Have you ever been riding your bike only to have your groin started to go numb? Are you tired of riding on an uncomfortable saddle? If you have experienced either of these, you are not alone. It is actually more common than you would think. As for the numbness, leaning forward on your saddle compresses the perineal nerves (which is the soft area between your groin and butt), which cuts off blood flow and feeling to the area (1).
According to Bicycling.com, the first thing you should do to help alleviate
numbness is to check your saddle tilt.
The top of the saddle should be parallel to the ground, which will allow
your sit bones to carry most of your weight.
This will also help to eliminate numbness in your wrists and hands as
well. The next thing to do is to check
your handlebars to see if you are reaching too far forward. If you are reaching too much, you end up rotating
your hips forward and transferring the weight to your perineum. Make sure when your hands are on the hoods
(shifters) that your elbows are slightly bent and your arms are perpendicular
to your torso.
While adjustments are great, there are some other options that will
help both with overall comfort as well as reducing or eliminating numbness in
the groin area. There are several brands
of saddles that offer cutouts in the center channel of the saddle. I was using a Fizik Arione saddle
before. It was extremely comfortable,
but I wore it out and was starting to have numbness issues. I received the Cobb Plus Saddle to review.
On the Cobb Cycling website
you can use their awesome Seat Selector
Guide. First you pick if you are
looking for Men’s or Women’s saddle. Next, you pick the type of cycling you do
(i.e. road, triathlon, mountain biking, or track). I picked the road option. Then it asks you if you are a recreational,
club or aggressive rider. This mainly
has to do with the setup of your bike and there are pictures that explain how
to tell the difference. I picked the
club rider option. It’s that
simple. It gave me two options, the Plus2 and the Max. I ended up reviewing the Plus which is an older
model but is almost identical to the Plus2 with the exception
of the design on the saddle and the Plus2 has a little softer
foam and a rear hydration option, which the Plus didn’t have. It costs $189.99 for the Plus2 versus $169.99 for
the Plus. So what are some of the features that make the
Plus such a great
saddle?
Cobb has a patented on their
relief channel design. It is made to
eliminate numbness by reducing pressure points in the perineum. The nose is “cut down” or lowered to increase
airflow to the relief channel. This helps
to dissipate heat and moisture in your crotch area. I found this to be an excellent feature,
especially on my rides when the temperature reached over 100 degrees. The nose of the saddle is 40 mm wide, which
is narrower than a lot of saddles out there.
This narrower nose eliminated inner leg chafing. That is great news for people with bigger thighs
like me. Cobb uses a medium density memory foam
in the saddle for all day comfort and improved blood flow to the crotch area.
I have put over 200 miles on this saddle to really make sure I can give
it a thorough review. Nothing on a bike
is cheap and I want to make sure that if I am going to recommend a product that
I really put it to the test. I have done
sprints, hills, and long rides to see how the Plus would do. I recently did a 40 mile ride in the
foothills near my house in 95 degree temps and the saddle performed
flawlessly. I couldn’t be happier with
the Plus. The cut down nose really helped on my shorter
20 mile sprint in 102 degree temps.
Pros:
Great price for a premium saddle at $169.99
Pressure relieving cutout eliminates numbness
Best all-around saddle Cobb
offers, for all types of cycling
Extremely comfortable, even on long rides
Lowered (cut down) nose increases airflow to help dissipate
heat
Narrow Saddle nose eliminated chafing on your inner leg
Cons:
Priced slightly higher than some saddles, but you get what
you pay for
Cobb’s Social Media
Links
The Plus has been Cobb’s
number one selling saddle over the years and I can see why. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t
absolutely loved my Fizik saddle. I was
even a little skeptical about if Cobb
had a seat that would live up to my high expectations. I tried out the Cobb Plus, and it is my new
favorite for sure. It’s a saddle that I
can really push in my sprints or intervals, but still be comfortable on my long
rides. The tools on the Cobb website make it easy to pick the
right seat. When your saddle shows up, you
get a measuring tape and directions on how to install it. You can pick up your Cobb saddle on their website or at a
local retailer near you (click here
for locations). While it might be a
little more expensive than some of the saddles out there, you simply can’t beat
the comfort and features of the Plus. I would love to hear your thoughts if you own
or have tested a Cobb Saddle.
Note:
I received this product in exchange for a review. The review is my
personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular
opinion of it. I am not a doctor, so
please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.
References:
(1) http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/bike-fit/prevent-numbness
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