I noticed that my pride and joy have had a tendency to get numb on long rides. Now, that ain't a body part I use as much as I hope I would, but I do hold higher expectations for it so I figured I might want to be careful about it. I did some research (helps to know that the taint is officially called the perineum), and found this: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=84072
So the question is, does anyone know of a racing saddle that has a tall-ish back side? I am looking for something I can sit on without putting pressure on the taint.
sit on yer sit bones.
sit on yer sit bones. problem solved!
+1
move your ass back or your seat forward.
Stand up often, up hills and
Stand up often, up hills and in between seated efforts. Keep your balance over the center of the bike and loosen your uper body. Feel free to move the bike from side to side.This gets blood flowing back into all those places and others too!
Make sure you get a saddle
Make sure you get a saddle with a good cutout and one that is sized to your sitbones. Most bike stores have a pad that can you sit on and will let you know how wide yours are. I like the specialized alias saddle personally, or if you are looking for something lighter, the specialized toupe. They have very similar ergonomics, the toupe is just a cutdown light weight version.
What if your ball gets
What if your ball gets caught in the cutout?
I talked to Eddie Odea about the numbness and he said the same thing as everyone here: sit on your sit bones. Besides moving your saddle fore/aft, point the nose down ever so slightly (2 degrees below level). Also, rotate your hips back and forth so that when you are rotated all the way forward you are on your taint and all the way backwards and you are on your ass. Somewhere between those two extremes you will find your sit bones. Practice keeping your posture in the position that places you on your sit bones.
different parts
Same serious issue. I used to think it was saddle dependent, but I've found myself realizing more and more what everyone else here is saying: posture posture posture.
If your weight is where it is supposed to be, the issue is diminished greatly to the point where almost any saddle will work.
saddle with a tallish backside
I agree with everyone's comments here, but to directly answer your question:
The fizik "gobi" and the fizik "Aliante" both have slightly raised backsides. I find that, after really long seated efforts, I can scoot back onto these parts of the saddle for some relief.
is there nothing decent you
is there nothing decent you can get from brooks?
My experiences with Brooks:
My experiences with Brooks: A cracked leather, 30-year old B17 fits like a glove. Heavy rails and more leather than one needs by today's standards.
Newer Team Professional...lighter frame, thicker (stiffer) leather. Heavier than the Aliante but provides comfortable, all day support.
Brooks saddles take time to break in.
I don't have a preference, though I'm not so fond of the older ass-hatchets like the Avocet RS (though I ride one).
I've had my team
I've had my team professional for about 2 months and after a proofide application and getting caught in the rain a few times and getting soaked in a fair amount of butt sweat, it fits me extremely well already. I'm putting in about 300 miles a week usually.