Painful to pee after ride... what saddle?

rieko

I’ve recently had surgery on my knee. I’m back on the bike however one of the consequences of my surgery means that riding out of the saddle isn’t an option right now.

This means that I spend all of my rides seated. Now this isn’t something I suffered from before my surgery, but now, even after only riding for an hour it’s really sore to pee afterwards. It’s like pissing fire if I’m honest.

I’ve done a bit of research and I’ve either got an STD (which I’m fairly sure I don’t) or it’s caused by the pressure on my gooch (perennial area) and basically my tubes are getting squashed during the ride.

So it looks like I’m going to have to switch my saddle for something that relives this pressure. My current saddle is standard with the Giant TCR. It has a small pressure relieving channel running down the middle but it seems this isn’t enough.

Has anyone had this problem and been able to find a saddle to rectify it?

Andymaxy

I cannot recommend a saddle to you because everyone is different. I had similar problems only after long rides, and it happened really quite rarely to me. But I stead of changing the saddle I tipped my saddle downwards by 1.5 degrees and it solved the problem.

pottssteve

Agreed re. saddle fit and even bike fit. Being in the wrong position (eg. too stretched out) for long periods of time puts pressure on the soft tissue and can be painful.

If it's a bladder infection your urine will possibly be cloudy, you may well have a dull ache in your lower back/abdomen, and the inside of your urethra will feel "itchy". Bladder/UTI problems can be associated with dehydration, which can happen if you have not drunk enough. If that's the case antibiotics will clear it up.

pblakeney

Andymaxy wrote:

I cannot recommend a saddle to you because everyone is different. I had similar problems only after long rides, and it happened really quite rarely to me. But I stead of changing the saddle I tipped my saddle downwards by 1.5 degrees and it solved the problem.

1st solution to try.
Cheapest too.

ajkerr73

rieko wrote:

I’ve recently had surgery on my knee. I’m back on the bike however one of the consequences of my surgery means that riding out of the saddle isn’t an option right now.

This means that I spend all of my rides seated. Now this isn’t something I suffered from before my surgery, but now, even after only riding for an hour it’s really sore to pee afterwards. It’s like pissing fire if I’m honest.

I’ve done a bit of research and I’ve either got an STD (which I’m fairly sure I don’t) or it’s caused by the pressure on my gooch (perennial area) and basically my tubes are getting squashed during the ride.

So it looks like I’m going to have to switch my saddle for something that relives this pressure. My current saddle is standard with the Giant TCR. It has a small pressure relieving channel running down the middle but it seems this isn’t enough.

Has anyone had this problem and been able to find a saddle to rectify it?

Been there. When I started to take things a bit more seriously a few years back and upped the hours, I had the same issue (with Fizik Aliante saddles).

Tried a few different saddles then finally paid for a retul fit with saddle pressure mapping. Took 3 of the better saddles I'd tried along and each one took 5-10 minutes to check. Landed on a Selle SLR saddle with cut out that I've had no problems with since (with even more riding hours added).

I note people are suggesting the "cheapest" option, but I'd personally recommend going straight to the solution. Sorting this out by trial and error can be painful, will suck the enjoyment out of riding and may end up in permanent damage.

£150 for the bike fit is solid money spent in my mind!

joe_totale-2

I know you've done some research but it may just be worth popping to see your GP anyway.

I agree with the others, getting a proper bike fit can be worth it's weight in gold.

keef66

As I lost weight, improved flexibility and lowered the bars, my previously comfy B17 saddle started to give me a slight issue of the kind you describe.

Spotted a fellow forumite selling a Specialized Power, and thought I'd give it a go. First ride happened to be a 60 mile charity affair, and I didn't think about posterior comfort once. It's an odd looking thing, but the width and the cutout seem to suit my anatomy

drlodge

As mentioned above, a quick simple and free change to try is tilting your saddle forwards just a smidge.

kajjal

Not to the same extent but I find with most saddles I get the pain after about an hour regardless of saddle position or tilt.

I resolved it by measuring my sit bones and finding I need a wider saddle. Also chose one with a good sized cutaway. I used KOPS to get the saddle fore / after roughly right and adjusted to fit. After that I can ride for hours now on or off road with no pain at all. I found a specialized avatar in the widest size fitted me best.

rieko

Thanks for the tips Guys. I’ll think I’ll go and get a proper saddle fit as advised. I did tilt my saddle around 1.5’ as some of you guys suggested also, and it did help however it didn’t completely eliminate the issues and again after my ride today I had pain when I went for a wee after.

I don’t think a visit to the GP is necessary as I only get this after a bike ride and it’s 100% related as I can feel the pressure in that general area.

webboo

It’s not uncommon to experience urinary problems following surgery. So a trip to the GP might be the place to start.

northpole

My now commuter bike has a fizik alliante (I think that's the name!) which back in the day was acclaimed to be a very comfy saddle. When I bought a new to me bike I fitted a specialized romin evo which has a significant cut out. The pro version has more carbon and is significantly stiffer than the expert model which is a bit more compliant and seems more comfortable. As others have said, getting the saddle angle set to suit your geometry/ flexibility seems quite an important factor in controlling the amount of 'down under' pressure. Hence there should be great value in having a bike fit to make sure your bike is optimised to your current physique.

After a long ride on a Sunday, it is very noticeable how much more pressure is applied when I get on the commuter bike with the non-cut out fizik saddle.

Another saddle which I bought but have never got round to fitting is the Selle SMP Dynamik which has an even larger cut out than the Romin Evo.

Irrespective of which saddle you choose. Given the discomfort you are suffering, if it were me, at the very least I would make the point of getting out of the saddle on a very regular basis to maximise circulation around your nether region. If you are recovering and feel unable to get out of the saddle, I think it may do no harm to simply set a timer and every 15 minutes stop the bike, have a short stretch and continue. Doing this before you experience discomfort may help slightly in preventing it hitting you after the ride.

Peter

First.Aspect

You should also move the saddle forward, so you are more on your sit bones. Most people sit too far forward on the whole I think, which is less of an issue if you are moving position a lot.

Hard to see from the online specs, but your saddle might be quite rounded, rather than flat. My understanding is that this is good for some people, since it helps the lower back/hips to move more naturally. But perhaps, solely for the purposes of moving pressure onto your sit bones and off your vegetables, a Toupe or something like that might be an option.

Like others I'm cautious about recommending a saddle change though, because ultimately you will be cycling normally again and you just need a band-aid in the meantime.