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review

Blackwell Research ISM Adamo Racing Saddle

6
£108.50

VERDICT:

6
10
Worth a look if you suffer from genital numbness
Weight: 
296g

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OK, the ISM Adamao does look odd, like a giant lobster claw, but there is a bit of science behind the way it looks. If you experience genital numbness then this saddle could well stop that and any future visits to the family planning clinic.

Numbness is caused by pressure on your perineum, usually this is from the nose of the saddle especially when you are leant forward, particularly when in an aero tuck. With men, the numbness causes an increased susceptibility to restricted blood flow, which can lead to arterial occlusion and permanent erectile dysfunction, even those blue tablets might not help to put life back in the old chap.

For women, the restricted blood flow and hardening of the genital arteries can lead to an inability to reach orgasm (blame it on the saddle?). It has been found that as little as 11% of a person’s body weight can compress the genital artery. How pleasant.

Initial set up takes a little more time than normal. The saddle requires a slight tilt forward and the abbreviated nose makes you sit too far forward at first making your sit bones miss the very thin gel inserts, leaving you buttocks resting on the very firm casing . Once set up the sensation is completely different to a standard saddle. The split nose at the front makes it a lot wider than normal and literally pries your legs apart which is a little uncomfortable on your inner thigh at first but by doing so there is definitely no pressure on your perineum.

The downside is that this saddle is a little heavier than most and all that pinch testing of genitalia comes at a price too. This is the ISM Adamo Racing saddle, the lightest of the range and this one topped the scales at 296g with titanium rails. But, if you value your family jewels and you suffer from numbness then this has got to be worth considering.

This saddle needed to be ridden for several hours and a few hundred Km's before either my bottom got used to it or that it got used to my bottom. The padding is very thin and the body of the saddle takes a while to get broken in. For the first few hours I was begging for the numbness to return! But I must say, I have not once got numb goolies since.

Verdict

If you you suffer genital numbness or erectile dysfunction then this is a saddle that you should seriously consider. The compromise is the higher weight and getting your bottom used to the new shape of this perch.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Blackwell Research ISM Adamo Racing Saddle

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
6/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
6/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Once it was broken in

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe if I desparately wanted to start a family

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 78  Weight: 178

I usually ride: Sparton, brakeless fixed  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

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2 comments

Avatar
Gasman Jim | 9 years ago
0 likes

Wrong! PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen; it has nothing to do with testicular cancer. It is used as a marker for disease of the prostate.

Avatar
billiobob | 14 years ago
0 likes

Never had the erectile problem but I have suffered numb nuts and following a lot of pain and a raised PSA, which is a sign of testicular cancer, I bought a Rido saddle see: www.rido-cyclesaddles.com/. These are superb and from day one reduced any discomfort or pain. Fortunately no cancer and many happy hours comfortable cycling later I will not sit on anything else, at least on my bike. They are also a lot cheaper. I have three of the original ones which cost me 12-15 quid with no gel but my brother recomends the new gel model which he finds even more comfortable than the original.

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