ouch! New Seat for Trainer?

[scrunchthecat]

Hi there,

I just installed a new cycleops trainer on my hybrid, a Trek 7500.
It works great, and I have put a book under the front wheel so that I'm not tipped forward.

But oh my god - after 20 minutes my butt and my private parts are numb!
I realized that when I'm riding my bike on the road I can relieve the pressure by standing up from time to time, so that it never gets that bad. But the trainer does not allow for standing up/coasting time. You have to keep pedaling.

So here's my question: Should I invest in one of those giant, cushy seats for my bike while it's on the trainer? Will it make a difference? I have tried putting a towel on top of my seat, and it helps a little but not a lot. I have one of those special "women's seats," btw.

 

[kdelong]

Hi there,

I just installed a new cycleops trainer on my hybrid, a Trek 7500.
It works great, and I have put a book under the front wheel so that I'm not tipped forward.

But oh my god - after 20 minutes my butt and my private parts are numb!
I realized that when I'm riding my bike on the road I can relieve the pressure by standing up from time to time, so that it never gets that bad. But the trainer does not allow for standing up/coasting time. You have to keep pedaling.

So here's my question: Should I invest in one of those giant, cushy seats for my bike while it's on the trainer? Will it make a difference? I have tried putting a towel on top of my seat, and it helps a little but not a lot. I have one of those special "women's seats," btw.

First question, are you a woman? Whatever gender, you want a seat that will support your weight on your ischial tuberosities (more commonly called your sit bones). You can take some thick cardboard and sit on it while wearing your underwear. The two largest indentations will be made by your sit bones. You want to measure from the middle of one of the indentations to the middle of the other one. You will need a seat that will support the dimension that you come up with. Getting a big cushy seat will most likely just put more pressure on your private areas and cause more discomfort.

If your current seat is wide enough to support your sit bones, try tilting the seat forward a bit to reduce its contact with your privates. Just don't tilt it so far forward that you are sliding off of it.