Perineal Nerve Pain and a special saddle
 

For riders of advanced age, perineal nerve pain is more likely to occur. It is the main reason I stopped riding 8 years ago. Then, 3 + months ago I started riding again because, due to the pandemic, my gym was closed and I desperately needed exercise. Unfortunately, perineal pain was still a problem. This time, when I searched for a solution, I discovered a saddle that has worked wonders for me. That saddle is the Cloud 9 Cruiser Select Saddle (~$30 on Amazon). It is big, has memory foam cushions and a slot in the middle so there is no pressure on the perineal nerve. Personally I find this seat to be very comfortable and a complete cure for my nerve pain. Just saying it worked for me, your mileage may vary.

The Old Peddler
P.S. Pic of Cloud 9 saddle

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...46c9137c0e.jpg

Another choice might be the Serfas RX saddles. My wife rides them exclusively. They make a mens and women’s version.

John

I started riding again 10 years ago at age 63. Eight years ago, I bought an ISM Prologue saddle which I still use. Never had any perineal issues with that saddle. I have one on each of my road bikes and between the two bikes have ridden over 74,000 miles on them.

Serfas Tailbones lineup includes some saddles with Lycra stretched over progressive density foam. Basically, padded shorts material, but without wearing it. I have older Terry and Bell saddles made this way, with Lycra -- rather than vinyl or leather -- over foam. Comfy without needing to wear special shorts.

74K miles, wow! John, you're a better man than I am.

The Old Peddler

Thanks, but I don't see me being better than anyone else. I've always been a distance rider so doing 40-60 mile rides, six days a week was normal. Do that for a few years and the miles pile up. At 73, however, those days are starting to fade. :(

Any number of ‘split rail’ saddles leave the soft tissue area open. Suspended leather saddles with a large cutout try to open that portion of the saddle.

My examples would be Selle SMP (split rail) and Selle Anatomica (leather w/ cut-out). (edit: sometimes those openings make saddle clamp adjustment easier on a few seatpost styles.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6f3fc24e4.jpeg

i prefer little or no padding on a modern saddle. Memory foam sounds Hot. Hot sounds bad. I want to rest on my sit bones, not on a pad (there’s already a thin one in my shorts).

But everyone has their preference. No right, no wrong

edit: time to wash that cotton, or rewrap. No grey. Black is easy choice -
but I wonder........what color on creamsicle orange? What shade of brown?

Smp drakon here and no pain at all.

There are even 'bike seats with no nose', just a pair of cushions for your hips.. search found several , here is one :
http://i.bnet.com/blogs/110629-easy-seat.jpg

Depending on the severity of nerve pinch, some saddles may or may not work. I've tried tilting saddles, saddles with holes, saddles with no nose, suspension seatposts and had some successes. I went on the extreme end by riding a long wheel base recumbent eliminating the nerve pain. BUT the recumbent was to long to bring into a small elevator back home. Tried feet forward design like the Electra and it was a good middle ground. Also modified my riding position with more upright bars. I'm back to riding again !

This is a timely thread for me. I'm currently taking antibiotics for prostatitis due to perineal irritation from my saddle. I'm 72 now, btw. I've been riding a 2015 Specialized Allez purchased new. Before that was a 2013 Marin hybrid also purchased new. The Marin has become my wife's ride. Our daily rides are ~13 to ~23 miles.

I've had this issue before during the early years of riding this bike, and finally found some relief using a specialized power saddle with the large cutout. It was a tough saddle to 'fit' (especially the nose up/down), but I eventually got it right and spent the next 9 to 10K miles with no issues at all.

Fast forward to several months ago when I started developing shoulder issues. After some doctor ordered physical therapy, it was suggested that I try to take some weight off my arms and hands while riding, so I began adjusting the power saddle in an attempt to relieve any possible issues there. With those adjustment made, I'm now back to perineal pain and prostate infections.

The past 4 weeks have been a disaster both mentally and physically. I am frustrated to no end. After many 'test and tune' rides I have been unable to get anywhere near comfortable again.
I'm ether sliding down toward the bars, or I have the nose of the saddle digging into my perineal area and causing pain. I've been unable to find a happy medium.

I've adjusted (in small increments) saddle fore/aft, nose up/down, and saddle height. Lowering saddle height seemed to help some, at least compared to other adjustments.
I've always worn bike shorts. I wear both Sugoi and Pearl Izumi.

I've ridden 24K miles since 2012, about 15K of it on the Allez. I really enjoy my daily rides, but am losing faith that things will ever be like they were.
Thanks for listening/reading.

I ride a Selle SMP Evolution. a full cutout saddle. A soft saddle can cause injury on longer rides so I go with a hard saddle and get my butt used to riding. The full cutout means no numbness in the groin or genitals.

Saddle is spendy, but worth it.

Missinglink, there's always hope to find the holy grail of bike position. I stopped for about a year due to groin numbness so I can feel your dilemma. Suggest googling crank forward bikes, feet forward design, comfort bikes, & cruiser bikes. Basically bikes where the crank is forward of the seat tube. It's not as sporty looking as a road bike, but reduces pressure on the groin, shoulder and wrists. You ride more upright so you won't be aero. Maybe rent the most common of this bike design like the Electra Townie to give it a try. Other designs that comes to mind is Day6 bicycles, KHS Manhattan etc. Hope you find the Holy Grail.

I'm also using an SMP...the Drakon. Generally been pretty good for me. Would like to get a somewhat lighter SMP but that model comes with less padding and I'm not sure I'm willing to risk the pain. They are pricey, no doubt.

Thank you for the encouragement.
The Marin Redwood I started out on in 2013 was/is actually a plush ride. Since my wife has taken over that bike, I may look for something similar. I wish she would just trade bikes with me, because she fits and rides the Allez well. Oddly enough, she prefers the specialized Toupe saddle (the original Allez saddle) on the Marin.
Now that you've started me thinking, I'm wondering about trying the original Marin saddle on the Allez.

I need to let myself heal up for a few days before I do anything though. :o

moon saddle works for me

I have a few SMPs. Very comfortable, but I like to shift my position which you can't do effectively due to hammock nature of the saddle. I just purchased a Selle Anatomica H2 (you can get 25% off using "Summer25" when purchased direct from Selle), came to $125 shipped. I'm hoping I can still shift my position on it. If not, it will go on my trainer bike.

Well, I guess a weird saddle could help with perineal pain. My solution has been to improve the bike and not use a saddle at all.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...720ff7c02b.jpg
Edit: I like the looks of the Selle SMP. I've gone through some similar saddles on my uprights. The problem with them is, you really, REALLY have to make sure you're sitting squarely on them. If you're off to one side or the other, they cause more damage than ever.