The curse of the numb wotnots

Strangely enough, BB didn't squeak throughout my summer of LEJOG! It has started again now, though. How bizarre!

I had loads of problems with pain and numbness when I got my Synapse. My bike shop (Billy Bilsand's, if you're around Glasgow) out me through the Selle Italia fit process, and all of those problems have been solved.

Defo record the angle of your saddle. IPhone has a digital spirit level built in (in the compass app swipe to the right) so i use that to set my saddle angle.

As usual with anything positional on the bike make small adjustments and note the previous position/ measurement. You can then return to the previous setting if the issue is worse.

Get a small spirit level and once you've got your saddle sorted and the numbness is gone put the level on the seat and make a mental note of where the bubble is in the middle.
Always measure in the same place in the saddle and in the same place in the house, shed or wherever. Helps if the grounds level first I guess.
This way if the saddle slips or you have to loosen it to grease the rails or wotnot you can then get the bugger back in to the same position.

I fixed the numbnuts by getting a Specialized Romin Pro with a valley down the middle, worked a treat. I've never thought about the saddle since the two or three week breaking in period was over.
It has to be just so though, ever so slightly tilting down but only just by the odd degree.

There's a saddle exchange forum over on Bike Radar, very useful if you're wanting to change saddles for try-outs.

Just to echo points about pad thickness, I ended up with numbness after a long ride in sportful 'total comfort' bibs. use a cut out saddle and never had this before, so somewhat alarming.

The conclusion? Too much padding! Once you get used to it, a medium amount of dense padding may be better than a thick layer, which causes too much compression down there

I have a Synapse (lovely bike) also and the first thing I did when I bought it was replace the seat as I too, had a numb undercarriage afte the first few rides. I got used to my old seat from a GT hybrid from a couple of bikes ago so as I wasn't bothered about looks, swapped the seats. This old seat saw me manage LEJOG this year plus all the prior training so no problems there.

The Synapse seat has gone on my Trek hybrid for commuting purposes and that's doing ok also - the trek seat was awful!

I echo the bib shorts comfiness and the bike fitting but these are things that experience helps you with.

As you have a synapse, have you noticed the squeaky bottom bracket yet?!

I used to get numb nads after a couple of hours riding. I then got an Adamo Road 2 saddle on trial for 2 weeks. After some minor adjustment and couple of hundred miles my sit bones adapted. I can now ride for 6 hrs + and don't have any issues. Read the reviews of who have tried the Adamo saddles. Slightly different in design but do work. So much so I bought another

Tinkering with the saddle position (or actually getting a new saddle) and getting well fitted/padded clothing are solid bits of advice.

Also, as you get both fitter and more technically accomplished (i.e. as you ride more), you may find that you're outputting a more even and powerful pedal-stroke, which will take weight off that particular area.

You've only got 3 contact points in total (5, if you count both hands and feet), and your weight has to distribute between them somehow. You might even find you lose weight through riding, which lessens the burden borne by your tender bits further. A steady and efficient rhythm should also keep an even pressure on the area, rather than a bouncing assault.

It's not really something to depend on - and you should definitely keep tinkering and experimenting with the bike itself - but it's worth keeping in mind if money and tinkering alone don't immediately solve problem. Riding a bike (especially riding long/fast) is full of all sorts of weird subtleties and balances, so you could find the solution comes from nowhere, or everywhere.

Just don't go out on any rides where you experience too much discomfort, and hopefully that distance will increase over time.

Good luck, and happy pedalling!

Get a rido saddle, they might not be pretty but are supremely comfortable and no numb undercarriage.

Definitely recommend a bike fit, but small adjustment of the saddle angle is worth experimenting with.

I ended up with an Adamo Typhoon saddle; no pain no numb, and sitting weight is on my bum.

+1 on can of worms

+1 on bike fit

I had to experiment with quite a few different saddles before I overcame same issue. In the end, I went with a Selle San Marco Mantra which has a giant cut-out. They're a bit expensive though

I've heard good things about the odd-shaped Adamo saddles that triathletes use too.

But saddles are a very personal thing. What works for me or any other particular individual with the same issue, may well not work for you.

You've opened a real can of worms here! Best option: have a professional bike fit. There are so many variables affecting comfort that it helps to have someone else sort it out for you.

Second option: set your bike up on the turbo trainer and experiment. If you are getting numb, you are placing your weight on the wrong area. Sitting with your weight on your perineum is alright for time trialing but not really for general road riding. You need your weight on your sit bones for most of the time, not your soft tissue, and it may be that if you just try consciously to adopt a position that achieves this your comfort will improve.

It will also depend on how you rotate your pelvis. If you bend from the waist, you will tend to keep the weight off your soft bits but if you rotate your pelvis forward you will squish yourself more. It's deemed better to rotate the pelvis and, if you can do this, you will need more of a cut out to take the pressure off your undercarriage.

Saddle with groove and seat height adjustment resolved similar issues for me, agree with comments earlier about being a personal thing though. I'd get a fit done also.

You just bought the bike, so I would suggest going back to the shop and get them to do a proper fitting and advise on saddle height/angle/fore and aft. I guess the saddle is Aliante (most, if not all Synapses are supplied with this saddle) and, although it's a very personal thing, this is generally reckoned to be a very comfortable perch. +1 on the no underwear comments. If you haven't already done so, invest in a decent pair of bibshorts - again a very personal issue, but you get what you pay for. The important thing is the insert - my personal reco would be Castelli's Progetto X2.
I hope you get sorted soon! I've been riding a Synapse for the last 2 years and find it very comfortable.

What type of saddle are you using would be the first question.

I would keep it nearly level to begin with (maybe ever so slightly down at the nose). Try moving it backwards or forwards first before making other changes. You can also experiment with the height, saddle-to-bar drop.

You may need to experiment a bit - what works for one person will be hell for another. If you have the money go for a bike fit.

But don't make the mistake of thinking that more padding either in shorts or saddle is the answer. Counterintuitively it's the opposite in many ways - padding just spreads it out where it shouldn't be, as opposed to getting the pressure concentrated in the right areas.

Also +1 on no underwear. The cotton will just soak up moisture rather than wick it away as the lycra is designed to do, making it more likely you get something nasty like a fungal infection or at best just more uncomfortable.

A lot can depend on how tight your shorts are, I have to say my Castelli bib shorts had me very worried at first after a 4-5 hour ride left me numb.

Castelli make everything a bit on the small side (I wear a small in DHB, but a medium in Castelli for example). One thing that is rarely mentioned is how you "dress" yourself.

In my slightly looser fighting gear it's never been an issue. With the Castelli gear being a little short r.e. torso length, I found that "dressing" up was the key to comfort.

Apologies if that's too much information for Monday morning.

+1 the nose down a little ... only a little mm in you or you'll be putting
too much weight on the hands instead. try thinking about it like this ... your
weight "should" be on your backside (sit bones) rather than the soft bits

Definitely no underwear or you'll get chaffing too! Try tipping the saddle down very slightly. Next, maybe try a saddle with a channel (eg Fizik Aliante VS) or just a different shape.

But yes it's very common