Perineal pain/chafing (i.e. my junk is numb!)

Triathlon Forum
1

was riding the stock saddle on my specialized transition, and recently switched to the fizik arione tri2. it hasn’t helped on the perineal pain, and this has become my limiting factor on the bike (i.e. any ride longer than about 50m tears the ass out of me, literally).

any saddle recommendations? I’m gonna try the adamo split saddle, the one with the two fingers that’s split down the middle. any other ideas, this shit is killing me!

2

I wasn’t terribly uncomfortable on my Arione (road version), but decided to give the Adamo (Race version) a try since I got an excellent deal on it and I’m one of those people that always wonders if there’s something better out there.

Long story short… Now that my sit bones are accustomed to the slightly harder rear of the saddle when sitting up (which I don’t do much anyway), it’s a major improvement. No perineal pain/numbness/discomfort whatsoever. And the real kicker is that I now feel much more centered on my bike. I use to “hang to the left”.

Steve

3

interesting, i have the same “hang to the left” problem! (actually i go right, but same shit)

can’t wait to try that adamo!

4

These threads always freak me out. The only time I had it happen was in an international tri wearing trishorts and things started to feel like they were going to sleep and I just got off the bike for awhile around 17 miles till things cleared up. Hey, you got to have your priorities! Thereafter, there were about 4 bike adjustments and a couple of seats before I could go 100 miles with everything feeling great. The big breakthrough was getting my sitsbones measured – they are narrow. It was all uphill from there and it has never happened again. Get them measured would be step one from my experience. Best.

5

I tried the ISM saddle for the same reasons. It resolved the numbness, but I’ve never had saddle sores and chaffing like I did using that saddle. I’ve since switched to the Specialized Toupe saddle which has resolved both issues.

scott

6

Another vote for the Toupe - I’ve been using it on my tri and road bike, and it seems to put more pressure on the sit bones and less on the soft tissue - so the numbness I was getting during long rides with my Aspide has disappeared, although my sit bones do get sore after about 4-5 hours of riding. But I’ve only got 5-6 rides on the saddle so far, and each one is a little more comfortable than the next… I have no doubt I’ll adjust completely before too long.

7

It can also be a fit issue, if your front end is off, it will change how you sit on the saddle. if you’re too forward or low in the front, you could be squishing your junk. As for the saddle sores/chaffing, it’s finding a saddle that’s comfy and the right width for your butt. I use a Selle Italia saddle and have yet to have any problems in the 3 years on this saddle.

8

Meaty, you probably need a soft saddle w/cutout. I can’t use hard saddles and I need a cutout to avoid “numb junk” affliction. My current favorite is this one:

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/250/50-3041-BLK-ANGLE.jpg
It’s only $39.95 at Performance right now!

9

For those that tried the Toupe, did you also consider the Alias or the Avatar?

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqSection.jsp?sid=EquipSaddlesSpecials

they look very similar to the Toupe.

10

I had an Alias on my road bike before switching to the Toupe. Was more comfortable on the sit bones, quite comfortable in fact, but after 5-6 hours or on flat rides where I tend to stay in one position for a long time (and on the trainer), I’d get some numbness. It would go away when I stood up for a minute or two, or just got off the bike, but still, I’d rather not have that at all - so far, with the Toupe, I don’t.