saddle numbness

[albe]

Hi,
I got a new 'FIZIK' saddle a couple of months ago, to start with it was great and I loved it and had no problems with his. However lately, during my rides and even once I'm home and showered my saddle is causing me numbness down there as well as being quite uncomfortable during the ride... Any suggestions etc?

[alpha_omega]

Hi,
I got a new 'FIZIK' saddle a couple of months ago, to start with it was great and I loved it and had no problems with his. However lately, during my rides and even once I'm home and showered my saddle is causing me numbness down there as well as being quite uncomfortable during the ride... Any suggestions etc?

I'd be interested to know some more information before dispensing any advice.

Is this a new issue? Or did it happen with the previous saddle as well? Did you recheck the fit after installing? What width is your new saddle?

It sounds like you might be one of the people in this world who benefits from a cutout in their saddle. However, it could also be just as simple as a fit adjustment issue or an improper width of the saddle in regards to your hipbones.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

HI Albe,
You are not giving us much information to go on.

How long have you been riding bikes? How long are your typical rides? Are you young? Are you athletic? What kind of bike are you riding? Is this a new bike that puts you in a new riding postion from your old bike? Where is this numbness- on your behind or more towards the front? Knowing all that would be helpful to anyone trying to give helpful advice.

and Welcome to TE! :)

[Biciclista]

you know, sometimes bike parts (like handlebars and seats) can slip and move out of the optimal position. You might check that if this is a saddle that previously was comfortable.

[albe]

I'd be interested to know some more information before dispensing any advice.

Is this a new issue? Or did it happen with the previous saddle as well? Did you recheck the fit after installing? What width is your new saddle?

It sounds like you might be one of the people in this world who benefits from a cutout in their saddle. However, it could also be just as simple as a fit adjustment issue or an improper width of the saddle in regards to your hipbones.

It is a new saddle and for the first month or so of it being fitted to my bike I loved it. My first saddle was to big and to spongy so have been in the process of trying a couple of different ones. I had my sitbones measured and from the what they said the measurement was this should be the right size. Also the last few rides i've done i've actually been cut if you know what i mean and man it kills when I hop in the shower. I feel like when I"m on the bike i am constantly moving to re-adjust my self on the saddle. Could anyof these problems be stemming from my nicks?

[albe]

HI Albe,
You are not giving us much information to go on.

How long have you been riding bikes? How long are your typical rides? Are you young? Are you athletic? What kind of bike are you riding? Is this a new bike that puts you in a new riding postion from your old bike? Where is this numbness- on your behind or more towards the front? Knowing all that would be helpful to anyone trying to give helpful advice.

and Welcome to TE! :)

Hi, thanks so much for your help and woops your right i didn't really allaborate very well.. I am 23 have been riding for about 12 months now and most days ride between 40-50km. I am athletic, definately not overweight. I ride a 2008 Trek Madone WSD and have been riding my trek since May last 2008. I was re-fitted on my bike about 2 months ago when I got my new seat. I loved the new seat to start with but lately it just does not agree with me. Numbness is at the front and I am also gettin broken skin in front that puts my in absolute agony.. I find that I am continuously moving and re-adjusting my self on my seat during a ride to find a more comfortable position that does not hurt. The guy I ride with says that he thinks because the roads we ride on are quite bad (very bumpy, potholes everywhere etc) that I wont find a seat that doesn't hurt riding at home. I disagre though surely not everone goes through what I am.. Could it perhaps be a combination of my seat and nicks?

Thanks so much for any help :-)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If your weight is mostly back on your two sit bones when you ride, it shouldn't be making your front tender parts raw. Are you riding with most of your weight falling on your frontal 'girl parts' area?

[albe]

If your weight is mostly back on your two sit bones when you ride, it shouldn't be making your front tender parts raw. Are you riding with most of your weight falling on your frontal 'girl parts' area?

I was thinking during this mornings ride and yes I do feel like I'm sitting right on those 'frontal girl parts'..
I had my handle bars dropped when I was re-fitted to the bike with the new seat but up until recent there has not been a problem so i'm finding it hard to understand why now?..
I'm racing in a few weeks and am worried this 'problem' is going to make things very difficult..:mad: I don't think i'll be gettin on the bike tomorrow morning :mad:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ok, so when they put the new seat on they also lowered the bars- this might tend to make you tip more onto your front pubic area. Perhaps you are riding more now in preparation for your race, and that's why the pain is showing up more now than before?
I cant imagine trying to train and race with such rawness as you describe....actually cut and stinging in the shower? Yikes. :eek: :(

I'd say you should go back to the person who fit you right away and get re-fit with the goal to take pressure off the front pubic area. Don't be embarrassed when you do this- a good bike fitter deals with this problem all the time- with both men and women.
Another tip in the mean time is to try to ride your bike while distributing your weight more evenly between your saddle, your feet, and your hands. Don't ride like you are just sitting on a chair...ride like you are a part of your wonderful bike machine- walking/running inside your bike. I know that sounds nutty but this mental trick can help and might get your body weight a bit better balanced while riding.

But do go get the fit adjusted- there are various things they can do to get your weight back onto your sit bones where it won't hurt so much. See if they will do a change without charging you for another fit session- tell them the last adjustments are causing pain.

[albe]

Ok, so when they put the new seat on they also lowered the bars- this might tend to make you tip more onto your front pubic area. Perhaps you are riding more now in preparation for your race, and that's why the pain is showing up more now than before?
I cant imagine trying to train and race with such rawness as you describe....actually cut and stinging in the shower? Yikes. :eek: :(

I'd say you should go back to the person who fit you right away and get re-fit with the goal to take pressure off the front pubic area. Don't be embarrassed when you do this- a good bike fitter deals with this problem all the time- with both men and women.
Another tip in the mean time is to try to ride your bike while distributing your weight more evenly between your saddle, your feet, and your hands. Don't ride like you are just sitting on a chair...ride like you are a part of your wonderful bike machine- walking/running inside your bike. I know that sounds nutty but this mental trick can help and might get your body weight a bit better balanced while riding.

But do go get the fit adjusted- there are various things they can do to get your weight back onto your sit bones where it won't hurt so much. See if they will do a change without charging you for another fit session- tell them the last adjustments are causing pain.

Thanks very much for your help :) I will talk to the guy who did the fit (although not an easy thing to talk to guys about) I still can't understand why its only been the last few weeks that this has been happening. It has been a couple of months since the re-fit and I thought if there was a problem it was have started much earlier..
I will also try ride my bike like you said like I am apart of it. I'm eager to try anything that may perhaps help :) And yes the shower part totally sux!!
Have a great day and again thanks!
One more question quickly.. do you rate chamois cream at all? Is there anygood ones out or will like a baby nappy rash/chafe cream do the trick to also perhaps help ?

[Biciclista]

i use chamois cream, it's great; but I think you need more than that judging from your description!

[crazycanuck]

Since you refer to Km's/nappies etc, you might be in the Southern Hemisphere???

If so, there's 3B action creme available in Aust/NZ..

Body glide is good too!

[albe]

Since you refer to Km's/nappies etc, you might be in the Southern Hemisphere???

If so, there's 3B action creme available in Aust/NZ..

Body glide is good too!

Hi!

Yes I certainly am. Good old QLD Australia..

[crazycanuck]

*waves* to Qld!

I'm sure you'll find good chamois cream over east!!! Pick up a copy of the Australian Cyclist mag & you may find some more info there? Also, try www.bicycles.net.au for local information.

Happy cycling! Don't melt..like us out west at the moment...

[pinkbikes]

Hi!

Yes I certainly am. Good old QLD Australia..

Hi albe

I am also in Qld. And I have also had the joy of rolling forward on my seat and rubbing the front bit raw. And for some reason on certain saddles or certain nicks, the side bit raw too! Hate that shower afterwards - it really stings!

Firstly, I can recommend Curash Cream (yep - the one from the baby aisle at the supermarket) to both heal up the nasty raw bit quick smart, and also as an "anti-chafe" cream. Comes in a nice handy little tube. The only down side is that it is white and sticky! But it fixes us as quick as it fixes nappy rash - and that's quick!

Secondly, I had a bike fitting for my nice new mountain bike at my "not quite so local bike shop" at Jindalee. The old guy who does the fittings there is a genius I reckon and set it up beautifully. Of all my bikes it is the only one that does not cause me any angst in the sore tush department, so I am thinking of going back to him to talk about seats for my roadie and my other mountain bike. So definitely go back and say the fit is causing pain and see what they can do.

One thing that he did look at was just a little "nose down" on the seat instead of setting it up dead horizontal (no more than 1degree though) to take the pressure off the pubic bone when you roll forward a bit. But too much means you slide down the seat and put too much weight on your arms so this is something for subtlety.

Thirdly, you shouldn't be at all embarassed talking to the fitting guy about soreness in the girl parts. They are so used to it and they study a fair bit about the geometry of the girl anatomy, so can be very helpful if you can be specific about where it hurts.

Fourthly, for what it is worth, the fitter I used is a huge advocate of PawPaw ointment as both a preventative and a cure for saddle soreness. You know the stuff that is made by Lucas in the red tub (and in a tube now)? Cures everything??? He likes that it is natural and seems to work well for the girls he trains out of the shop. I have tried it and it seems fine. And it certainly is not expensive!

Also, I take your point about the nicks. Have you a different pair you can try? I do have certain nicks that don't go well with my roadie seat so I can only wear them on my mountain bike. And other nicks that are ok on the roadie seat but absolutely crap on my other mountain bike seat. So it would be worth the experiment to try different nicks.

Hope it all works out
PB

[crazycanuck]

Hey Pinkbikes, does the Lucas PawPaw ointment work better in terms of preventing chafing than other ointments??

I have some here at home & will give it a shot. Ya learn something new everyday!!1

[pinkbikes]

Hey Pinkbikes, does the Lucas PawPaw ointment work better in terms of preventing chafing than other ointments??

I have some here at home & will give it a shot. Ya learn something new everyday!!1

Honestly? I'm not sure?!

His thing was that it is a "natural, healing sort of product" and I'm not sure there was a whole lot of science in it. But I have tried it, along with the Curash and also an "anti jock itch" cream as well by accident! And all seem to work equally well.

Some of the guys I ride with swear by corn starch powder!

I think it is just having something to form a barrier between you and anything that is going to rub on you. And I gather the sweat also becomes an irritant as well, so anything that forms a barrier against it is good too. After that it's just a case of which nice sticky stuff is preferable to you!

So yep - it seems to work just fine but I wouldn't say it was better or worse!:)

[OakLeaf]

As long as we're discussing healing ointments, I'm very impressed with Nubutte as a healing salve. As a chamois cream (i.e. lubricant) it really doesn't do much for me and I'm sticking with Beljum Budder.

I agree that saddle tilt is important - too far one way or the other will take your weight off your sit bones and onto the soft parts. I'll repeat that if you don't have a micro-adjustable seatpost, you can shim the tilt with a piece of metal cut from a can.

Also, if you've lost a lot of weight, your shape can change and you may wind up needing a different saddle.

Cut-outs are as personal as sitbone width - a test that's been recommended here is to sit on a flat hard chair with your feet on the ground and tilt forward until your pelvis is approximately in riding position. If your soft parts are getting squished, you likely need a cut-out. If not, a cut-out may actually put more pressure on the sides. So if you're riding a saddle with a cut-out, you might try one without, or vice versa.

[albe]

Hi albe

I am also in Qld. And I have also had the joy of rolling forward on my seat and rubbing the front bit raw. And for some reason on certain saddles or certain nicks, the side bit raw too! Hate that shower afterwards - it really stings!

Firstly, I can recommend Curash Cream (yep - the one from the baby aisle at the supermarket) to both heal up the nasty raw bit quick smart, and also as an "anti-chafe" cream. Comes in a nice handy little tube. The only down side is that it is white and sticky! But it fixes us as quick as it fixes nappy rash - and that's quick!

Secondly, I had a bike fitting for my nice new mountain bike at my "not quite so local bike shop" at Jindalee. The old guy who does the fittings there is a genius I reckon and set it up beautifully. Of all my bikes it is the only one that does not cause me any angst in the sore tush department, so I am thinking of going back to him to talk about seats for my roadie and my other mountain bike. So definitely go back and say the fit is causing pain and see what they can do.

One thing that he did look at was just a little "nose down" on the seat instead of setting it up dead horizontal (no more than 1degree though) to take the pressure off the pubic bone when you roll forward a bit. But too much means you slide down the seat and put too much weight on your arms so this is something for subtlety.

Thirdly, you shouldn't be at all embarassed talking to the fitting guy about soreness in the girl parts. They are so used to it and they study a fair bit about the geometry of the girl anatomy, so can be very helpful if you can be specific about where it hurts.

Fourthly, for what it is worth, the fitter I used is a huge advocate of PawPaw ointment as both a preventative and a cure for saddle soreness. You know the stuff that is made by Lucas in the red tub (and in a tube now)? Cures everything??? He likes that it is natural and seems to work well for the girls he trains out of the shop. I have tried it and it seems fine. And it certainly is not expensive!

Also, I take your point about the nicks. Have you a different pair you can try? I do have certain nicks that don't go well with my roadie seat so I can only wear them on my mountain bike. And other nicks that are ok on the roadie seat but absolutely crap on my other mountain bike seat. So it would be worth the experiment to try different nicks.

Hope it all works out
PB


Hi,

Thanks for your help. Glad to hear I'm not the only one with raw front bits, you know the pain i'm talking about!!!!
Yes have certainly heard of paw paw cream, its great isn't and very versatile. It certainly heals quickly. I have not tried it actually riding yet though so will give it a go as wella s the Curash Cream. I was talking to the guy I ride with today and he also sugested ever so slightly tilting the nose of the seat down. I wore different nicks on this mornings ride and although i was already 'raw' from yesterday morning which already caused discomfort the nicks I had on today seemed better. Its strange though as the nicks that have now caused it really bad twice were not so long ago my FAVOURITE pair... I'm also looking on the net for some new ones.. any suggestions of what you have found good? The bike shop where I live is very very limited to stock so unfortunately have to buy all bike gear apart from tubes on the net..

We have been melting out here , leading up to christmas and after chrisy was dreadfully hot. Touch wood it has been quite pleasant the last few mornings which has been brilliant.

Thanks again,

[pinkbikes]

Well it's like this....

"I'm on a mission from God!" (sorry - watched the Blues Brothers again last night) and that mission is to find just the right pair of nicks!

And I haven't found them yet. And there's a good chance that if I did find them they maybe wouldn't suit you at all since you are I think athletic and not at all overweight, and I am shortish and chunky of build! It seems to be as individual as seats!!!

But...

My favourite nicks for riding the roadie are a pair my work bought for us for our corporate riding group. They gave us nicks and jersey made by Tineli which are terrific. The nicks are women-specific in cut and sit really well and have a nice 3D chamois. Tineli is a NZ firm that do custom-wear but also do retail as well. And with the NZ dollar being even crappier than ours generally, they are probably good value!

http://www.tineli.com/catalog/

My favourite nicks for riding the mountain bike are also Kiwi nicks (they make great cycling gear) from Ground Effects. I did Cycle Queensland back in September and I swear half the touring crowd were in Ground Effects and most of the girls I ride MTB with love them. So I bought a pair. They are beautifully comfortable but I don't think they suit the roadie too well as they do not have grippers on the legs and I worry about the chamois bunching up and rubbing.

http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/products-WOM.htm

But I still haven't found the perfect pair of all-purpose nicks!:(


PS: And I've just ordered a Santa Claus jersey from this crowd who are Australian. They do the most GORGEOUS jerseys! But their nicks seem mostly to be unisex?

http://www.sprintdesign.com.au/retail_j-z.html

[fidlfreek]

Have any of you gals had a problem with creams disrupting the natural order of things? I am scared to try them because I am very sensitive to dyes, perfumes, lubricants that have glycerin, spermicide, even tampons that have a scent are a No no... I get irritation (or worse, a yeast infection!) so easily unless I steer clear of all things unnatural.

I'm thinking of giving the corn starch a try...Any experience??

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Have any of you gals had a problem with creams disrupting the natural order of things?

Can you explain what you mean by disrupting the natural order of things? :confused:

I would think anything dry like corn starch would not be good- remember we are talking about skin membranes that are normally moist here.

[Crankin]

Well, I can't answer Lisa's question, but I know that many guys use cornstarch based baby powder to avoid irritation in the nether regions. My husband does religiously and hasn't had problems in years.
Some people are very sensitive and concerned with using any chemicals in the pubic area. I have use Butt'r with no issues and also Body Glide. It hasn't affected anything.

[OakLeaf]

I find Beljum Budder can be irritating if it gets up inside, which the way my anatomy is, it can. If it doesn't migrate, it's fine on all external areas, including the mucous membranes of the labia.

Nubutte is a very healing salve and it's great to treat any chafed areas, but as I said it doesn't really help me as a lubricant. But it's designed as a lubricant and some people use it that way.

I don't use Chamois Butt'r because of the paraben preservatives, particularly with my health issues, but never found it irritating when I did use it.

Lots of chamois lubes say right on the label both that they're "suitable for men and women" and "do not apply to mucous membranes." :confused::confused::confused: I actually sent an inquiry about one product, I forget which, and got a reply back from some guy, saying that both statements were correct. I managed to restrain myself from replying with some rude comment about his cluelessness about female anatomy. :rolleyes:

Possibly someone with porn star-like anatomy might be able to ride without any mucous membranes contacting the chamois or being pressed against each other ... in which case either cornstarch or some of the harsher lubes would be fine ...