How to Relieve Bike Seat Pain in the Perineum and Sit Bones
Jack and Anita Take A Break from Testing Seat Widths on the Glacial Lakes State Trail
If you've ever had to stand on the pedals mid-ride just to get some relief, you're not alone. For Jack and his wife Anita, the discomfort in the perineum and sit bones became a regular challenge during long rides. The solution wasn’t more foam or a new riding position. It was something much simpler. They needed a seat that could adjust as the ride went on.
Why Bike Seat Pain Builds Over Time
Bike seat discomfort usually isn’t about posture or conditioning. It’s about pressure. As the ride continues, pressure builds in specific areas, especially the perineum and sit bones. Most saddles are designed for one position and stay locked in place. But your body changes as the ride progresses. What feels okay at mile five might be unbearable at mile forty.
For Jack and Anita, this became more noticeable after they got e-bikes. Their rides were longer and more frequent. What used to be a 20-mile outing turned into 40, 50, or even 70 miles.
“We’d start feeling the pain around mile 20,” Jack says. “It wasn’t unbearable at first, but by mile 35, it was the only thing we could focus on.”
Anita snaps a pic of Jack during one of many test rides with the adjustable bike seat.
Fixed Saddles Don’t Adapt When You Need Them To
Most bike seats are built with one shape and one width. They work fine for short rides, but longer efforts create hotspots. Even the most premium gel or foam saddles can’t solve this. They compress over time, and the pressure always returns to the same spots.
You move. You shift. You stand up. But the seat stays the same.
What the Research Tells Us About Pressure Relief
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that small adjustments to saddle angle — just 10 to 15 degrees — helped reduce lower back and pelvic pain in recreational cyclists. Riders who made the adjustment reported a significant drop in discomfort after several months of riding.
Jack pauses on a tree-lined trail during testing of the adjustable bike seat.
But the same study also found a tradeoff. When riders tilted the seat too far forward, they began to slip off the saddle. This caused more pressure in the perineum and soft tissue areas, making the pain worse in a different way.
In other words, adjustment helps — but only when it's done right.
Jack’s Mid-Ride Discovery That Changed Everything
After trying everything from memory foam to wide gel saddles, Jack got tired of hoping the next seat would be the one. So he did something different. On one of their longer rides, he packed a second seat in their car and swapped it out halfway through.
“It didn’t eliminate the pain completely,” Jack says, “but changing where the pressure hit made a huge difference. That’s when I realized the answer wasn’t a better seat. It was a seat that could change.”
Jack has a background in engineering and years of experience in manufacturing. He started designing a seat with two halves that move independently. No tools. No dismounting. Just a simple way to shift pressure points mid-ride.
Why Mid-Ride Adjustment Works
When you change the width of a seat while riding, you’re doing something traditional saddles can’t. You’re shifting where the pressure lands. That helps restore blood flow, reduce nerve compression, and give fatigued areas a break.
Even small adjustments can make a big difference. Riders have reported:
- Less numbness in the perineum
- Relief from sit bone pain
- Better comfort over long distances
Adjusting width is different from tilting the seat. Tilting often causes you to slide forward, which creates new pressure issues. Changing the width lets you change support without throwing off your balance or position.
Prototype testing is complete. Feedback from other riders and bike shops has been great.
Jack and Anita have tested the seat on their regular trail rides. They’ve put in hundreds of miles on the latest prototype, making adjustments and gathering feedback along the way. Early results have been encouraging. They’ve also shared the seat with other casual riders and local bike shops to get broader input.
“For most rides I start out in Cruiser or Casual mode. After 30 – 45 minutes of riding I switch to the other mode. Sport mode is not as comfortable for me initially, but on several recent longer rides, I tried it after switching between Cruiser and Casual a few times and was surprised how comfortable it felt,” Jack says. “What’s great is knowing that I don’t have to tolerate pain the whole way through. I can change the pressure when I need to.”