Numb! Please suggest a WW saddle with cutout to help me.

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fletch62
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by fletch62

Fizik Antares Versus?
Personally, after using many saddles i settled on the Merek SQ1 saddle.
I think that your choice of bibs/shorts can make as much difference as the saddle.

addictR1
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Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:11 am

by addictR1

@redracer: I was in the same shoes early last year. But finally find the perfect one. But it wasn't because of the saddle design with cut it out anything of that sort but rather a proper bike fit that saved my boys. Rather than spending money on different saddles.. invest in a proper bike fit. With the right bike fit.. u be surprised to find the saddle only makes up a small portion of your numbness and it might be from somewhere else that triggering you to be numb. In my case.. I had weak core, bad slouching form and finally the saddle position.

Before I can only ride 15-20 miles max before I go dead numb in my boys and slowly lead down to my legs. But since the fit.. last year I went 69 miles and had cramp and super hungry. But my boys weren't numb at all.

So if any advise I can give to anyone that has numbing issue is to get professionally fitted.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

by Weenie


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kos
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by kos

I've got a box full of saddles stashed in my garage, as I too have gone through a bunch.

The fit suggestion is good, but not the be-all, end-all. During my first real fit, I was riding a Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio Flow, really for weight-weenie reasons though I don't recall complaining about the fit. The fitters told me that given my lack of hamstring flexibility, I needed something with more of a curve. So they put me on a Romin. I was never really happy with it, as it became uncomfortable 3+ hours into a ride.

A year later, I went back for a fit update, and after hearing about my saddle complaints, the fitter suggested a wider Romin. Tried that, and it was downright painful. I lasted maybe two rides on that. Screw that! So the fitter suggested a Toupe Pro, since my stretching regimen had improved my hammy flexibility to the point that I could ride a flat saddle again and stay in my optimal position.

Rode that Toupe for a couple of weeks before I decided that I really hated it. Not just the graphics, with those huge annoying Specialized logos (new ones appear better on that front), but I was back to feeling sore after 40+ miles.

So I pulled out my box of discarded saddles -- a Prologo Scratch Pro, a San Marco Aspide, a Specialized Phenom, and that original SLR Kit Carbonio Flow -- and I started working through them again. Turns out the SLR was perfect. I spent a lot of money just to get back to my previous favorite.

I think my bike fit was some of the best money I've ever spent on cycling. A fit will make sure your position is optimized, and that alone may fix saddle problems. But saddles are such an individual thing that ultimately, no one can tell you what will work best.

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tommasini
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by tommasini

OP

It's been mentioned a few times in the prior posts - give a try of the Selle Italia Kit Carbonio Flow. I have 3 on my 3 road bikes (and a similar for my mountain bike). And having found it to be perfect for me I have 5 more on the shelf for when the time comes to replace - as they say, once you find something that works for you stick with it.

Bicicletta22
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by Bicicletta22

I'm riding an Sella SMP Lite 209 which is not exactly lite. But they do make a full carbon version and these are rated the best ergo seats made by bikeradar. From my personal experience it has completely changed my riding comfort.

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dmp
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by dmp

Tommasini, he already tried the SLR superflow and it didn't work for him. I suspect the SLR flow will present the same problem because it is a really narrow saddle (it's what I ride and I have a very narrow pelvis). I used to ride an SLK which I switched from because it was too wide- I agree with xnavla8r on this.

Lemond75
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by Lemond75

Having tried almost a dozen saddles over the last three years including cut out and non cut out designs I have now found the San Marco Regal-E to be the answer to my problems. At 225g for the version with Xslite rails and 150mm across the back it may be the answer you're looking for too.

All the cut out saddles I tried placed too much pressure on my sit bones, the only exception being the Specialized Phenom, and I liked the Antares and SLR but they caused numbness after 30-40 mins on the trainer. Despite the fact that the Regale has no cut out and uses perforations in the shell in the nose area along with plenty of padding, it really works well and distributes pressure across the whole saddle. The only thing I have found difficult is setting the saddle up correctly. Compared to previous measurements established during bike fits the Regale needs to be placed slightly further forward to be completely comfortable. I also found that very slight adjustments in terms of angle made a huge difference (less than half a degree). Persistence however paid off and I can now ride in complete comfort.

RedRacer wrote:I started this thread almost a year ago but many miles and dollars later I am still searching for a saddle that doesn't cause me discomfort or numbness.

This is what I have spent time on.

Specialized Toupe 143
Specialized Toupe S-Works
Specialized Romin Pro 155mm
Selle Italia SLR Super Flow 145mm
SMP Dynamic CRB (for sale)
SMP Lite 209 CRB (for sale)

My belief is that I need a saddle in the 140mm - 150mm range that is fairly flat in all directions with a reasonable amount of padding and a massive center cutout.

At this point I would be happy with a 250g saddle if I could sit on it comfortably for more than an hour!

Any suggestions?

bombertodd
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by bombertodd

Redracer have you checked out the Prologo Nago Evo Plus in wide? Looks like it might fit.

www.prologotouch.com/prodotti/nagoevoplus.html

RedRacer
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by RedRacer

bombertodd wrote:Redracer have you checked out the Prologo Nago Evo Plus in wide? Looks like it might fit.

http://www.prologotouch.com/prodotti/nagoevoplus.html


Thanks for all the replies.

I haven't tried any Prologo saddles mostly because I assumed that no saddle without a cut out would fix my problem.

The same applies to the San Marco Regal-E which is no doubt a great saddle but I can't imagine it not causing me numbness.

The Selle Italia SLR Super Flow 145mm wasn't too bad in terms of numbness (still didn't eliminate the problem) but I found the saddle quite uncomfortable after ~45mins. If it was ~10mm wider it might have been the one!

Has anyone tried the new Fizik Aliante VSX Braided or Arione Versus X ? "A 20 mm deep channel design allows a greater pressure relief..." sound promising and Fiziks seems to have a great reputation.

To touch on a few other points:

I did a have a professional 'fit' done and it seemed to make things worse! Of course not all fits or fitters are created equal but the selection in my area is limited.

I can say for sure that I slouch a bit on the bike.....always have and I don't know how to avoid it. One idea was to install a longer and/or lower stem which would force me to stretch out (I am reasonably flexible) but at this point that rotates my hips forward and makes the saddle discomfort even worse! I find that I hunch/arch my lower back to 'protect' my groin by rotating my hips backwards into a more upright position. Of course this causes lower back discomfort after an hour and is bad for aerodynamics. What a mess!

In testing all of these saddles I have been setting them up very precisely with a digital angle gauge to the mfg's recommended setting and then playing around from there.

nealrab
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by nealrab

And here's the final word on the subject...saddles are the Holy Grail in cycling, though some may argue that shoes are also tough to find. Most semi serious riders have gone through dozens of variations and iterations of saddles prior to finding "the one true saddle." I started with a Selle Italia Prolink Genuine Gel years ago and it was great for a long time. I finally decided to continue the quest and ended up with a Selle SMP Plus. Yes, it's heavy, but it's still quite utilitarian and is the ultimate in comfort for my anatomy. I would still examine all options within the SMP line but don't be scared off by the widest saddle in the line...it is a great piece of equipment.

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Guerdi
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by Guerdi

RedRacer wrote:
Has anyone tried the new Fizik Aliante VSX Braided or Arione Versus X ? "A 20 mm deep channel design allows a greater pressure relief..." sound promising and Fiziks seems to have a great reputation.



I for one dislike saddles with cutout, but Phinney seems happy with its Aliante VSX (he had been using a specialized the few past seasons)

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ARL002
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:54 am

by ARL002

fletch62 wrote:Fizik Antares Versus?

I have the carbon braided version of this saddle. Coming from a Specialized Romin Evo 143, I liked it a lot. Didn't have much issue with the Romin but the Fizik seems to flex more and provide more overall comfort. I was a bit worried that the narrow Versus channel was not going to be sufficient as I had suffered from numbness previously, but I haven't had any issue.

fletch62 wrote:I think that your choice of bibs/shorts can make as much difference as the saddle.

Would second this comment. Getting a good set of bibs/shorts can make a huge difference.

silvercivic27
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Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 12:54 am

by silvercivic27

Maybe you guys need an anti-cutout saddle?
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asdf123
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by asdf123

Wooot.
Never seen that one before!

I'm riding Fizik Antares brained and looking for a saddle for my new c59 and thinking about Antares VS and Specialized Toupe Pro.
I might just go without a hustle with the owned Antares but I know I can get something better suiting as the Antares is ok but not perfect.

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ultyguy
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by ultyguy

Any more VSX opinions out there? I've been riding a Scatch Pro Plus 134 which has worked well but interested if there's some lighter, similar options coming out.

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