Kick Ass Saddle

After more than 200km of cycling since i fixed it on my bike, I'm happy to declare that this is 'one-damn-good-super-fantastic' saddle! I'm not sure whether I have broken this leather saddle in or not, maybe this 'break-in thingy' is just over-rated, but as far as I'm concern, so far I haven't got any saddle sore (maybe my saddle position is spot on), it feels really comfy despite the hard leather and lastly is looks so classy...Its a KICK ASS SADDLE!!

Does my butt needs a leather saddle?

Is leather saddle really that good as some people said in the review?

The late Sheldon Brown said yes.. OK..I trust the guru, so I believe it.

BUT..does it really worth it with all the maintenance that it requires?

Will it suits everyone? I mean all type of cyclist- tourers? commuters? big small butts? etc.

Is BROOKS the only one making it right now? Why wouldn't the taiwanese make one as they have done with carbon & titanium bikes etc?

Source: photo from mrmartin.com

Do Bicycle Seats Cause Impotence?

The Washington Post's Roy Furchgott recently wrote an excellent article looking back at claims a few years ago that bicycle seats impeded the flow of blood to the penis causing impotence in male riders. Although bicycle seats designed to prevent this are new widely available, the impotence claim appears to have no scientific grounding.

As Furchgott reports, the episode was started after an article in Bicycling magazine in 1997 that cited an unpublished study by urologist Irwin Goldstein. Major media outlets such as "20/20" picked up the story and soon Goldstein was giving quotes like, "There are two kinds of cyclists: those who are impotent and those who will be."

But even today, Goldstein's study has never been published by a peer-reviewed journal. In fact when Furchgott asked Goldstein for a copy of his paper or the data behind his claims, Goldstein told him that they were unavailable, but that he would describe the results of his study over the phone.

There have been a number of studies on this published in peer-reviewed journals, but most of them appear to have had fundamental flaws, not the least of which is that the largest study to date study only 160 men.

William Steers, the chairman of the urology department at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and a critic of Goldstein's claims, notes that if bicycles do cause male impotence it is hard to explain the continued fertility of men in countries where bicycle use is almost ubiquitous. As Steers puts it, "In China 90 percent of the male population cycles, and they don't seem to have a problem maintaining the population."

More importantly, Steers points out, it was a bit odd for the media to give such huge scrutiny to an activity like cycling which is a healthy form of exercise when behaviors like smoking, obesity and inactivity are much bigger risk factors in male impotence.

This whole episode is an almost textbook case of advocacy research trumpeted by the media despite lacking any credible scientific basis.

By Brian Carnell, Skepticism.Net. Wednesday, September 5, 2001/ photo courtesy of nytimes.com

Saddle sores are history!

"My bum hurts!" is probably the number one complaint of new cyclists, especially those who choose to get back into cycling by doing a 50 mile charity ride with no prior preparation!

For most people, the soreness quickly recedes and after a few more day's of riding, getting on a bike is no longer painful. It's a matter of getting your bum used to sitting on a saddle, preferably an 'anatomical' one, and your back and shoulders used to the new sitting position.

Of course, there are ways to minimise this initial discomfort. Check your saddle isn't too far forward on the 'seat post' and make sure it's a decent width. Many bikes do not come ready fitted with comfy enough saddles.

If, after alteing your riding position through trial and error, moving the saddle forward a touch or fitting a wide - possibly sprung - saddle or a suspension seatpost, and you're riding in proper padded cycle shorts, you're still uncomfortable, maybe you might be on the wrong sort of bike altogether? Many of the mountain bikes in the shops are designed for racing and so sling you far forward into an uncomfortable position. Racers are used to this position and it's quite comfortable for them but for the rest of us a more 'sit-and-beg' position is desirable. Hybrids are normally more upright and so more comfy for beginners. Dutch roadsters are even more upright. But, as was made clear above, you don't want to be so upright that hardly any of your weight is being supported by the handlebars. Again, aim for a happy medium.

If all else fails, why not try a recumbent? These are laid-back cycles with comfy, deck-chair like seats. They take a bit of getting used to but have been godsends for some riders who might otherwise have had to retire from cycling.

SETTING A SADDLE

Height
Saddles set too high or low can lead to knee injuries. Find the right position by sitting on your bike and putting your heel on a pedal in its lowest position. The saddle and seatpost are the right height when your leg is straight (but not locked). The seatpost should not be extended above the inscribed safety limit. Buy a longer seatpost if necessary.

Fore-aft
Most saddles have rails by which they are attached to the seat post clamp. Undoing a locknut or Allen key bolt will enable you to slide the saddle forewards or backwards. With the pedals horizontal to the ground you should be able to draw a vertical line from the front of the forward knee through the centre of the pedal spindle.

Angle of tilt
For true comfort on a bike the tilt of the saddle is crucial but is largely a matter of taste. Women tend to like the saddle nose pointing to the ground slightly, to relieve pressure on the pubic area. That's why women's saddles are shorter than men's. The Terry Liberator saddle gets round this problem by cutting a hole out of the nose.

By making just minor adjustments to the saddle's tilt you can radically improve your comfort. Try your saddle at different angles and ride about for twenty minutes or so to check which angle suits you best.

With thanks to Carlton Reid and BikeBiz, the UK cycle industry webzine for this article.

Source: BikeBiz/ photo courtesy of JustGiving.com