On the ISM (Ideal Seat Modification) website, they state that studies have linked perineal pressure caused by straddling traditional bicycle seats to numbness, urinary tract and yeast infections, prostate inflammation and impotence. For male riders, in addition to the discomfort and numbness associated with a traditional saddle, there is an increased susceptibility to restricted blood flow, which can lead to arterial occlusion and permanent erectile dysfunction. For women, the restricted blood flow and hardening of the genital arteries can lead to an inability to reach orgasm. It has been found that as little as 11% of a person’s body weight can compress the genital artery!
I am really not sure I can put into words how much I LOVE this saddle. But I can guarantee that my grundle and any potential future children I might have could write a 50-page dissertation about it. I will summarize as best I can.
If we turn back the clock to June 2010, I was really just ramping up my cycling and had recently purchased a new bike. Said bike is a tri-specific bike that came with a tri-specific saddle (honestly, I can’t remember the type of saddle it was). During my first race, I would have sworn that I had to pee so bad that I thought I would explode; I pulled off to the side of the road to relieve myself. What did I find? Not only did I not have to urinate, my stuff was 100% numb. The sensation of having to go to the bathroom was actually just the feeling of pins and needles in my pee-pee. NOT a good feeling, but definitely a wakeup call that my saddle and I were not meant to be together. I started researching and demoing a bunch of different saddles.
After several different attempts (most were VERY stiff and uncomfortable), I decided to demo an ISM Adamo Racing saddle that I had sent to me from Tri Sports. Short version, I had zero numbing problems, but the saddle absolutely tore me up. I was on a 60-mile charity ride and by the end my inner thighs were completely raw and I was ready to throw the saddle away. But I soon learned that you really need to push an ISM Adamo saddle way up on the post in order to be comfortable, so I gave it another shot and it was MUCH better, but not perfect. But given the absence of numbess, I was ready to commit with the assumption that my body would adjust.
I ended up purchasing an ISM Adamo Breakaway (white). It’s a bit longer and more narrow than the other ISM Adamo models which I figured would address the issues I was having on my inner thighs. And I was right… I LOVE this saddle. I have it tilted a bit forward and pushed way up and it has been perfect since day 1. I find myself completely comfortable on anything from a quick 20-mile ride to a nice long 80-mile trek.
