JonnyHK 

Well, probably not 'news' to most cyclists, but it has gained some mainstream attention...

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/...a-health-risk/

Traditional bike seats 'a health risk'
AAP June 20, 2009, 9:26 am

Your groin is not designed to carry your weight, say experts concerned by the shape of many traditional bike seats.

Major arteries which run through the pelvis can be significantly clamped when sitting on a "dome-shaped" bike seat, says US-based Dr Roger Minkow.

A network of nerves also runs from the base of the spine into the genitals, and Dr Minkow says squashing these causes a "numbness" which is familiar to many cyclists.

"Men cannot feel the constriction of the artery but they can feel the numbness of the nerve," Dr Minkow says.

"The better saddle is one where you sit on top of it instead of sinking into it, which compresses these arteries."

Dr Minkow is a seat designer for bike manufacturer Specialized, and he visited Sydney this week as part of an effort to raise awareness.

He says reduced blood flow could cause scar tissue to develop in these arteries which, over time, could lead to erection problems.

Dr Minkow says testing of traditional bike seats had shown some could reduce blood flow during a ride by 90 per cent or more - well over an accepted safe level of 50 per cent.

Most major bicycle manufacturers now offer seat versions with "cut-out" sections designed to reduce blood vessel constriction.

"If you have a dome shaped saddle and it doesn't have a cut-out then you'll be losing your blood flow," Dr Minkow says.

He says both men and women will benefit - and have a more enjoyable ride - if they have a properly fitted seat.

Dr Minkow is joined on the tour by fellow US-based cycling expert Dr Andy Pruitt.

"Our groin is not designed to bear weight," Dr Priutt says.

"A lot of people think crotch soreness is part of the sport - it really shouldn't be."

Dr Pruitt says cyclists should also make sure they regularly stand up in their pedals - about every five minutes during a ride - to ensure the blood kept circulating.

Australians purchased 1.2 million bicycles last year.

xtrajack

I hadn't noticed any numbness with my Schwinn comfort seat. If memory serves,the seat was one of the first things I changed.

Machka 

No kidding??? Really??? Wow!! What a news flash!!




Well ... duh. You aren't supposed to ride with your weight on your groin, you're supposed to ride with your weight on your sitbones. That's what they are there for.

1) Get a saddle wide enough so that you can support your weight on your sitbones.

2) Make sure your bicycle fits.

3) Perch on the saddle rather than flumping into it like a sack of potatoes. Divide your weight between your butt and your feet. Suck in your abs and curl your pelvis under a bit.

4) Develop your core so you can suck in your abs for extended periods of time.

And you should be good to go.




BTW - that bit of "news" is only the millionth time that topic has been posted, give or take a few.

JanMM

Does it take this long for "news" to make it to OZ?

Cyclaholic

Gets here much quicker since we got the electricity connected the week before last.

JanMM

Congrats! You'll find the Internet works much better with electricity.

VegasTriker

I knew that from experience when I was in my mid 20s but I'm a bit of a slow learner so it only took another 30 years to get a recumbent. Problem solved (along with a host of other problems).

BlazingPedals

Yeah, I never did find a saddle that liked me, so I switched too. But most people don't seem to have issues. That doc seems to roll his report out every couple of years, probably whenever his saddle sales start to slump.

Velo Dog

Keep that sarcasm coming, Machka. It's always helpful.

Panthers007

You guys! What did you do? Declare war on Oz? Were you formally employed in State Department as diplomats under G.W.Bush? Now please stop it! Thank you.

Machka - welcome. If they keep it up, mail then a box full of Cane Toads.

Cyclaholic

BP, is that a nocom in your sig?... is that yours?

Machka 

I opted not to comment at all the first million times I read this topic ... and then decided to start commenting as we move into the second million.




(But you will have also noticed that I posted the 4 things that will help prevent saddle issues)

JanMM

I OZ

Cyclaholic

But ofcourse, what's there not to ?

Machka 

Exactly! Here's where I live now ... in Oz:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/1430288...7619719051119/

JanMM

Response to slideshow of The Farm: Wow!

Cyclaholic

Whereabouts are you?... obviously not in the suburbs of Sydney like me.

....and don't forget, we drive/ride on the left side of the road

Retro Grouch 

So a guy who designs bike seats says that the seats he didn't design are bad for you. That's not "news". That's "marketing".

Cyclaholic

exactly

Machka 

Thanks! I'm planning to add more that I took today either tonight or tomorrow.

Just north-east of Melbourne ... where the Victoria Bushfires were. Rowan's house was destroyed in the fire, and we're now living in a small rustic cabin way up in the hills, in or near the Snowy Mountains, I believe.

BlazingPedals

Yes, and yes. It came to me after being replaced under warranty for a crack just ahead of the seat. I had to repair a second crack just behind the seat. It now has a third crack on the headrest, about 6 inches behind the second crack. As fast as it is, I'd be quite unhappy with it if I'd paid full retail for it. There's obviously no warranty on it anymore, but luckily, carbon is not too hard to fix.

Doug5150

Alternately, it might be simpler to just ride while doing a handstand on the handlebars. That's even more effective at reducing saddle pain, and is only slightly less convenient.

Oh, look. RAAM is running again...
https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/blo...race-in-the-50

hmmm..... Maybe that guy is too stupid to know how to sit on a bicycle saddle, you think? Perhaps he needs your expertise.

And we mustn't forget the other grand RAAM tradition, neck braces:
https://www.raceacrossamerica.org/blo...imself-in-taos

Yessirree, sure looks comfy out there......
~

GeoLes

I must also add:

"If God intended for man to fly, He would have given him wings."

or the brains to figure out how to make an airplane..

jack002

Yeah, that research that discovered this will need to go on for as LONG as theres been bike seats, then I'll listen to it, ok?

This just in: Scientists have just found that saliva causes stomach cancer! But only when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time

Doug5150

Ummm..... if you go on rec.bicycles.tech newsgroup, Carl Fogel can dredge up reports of health problems from the early dawn of the bicycle (saddle). Some of them are fairly comical, while others are shockingly familiar.
~