best saddle for numb suffers

J1mmys

Hi I recently bought a superix and after my first long ride suffered badlyy from numbness with the standard saddle prologo pro t 2.0 which is very rounded. I've tested a few fizik ones which are better but far from perfect. Specialized seem to be the next choice. I've had my sit bones measured and the guy in the store said I'm a 143 however I read in another forum people size up? Has anyone done this? And do I go romin or toupe?

night_porter

It seems a little crazy to me to have your butt measured and then not take the advice of the seller, it is in his interest to sell you the right one first time. Happy customers come back unhappy ones do not!

Why not take the advice of the guy in the shop and if it doesn't improve the feel then change it, I think Spesh give a 30 day exchange option anyway.

As far as which saddle then choose the cheaper one and if you don't like it upgrade to the more expensive one because they will not refund you if you buy the dearer one first.

greentea

1.Yes you should size up.
2. Romins are good seats but everyones opinion is different, try and get a test ride or at least sit on some if possible.
3. Seat angle is important, most seats arent designed to be angled forward or back too much as it changes the way the seat is designed to work. Most seats are meant to be level with the floor.
4. Seat shape is more important than padding. If you get the shape wrong it will numb you no matter how much padding/gel you have.
5. Dont go for too much padding on the seat and too much padding in your shorts. The two can interfere with each other and on a long ride can cause the sit bones to move too much. This causes friction and that leads to numbness/pain.

So go for seat shape first, then the right setup on the bike, then padding/comfort of the seat/ shorts.

HoHoHoBlueGiant

I found the Prologo (Scratch Pro) too rounded for my liking also so I tried a Specialized Toupe Ti155. The Toupe definately removed any issues with the boys but was just too hard on the sit bones for my liking.

I'm now on a Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow. Best of both worlds for me. No pressure on the boys, but more padding than the Toupe, so I think this one will be a keeper.

The width of the Selle Italia is about 150mm so nicely inbetween a 143 (just too narrow) and the 155 Toupe (slightly too wide).

But as always with saddles one man's comfy sofa is another man's ass hachet!

CarlosDSanchez

Saddles are very personal, everyone here will swear by something different. My rear end hates everything Selle Italia (which is a pitty because they make the nicest looking saddles in my opionon) but loves a 143 specialized romin.

some bike shops have test saddles which you can try out. My local one does Selle Italia and Fizik. Otherwise use ebay, buy try and then sell on if you don't get on with it.

ajb72

I don't get it either - why get measured and then size up? So what happens if you are a 155mm on the Specialized guide - fit a sofa cushion?!

I agree it is the shape and not the padding that matters and often more minimal padding is the key. If your budget can stretch far enough the Fizik Kurve range is very good, and you can demo 3 different models to suit your needs.

unixnerd

And do I go romin or toupe?

Specialized BG Toupe is the comfiest saddle I've ever used. Did seven hours on mine last weekend and could have done another seven if my legs had been up to it.

mitchgixer6

Check out the ISM Adamo range. They look pretty strange and are pretty heavy, but well worth a punt. There's a company called 'Trybike' which will send you a test one for free. If you don't like it just send it back!

neeb

Sizing up in Specialized saddles is just mad, the whole point of the system is to put you on the correct size. Too big a saddle will probably restrict your pedalling and lead to chaffing. Most people are 143mm in any case.

Highly recommend the Toupe. The Romin is supposed to be even better if you have difficulty getting your weight onto your sitbones, although it is more of a "single position" saddle.

As far as seat angle goes, it is difficult to know what "level" means in a saddle that curves up at the back. If you put a spirit level across the top you can end up angling it too far back because you will bring the nose up to the same level as the back of the saddle, and it is designed to be a bit lower. Best guide is to get the top of the front half of the saddle level with the ground.

J1mmys

Is buying saddles 2nd hand off ebay out the question?

I suppose its unknown whether Ill see what i find. Try either or.....Romin or Toupe that is. I tried Fizik dont really allow the correct blood flow.

ajb72

J1mmys wrote:

Is buying saddles 2nd hand off ebay out the question?

I suppose its unknown whether Ill see what i find. Try either or.....Romin or Toupe that is. I tried Fizik dont really allow the correct blood flow.

No, as long as they are in good general condition no reason you cannot buy second hand. Modern plastic shell saddles don't give as much as leather saddles so can be sold on.

Are you sure the issue is the saddle and not the riding position / bike fit? (You mention you have a new bike). So many comfort issues are to do with bike fit and not the actual saddle, a lesson I learned the expensive way before having a bike fit at Cadence Sport. I suffered with numb bits etc and went through half a dozen saddles - after a bike fit I reckon I could have probably stuck with my original Fizik Arione. Just having your saddle 10mm too far forward or angled incorrectly can dramatically affect your hip angles and general comfort - if in doubt get a bike fit, might save you time and £ in the long run.

Just because you have struggled with Fizik before, don't rule out the Kurve range, completely different kettle of fish.

drlodge

HoHoHoBlueGiant wrote:

I'm now on a Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow. Best of both worlds for me. No pressure on the boys...I think this one will be a keeper.

The width of the Selle Italia is about 150mm so nicely inbetween a 143 (just too narrow) and the 155 Toupe (slightly too wide).

But as always with saddles one man's comfy sofa is another man's ass hachet!

+1 got that same saddle, fits my butt a treat.

greentea

I bought a Selle Italia Gel flow and it didnt work for me, had burning sit bones after 20 miles on every ride.

Have now got a Specialized Romin Gel and it fits like a glove. I sized up to 155mm even though my sit bones were 140mm. The whole point of getting your sit bones measured is simply to find out what your width is. Theres no reason whatsoever why you cant drop down a saddle size or even go up. Like me you might be right on the edge of that particular saddle measurment so its always best to go up, even the guy at the Specialized shop said that.

ricey155

just for info ive just finished a 2 week trial on the typhoon ISM adamo saddle

from trybike somebody else had mentioned it on the forum so i asked to borrow one great service ended up buying the latest release instead - 2012 ISM Adamo Prologue

might be worth a go before you spend the cash

jimbo1982

I appreciate that this is an old thread but I found it now so thought it may help others googling "numb balls", "testicle disappearance" and the like.

I have had huge trouble finding a saddle that is anything short of a local anaesthetic in my man lab and have tried a good few. Road rides are not as bad as I can get out and move about. On the turbo trainer though, every 25 minutes or so I had to stop and let blood flow do its thing to get the feeling back.

Best saddle that I have found is the Selle SMP Lite 209. The numbness takes a lot longer to kick in and when it does it takes longer before there is complete numbness.

Not the cheapest saddle but lets face it...look after those puppies.

One thing I would say (without having my butt measured like other unmentioned riders in this thread), I am a big unit and would prefer the channel to be slightly wider. I think that if it was then it may completely remove the problem all together

alihisgreat

My Specialized Romin is outstanding:

- incredibly comfortable
- light

What more do you need?

oh and it was only £35 off ebay.

LegendLust

Usually people's problems with a saddle stem from a poor position on the bike