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If you’re not sitting comfortably, then read this now
The numbness that you feel after cycling is usually along what’s known as your perineum. This is a broad line that goes from the anus to the vagina or behind the scrotum. It’s an area that is stuffed full of nerve endings and so is very sensitive.
When you’re on a bike you only have three points of contact with it. Your hands are on the handlebars. Your feet are on the pedals. And your perineum is on the saddle. That means that a lot of your weight is pressing directly onto this sensitive spot.
That’s an issue because many bike saddles tend to be hard and unyielding. So all that pressure, particularly over long periods of time, can cause you to experience numbness.
So, what can you do about it? Well, thankfully there are a range of saddle options that take the pressure off your perineum and transfer it to your sit bones, where it should be, and that will feel much more comfortable. Then you’ll be able to get back to enjoying your cycling.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Quick Answer: DAWAY Comfort Padded Bicycle Saddle
My Top Recommended Methods of Preventing Numbness From Cycling
Let’s take a good look at these now, shall we?
This is a great all-rounder that works for a variety of bike styles and a range of riding positions, from very upright on mountain bikes to hunched over on road bikes.
There is a good level of gel padding in all key contact areas on the saddle. And the price is really fantastic for a quality seat like this.
What makes this saddle so good from our perspective is the central cutout that you can see in the main picture. It’s a feature that’s common to all but one of the saddles on this list.
Why is this important? Well, the cutout is positioned just under where your perineum goes. So as you sit on the bike, your weight will press down on the saddle and make contact mainly with your sit bones. What it won’t do is put pressure on your perineum. This is great because it means that there will be less pressure on those important nerve ending, so no chance of numbness when you’ve been on a bike ride.
Awesome!
A very similar style to the Pioneeryao is the A.R.S. (please don’t laugh, just be grateful that they didn’t add an ‘E’ to the end of that acronym…)
The step up in price gives you a little extra cushioning on the sit bones and a larger cutout channel underneath your perineal area.
As one Amazon reviewer says:
“I recently bought a bike which came with a very basic seat. After an hour of biking in the basic seat, I would start feeling numbness and significant discomfort (perineum pain). This pain discouraged me from wanting to go biking. I loved the workout but hated the discomfort. After researching for a new saddle, I found Plant Bike’s Men’s A.R.S. Classic Anatomic Relief Saddle and thought I’d give it a try. What a world of difference this saddle has made for me. I felt no discomfort and was able to focus my mental/physical energy on the workout. It has brought joy to my bicycling! Moreover, the price of this seat is very reasonable. If you are suffering from perineum pain after biking, give this saddle a try. You won’t regret it!”
Their C99 is a fantastic style saddle that is perfect if you have an upright riding position i.e. when your upper body is held at a near 90-degree angle to the road as you cycle.
If you’re a larger rider then you will really benefit from the extra deep cushioning and the double spring shock absorbers. If you have wider hips (and therefore sit bones that are further apart) then you will like this saddle as the width is a more generous 8.7in – around 50mm/2in wider than the first two saddles on our list.
All that cushioning, extra width, and shock absorbing, added together with the large central cutout to take the pressure off your perineum mean that you will keep going for mile after mile without numbness.
Bliss!
Constructed from carbon fiber, this is a sleek and minimalist saddle designed for competitive riding.
From our perspective, what’s of real interest here is that huge central cutout section: 170mm/6.6in by a maximum of 40mm/1.5in. This is fantastic because it takes all the pressure off the perineum and transfers to the sit bones and either side of the perineal area.
Comfy and very sleek. This is a pro standard saddle at a very affordable price.
If you’ve never seen a saddle like this one before, then this is a ‘Noseless Saddle’ from YLG.
As you can see it’s a very different type of saddle from all the rest. It still has the wider section at the back but the front section is completely removed.
Now, this is a really good style if you suffer from numbness in the perineal area from cycling. All weight of the rider is directed down through the wider section of the saddle through the sit bones. Because there’s no ‘nose’ on the saddle, then there’s nothing that will put pressure on the perineum.
Because it’s a completely different style of saddle from anything you’ve ridden on before, then it will take a few miles to get used to. But, I promise you, it’s worth it!
Have a look at some of the reviews on Amazon here
…and finally
They say that there’s “No gain without pain”. But frankly, I think that’s a load of nonsense.
What I want is all the gain that I get from cycling – the fresh air, the exercise, etc – without the pain in the butt from using the wrong type of saddle.
Maybe you feel the same way too?
Give one of these saddles a try and I hope you’ll get ALL the gain, WITHOUT the pain.
Stay nice and comfy.
