Need a noseless saddle...help!

[Beachmouse]

Hi! Relatively new to road biking have been riding almost a year and adore it. In the past few months i've experienced (and yes this is totally embarrassing) slight incontinence and bladder problems, such as having to pee nine hundred times a day, after going to my internist and now onto a urologist, after ultrasounds etc...it's been determined my bladder problems are from cycling. The urologist has recommended I stop riding for a few months and it's killing me to not ride. In researching this condition i've learned i'm not alone and it's a common thing. My question is, if I switch to a noseless saddle, thus taking all of the pressure off the perineum and other sensitive lady parts will that work? I've been searching for noseless saddles and it seems like there are so many, has anyone tried one? or knows anything about them? I would certainly appreciate it. If I can't find an alternative, I will have to give up cycling

[OakLeaf]

Have you read the saddle threads? Is your urologist a cyclist (and if so does she know anything about saddle fitting)? What size and shape saddle do you need, and which ones have you tried so far? Start here if you haven't already. I would at least attempt to find a traditional saddle that fits you well, before inviting all the handling issues a noseless saddle will introduce.

Rest and heal - once you've narrowed down your saddle search you can probably just sit on a few saddles in the bike shop occasionally, while you're healing. Unfortunately it does take some riding to know for sure, but just measuring will eliminate a whole lot of saddles from consideration, and just sitting will eliminate more, so when you're healed up you'll have a smaller pool of saddles to test.

[Blueberry]

Have you had a bike fit done? I started getting UTI-type symptoms when I measured incorrectly and my bike saddle was set up to high. You have gotten good advice above. Noseless saddles might be an option, but I bet it isn't necessary. A cut out might well help. Noseless saddles feel terrible to me because I use the nose of the saddle to steer - hard to explain, but I do...

[Eden]

Noseless saddles feel terrible to me because I use the nose of the saddle to steer - hard to explain, but I do...

Everyone does (use the saddle nose to steer) - noseless saddles are a danger unless you never go more than a few mph.... you steer a bike with your core, your pelvis and your thighs - not your arms. The handlebars of a bike are only used to steer if you are going very slowly - turn the handlebars at high speed and you crash.

+1 to Oak rest, heal and then go and 1. get a good bike fitting 2. get a good saddle fitting. 3. get good clothing 4. practice good chamois habits

Make sure your bike fits you well- for example, if you are stretching too far to reach the handlebars you could be rotating your pelvis too far forward and that can certainly cause saddle irritation. Make sure your saddle is the correct width. Get one with a cut out if you require it. Get yourself some good shorts - and that doesn't necessarily mean the ones with the biggest pad..... cycling shorts are meant to prevent chafing, not really to "pad" your backside. Shorts with a big diaper like pad that isn't anatomically shaped can cause more problems than they solve. Find some good shorts with a women's specific chamois that works well for your body. Lastly - get out of those shorts pronto when you are finished riding - don't re-wear shorts without washing them and shower as soon as possible after a ride (if that's impossible, use a baby wipe)

[emily_in_nc]

I would invest in a recumbent bike before I'd:

1) Ride an upright bike with a noseless saddle. Have heard nothing but bad things about them re. control, stability, and safety.

2) Give up cycling.

Recumbents are cool! Something else to think about if all the excellent suggestions from the ladies of TE above do not work!

[zoom-zoom]

Another suggestion is to consider your core strength. When my core is strong my on-bike posture is better and my pelvis is rotated upwards so that my girl bits are not under any pressure. When my core is weak I tend to end up with my pelvis rotated anteriorly and end up with ouchies. Plus having strong core muscles generally helps keep the PC muscle strong, which also helps with incontinence.

[nuliajuk]

Have you had a bike fit done? I started getting UTI-type symptoms when I measured incorrectly and my bike saddle was set up to high. You have gotten good advice above. Noseless saddles might be an option, but I bet it isn't necessary. A cut out might well help. Noseless saddles feel terrible to me because I use the nose of the saddle to steer - hard to explain, but I do...

This. I see a lot of people, especially women, pedalling on tip-toes with their feet pointed straight down at the bottom of the pedal stroke. This causes your pelvis to rock around the saddle with every push of the pedals.
Some Specialized dealers have a wall of red and white test saddles that you can sign out and take home to try for a while. This time of year, if you're riding indoors on the trainer, is a perfect time to test drive saddles.

[OakLeaf]

This. I see a lot of people, especially women, pedalling on tip-toes with their feet pointed straight down at the bottom of the pedal stroke. This causes your pelvis to rock around the saddle with every push of the pedals.

We're getting a little far afield - seat too high is definitely an issue, but it's pretty rare I see anyone with a seat too high per se. I have little doubt that you see more women than men plantar flexing, because their crankarms are too long. We set the seat height so it's not giving us knee trouble by being too low at the top of the pedal stroke - but then, it's too high at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

[Triskeliongirl]

If you are on a stock Bontrager saddle with no cut out, then I would definitely explore saddles with cut outs next. So is having a saddle wide enough to support your sit bones. For me, the selle italia Diva Gel Flow does the trick. When I as younger I was OK on the terry liberator and butterfly, and brooks finesse. While saddles are expensive to try out, if you work with a good bike shop they may let you test several, or find stores with good return policies. Working with a bike shop may be best, since they can also be sure your position is optimized. Just cuz some young male clerk can't help you, don't rule out the shop. Ask the shop if there is a manager you can talk to, or talk to women in your area to see if there is a pro shop, or shop with a good rep for dealing with womens issues.

REI has a very generous return policy(i.e. you can return used items) and carries several of these saddles (Diva gel Flow, butterfly), so if you don't have a local REI I suggest mail ordering one at a time from them. You need to heal first, and then test one at a time. If one makes you sore, you need to heal before testing the next one. I would start with the Diva Gel Flow, since I have problems with urethral irritation and its the only one I can now use. I have a used brooks finesse I would sell if u PM me, but honestly I don't recommend it since it doesn't have a cut out.

How old are you? If there is any possibility you are estrogen defecient (i.e. peri-menipausal or post-menopausal, or post-hysterectomy) you may an estrogen cream to ride comfortably (this was essential for me). Some commented that you have kidney pain, without UTI or urehtral irritation. Did you say that? Urethral irritation can lead to a UTI and even kidney infection if untreated. You mentioned having padded shots, but being scrupulosuly clean and changing out of your shorts immediately after riding, and washing the shorts after each ride, sometimes with an antibacterial soap, are all important.