Archive for July, 2011
For those that ‘geddit’ there is no doubt that cycling is a marvellous thing. If you live in a city and ten miles or less from your place of work then cycling in will probably be faster than driving or taking public transport. That’s not to mention the fact that it is healthy and the cheapest method of transport. A bike is a win-win-win situation, but for a tiny minority of cyclists riding a bike can lead to problems in their nether regions… you know, ‘down there’.
The issue was first drawn attention to in a study by Dr Steven Schrader of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Safety (NIOSH) in Washington DC. Dr Schrader’s study called “Cutting Off the Nose to Save the Penis” found that male cyclists who spend all day in the saddle (policemen and cycle couriers) had increased erectile function in their sleep when they used saddles with no ‘nose’.
If you’re thinking that this only refers to women, a study by two Yale University urogynecologists, Dr. Marsha Guess and Dr. Kathleen Connell, found that women who cycle with ordinary saddles experienced more numbness, tingling and pain in the lower regions than non-cyclists.
What does this mean for us cycle-maniacs? Should we give up the bike and just play Party poker or Scrabble? Should we swap to running or swimming? No, there is an answer – we can buy the ‘noseless’ or nose-free seat. These are just the back bit of the bike seat without the pointy bit at the front, and look a bit like a small bench. They can be bought relatively inexpensively from a variety of online retailers. You will certainly find that it takes a while to get used to riding with a noseless saddle, but once you do you should find your lower regions benefit.