Problems Down Below

I’m a 56 years old and I have been riding off-road, in the UK, for the past 20 years. This is my favourite pastime and I really enjoy it. At my age and level of fitness I am not the best rider in the world, but I love being out in the woods, the challenge of the trails and the help with my fitness biking gives me.

For as long as I can remember I have suffered numb feet on medium length rides and I tried many ways to stop this, including different shoes and pedals and I have also tried many different seats - but to help protect my back problem. A couple of years ago I started suffering from aching in the groin area which spread to the testicles. I went to the doctors and then to hospital for tests, that reassured me I hadn’t got cancer, and the problem died down. However this resurfaced again last winter and I have been receiving treatment for an infection to the epididymis and surrounding areas over the past few months. During the past couple of months I have been trying to find out more about my condition and the possible causes for it. I was amazed to discover that this is an extremely common condition for cyclists and that seat design is largely responsible for it. I never realised the harm that we could be doing to ourselves and I am surprised that this hasn’t been publicised more in the light of the known damage that can occur. My G.P. is an avid cyclist and even does triathlons, yet he has never thought to mention this to me – maybe he doesn’t even know!

I had a consultation with a urinary specialist yesterday and I took along my research to show him, together with some alternative seat designs on offer. He was fully aware of the damage that can be done from bike seats and was interested in alternative designs. However, the bottom line is that I continue to have a problem, they don’t know how serious it is and, unfortunately, I have to go back for more tests and examinations. My consultant suggested that if I cannot improve the situation concerning numbness etc caused, seemingly, by my current setup, I should stop biking and find another sport with less serious side effects! This brings me to this forum; I really do need your help please.

Via the internet I have found four designs made specifically to avoid the type of problem that affects me. These are the Rido, Bisaddle, Spongy Wonder and Spiderflex saddles. Rido is a more traditional design with a horn, the other three hornless designs look very useful and all websites offer a wealth of useful information. The Bisaddle in particular appears to offer a tremendous range of adjustment. Unfortunately, apart from the Rido, these designs are not available in the UK and, whilst I can order easily via the internet and receive a full refund in the event of the unit not working for me, this could be a rather long and, with the costs of international postage, expensive process for me.

I have now ordered a Rido saddle, it has superb reviewes and only costs £9.99, but I am not convinced that it will work for me. If anyone has any experience with any of these models, or any more information relevant to the kind of problems I am experiencing, I would be really pleased receive it. Thanks for reading this and my apologies for the length!