Male bicyclists: A way to protect (ahem) private parts

When a research study in a peer-reviewed journal appears with the title "Cutting Off the Nose to Save the Penis" ... well, forgive me, but I've got to take a look. (You can peek too, but only the abstract is free.)

That some male bicyclists can suffer sexual dysfunction, including impotence and problems maintaining an erection, was an idea once scoffed at but recently proven, according to a story by Bill Becher in the Los Angeles Times. Now, researchers for the first time have shown, in an August article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, that using a no-nose bicycle saddle can alleviate those annoying side effects of pedaling on a traditional bicycle saddle, whose long nose can rub men the wrong way.

Some 90 bicycling police officers from five metropolitan areas in the U.S. volunteered to give up their traditional saddles for the no-nose variety for six months. Before they were given the new bike seats, they were given questionnaires regarding their erectile function, underwent computerized pressure measurements at points of contact on the bike, and were hooked up to sensitive machinery to measure overnight nocturnal erections.

Then they rode the noseless saddle for half a year and were retested on the same measures. There was an average 66% reduction in saddle contact where it mattered most. Those reporting genital numbness decreased to 18% with the no-nose, from 73% with the traditional bike seat before the study. And they reported increases in erectile function.

Dr. Irwin Goldstein, a San Diego urologist and editor of the journal, was one of the first researchers to link cycling and sexual dysfunction. In an editorial accompanying the study, he wrote, "For the first time, we have a prospective study of healthy policemen riding bikes on the job, using wider, no-nose bike saddles.... Not only did their sensation improve, their erectile function also improved."

And first author Dr. Steven Schrader of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati said in a press release: "Different saddle designs may require some re-learning of how to ride a bicycle, but the health benefits to having unrestricted vascular flow to and from the penis and less penile numbness is self evident."

I should say. It apparently was self-evident to most of the 90 volunteers in the study. Only three of them returned to traditional bike seats after the study was over.

--Susan Brink

Photo: Traditional and crotch-protecting seats, courtesy of I. Martin Bicycles

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[DR]

I used to get my cardio training from cycling (road and mountain) until I noticed that certain parts of my anatomy were losing sensation during and AFTER a ride.

Well, that got my attention.

When it comes down to a choice between a good bike ride and well, um, aaahhh, you know, I will choose the "you know" every time.

I have since switched to one of those split seats and ride just for pleasure.

No more numbness.

[Keith Peckman]

Although the report on this is study is informative, it makes the same mistake
that many former reports have made on the same topic, putting two different issues into the one bag.
The problems suffered by high-level cycling enthusiasts / competitors are far different than those confronting the average leisure / convenience / commuter rider.
The enthusiast mainly suffers unhealthy pressure to the forward section of the perineum and genitals, due to the required aerodynamic, power-producing riding position. The average rider suffers more pressure to the rear end of the
perineum, inner thighs, buttocks, back, neck and arms.
The support each one needs from seat shape is quite different. Yes, we are pushing our own barrow here, but it needs to be said that the incorrect reporting of this issue has gone on far too long.
Although we gained praise from Dr Irwin Goldstein for our seat design when it was first released, we found that we had only done part of the job and had to develop an entire seat-bike combination to finally resolve the seat-soreness issues for the average rider. We are on the way to doing the same for the ehthusiast / competitive rioders, with a seat-bike combination that works for their riding requirements.
Our website has more info ... www.stylyx.com
Keith Peckman
Stylyx