Road Cycling - The Ugly Issue Raised Again

They have all been taking about it at work again,after another feature in the papers about cycling causing impotence.
But this time it has a twist apparantly the saddles which have been desighned to stop this problem(ie slots down the middle) are actually worse than normal saddles,and using these saddles put you more at risk.
Now a lot of people have bought these saddles,so could it be really true that they have made matters worse? :beer:

seems odd to me since ive completely eliminated all numbness since i switched to a Terry saddle

It all depends on your anatomy. Acording to Selle (the saddle maker) the perineal artery and nerve don't necessarily run a straight path up the middle. In many people the nerve and artery take a winding path - for these people a holey saddle can make things worse.

Several years ago Selle built a machine that measures pressure points with saddles and it turns out the Brooks B.17 places less pressure on the perineal area than any other saddle. Maybe that's why Selle recently bought Brooks?

There is a great deal of hype and hysteria about this issue. It is a problem for a few people but nowhere near as many as touted in the articles. The articles in the medical literature I have seen have been anecdotal and report only small numbers of riders. My experience (anecdote coming) is that unless you have noticeable numbness in the scrotum/penis there is unlikely to be a problem. Pain is a much less sensitive predictor of problems. ED was a problem after 3yrs of 7500kmi/yr. Like the previous poster Terry saddles solved most of the problems. Splitting time between a recumbent and regular bike all the rest. Conclusion: saddles are important but more important are symptoms and actual problems, all of which are reversible and relate to time on bike with time being in the 5000mi/yr range and up, and rides of more than 3-4hrs duration. Age is a factor as well. Outside of this range having problems is like winning the lottery, it is unlikely. There are always outliers beyond the ends of the Bell curve in any human activity, you are hearing about those outliers in these articles. Steve

Very interesting.Especially about the Brooks saddles.
I know many that swear by the Brooks saddle.
But heres a question.If we were all different,and according to the
claims made ,that damage can be done even if getting no numbness,how does a cyclist know if he has got the correct saddle for his body?
It does sound like these saddles with holes might actually cause more of a problem with some people.
Anther ineresting point is that the artical in question did suggest that the old Brooks saddles were probably the safest.
I how ever have never tryed a Brooks.
I have only had trouble with numbnes once(while riding a turbo trainer)and it did make me sit up and take notice.
Whats the theory behind why the Brooks causes less pressure on the area in question?
:beer:

Sch.
Do you still ride your recumbent?

Originally posted by ORBIT 1

Whats the theory behind why the Brooks causes less pressure on the area in question?
:beer:

Most saddles are a leather or plastic covering stretched over a hard plastic mold. The Brooks saddle is a leather sling stretched between two rails. The more you ride the more it conforms into a perfect fit for your butt.

Anybody ever seen one of those special bike seats that just have two little "butt cups" and no pointy part sticking out in front? It's just two separate little parts.

Originally posted by princebaal
Anybody ever seen one of those special bike seats that just have two little "butt cups" and no pointy part sticking out in front? It's just two separate little parts. Those are the bane of local bike shops the world over, if my experience was any indication. It looks like it would work, but it's the single most-returned product I've ever sold. [/rant]

There is also the story of the guy that didn't wash his saddle for a long time and then while riding he started feeling a stinging in his groin and he jumped off his bike and found his saddle was infested with...., baby black widow spiders!

What?! Did Pantani look in the mirror again?

Why? Why is the "special saddle" returned a lot? I only ask cause I ride some times with this guy that has one. He got it on advice from his doctor, he has had problems with his stuff in the past. (not due to biking)

Originally posted by princebaal
Why? Why is the "special saddle" returned a lot? I only ask cause I ride some times with this guy that has one. He got it on advice from his doctor, he has had problems with his stuff in the past. (not due to biking) Because with no nose, the rider is prone to slipping off the side. Also, if the rider scoots forward... well, there's no nose there, it's a straight drop to the top tube. Ask your friend if you can ride his bike around the block to check it out :)

hmm, it's weird that cutouts would give more problems. oh, well. mine feels great.

Yep, things got worse, I am a perfect exaple, absolutely no feelings no more. :D

I had about a dozen different saddle I tried since 84 when I wrecked my bike and lost my Avocet seat that was great. My first seat after the crash was another Avocet, but this thing was nowhere close to the 5 year old that I had. So the saddle hunt began; the last saddle was a Selle Italia trans am, it was ok but could not go more than 65 miles or so without major discomfort. So after much contemplation I ordered a Brooks Swift about 1 1/2 years ago. This saddle is the best, it allowed me to do a 158 mile ride which ended in pain BUT it ended at 158 miles not 65 miles!

I had a vasectomy over the winter. I dont care if it makes me impotent. :laughing

Dont confuse that with impotence.Impotence is not about the production of sperm,its about not being able to get a erection.
Anyway interesting artical in Cycling Plus this month.
A chap was having problems down thier ,after riding his bike.
In the answer back to him it was stated that the old leather saddles like the Brooks nd less padding in the shorts puts a lot more pressure on the sit bones
and less on the area in question.
With a modern saddle its impotant to get just the right shape,which can be difficult.So has any body out there ever had problems in this area when using
a Brooks.

A comfortable saddle is not one with cut-outs or a high price tag, it's the one that fits your butt correctly. Some of the most painful seats are wide and squishy (think gel covers). It's not like buying a couch or recliner, everyone is shaped differently and it takes some trial and error to find a comfortable design.

The most famous study (can't remember his name) started all of this a couple years ago, and it's become a huge marketing opportunity for the saddle companies. He claimed that something like 3% of cyclists had these problems, which sounds like a major problem. But 6% of non-cyclists have problems.

The bottom line: Cycling is one of the healthiest things you can do. Find a saddle that suits you, stand up occassionally to reduce pressure - and enjoy the ride. Even if I found out that riding would absolutely guarantee me impotence, the other benefits far exceed this.

I got numbness on a Selle Italia SLR after a 50 mile ride, but I think it was due to the big drop between the saddle and bars. I like that riding position, though. I am perfectly comfortable with it (no back, shoulder or wrist discomfort) so I don't want to lower my seat or raise the bars. Maybe a saddle with a cutout will help...

I find that the pain I get from the saddle varies. O my standard ride of 87kms with hills, sometimes I can't get halfway through it without a lot of discomfort. Other times it's raelly good with hardly any. I know it deosn't realte to the previous days ride cause I ride every day. and it's not a pattern or anything. It's a bit wierd really. And I don't get any other pain at all, everythings working fine except the butt. Maybe more time on the saddle will work, but 85kms every days is quite a lot for me.

Ive found the artical on the net.
It says that these saddles with holes cause hyper pressure spots,and are even worse for females than men.