If you’ve ridden with me at all the last ten years, I’ve talked to you about my nether-region. My undercarriage. My Space That Shall Not Be Named. Why? Because I’m usually in pain. You think chaffing only happens to marathoners’ nipples? Ha! After a week of riding, my taint is akin to $2 ground chuck. Saddles sores? You bet I’ve had them. Some got as big as golf balls before I ended the masochism and took some time off the bike to heal. And in northern Michigan, taking a week off is pretty much half the summer, so it’s a massive inconvenience.

My Seat History

I’ve tried them all. WTB, Prologo, and all the rest. Some helped, some made it worse. I raised my seat. Then lowered it. Moved it fore and aft more times than I can count. Each solution only had a marginal effect, and relief was measured in how many days I could ride a week without bleeding out on my chamois. That number rarely was above five.

Jaden Told Me About His Taint

Few sports are conducive to dudes talking about taints as much as cycling, for better or for worse. This spring, my buddy Jaden pulled up to a pre-Mud, Sweat and Beers ride with a new seat. It had a stubby nose and looked a little dorky, so I asked him about it. He said it was a Specialized Power Saddle and it had single-handedly resolved all of his taint issues, which were numerous and long in history. I pedaled his bike around the parking lot and thought maybe it was worth a try.

Because I’m lazy, I waited two full months before seeing Bob at McClain’s. He let me take a Power Saddle out for a week to see what I thought.

This is What I Thought

Before the Power Saddle, I was using chamois cream before every ride. And even more importantly, I was even using Second Skin before putting on the chamois cream to cover the cuts and sores I had been carrying for weeks. One week into using the Power Saddle, I didn’t need the cream or the Second Skin.

One. Week.

And in the third week of riding with the saddle, I did the 40-mile route at Traverse City Trails Fest – a notoriously rough singletrack race here in TC. The day after the race, everything hurt. And I mean everything – even my eyes were sore from blinking sand out of them. But my private region was A-OK and ready for more. Simply incredible.

What is This? Magic?

I think part of the genius of the saddle is that it forces you to keep you butt in one, smaller space. A lot of seats are quite long, so you inevitably slide up and down the seat depending on the trail and your effort. This seat’s smaller real estate sort of forces you stay in one spot, reducing the amount of friction generated on rides. Essentially, it provides all the seat you really need, and nothing more that’ll just let you move around and create problems for yourself.

As you can surmise, I’m a big fan. if you’re rides are tainted (ha!) by saddle-induced pain and you’ve tried everything else, a Power Saddle might be your solution. I think adjusting your seat height or even getting a professional fit is the best first step you can take when it comes to any pain you feel on a bike. But to address taint-pain, a Power Saddle could be your next best step.

*I wasn’t paid or sponsored by McClain’s to write a positive review. I just care about your butt and want you to enjoy your bike rides.

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