop and get the blood flowing again. That sounds perverted but it's what I had to do. I tried a saddle with a cutout and have 0 problems now. Saddle selection is a delicate process. I went through a few before I found something that worked. Just so happens it's a Performance Pro SL. I even had the bike mechs snicker and mumble because the brand new bike I got Sunday was getting one of these saddles and not the Arione that was on there.

so what I was trying to say is if you're having 'numbness' consider a saddle with a cutout.

Get any preconceived notions out of your head about which saddle you think would be best for you.

Once you try a few, you will start to get an idea of what your body prefers as fas as width, padding, and cut-outs.

I also agree with KK- cut-outs are good.

If its hard but doesn't make you numb, i think its a good fit. your butt will get used to the seat hardness over time. squishy seats arn't good for you.

Uh I don't think I was asking which saddle. I am asking is there anything I can do to speed up my recovery as far as getting feeling completely back. As I noted earlier people can suggest saddles all day long and I won't get the right one. My LBS is allowing me to try different saddles.

Lower your saddle. Put it back where it was comfortable. Then if you feel like raising it do so only 2-4mm at a time. Ride a few days after each increment. How your body feels on the bike is more important than where some fitter says it should be.

Are you numb off the bike?

If you're having numbness it's likely not to go away. Most of the time it's not a HTFU issue at all, it's usually impeded blood flow or nerve damage. This isn't something that will just 'get better'.

Going numb is a serious issue.

Maybe some Assos cream or something like that?