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xpost from lounge - numbness

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Since you probably spend more time in the saddle than anyone else around here, I'm hoping you can help.

I've been off my bike for about 6 weeks due to numbness (my penis goes numb after about 45 minutes of riding). This is only on my hardtail, which I only use for road riding, so I'm ALWAYS in the saddle.

Is there an easy to to tell if it's the saddle or the way the bike fits? Before I got my yeti, I used to ride the HT on the trails with no problem... but when on the trail, I'm in and out of the saddle all the time. On the road, I never leave the saddle.

I don't mind buying a new saddle, especially if it will fix the problem. However, I don't want to drop $75 - $100 on a saddle if the bike just doesn't fit me. The bike is a large (not sure the measurements off the top of my head), which is usually a little stretched out for me... however I have not other discomfort when riding... aside from the numbness, the bike feels great.

Any thoughts?

I should add... I've tried the SDG saddle that came with the bike and the Selle Italia Flite off my yeti - both have mid-grade padding... not super comfy saddles and not ultra-light race saddles. I wear EMS shorts (spandex and chamois), thermal underwear, and ems tights - no padding.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Try getting out of the saddle once in a while. Like on that tiny climb, drop it a cog and stand up. It will make a difference.

Otherwise, you sound like a candidate for a Specialized saddle. They don't mention this in the print ads, but privately all Specialized talks about is how their BG saddles increase penile blood flow (in print they drop the word penile).

Specialized also has a device I call the ass-o-meter. It is a gel pad/measuring board to tell you how wide your sit bones lie. You could have a butt of a child or Chris Farley, and the sit bones could be of any width apart. That also has something to do with comfort.

Specialized and WTB both come in different widths so check it out.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
sanjuro said:
Specialized also has a device I call the ass-o-meter. It is a gel pad/measuring board to tell you how wide your sit bones lie. You could have a butt of a child or Chris Farley, and the sit bones could be of any width apart. That also has something to do with comfort.
Yea... I've been reading a lot about that recently. Wondered if it was techno-hype or if it really worked.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
jacksonpt said:
Yea... I've been reading a lot about that recently. Wondered if it was techno-hype or if it really worked.
I think it works, but you can use it for any saddle. The key is getting the sit bones right on the center of the padding.
 

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
I bought a Koobi Tri for my roadie for your exact reason. It's split down it's long axis and has help'd me w/ going numb. I'm thinking about getting one for my full squishy trail bike. I had a Fiziks Pave and it was pretty stiff for long road rides.
 

The Toninator

Muffin
Jul 6, 2001
5,436
17
High(ts) Htown
you could try sliding your saddle forward and making sure it's parallel to the ground.

i used to have numbness from my road bike. i lowered my seatpost and slid my saddle forward AND i also remember to stand up everyone and then to ensure the blood was flowing down there.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Yeah... you have to stand up every once in a while...

I have no trouble with numbness while road riding but cannot ride for more the 45 at a time on the rollers - now I make sure to get off the rollers every 30 minutes for a 5 minute break.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
I use to get numbness on my last roadbike. Bars were too low so I was leaning too far forward. Same thing could be happening if you are stretched out.

Move the saddle forward. Raise the bars where they are level or above seat height. Make sure your saddle is level.

I remember reading somewhere that you should change position every four minutes or so. I try to remember to stand every once in awhile even on the flats. Also stand up when you are coasting.
 

dhriderII

Monkey
Nov 26, 2004
365
0
good ol' culpep
i generally only have the numbness issue durring the winter, but i think thats a mixture of sitting for a really long time, and the damn windchill.. bah oh well.. no damnage yet :)
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
I'm thinking about ordering this saddle. I like most of the Selle Italias I've been on, so I kinda feel safe buying unseen. My LBS doesn't have much of a saddle selection, so I'm kinda out of luck there. Whatcha think... am I on the right track?