Does your fitter not offer saddle pressure mapping? Unless he’s letting you demo without paying for each saddle, you are only going to waste money if the saddle(s) don’t work for you.
I’ve tried a lot of things as this is my biggest issue on the bike, and for what it’s worth, I’ve found that a stiff saddle with a cutout works the best for me. Less padding = less opportunity for my perineum to be touching the saddle. I still have to stand up (especially on the trainer) but it’s a lot better than it used to be. I currently use the Pro Stealth, which I really like, but my next saddle attempt will be a stiff SMP with a cutout (superflow of some type).
Keep us updated on what works for you!
I am not working to kill this thread. But I have started the work on the complied info.
My goal is to distill this great info into a thread that is quicker to review initially, but can be expanded on as we learn more.
No pressure mapping, but he’ll refund me if the saddle didn’t work. No harm done right
Would this be the same thread for other types of numbness? Eg I experience both in & outdoor right foot numbness (around middle/little toes), and having played around with cleat position which somewhat remedies.
Planning to give insoles a try, as by accident found my foot getting numb after walking in my cycling shoes for 20 mins…
Not necessarily the same, IMHO.
As a fitter, foot issues can come from saddle fit issues, but they are a bit less common. One saddle related aspect is if the saddle is too high or low. But often it is a shoe, insole or cleat setup issue rather than saddle related.
Thanks. I have toe numbness in both feet, which sets in at about 20/30 mins of any ride; tried changing cleat position and even different shoes, but, (HISTORICAL BUT), I have not had a bike fit*, and perhaps this is the route cause?
*don’t shoot the messenger…
You can always try 5mm up or down the saddle for a test and see.
Communicated with Edge and they have a 100% guarantee for 30 days to try the saddle. Just ordered one since I need a new saddle.
They are a fantastic bunch to work with! I’m so glad they can help you out!
Chad.McN’s thread has a lot of useful information. Here’s the short version of changes that helped me, more or less in order of observed improvement.
- Lowered the front wheel by about 1-1/2 inches (went from two 2x6s to one 2x6). No other change gave half as much improvement as this one. Went from discomfort in 20 minutes to over 45 minutes, often an hour, depending on the workout. (Endurance is harder because you put more weight on the saddle.)
- Stand up when I feel any discomfort–usually sit bones feel it first, make them happier, sit better, less likely to compensate in numbing ways. I find it easier to stand during work intervals than recovery breaks.
- Determined that one pair of bibs fits tighter than another pair of the same brand and size (bought at the same time), so is more likely to cause discomfort on longer rides. Only use it for 60 minutes or less.
(Following roughly tied for effect.)
- Make sure my chamois is in place to cushion my sit bones properly. Usually adjust a couple of times on longer workouts. (Apparently my sit bones are further forward than what bib makers consider normal, based on their chamois placement.)
- Went from a saddle with a channel to one with a cutout (similar to another saddle I like).
- Got a proper bike fit.
I’d get saddle sores on the trainer (almost as if my bike became too tall for me)
I’ve been foam rolling and doing stability & strength work and it seems to work!
(TT bike is on the trainer with a adamo, road bike just got a new saddle which has been giving me sores as well; both bike are exactly the same but both feel comfortable now)
I had the same problems and tried 4-5 saddles before settling in with the Specialized Power Saddle. Its been good outdoors and 98% eliminated numbness on the trainer. I still get numb 2%-5% of the time which is usually cured by standing up for 30 secs or pulling my stuff forward a bit.
How much is this dependent on forward/backward seat positioning? I thought i remembered slightly moving my seat up in the past, to only still get a feeling of sliding towards the nose. Seems to me if we need to constantly push back to get to the right spot on the seat that something isn’t right, and you’ll eventually get too much hand pressure.
In general, you need to be in the proper position on the saddle for sit bone support. If you are constantly having to re-position, slide and such to get to that, you have a setup issue.
- It may be a saddle fore-aft position issue.
- It may be a saddle tilt angle issue.
- It may be a saddle height issue.
Selle italia SLR superflow did the trick for me.
I was using an adamo prologue and it was not good. Switched to the SLR and after a few months, it’s been great.
Re: Numbness in feet mentioned above.
Here’s a video from Bike Fit James and he talks about feet whilst they are all chilling out:
clear as mud
Question for you all… I don’t experience numbness in my genitals but rather in my little general. It only happens when I am doing really tough (V02 or Anaerobic) efforts. Easy rides and Sweetspot cause no issue with numbness - I’ve always thought this was just a side effect of pushing so hard with blood flow more focused on the legs. I have had a quality bike fitting and everything seems to be dialed in - it doesn’t feel particularly uncomfortable.
Anyone else experience this? Think I should be concerned?
Well, I was addressing the question in general. The answer is “it depends”. As I fitter, you have to take a look at the entire picture as every change you make has impact on other conditions. So there is no easy answer that acts as a fix or cure-all.
I can go into greater detail on the general impact that one change has on the overall picture, but you have to recognize that if other conditions are in place, the “rule of thumb” is null and void.