I Met a 70-Year-Old Who Rides 200 Miles a Week Pain-Free. His One Answer Changed Everything.

How a chance encounter revealed why most cyclists suffer needlessly and the simple fix that's helping over 100,000 riders reclaim their love of cycling

Oktober 20, 2025 By Robert Noman

I'm standing on my pedals again at mile 25, watching this guy cruise past me like he's floating on air.

He's got to be 70, gray hair, sun-weathered face, probably been riding since before I was born.

And he's sitting. Comfortably. While I'm dying.

My ass is on fire. That familiar numbness is creeping in.

I've already stood up three times in the last five miles, desperately trying to get blood flowing back to places that shouldn't go numb in the first place.

Meanwhile, this old-timer is chatting with his riding buddy like they're having coffee on the porch.

The $800 Question That Started Everything

By the time we hit the rest stop, I had to know.

"How the hell do you sit on that thing for hours without pain?"

He looked at my $200 Brooks saddle, the latest in my collection of "miracle" seats and actually laughed.

Not a mean laugh. More like the laugh of someone who's heard this question a thousand times.

"See, that's your problem right there," he said, pointing at my supposedly premium saddle. "You think it's about sitting ON the saddle. It's not. It's about WHERE your weight goes."

I must have looked confused because he continued.

"Your fancy Brooks? That Italian one you probably have at home? They're all built wrong. They put pressure exactly where you DON'T want it."

The Anatomy Lesson That Changed Everything

He pulled out his phone and showed me a diagram that made my jaw drop.

"See this area?" He pointed to the space between the sit bones. "That's where all your nerves and blood vessels run. The pudendal nerve, the arteries that keep things... working properly. Every traditional saddle crushes right there."

I thought about my rides. The numbness. The tingling. That dead feeling that sometimes lasted for hours after.

"Your sit bones," he continued, "those are designed to carry weight. They're bones. They can handle it. But everything in between? That's delicate tissue, nerves, blood vessels. Crush those for 50 miles and what do you think happens?"

Then he showed me his saddle.

Not What I Expected

It wasn't some space-age contraption. It looked... normal. But different. First thing I noticed: firm, not squishy. Complete opposite of what I thought I needed.

"Too soft and you sink in," he explained. "Then your tailbone hits the saddle. Ever get that deep ache at the base of your spine?"

God, yes. Every. Single. Ride.

"That's your tailbone jamming into a too-soft seat. You need support, not a pillow."

But the real difference was the cutout. Not just a tiny channel like my Brooks, but a full-length relief zone.

"Your sit bones rest here and here," he pointed to the wider rear section. "Everything else floats free. No pressure. No numbness. No more standing every 20 minutes like you're doing the cycling hokey-pokey."

The 3 AM Research Binge

I went home and dove deep into the science. Turns out, everything he said checked out.

Medical studies showed that up to 91% of cyclists experience genital numbness from saddle pressure. The pudendal nerve compression he mentioned? It's so common they actually call it "Cyclist's Syndrome."

Traditional saddles, even expensive ones, concentrate pressure on the perineum. That's the soft tissue between your sit bones, packed with nerves and blood vessels you really don't want to crush.

I looked at my saddle collection. Four different brands. $800 worth of the "best" saddles money could buy.

All built the same way. All crushing the same nerves. All solving the wrong problem.

The Saddle That Actually Gets It

That's when I found what he was riding: The Ascent 2.0.

Everything about it addressed what he'd explained:

✅Wide enough to actually support sit bones

✅High-elastic memory foam that's firm enough to support, soft enough to contour

✅Full-length cutout so the perineum floats completely free

✅Even has air suspension built in for road shock

But here's what really got me: Over 100,000 cyclists were already using it.

I'd been suffering in my own little pain cave, thinking this was just "part of cycling," while 100,000 people had already figured it out.

Three Months Later

I'm writing this after my second century of the month.

No numbness. No standing every 20 minutes. No ice packs on my tailbone afterward.

My wife doesn't have to hear me complain about my "cycling injury" anymore. (She says that alone was worth the price.)

But the best part? I'm planning a week-long tour next spring. Something I'd written off as impossible with my "bad saddle tolerance."

Turns out it wasn't my tolerance that was bad. It was every saddle I'd been using.

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The Truth Nobody Wants to Admit

Here's what the cycling industry doesn't want you to know: Most saddle pain isn't normal. It's not something you need to "tough out" or "get used to." It's simply bad design putting pressure where it shouldn't go.

That 70-year-old rider? He's doing 200 miles a week at an age when most people are shopping for recliners. Not because he's superhuman. But because he figured out what actually matters.

"Once you fix where the weight goes," he told me, "the pain stops. It's that simple."

He was right.

What's Your Saddle Doing to You?

Look, you can keep collecting saddles like I did. Keep hoping the next one will be different. Keep standing on your pedals while riders 20 years older than you cruise by in comfort.

Or you can try the one that actually fixes where the pressure goes.

Ascent offers a 30-day trial. Ride it. Test it. Put in some real miles. If it doesn't eliminate your pain, send it back for a full refund.

After what I spent on saddles that didn't work, that seemed like a no-brainer.

That chance encounter changed how I think about cycling comfort. Maybe it's time to change how you think about it too.

Because life's too short to dread getting on your bike.

And it's definitely too short to let a badly designed piece of equipment steal the joy from something you love.

P.S. – I ran into that 70-year-old again last week. He asked how the new saddle was working out. When I told him about my pain-free centuries, he just smiled and said, "Told you so." Then he dropped me on the next climb. Some things never change.

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"My new Ascent Bicycle seat made a huge difference. Last August, I cycled 1,620 km, and my biggest complaint was my old bike seat (Prologo). Once I installed my new Ascent seat, I cycled about 120 km, and I immediately noticed a huge difference; the comfort level for the absorption of small potholes in the road was noticeably improved. I can now cycle for 5 hours without any pain from my Ascent seat. The weight of the Ascent seat is comparable to my old Pologo seat. I highly recommend this bike seat!"

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Florent J.

"After trying a Specialized Bridge Sport saddle which was uncomfortable and an Ergon SMC Sport Gel saddle which was acceptable but not great, I saw your advertisement on Facebook and thought I’d give it a try as you offered a free return if I wasn’t happy. I’m pleased to tell you that the comfort is considerably better than the Ergon. I’m very happy with your saddle and will be keeping it."

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Charles S.

"Finally, some relief! The seat that came with my bike seemed comfortable at first but soon was an issue. Long or short rides caused pain to my inner legs and I found myself constantly adjusting how I sat to relieve the pain. I would still be sore the next day. I tried buying a new seat from my local bike shop that was recommended but the saddle had a rise in the front that just caused discomfort somewhere else. The Ascent bike seat ad popped up and I went to their website. It looked like a better design and the reviews commented on relief from the exact same problem I was experiencing. It arrived and I am very happy to say it is so comfortable. No more painful bike rides or recovery needed. The seat fit my bike well and there was an immediate difference in comfort. Thanks for allowing me to go on long rides again pain free and focusing on other things!"

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Joan

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