Cycle Touring and Prostate Problems

As a sixty two year old gent I get severe prostate problems with each cycling tour, usually 3 or 4 days into the tour. Awaking 5 times a night for a pee is not good for me or for fellow hostelers. At home I only suffer slight problems normally, using mild drugs. Could do a 200K tomorrow and not suffer any symptoms at all (except being knackered) 'Numb Bum' is not a problem. I have a comfortable Terry saddle (the one with the hole). I want to cycle the Lands End to John O' Groats but dread what damage I might be doing to my prostate!
Are there any other sufferers out there ? Any solutions? Different saddles? Suspension seat stems? Any cycling Urologists out there?

 

I am concerned by the same problems and others as the distance between my ischions (12.5 cm) is much larger than usual.
I am still looking for good saddles.

Could you have a look on two special saddles and give your advice:

- "SPONGY WONDER BIKE SEAT" (which used to be called Mark IV one year ago):
http://www.spongywonder.com

- one from "J.R. Carri Company":
http://www.jrcarrico.com/

This seat is really special
We would need advices from riders.
A great deal of details can be found in the patent of this seat (#6139098) and fortunately the link to USPTO is given so you can see the complete text and figures.

I don't know yet where this seat is sold (jrcarri site doesn't give any way to buy!)
jmaril

 

If you can read french, I would recommand a Google search with the following search logic:
selle vélo prostate OR verge OR pénis OR pubis
which you can get filling boxes as below:
All the words: selle vélo
At least one of the words: prostate verge pénis pubis
(you could eventually get problems with e instead of é)
This is just an example

I will continue searching for myself anyway; I will tell you if I find more
jmaril

 

Saddles with split at the back are good for prostate as the location of this gland is quite rear, almost aligned with ischiums, not far from the anus.

Penis has an intern part located all along from almost the anus to the external penis.
It's why, in my opinion although not urologist, complete split seats are better than rear-only splits and actually mandatory for health concerned male riders.

I looked at Hobson seats you mention.
Very interesting although I am not sure the split is wide enough, unless you have large distance between ischium which allows to separate the two seats.
What do you thinck about the SPONGY WONDER saddle in comparison ?
Question of language: I guess ED in your post means Erection Dysfunction ? Saddles with holes in the middle are mostly designed for women although I am using one at this moment on wait for a complete split saddle to buy.
I would also like to compare at least two split saddles
Which magazine or association or whatever could make a survey on that?
jmaril

 

Hi Jmaril

Of all the split shortened saddles the Bisaddle seems to be the most flexible in adjusting distances and angles between the two halves but is fairly expensive.
The Spongy Wonder is the cheapest of that type of saddle though I note that it was strongly criticised in the BiSaddle testimonials page. I think the angle might be a bit steep too, and have the feeling that it might interfere with Hamstring muscle. Having wasted £20 on the Specialised Body Geometry seat (poor materials and uncomfortable on rides of more than 20 miles)
I may purchase the womens Specialised Dolce saddle...It is wider than the usual male saddle..It has the split at the back so removing pressure around the anus and it does have a reasonable groove in the centre...
BUT I am getting brassed off with the expense and even if it is comfortable ( like my Terry seat) I will not know if it causes a problem until I have covered 200 miles on a tour.
As you suggest it would be useful if a consumer test could be carried out.

 

With my MD's knowledge and approval I have been taking saw palmetto for a few years now. Usually 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. A specialty food store in the US, Trader Joe's has a partularly good product. Saw Palmetto has greatly increased my ability to urinate without problem.

For irritations of the bladder or urethra I find cranberry juice to be particuarly helpful.

Most men in their later years develop some prostate enlargement and suffer impeded urination. If you do a search for saw palmetto on Google you will find a number of technical studies regarding its efficacy.

 

Hello again.. I have just purchase the 'Specialized' Dolce saddle, a women's saddle!!

Did an 80 mile outing with friends today and found the saddle quite to my liking. The rear gap may not be large enough for your own ischia but it seemed to suit me and the central groove, while not as large as the terry saddle groove did not put any pressure on the nerves ie. no 'numb bum' because my weight was well supported by the ischia.
I would still need to test the saddle on a touring holiday carrying a heavy load and anything from 60 - 70 miles per day but I'm going to give it a go.

I had the Cro Mo railed saddle. If you need to shave the ounces off then they do produce a titanium rail equivalent.
If I can get the BiSaddle on a goods return basis then I may try that out and let you know.

GBurn

 

I've suffered with repeated bouts of prostatitis and ongoing urinary tract inflammation following a surgery I had twenty two years ago. I don't use anything special, just modestly priced saddles with a pressure relieving channel like a terry liberator or a nashbar house brand. What I have found to be really helpful is to tip the seat nose a good two or three degrees downward from a level position and focus of getting all your weight rearward on the lobes of your pelvis and NOT on your soft tissues. The seat needs to be wide enough at the rear to engage the lower lobes of your pelvis, so the narrowest racing saddles won't give the greatest benefit. Publications I read always say saddle should be level and I endlessly see bikes parked with saddles even tipped up slightly and it makes me grimmace and think about having to pee all night. You may be way ahead of me here but no one mentioned seat adjustment, and I feel it makes a much bigger difference than the seat itself. I have five bikes all with different seats and get good results with all of them tipped forward a little more than average, it doesn't take much at all. I can ride three or four days a week and do an occasional century without a flare up. In addition, whenever I tune up for a buddy or relative I often tip their seat down a bit and have them try it and everyone responds favorably, even girls. Who wants weight on their pubic bone all day? I've even had a few men say their manhood would fall asleep every ride, and yet they've had the bike several years and never had it adjusted. YIIKES! Anyway, enough rambling, I wish you the best of luck.

 

There's a revolutionary new saddle called RIDO that has just been launched in the UK to rave reviews. Take a look at www.rido-cyclesaddles.com.

There's a wonderful article on the site from a UK time-trial champion who following treatment for bladder cancer last year was unable to ride properly again owing to the pain and blood in the urine. The RIDO saddle has now got him back on his bike, doing 30 - 40 miles per day........ and he's 75 years old! Amazing. If that's not eveidence of perineal pressure relief from a new saddle design I don't know what is!

Now every prostate-conscious cyclist in the land is ordering one, and at a special launch price of just £9.99 (plus £3.00 P&P) - (and a choice of three colours) - this saddle is an affordable miracle!

 

A couple of years ago, I "bruised" my prostate cycling and ended up in the hospital pissing blood. (It's amazing how fast you can get through the ER procedure when your sample looks like something the Red Cross has sent over.) After that, I switched saddles to the Terry Vindicator and have had no problems since and I ride in the neighborhood of 100 miles a week.

I figured that any bike saddle that in some way resembled the old McClellan cavalry saddle would do the trick.

 

Check out www.rido-cyclesaddles.com for the very latest in saddle design and construction technology. The RIDO saddle is really catching on here in the UK since its introduction just 3 months ago, particularly with those of a sensitive disposition around the perineum (crotch).

 

I swear by saw palmetto, I also take pygeum.

 

I read OHsingltrakr's post regarding saddles, but am actually more interested in his first sentence re post-surgery issues . I'm 50 and had been suffering from bouts of prostatitis for 10 years- but 5 of the last ten I was a very serious cyclist with no obvious correlation of symptoms to cycling. Because I had low flow and responded well to alpha blockers, doctor gave me a Trans Urethral Incision of Prostate (TUIP- kind of a TURP light) to relieve the systems. That was 13 months ago. Since then, I can't bike, even lightly without causing pain, urgency, frequency, low flow, serious burning pain that lasts for two days. I've used every possible seat, including all those mentioned in this thread, tried recumbent with Euro hard shell seat, everything I can get my hands on. Nothing works, except standing the whole time (on an upright bike, that is). I've all but given up at this point. Very very depressing. Anybody else out there experience anything like this. Any suggestions. I can't get really get any urologist to help.

 

Double Post - see below.

 

I am a 48 year old male and have been riding for 30 years. For the first 25 years I suffered from the numb crotch syndrome, but I was young and tough. I have a box full of saddles, but nothing has worked. I have a bit of a strange build with a wide pelvis (aka a fat ass) so I have tried many womens seats. 6 or 7 years ago I started using a Sefras RX saddle http://www.rei.com/product/737827 which elimnated the numbness for the first time, but the last couple of years I have been suffering from weak stream and an apparent small bladder. My goal is to ride 100 days/year (May-Oct). Mileage is low because it's a 500 m climb. I haven't been riding as much this year and I can tell the problem is worse on the days I ride.

Much good information on this thread. I have been thinking about talking to a doctor about this, but my experience with doctors hasn't been all that good and I prefer to avoid drugs.

I am now ordering the Rido saddle.

One more thing: I have always ridden with my saddle nose down. In spite of the fact it was very uncool.

 

Start riding a recumbent. I had the same problem while riding a standard cycle. My urologist told me that he rides a recumbent and that he would never use the standard cycle again because of what he has seen with riders in the past.
I took his advice and my problems went away. I am now riding at least a hundred miles a week and am no longer dealing with the problems you describe.

 

I would recommend trying the Trico split-rail (I have 3 of them). It's the best one that I've found for relieving pressure in the wrong places. The width (of the split) is adjustable, as is front-to-rear saddle tension. It's a hard saddle (not very comfortable on the sit bones), and I've had problems with chafing/saddle sores because I sit so far back on the saddle, but I've partially solved that by modifying the contour of the side of the saddle with a file and sandpaper (some portions of saddle can be filed down without harming the functionality of the saddle).

 

However I have now put the saddle down again and will concentrate on pushing back onto it for a much longer trial period.

Sincerely

Gwyn Burn[/QUOTE]


It's all about the pedalling, it's possible to put the tip of saddle 2 inches or more lower than sit bone level with no sliding forward or pressure on the hands/arms because the actual pedalling is using forcing backward on saddle instead of the lower back for pedalling resistance purposes, but this is a very different style of pedalling. Using the hips and forcing backward on saddle for pedalling resistance is also the answer for the worst persistant lower back pain when on the bike and the tipped down saddle also provides a more comfortable aerodynamic riding position.