What if my prostate-specific bike saddle is uncomfortable in other areas?

Question: I am a road cyclist, though I haven’t been at it very long. But I’m old enough that I have a few prostate problems. My urologist says I’m not ready for surgery yet, but he suggested that I purchase a “prostate saddle.” I did that, and found that it’s designed not to put pressure on the perineal area, which is good, but it’s uncomfortable in another area. It seems that my butt bones aren’t both supported properly, like the seat is too narrow for the spread of my bottom. I am constantly squirming on the seat, especially on longer rides, which makes it hard to maintain a steady cadence. Do I need something other than a prostate saddle? —Jr. L.

RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: I have no experience with prostate-specific saddles, but many guys with prostate issues find that a good-fitting saddle with a standard cutout down the center is sufficient relief (I especially like leather saddles with such cutouts, because the leather will eventually conform to the shape of your butt, including to any irregularities.) That’s not to say a saddle designed expressly to relieve pressure in the area affected by the prostate is not a good thing. But in your case, it sounds like the model of that saddle you purchased is simply not a good fit for the rest of your sit-down anatomy.

Is your urologist a cyclist? If not, he may not be aware that bike seats come in different widths. Certainly if I were a manufacturer of a prostate-specific saddle, I would want to flood urology departments across the country with literature pushing my saddles so that practitioners in that specialty would know that such seats exist and could pass that information along to their male patients who are cyclists. But is it realistic to expect that those doctors will read the saddle-touting literature sufficiently to know there’s more to saddle comfort than a reduced pressure center area? Probably not.

Here are three things you might try:

First, visit your local bike shop and ask them to check your saddle settings — height, tilt, fore-and-aft positioning, and even the rotation position (most riders want the nose aiming straight ahead, but a few find that having the nose angled slightly left or right of center works better for their anatomy).

Second, also at your local bike shop, inquire if they have a “saddle library” from which you can borrow various saddles to try until you find one that solves your problem in both areas. If you do find one that fits, be sure to buy it from the shop rather than online. Bike shops need the income to stay in business, and an online seller cannot install the saddle properly adjusted for you.

Third, contact the seller of the prostate saddle you purchased and ask if they can swap it out for a model with a wider sit-down spread without you having to pay full price for another saddle.

Almost every rider goes through some version of the search for the right saddle. There is a solution somewhere out there. Best of luck in your search.

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Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.