rpenmanparker 

Way to go. We (dudes) are all looking out for the problem. Glad to hear you beat it.

FIVE ONE SIX

hey, whatever you do at the local park in the afternoon on sunny days is totally up to you...

FIVE ONE SIX

what are the other issues?! if you mean numbness, there's no reason to be shy about it, it happens to a lot of cyclists. if it's something else, than you're going to have to say what the exact problem is, otherwise no one is going to be able to help you...

what do you mean by tilted your saddle forward a bit?! did you move it forward, or tilt it nose down?! if you tilted the nose down, that's usually going to cause you to slide forward on the saddle, which can cause problems. if you tilt the nose up, that will keep you further back and most likely well positioned, but that could also cause numbness...

danmc

I stopped by the LBS and picked up an Adamo Road for a week trial, and then went for a 26-mile ride after work. I loved it so far. In fact it felt like I was riding about 2mph faster than normal (a look at my bike computer at the halfway mark disavowed me of that notion quickly!)

You definitely feel it on your sit bones but it really didn't bother me. There's no pressure at all on your man junk (I obviously didn't go to medical school) so it's all on your butt. But I didn't miss having a nose at all.

About the only thing I don't like about it so far is that it has green on the back of it, which doesn't go with my bike at all.

Note to self: I think that the green is only on the demo models. Idiot. (See how badly I treat myself?)

Sangetsu

I had a brief issue with an enlarged prostate, it happened after I began riding again after a long off-season. I was riding too much, too soon, and hadn't acclimated myself yet. I was using the same bike, saddle, and shorts as the previous two seasons. The swelling went down after a week, and I returned to riding, but more gradually.

Another thing, hitting hard bump in the road can give your prostate a big enough kick to cause an injury and/or swelling, so keep an eye on the road. I haven't had another problem since (knocks on wood).

phoebeisis

Yes it is a bit of a chore getting accustomed to balancing on your "sit bones"-and a lot more weight is on your hands/arms/shoulders-yes it is less efficient.
But your level saddle-supports much your weight on your perineum
Your perineum wasn't "designed" to be weight bearing-delicated nerves arteries veins urethra and prostate-very close to surface-unprotected-

If OP sees a urologist-he will immediately suggest he find a way to ride that puts no weight on the perineum.

rpenmanparker 

I disagree that tilting forward protects the perineum. If the weight is on the sit bones, it is not on the perineum. Contact between the perineum and the saddle is not the same thing as pressure on the perineum. Level saddle is best for most people.

Fiery

Only the feet were "designed" to bear weight, but we make do with various other parts of our anatomy. It is perfectly possible to have weight spread on the ischial rami with no pressure on the perineal soft tissues on a level saddle if the shape is right.

Avispa

Man, are you gonna ride this naked?

EnsitMike

You'd love my saddle!

Scooper

After decades of riding Brooks Pros and B17s, in my late sixties I began having numbness in the perineum on longer rides. Three or four years ago, I switched to a Selle SMP Pro and did the AIDS/LifeCycle 545 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles with no discomfort.

YMMV.

RoadTire 

Ya, but it's a slow day here so lot of cheap wise cracks from the family... just think of the fun you have provided.

phoebeisis

Right- a large wide cutout is designed to do just that.
But the wide support-as opposed to narrow down the center support of traditional race saddles-is a bit uncomfortable for some folks-sorta spreads their legs-and slightlky interferes with pedaling(which is why Tour de whatever racers still use narrow center support saddles)
so the cutout is frequently too narrow and you end up with pressure in the wrong place
and if it has a narrow and shallow cutout-but is too soft-you end up with pressure to close to center.

What sort of saddles do pro racers use? My guess is they STILL are center support and narrow
because that is MOST EFFICIENT for pedaling

Speed and efficiency dictate narrow midline support
Wedding tackle-dictate "butt bone" and rami support(which interferes with pedaling)

The point of tilting the nose waaay down-is so pedaling isn't restricted the way it is with wider more forward support

Of course pure "butt bone" support-means just as you and other say-lots of weight on hands/arms/shoulders-and you sorta slide down
takes getting used to-and it is less efficient
Most efficient-just another way of saying "which way is fastest"-just check Tour de Whatever racers saddles

Yeah no free lunch saddle wise-except for our recumbent buddies-
if they weren't so bulky-everyone would ride recumbents-faster more comfortable (but view of road not as good and bulky(expensive too)

rpenmanparker 

I do 't understand what you mean. Pure sit bone support does not put extra weight on the hands unless the bike fit is wrong. But the tilted down saddle does. Why are you confounding these two things ?

ketsana

My saddle issue after 1.5hours is I get chafing when the shammy bunches up between my sack and inner thigh.
Would the adamo help since it has no nose?

Funny thing is that it is only on one side and I do have cleat shims which have helped a bit.

I currently ride a spesh toupe pro.

rpenmanparker 

You can acoid such problems most commonly with a lubricating agent like Body Glide stick, Chamois Butter, etc.

jpatkinson

+1 for Selle SMP. Genital numbness (same neighborhood, different problem) after about an hour on any one of several "traditional-design" saddles led me on a search for an alternative. I had some improvement with Selle Anatomica. Finally, I found the Selle SMP Glider, which resolved my issues from the first ride. Expensive, but worth every penny.

Slackerprince

I use a Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAF8l_iwD50

I had numbness on my Toupe+ Comp, so the S.I. has helped with that.
I DO have to make a conscious effort to get out of the saddle and
stand-up while pedaling.
I'm in Florida, so it's easy to veg-out on flat riding and stay seated
in the same position.
Really like the Max Gel Flow.
I tried an SMP Dynamic, but couldn't adjust to the shape.

S

Dr.Brad2011

Thanks to you all! This was really a big help!

Dr. Brad

phoebeisis

Good point.
But if you are in a mildly aero position-not in drops but perhaps bent 50 degrees-your sit bones pivot "upward" a bit-so they aren't "flat" with respect to the saddle-so you slide a bit down and forward-putting more weight on your hands

You can only sit directly "flat" on your "sit bones" if you are sitting BOLT UPRIGHT with about 90% of your weight on sit bones a just a bit on your feet and on your hands

The above is part of the WHY of why saddles were designed to support a rider -ON THE PERINEUM.
If you want to ride in a aerodynamic position-and don't want the seat to be more or less trying to support you on your legs(thus interfering with pedaling) you are stuck with current saddles
The saddles with big deep cutouts-put some of your weight more laterally-on rami-but they are wider and they somewhat interfere with pedaling
Your emphasis on fit-just means trying to put as little weight on the perineum while not interfering with pedaling
Big wide cutouts-mean a saddle a bit wider than optimal for efficient pedaling

There isn't any "just sit bones" saddle that is "just sit bones" in a aero position-that doesn't cause you to slide a bit forward and down-

My wife tried one of those two piece type saddles-the one with adjustable width and two "cups" about 3" or so in diameter
The cups are set on pivots-so they can rock back and forth when you pedal to decrease the pedal interference you get with a sit bones only saddle.

Most folks just find a saddle that "doesn't noticeably bother their wedding tackle" and call it a day.
Of course the damage can be sooo subtle that they don't know they are causing damage "only their SO knows for sure-and perhaps any decrease in function is ascribed to age"

I now sit nearly bolt upright with the saddle nose down-very wide soft saddle with cutout depression(the softness is so it interferes with pedaling a bit less)
Tried a "THE SEAT" NOSELESS saddle -it was a bit uncomfortable-never got accustomed to it-and it broke-so I never replaced it

rdtindsm

My experience is of course anecdotal, as is any advice about saddle shapes. I wound up trying the ADOMO and Selle SMP saddles, both on a trial basis.

My first try was the Adomo. It is a little wide in the nose (many people use a cable tie to bring the nose together. I also found that the top is a little too flat for me with an abrupt transition to the vertical and sometimes felt like I was being carried on a rail. Nonetheless, it works as well as anything, although I sometimes change to a more traditional saddle to see how it works for me.

Adamo claims that some pro road riders use their saddles. The saddle is distinctive from the back and I have seen one or two on streaming video coverage.

I also tried a Selle Smp on RAGRBAI - 400 miles, 40 to 70 miles / day. It worked very well for me. I bought one and it is a preferred saddle. The Selle Italia saddle shown looks like it would be worth trying.

A little nose down is OK, IMHO. Then sit back a little to lift your butt above the saddle surface. Another tip comes from haberdashery. How do you hang? Custom pants will be cut with that in mind. On a saddle, twist it a couple degrees to the preferred side.

But in my younger days, I rode a flat traditional saddle of an entry level Japanese import. It was very slightly padded but you could pound nails with it. It also worked. Like any saddle advice, YMMV.
While

rpenmanparker 

We'll have to agree to disagree.

phoebeisis

Right
Scoopers SMP PRO looks promising-can't really tell how wide the cut out is but it looks pretty good for folks who want to maintain a reasonably aero position.
I'm too old to bother with efficiency-riding strictly for fun and exercise-so efficiency not a concern.

gsa103

+1 for Selle SMP saddles.

To the above discussion, the SMP saddles have a wide cut-out but aren't really any wider than any other saddle. They have various models with different levels of padding.

The thing with pro riders is that they produce more power, and are much lighter, therefore the majority of the their weight is on the legs, not the saddle. Saddles that work for them, aren't likely to work with someone putting an extra 50 lbs on the saddle.

ketsana

I do use cream but it seems to wear out after about 1.5 hours.
Are chamois supposed to be so snug that they follow the contour exactly or do people pull down on the leg a bit to have a small gap between the sack to thigh transition?