Numbness......ladies need not read

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deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
I've not had the problems described in the opening post but I've had others and found switching to more traditional saddle shapes (mostly with springs) helped. I've started threads on the most recent two, which I'll update in a few minutes.
The other way to...er...tackle it is to go for the cut away solution. Selle SMP saddles have been mentioned above but there are also ISM saddles, one of which I'm currently trying out, that follow the same principle of removing the central cause of the circulatory blockage.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
The other way to...er...tackle it is to go for the cut away solution.
The cut away is basically a more extreme version of traditional saddle shapes which dip in the front-back direction. It all depends how little support you want there and whether the edges of the cut away suit you.
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
The cut away is basically a more extreme version of traditional saddle shapes which dip in the front-back direction. It all depends how little support you want there and whether the edges of the cut away suit you.
I think of the traditional saddle as shaped like a Brooks. I meant saddles with a central cut away, which has a gap where a Brooks presses. From my experience, the saddle tilt part of it is important for riding comfort but the numbness can come from slight central pressure on the perineum and whatever veins run along there. Cut aways take that out of the equation. Though, of course, the question whether it suits you is always crucial.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
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e-rider

Banned member
Location
South West
Some people swear by having their saddle level or even the nose slightly raised but I can't cope with that. I have the saddle nose tilted down by the smallest angle that the clamp will allow and that makes all the difference to me.
level or slightly down is the way forward - if your shoulders and neck can take the extra strain tilt it even further down!
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
level or slightly down is the way forward - if your shoulders and neck can take the extra strain tilt it even further down!
I find that even very subtle adjustments of the saddle angle and setback can make a BIG difference to my comfort. Once the offending part of the saddle is safely lowered away from where it is causing a problem then not much would be gained by lowering it further, and I would definitely get shoulder and neck problems with a steeper saddle angle which would tend to make me slip forwards.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
I think of the traditional saddle as shaped like a Brooks. I meant saddles with a central cut away, which has a gap where a Brooks presses.
I think of a saddle as shaped like a saddle surface https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_surface

The dip in the front-back axis reduces pressure on the perineum if positioned correctly - not as much as a cutaway, but without the higher-pressure edges.

Some Brooks saddles have cutaways - I think one might be the Imperial.
 
You could try raising the handlebars if you have that option. Doesn't sound very logical since it's the saddle causing the problems but it might alter your seating position enough to alleviate it.
 

Montydog

Active Member
Location
Leeds
Ouch!!!.......brings back bad memories!!:eek:

Had a lot of pain in "that" area with my saddle.......so went back to chap who did my bike fit, had to sit on a box to measure my fat ass....then he recommended a very nice Prologo saddle........never looked back since, :smile:
 
OP
OP
leedsmick

leedsmick

Well-Known Member
Location
leeds
**update**
Did 15 miles at lunch, i've moved the saddle as far forward as i can (i clearly have very short arms) and its made a decent amount of difference, i didnt even need to warm it up to go for a slash after the ride :laugh:
Still more to do. Next step is consider some other saddles
 

Goofball

Active Member
Location
Larne
I got a City saddle from Lidls and it's great on the old ass and such.

I have it level and no problems with the old undercarriage.
 
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