hello all, i am a newcomer here, so sorry if i am unaware of an FAQ, but this
subject needs some particulars sdo i doubt it would be covered adequately
anyway. i am sure this has been discussed ad-nauseum, but here is my
situation, any advice is appreciated:
I AM a 47 yo male, riding a moderate-level hardtail. i race a few mtb events per year, typically
placing in first half my age group. i generally ride 15 miles at a time on asphalt with short but
steep hills for training purposes (on my mtb hardtail), but also put in a reasonable amount of miles
on the trails to keep the technical skills up. the trails around here (texas) are generally flat
with numerous short climbs, very rooty and technical. i am athletically large, 6'0 and 230# or so.
i dont know what kind of saddle i have now (bike is in shop today so i cant check), but it is a $50
or $60 model at REI, with a hole in center.
for the last year or so i tend to experience numbness, but it always went away quickly, and i take
frequent standing rests and shift a lot to try to avoid this. no real impotency problems, typical
for a man my age after 20 yrs with the same partner. i have tilted the current saddle forward as
much as is practical given the design to no avail.
HOWEVER, i just yesterday had a very sudden bout of acute prostatitis, so bad that last night and
today it is extremely uncomfortable to walk, stand, or even shift positions in bed. got antibodies
and ibuprofen from the doc for treatment. whether this was caused by bacteria or by the riding is
not determinable at this point.
SO - i am keenly interested in changing my seat design to allieve the numbness and prevent future
problems. I am a bit reluctant to try just any seat i find online, get it shipped to me and then
find its not right for me. further, its not really easy to try seats out at the shop either. poking
around online, i have found the following intersting options:
one guy tried a womens specialized dulce saddle, and liked the results. since the seat isnt pink
or otherwise easilly gender-recognized, this is worth considering.
others have considered the "spongy wonder" spongywonder.combicycleseatfacts.htmOpen ↗ looks
very functional, but so very wierd. i cant imagine the looks of this on a macho mtb hardtail. on
the other hand, it could cause the rest of the guys at the line to laugh so hard i get a good
head start on them. ;-)
an option to the pee-wee herman style saddle above is the hobson. looks a lot more palatable.
clients.corifeus.comproducts.htmOpen ↗
split rear saddles dont look like they will help me, as its the horn of the saddle that
is my bane.
and then there is the potential for a fully cut away saddle that is more conventionally shaped.
this looks to be the best way to go if it works.
THEREFORE: who has experience or knows anyone who has tried any of the above???
thanks in advance, looking forward to your ideas
"chuck" (posting under an alias because there is a certain ruthless band of renegades here that
would get years of ammo to use against me if they were to know who i am, and they would find
out... lol)