wpflem

from yesterday's NYTimes. Looks like bicycle seat design will be the new ongoing hot topic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/04/he...icle_popular_1

A raft of new studies suggest that cyclists, particularly men, should be careful which bicycle seats they choose.

The studies add to earlier evidence that traditional bicycle saddles, the kind with a narrow rear and pointy nose, play a role in sexual impotence.

...The link between bicycle saddles and impotence first received public attention in 1997 when a Boston urologist, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, who had studied the problem, asserted that "there are only two kinds of male cyclists - those who are impotent and those who will be impotent."

FarHorizon

And at my age I care because...?

GrannyGear

Some wives might find such news a relief........
Some husbands might find such news an explanation.......

MarkS

Where do you get noseless saddles? I don't recall seeing them at the LBS.

RabidCyclist

This subject is being tossed around on a couple of other forums as well. But I think the bottom line is; it is WAY over blown. IF there is some problem with the fit of your saddle..fix it. Otherwise when you ride a bike regularly you stay in shape, your cardiovascular system stays healthy, which helps your virility, libido, outlook on life..everything. Don't let some sensational news tidbit make you rethink you commitment to bike riding.


This on on the Road Cycling forum
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/143679-new-york-times-article-bike-riding-impotence-4-october.html

And this one on the Commuting Forum
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/143605-news-bike-seats-lead-male-impotence.html

cheeseflavor

There a lot of different models on the market. The Spongy Wonder, Spiderflex (I used this for a year), the Hobson Saddle. They're called various things... noseless, hornless, bi-saddles, split saddles. They all work about the same, and for the most part do what they say they will. I had some prostate issues that caused me to use one, and for the most part it worked great.

Most LBSs don't carry them.

Steve

GrannyGear

I sense an interesting saddle nose hack job....one of you B-17 owners feeling daring?

cheeseflavor

I've got a B.17 Champion Special I'm getting up the nerve to hack. I just need to get some tools and some time together. I figured I'd try to make it look like the Selle An-Atomica. I've got a Dremel mototool that I hope is up to the task. That's some pretty thick leather

Steve

cyclintom

I suggest that if you believe the New York Times you'd also have a lot of faith in the National Enquirer.

A properly fitting saddle on a fit rider puts little or no pressure on the perineal region and hence has no effect.

Some lard-assed newby riding a saddle that's made out of two pillows tied to the seatpost may have a problem.

mandovoodoo

Biggest problem I see is folks with their saddles forward, causing them to be out of balance and constantly sliding up on the nose. Get the feet and butt balanced right for pelvic stability and a wide range of problems disappear.

cheeseflavor

The least of which would be pressure on his taint

I know this. I was a lard-assed newby a year and a half ago.

Steve

cheeseflavor

Could you elaborate on this a bit? I mean, the saddle forward part?

Steve

boze

do you guys think i'm at any risk using my brooks team pro? it's very hard to the touch and doesn't have a cut-out like so many of the new types of saddles. i really love the brooks and find it to be very comfortable - i keep it kinda nose up and i've never had a complaint.

that's a spooky article though and since my saddle's design pretty much hasn't changed in like a million years i thought i'd ask specifically about that.

RabidCyclist

Now see that's what I was talking about. Somebody was getting along just fine, with out a care in the world then this braind dead article by the NYT gets people thinking that there's something wrong with them. IF there was something wrong with your Brooks Team Pro then you would have been well aware of it before the NYT article came out.

Read some of the posts on the other forums. There really is no case for connection between impotence and bike riding. One post noted that 8 % of riders experience some form of ED while 10 % of the generatl population experience some form of ED. Seems to me your better off riding a bike then not.

cyclintom

In my experience the harder the better. You have to get used to the pressure on your sit bones but that just makes you sore. If you are riding on your perineal (or as someone said "taint") you will have everything from intense, EXCRUSIATING pain to total numbness sometimes for days.

There most assuredly can be problems caused by a saddle but if you're too stupid to know that you're hurting or too stupid to do anything about it, then some article in the New York Times isn't going to help you.

So saddle pain comes in two kinds -

1) The "sore as hell and I ain't going to take any more of it" - caused by being too heavy, out of shape or not riding for awhile. This goes away with time and riding. Remember that this is SORE, not numb, not stabbing pain.

2) Perineal pain - A saddle that is too narrow, too radiused or too soft can put pressure on the nerve bundles and blood vessels in the perineal region. That's the space between your anus and scrotum. This pain can be enough to make you faint when you try to get off the bike or it can make you numb.

This isn't "bicycle" pain but "dumb****" pain. And I ought to know, I was a cheapskate and tried lots and lots of cheap saddles before breaking down and buying a Regal. In the first mile I almost screamed in pain. I stopped and dropped the nose of the saddle 1/4" and have never had perineal pain since. At the time I wouldn't have believed it possible. Need I mention that the Selle San Marco Regal saddle is that chief product of that company? You can buy black and white one's from Excel Sports or Colorado Cyclist. You can buy red one's from Richard Sachs. Today they're CHEAP compared to other saddles. The titanium versions aren't really light but they're light enough. The steel one's actually ride a little better in my opinion.

If you have perineal pain DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Try a different saddle. Specialized in particular make an entire series of saddles with different widths just for this problem. All power to them.

Otherwise don't worry about doing yourself permanent damage while you're unaware. If something isn't right YOU'LL be aware!

FarHorizon

Been there! Done that! My solution is to get off the bike every 30 minutes, stretch, walk a bit, and drink some fluids. I haven't found a saddle yet that is completely without perineal effect (except for the Fizik Dolomiti which I can't ride much because it bruises my sit bones). Perhaps when I'm lighter...

Digital Gee

I FIRMLY believe my bicycle seat is going to affect my love life. I'm a single guy and a recovering Clydesdale. I've lost 12 pounds. I have 52 to go at a minumum.

At any rate, I am going to become svelte. A lean, mean, cycling machine. I may never be a skinny dude, but I won't be a pot-bellied bowling pin for the rest of my life. I will be fit. Mostly because I climb on a bicycle seat and ride every chance I get.

And that, my friends, is going to affect my love life. Positively.

When I start turning heads again, I'll let you know. Maybe I'll call the New York Times and alert the media, too.

Cheesy

[QUOTE=RabidCyclist]This subject is being tossed around on a couple of other forums as well. But I think the bottom line is; it is WAY over blown.


Rabid, I used to think the same thing. I always thought it was just a sales gimmick. However, two months ago after a century ride, I had this problem happen to me. My libido and my erections went away. Now, I'm having to rebuild my sex life. My doctor told me to stay off my bike for six months and see if it comes back. He had another doctor friend who this happend to and it took him 18 months to get back to normal.

You can be proactive or reactive. If I had realized that it was as big of a problem before it happened to me, I would have changed my seat years ago and possibly prevented this altogether.

will dehne

Well, first of all I am 63. I have been seriously biking for 15 years. Back to back centuries are no longer a challenge.
I GAINED weight slowly while this is going on. I love food and drink. 240 lb. and size 40 waist at 74" tall.
I focused on a big cross America tour. Trained for it on bikes. Now my weight is 190 and waist is 34. My libido is an issue, but not in line with the tone of this thread.

cheeseflavor

When this happened to you, didn't you have any warning signs? I know I struggled with the brooks and numbness for a couple of months and finally, when I couldn't get it to work, I quit using it because common sense told me that a numb johnson wasn't a good thing or something to be tolerated.

How did the problem cause loss of libido? Was it from concern over what you just experienced? I guess I'm not making the connection between a numbness from a saddle and loss of libido. The erections, I can understand but libido? I can see where a loss of libido could cause an erection failure.

Steve

cheeseflavor

I believe that an exceedingly tough exercize regimen can have a negative impact on libido in many cases.
You're just too pooped to party, too tired to tango, too gassed to go-go.

On another note, back to back centuries, probably don't LEAVE you a lot of time for anything else...

Steve

Red Baron

Spilt my morning coffee all across my kybd.

glassman

I think anyone reading these articles should pay some attention to it and try to find a saddle that promises at least some relief to the area affected. I am looking at the specialized seats someone else mentioned. I was talking to a guy riding with an easy seat who rode a lot in his youth and lost a testicle 10 years ago and switched to the easy seat to keep riding. With all the medical evidence out there, what would it hurt to look at alternatives BEFORE any problems appear. It sort of reminds me about cigarette warnings, I have a small business and visit with my customers and I have one customer that I see from time to time for the last 6 years I have known him and he smoked a lot and he would always say, I have been smoking 40 years and no problems, well 7 months ago, the doctors found cancer in his lungs, brains, etc. Now he says he is terminal. So even if there are no problems noticed with the current seat, I think I will be on the safe side and find a saddle that addresses these issues. I wish there was a specialized dealer in my area so I could let them measure with the assometer and I could try the specialized seat I hear so much about.

stapfam

If you have perineal pain then you have a problem. Sore cheeks and aching butt are only a symptom of cheeks and saddle not in sych so cure for that is more riding to soften the saddle and harden the cheek muscles. Perineasl pain is a problem though, different saddle? adjust saddle? ride standing up? Don't know the cure, but I have found that a nose down attitude on the saddle helps, saddles with the pelvic cutaway help a lot and even going to a wider saddle.

will dehne

Steve: That is what you think. Ask my wife about last Sunday when I did just that and drove home by car and went for a romantic Dinner after activities.
By the way, 100 miles take just 6 hours. Started at 7 AM.