Numbness and Tingling due to perineum issues: Saddle help
#26
Senior Member
When you set up short nosed saddles, there's a few thing you need to do. In an ideal world a saddle fit helps
1: measure your old saddle when it's on the bike, to where the width is 7cm and mark with a piece of tape. This is the centre of all saddles
2: measure from the tape to the centre of your bars or top cap and take a note of the measurement
3: measure to the centre of your short nosed saddle
4: set up your new saddle to the same measurment form the bars/top cap
I hope that makes sense
Also get a good pair of shorts
1: measure your old saddle when it's on the bike, to where the width is 7cm and mark with a piece of tape. This is the centre of all saddles
2: measure from the tape to the centre of your bars or top cap and take a note of the measurement
3: measure to the centre of your short nosed saddle
4: set up your new saddle to the same measurment form the bars/top cap
I hope that makes sense
Also get a good pair of shorts
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#27
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Since many in US are entirely allergic to metric measurements— OP weighs 120-130kg, which is 264 to 286 pounds.
OP is attempting to ride on a 145mm saddle. That just won’t work. The saddle is made for young racers. Again have to guess that most here have no idea what 145mm looks like. Myself I ride old school leather saddles that are 138mm to 152mm. I am just under Clydesdale weight, exceed it occasionally in winter. Whichever saddle I ride, pretty much every time I ride with a group there will be multiple expressions of amazement that I can sit on something so tiny. It is possible for me because my hips are narrow and I have over 50years with no break from riding these saddles. Most who would wish to test ride any of my bikes quickly surrender from inability to ride one minute on a narrow saddle.
OP is attempting to ride on a 145mm saddle. That just won’t work. The saddle is made for young racers. Again have to guess that most here have no idea what 145mm looks like. Myself I ride old school leather saddles that are 138mm to 152mm. I am just under Clydesdale weight, exceed it occasionally in winter. Whichever saddle I ride, pretty much every time I ride with a group there will be multiple expressions of amazement that I can sit on something so tiny. It is possible for me because my hips are narrow and I have over 50years with no break from riding these saddles. Most who would wish to test ride any of my bikes quickly surrender from inability to ride one minute on a narrow saddle.
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#28
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arizkohli - don't give up on learning high rpm cadence drills. I can't say anything more about it now since I am at work.
I do have a question for you and it has to do with pedals and shoes - which ones are you using?
I do have a question for you and it has to do with pedals and shoes - which ones are you using?
I am on flat platform pedals which have spd cleats on the reverse side. I tried XC showes with cleats for a couple of days but due to poor set up and adjustment it caused me a lot of problems so ditched them and back to flat shoes for now. New shoes are on the way and I will set them up once I lay my hands on them.
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When you set up short nosed saddles, there's a few thing you need to do. In an ideal world a saddle fit helps
1: measure your old saddle when it's on the bike, to where the width is 7cm and mark with a piece of tape. This is the centre of all saddles
2: measure from the tape to the centre of your bars or top cap and take a note of the measurement
3: measure to the centre of your short nosed saddle
4: set up your new saddle to the same measurment form the bars/top cap
I hope that makes sense
Also get a good pair of shorts
1: measure your old saddle when it's on the bike, to where the width is 7cm and mark with a piece of tape. This is the centre of all saddles
2: measure from the tape to the centre of your bars or top cap and take a note of the measurement
3: measure to the centre of your short nosed saddle
4: set up your new saddle to the same measurment form the bars/top cap
I hope that makes sense
Also get a good pair of shorts
Great Tips!!! Also, check out these comfortable bike seats which helped me a lot and may work for others as well
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#30
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Since many in US are entirely allergic to metric measurements— OP weighs 120-130kg, which is 264 to 286 pounds.
OP is attempting to ride on a 145mm saddle. That just won’t work. The saddle is made for young racers. Again have to guess that most here have no idea what 145mm looks like. Myself I ride old school leather saddles that are 138mm to 152mm. I am just under Clydesdale weight, exceed it occasionally in winter. Whichever saddle I ride, pretty much every time I ride with a group there will be multiple expressions of amazement that I can sit on something so tiny. It is possible for me because my hips are narrow and I have over 50years with no break from riding these saddles. Most who would wish to test ride any of my bikes quickly surrender from inability to ride one minute on a narrow saddle.
OP is attempting to ride on a 145mm saddle. That just won’t work. The saddle is made for young racers. Again have to guess that most here have no idea what 145mm looks like. Myself I ride old school leather saddles that are 138mm to 152mm. I am just under Clydesdale weight, exceed it occasionally in winter. Whichever saddle I ride, pretty much every time I ride with a group there will be multiple expressions of amazement that I can sit on something so tiny. It is possible for me because my hips are narrow and I have over 50years with no break from riding these saddles. Most who would wish to test ride any of my bikes quickly surrender from inability to ride one minute on a narrow saddle.
#31
Senior Member
Modern saddle designs don't work the same way that old school traditional saddles work. They interact differently "down there". I'm 6'5" and when I was clocking up frequent 60-100km rides was in the 120kg/260lb region, and the most comfortable saddle I had was the zero padding Selle SMP Composit. Now traditionalists would say that that skinny little 129mm wide piece of composite covered in a thin skin of leather had no place being under my big butt, but the shape just worked for me 100% and was so damn comfortable to ride on! Selle SMP have some great explanations about how their saddles interact with the body and why sitbones are not the measure anymore. The same sorts of concepts relate to the Adamo saddles and many other brands.
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I've been researching a bit and I've heard good things about SMP saddle. I also read that the SQlab range of saddles may be a cut above the SMP.
Check out SQlab saddles here.
Check out SQlab saddles here.
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Wow--I feel like I just read a post written by my brain. I'm 31, 6'5 and 190lbs with a Schwinn Paramount and Brooks B17 saddle. I've been riding about 120 miles a week casually for close to 6 years and am having the same issues. A couple years ago I started getting sporadic tingling when sitting down at work and thought nothing of it. Now it tingles all the time: sitting, laying down, even sometimes when I'm walking. Now that I'm bored and stuck at home due to covid, I started thinking I had cancer or something. I've seen multiple doctors and had lab tests including an MRI and a VERY unpleasant prostate exam. Everything has turned out normal.
So I started thinking it might be due to the saddle. The confusing thing is that I feel comfortable when riding, no tingling at all. Even more frustrating is that for the past 6 months I put the bike away and started lifting, stretching and walking instead, yet the problems persist. So, I guess I'm screwed.
Has it gotten better or gone away for anyone else?
So I started thinking it might be due to the saddle. The confusing thing is that I feel comfortable when riding, no tingling at all. Even more frustrating is that for the past 6 months I put the bike away and started lifting, stretching and walking instead, yet the problems persist. So, I guess I'm screwed.
Has it gotten better or gone away for anyone else?
#34
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Wow--I feel like I just read a post written by my brain. I'm 31, 6'5 and 190lbs with a Schwinn Paramount and Brooks B17 saddle. I've been riding about 120 miles a week casually for close to 6 years and am having the same issues. A couple years ago I started getting sporadic tingling when sitting down at work and thought nothing of it. Now it tingles all the time: sitting, laying down, even sometimes when I'm walking. Now that I'm bored and stuck at home due to covid, I started thinking I had cancer or something. I've seen multiple doctors and had lab tests including an MRI and a VERY unpleasant prostate exam. Everything has turned out normal.
So I started thinking it might be due to the saddle. The confusing thing is that I feel comfortable when riding, no tingling at all. Even more frustrating is that for the past 6 months I put the bike away and started lifting, stretching and walking instead, yet the problems persist. So, I guess I'm screwed.
Has it gotten better or gone away for anyone else?
So I started thinking it might be due to the saddle. The confusing thing is that I feel comfortable when riding, no tingling at all. Even more frustrating is that for the past 6 months I put the bike away and started lifting, stretching and walking instead, yet the problems persist. So, I guess I'm screwed.
Has it gotten better or gone away for anyone else?
#35
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Not sure how helpful this is at this point in the thread, but for what it's worth, I switched from my previously beloved B17 to a Spongy Wonder saddle about 7 or 8 years ago due to this issue and have never looked back. Learning to use a noseless saddle took a week or two to get used to it but it's really not a big deal in my opinion.
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Not sure how helpful this is at this point in the thread, but for what it's worth, I switched from my previously beloved B17 to a Spongy Wonder saddle about 7 or 8 years ago due to this issue and have never looked back. Learning to use a noseless saddle took a week or two to get used to it but it's really not a big deal in my opinion.
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I’m running an SQ Ergowave 610
My new Zinn Clydesdale promotes fairly upright riding position....totally different compared to my Serotta. I’m 6’6” and 285 lbs with a 37” inseam...40” from bottom of pedal stroke (at seat tube angle) to seat top. The SQ 610 on my Zinn is 160mm and I have it moved forward about 5mm from being centered. It’s a wave saddle, so SQ recommended the forward position.. This saddle has the elastomer insert, which I could probably do without, but the ride is very comfortable with your sit bones on the Step between the rear and the nose....Check SQ out.....I originally had the 612 in a 140mm and it was too hard and not wide enough for the more upright position......the 610 at 160mm is great! I was measured at 135mm sit bone width......
#38
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My new Zinn Clydesdale promotes fairly upright riding position....totally different compared to my Serotta. I’m 6’6” and 285 lbs with a 37” inseam...40” from bottom of pedal stroke (at seat tube angle) to seat top. The SQ 610 on my Zinn is 160mm and I have it moved forward about 5mm from being centered. It’s a wave saddle, so SQ recommended the forward position.. This saddle has the elastomer insert, which I could probably do without, but the ride is very comfortable with your sit bones on the Step between the rear and the nose....Check SQ out.....I originally had the 612 in a 140mm and it was too hard and not wide enough for the more upright position......the 610 at 160mm is great! I was measured at 135mm sit bone width......
Last edited by arizkohli; 04-07-21 at 01:46 AM. Reason: added another line
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I changed to a Brooks B17 saddle. It's by far the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden. BTW, I'm 6'6" and 245# so I'm not a petite guy.
Jon
Jon
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When you set up short nosed saddles, there's a few thing you need to do. In an ideal world a saddle fit helps
1: measure your old saddle when it's on the bike, to where the width is 7cm and mark with a piece of tape. This is the centre of all saddles
2: measure from the tape to the centre of your bars or top cap and take a note of the measurement
3: measure to the centre of your short nosed saddle
4: set up your new saddle to the same measurment form the bars/top cap
I hope that makes sense
Also get a good pair of shorts
1: measure your old saddle when it's on the bike, to where the width is 7cm and mark with a piece of tape. This is the centre of all saddles
2: measure from the tape to the centre of your bars or top cap and take a note of the measurement
3: measure to the centre of your short nosed saddle
4: set up your new saddle to the same measurment form the bars/top cap
I hope that makes sense
Also get a good pair of shorts
#41
Member
The prologo I got is wide-ish (143mm), short and has a cut out but it isn't the magic formula I was hoping for. It cost me over 200 dollars. We don't have the opportunity to try on different saddles here nor any professional sit bone measuring service, I will have to just take recommendations and buy one saddle hoping it works.
143mm isn't really that wide, and it is possible it is too narrow to support your sit bones. I looked up a picture of your saddle, and the way it sways back in at the rear you have to be pretty careful about where you place your sit bones to be fully supported. I would start by measuring your sitbone width. You can take two pieces of corrugated cardboard and lay them on top of a hard surface and sit down on it. You should be able to make indents with your sit bones and you can then measure the distance between them. 143mm to me (from a large person's perspective) sounds like a pretty narrow saddle and it could be possible that it is not supporting your sit bones at all, thus putting a lot of pressure in between. For comparison, I use a 182mm wide Ergon saddle which is their medium/large model. Their small version of the same saddle is still 172mm wide. The width has to be wider than the distance between your sit bones to fully support them. You can also feel this when you are sitting on the saddle. If you feel pressure on anything else but the area around your sitbones there is something wrong. Other things to experiment with would be the tilt of your saddle, sometimes just a slight tilt can make a difference. Also, the type and shape of the chamois can have a big impact. Personally, I am uncomfortable with shorts that have too much padding up front. I don't really understand the purpose of adding padding there as I really only need it around my sitbones. By having too much padding in the wrong areas you could be putting additional pressure where you don't want it.
Finally, I would be careful about doing too much riding until you figure this out. If it causes you this much pain and discomfort it really isn't a good sign in my non-medical opinion.
#42
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143mm isn't really that wide, and it is possible it is too narrow to support your sit bones. I looked up a picture of your saddle, and the way it sways back in at the rear you have to be pretty careful about where you place your sit bones to be fully supported. I would start by measuring your sitbone width. You can take two pieces of corrugated cardboard and lay them on top of a hard surface and sit down on it. You should be able to make indents with your sit bones and you can then measure the distance between them. 143mm to me (from a large person's perspective) sounds like a pretty narrow saddle and it could be possible that it is not supporting your sit bones at all, thus putting a lot of pressure in between. For comparison, I use a 182mm wide Ergon saddle which is their medium/large model. Their small version of the same saddle is still 172mm wide. The width has to be wider than the distance between your sit bones to fully support them. You can also feel this when you are sitting on the saddle. If you feel pressure on anything else but the area around your sitbones there is something wrong. Other things to experiment with would be the tilt of your saddle, sometimes just a slight tilt can make a difference. Also, the type and shape of the chamois can have a big impact. Personally, I am uncomfortable with shorts that have too much padding up front. I don't really understand the purpose of adding padding there as I really only need it around my sitbones. By having too much padding in the wrong areas you could be putting additional pressure where you don't want it.
Finally, I would be careful about doing too much riding until you figure this out. If it causes you this much pain and discomfort it really isn't a good sign in my non-medical opinion.
Finally, I would be careful about doing too much riding until you figure this out. If it causes you this much pain and discomfort it really isn't a good sign in my non-medical opinion.
Turns out that the dealer had installed a women's syncros saddle when I bought the bike and that was causing me all sorts of issues which took a long time to resolve even after I stopped using that saddle. At the moment I'm using a prologo and a selle smp stratos on 2 different bikes and I have no issues. I need to try a wider one for better long distance comfort. I've also got an adamo island reef saddle which I used for a while but I found the nose a bit too wide causing me some chaffing.
Thanks for your help and advice.I am just being lazy not doing that sit bone test you suggested, need to get that done ASAP.