Bit of a strange question that I’m struggling finding the correct advice for. I currently had a bike fit done and while this has helped my comfort on the bike a new issue has risen its ugly head. I seem to getting a lot of numbness in the genital region after about 40 minutes on the turbo, but never seem to get this out on the road probably due to getting out the saddle more.
I’ve read a lot about excessive saddle height and pressure relief saddles but I just wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue and what they have done to rectify it? Also I have seen posts saying get out the saddle during rest periods to get some blood flow back to these parts but I don’t really see this as a fix just sort of managing the issue.
I’ve got a new saddle on the way to try to out to try and eliminate the pressure relief side of things and hopefully this will work. Any information would be great.
Too add I’ve started to try and get more aero as suggested on the sweet spot work I’m doing and seems to be worse when I ride flat backed on the hoods.
Thanks for the reply. Great content you have put together.
Looking at that thread I am thinking it could be a combination of the saddle not having a cut out and my current saddle not being wide enough to support my sit bones. Spec Power saddle arrives today so going to try and set that up and see how it goes. On the bike fit they lowered the front end of my bike by a lot, do you think raising the bars could help with this issue if it persists?
Tilt! I have found that my pubic zone is super sensitive to saddle tilt. If you haven’t toyed with tilt, try experimenting there.
Inside, I can’t stay seated for more than about 25-30 minute blocks, I get up and stand, drop the cadence and keep trucking for a minute or two, then I’m good for another 25-30 minutes. Outside isn’t a problem for me, just inside, probably due to the static nature of indoor training.
Bar drop can sure be a factor. As they move up and down, the rider may adapt in various ways. Pelvic title as a result of back angle changes and spine curve can happen.
With lower bars, the tendency is for the pelvis to tilt forward. This can lead to more pressure on the soft tissue and often blood flow restriction as a result, that leads to numbness.
So saddle shape, cutout or not, skeleton support and your precise placement on the saddle all matter. The new saddle may be a good place to start. Be aware that the power can be really tricky to dial in. Angle in particular can make a big difference in feel and position. So play with that for sure as you test.
I needed to tilt the seat down in the front 1-2 degrees and that solved my problem. On occasion I get some numbness, I think it depends on the workout and how hard I’m pushing down on the pedals. Usually standing for 10-15 seconds a couple times solves that. Which is more realistic to what I actually would do outside.
I’ll start with the saddle tonight and play about with the tilt to try my best to get it dialled in before a workout and report back. I’ve read that it’s a short nose on the saddle how much shorter are they in comparison to say a regular saddle?
I tried this on my current saddle moved the nose down slightly and it did help, but even with standing every 15 minutes or so it still starts towards end of the workouts. Seemed to prolong the issue though so maybe a good starting point on the new saddle to nose it down slightly.
I’d have to look up the exact number, but it’s around 20-30mm shorter.
For positioning, make sure to measure from the center of your handlebar at the stem, back to the widest part of your current saddle. Start by matching this distance with the Power and ignore the saddle nose.
Also, don’t forget to verify your saddle height with the current saddle. Many saddles have different rail to saddle top height, which means that you may need to raise or lower your seat post slightly, to get the desired saddle height with the Power.
Just got done with carson with the new saddle and literally no numbness in that area at all. You was right about it being a tricky one to setup it looked when I measured it to be really far back but it feels a lot better. Seemed to have a smoother pedal stroke also. Thanks for the help and the replies on this. Happy riding!
