Like many 50 something men I have an enlarged prostate that becomes inflamed during long rides. Normally not a huge problem, but at IMLOU I ended up in the ER post race because I could not urinate after about a third of the way through the bike. I have done a few 70.3’s with like symptoms but have been able to get through the races without major complications…this was my first and hopefully not last full IM. I’ve been riding on the stock saddle that my Felt B14 came with–an Evo Tri 40 Prologo. Not a bad saddle from what I’ve read but it’s clearly not working for me. I’m looking into the split nose saddles and am hoping others who have gone through this might have specific recommendations. I did have a professional fit when I purchased my bike, but have later learned that saddles can be angled in a certain way and that there are other adjustments one can make to the fitting to help alleviate direct pressure on the prostate. Thanks everyone for their thoughts.
It’s hard to tell what saddle he is using while riding prostrate, but it sure looks easy on his prostate.
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Literally any saddle where you take pressure off your taint would work. I’d start with Adamo or Dash, and then explore other options if that doesn’t work. Also note that it might take a handful of rides for your sit bones to get used to the pressure. Good luck!
Might want to read up on saddles…
http://www.slowtwitch.com/...s/Saddles/index.html
ISM, Cobb, and other noseless or split-nose saddles are likely your best bet. I’m guessing the split-nose (ISM, etc) will be better than the simply noseless (fizik, etc). But, you will probably want to try out several. Good fitters will have a bunch in stock to try…so, might be a good idea to setup an apt with a FIST fitter and try out a bunch of saddles. Might also be good to look at positional changes that you could make to address the issues at the same time.
Nick makes a good point. I switched to an ISM PR 2.0 this year from the traditional Selle Italia road saddle that I had for 20 years. It took most of the summer for me to get used to the pressure points. Some folks adapt right away, others take some time (like me). For me it was a combo of the saddle and finding the right cycling pad.
I switched to ISM saddles about 5-6 years ago. Had similar issues, after riding for 2+ hours it felt like I was pissing razor blades the next 2-3 days. I was on a Cobb V-Flow (tri bike) and SHC (road bike) for a good number of years before the switch, never had a problem, the issue appeared quite sudden. Once I correlated urination pain to 2+ hour rides, I made a switch and was totally fine. Took about a week to adjust to the new pressure points.
I had a gastroenterologist write a letter for me to get a saddle as a DME (durable medical equipment) due to my issues. If you DM me your email, I’ll send you the letter. Since I have gotten the saddle, I have had zero issues and life is better. The alternative I was facing was possible surgery and so the insurance companies came out better covering 90% of a nice saddle with nothing down the middle than paying for surgery. I came out better too as I don’t hurt and I have a nice saddle with the former being much more important than the latter.
I’ve been riding on the stock saddle that my Felt B14 came with–an Evo Tri 40 Prologo. Not a bad saddle from what I’ve read but it’s clearly not working for me.Nope, it’s a bad saddle, at least for triathlon. I’ve got a box full of them I’d sell to anyone interested.
We’ve dealt with a few riders with various prostate inflammations and issues and have had luck with the anatomical saddles like the ISM lineup and select Cobb saddles. That said, each person had success on different ones, so you just have to participate in some trial-and-error testing.
I rode all of 2017 prostate free and was pretty darn comfortable down there. Glad I chose surgery rather than radiation.
I switched to an ISM PR 2.0 this year from the traditional Selle Italia road saddle that I had for 20 years. It took most of the summer for me to get used to the pressure points. Some folks adapt right away, others take some time (like me). For me it was a combo of the saddle and finding the right cycling pad.
I just put a PR 2.0 on my tri bike. After the first ride I was ready to throw it in the dumpster but I’ve read that there’s a bit of an adjustment period so I’m willing to HTFU and give it a chance. But man, that first ride sucked.
Like many 50 something men I have an enlarged prostrate that becomes inflamed during long rides. Normally not a huge problem, but at IMLOU I ended up in the ER post race because I could not urinate after about a third of the way through the bike. I have done a few 70.3’s with like symptoms but have been able to get through the races without major complications…this was my first and hopefully not last full IM. I’ve been riding on the stock saddle that my Felt B14 came with–an Evo Tri 40 Prologo. Not a bad saddle from what I’ve read but it’s clearly not working for me. I’m looking into the split nose saddles and am hoping others who have gone through this might have specific recommendations. I did have a professional fit when I purchased my bike, but have later learned that saddles can be angled in a certain way and that there are other adjustments one can make to the fitting to help alleviate direct pressure on the prostrate. Thanks everyone for their thoughts.
Just FYI, you have an enlarged prostate gland, not prostrate. You might want to edit your post text and subject.
Good catch Eric…edit has been made. Thanks.
Good catch Eric…edit has been made. Thanks.
Well, thanks for editing, it reads SO much better now, both the subject and the text. 
Which ISM did you end up going with…the PR 1.0, 2.0 or something else?
I’ll take a somewhat different tack but is probably what you should consider first -
often times it’s a suboptimal fit on the bike that ends up with you putting your weight too far forward on the saddle for good weight distribution. In those cases, swapping saddle usually doesn’t help the situation much if at all.
Make sure your weight is being stably supported on the seat where it’s supposed to (not on the nose/neck) and adjust your stem/seat/bars to optimize your position on the seat before you just start springing for saddles that don’t fix the underlying fit problem.
Have you tried Saw Palmetto? I have had prostate issues to and I use Specialized Sitero and Toupe saddles which help. But the Saw Palmetto helped me to pee more normal for a 60+ cyclist.
I had a gastroenterologist write a letter for me to get a saddle as a DME (durable medical equipment) due to my issues. If you DM me your email, I’ll send you the letter. Since I have gotten the saddle, I have had zero issues and life is better. The alternative I was facing was possible surgery and so the insurance companies came out better covering 90% of a nice saddle with nothing down the middle than paying for surgery. I came out better too as I don’t hurt and I have a nice saddle with the former being much more important than the latter.
That is an awesome idea. Very interesting, gonna look into it. You mind pming me for a copy too?