How prevalent are injuries caused by bike seats?

miurasv

http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/8733.html

I read the above article and wondered how common injuries and impotence really are that are caused by the seats we use on our bikes?

neeb

Don't know how common such problems are, but I do know that everything depends on your individual setup, saddle choice, and riding position. If you get it right you can ride with a more or less normal saddle (i.e. not like the one in that link) for hundreds of miles a week and have absolutely no problems at all, but if you get it wrong it can indeed cause issues. It's quite simple really, you need to set things up so that your weight is supported on your sitbones and there isn't any significant pressure on the perineum.

It's worth noting that these problems seem to be most common in recreational bike riders and that most pros have no problems at all. This is probably because their weight is distributed more evenly between the front and rear of the bike and because they ride powerfully enough to largely counteract the weight of their upper bodies pressing down on the saddle. Unfit recreational riders are more likely to be sitting bolt upright with all their weight on their rear end, pedaling relatively weakly so that the force generated does not come near to counteracting the weight of their bodies, and have more "padding" (fat) around the perineum area which gets compressed by the saddle to increase the pressure on that area.

Your saddle needs to be wide enough at the back to support your sitbones, shaped so that it doesn't put pressure on the perineum when set up for you, on your bike and with your riding position, and NOT excessively padded - thick padding just compresses and bunches up to put more pressure on delicate areas.

FCE2007

I sat on my 'tatties' once :oops:
Worst. Pain. Ever.

keef66

Dr Mirkin?? Type mirkin into Google or Wikipedia.

FCE2007

Is Dr Mirkin Brazilian?

miurasv

neeb wrote:

Don't know how common such problems are, but I do know that everything depends on your individual setup, saddle choice, and riding position. If you get it right you can ride with a more or less normal saddle (i.e. not like the one in that link) for hundreds of miles a week and have absolutely no problems at all, but if you get it wrong it can indeed cause issues. It's quite simple really, you need to set things up so that your weight is supported on your sitbones and there isn't any significant pressure on the perineum.

It's worth noting that these problems seem to be most common in recreational bike riders and that most pros have no problems at all. This is probably because their weight is distributed more evenly between the front and rear of the bike and because they ride powerfully enough to largely counteract the weight of their upper bodies pressing down on the saddle. Unfit recreational riders are more likely to be sitting bolt upright with all their weight on their rear end, pedaling relatively weakly so that the force generated does not come near to counteracting the weight of their bodies, and have more
"padding" (fat) around the perineum area which gets compressed by the saddle to increase the pressure on that area.

Your saddle needs to be wide enough at the back to support your sitbones, shaped so that it doesn't put pressure on the perineum when set up for you, on your bike and with your riding position, and NOT excessively padded - thick padding just compresses and bunches up to put more pressure on delicate areas.[/quote







Thanks for your reply. I have a Fizik Arione saddle on my Scott Addict R4 and have been cycling this year for about a month now. My weight does seem to be placed over my perineum rather than my sit bones but the pain and numbness are only slight in comparison to when I started cycling last year. I had thought I was getting used to the pain and it would only be a matter of time before it would go but I am quite concerned after reading your reply about my weight being placed over my perineum. If ones weight should be placed over the sit bones I will have to look into getting a different saddle.

miurasv

Neeb, I have read your reply once more and I must thank you again as it must have taken some time and had considerable thought applied in its writing. I have spoken to my brother about it and he agrees entirely with what you said. He told me to sit further back on the seat so that my weight is supported, like you said, by the sit bones. I will try this before looking at different saddles as by all accounts the Arione is a good one. Thanks again.

Sethjkay

I agree that over the years most of the problems reported caused by saddles seem to be for riders who don't ride a lot/recreational riders - they just jump on a bike to do a charity ride and consequently suffer. You don't hear of many problems within the pro ranks so one can assume that correct individual bike fit is the obvious way to prevent any issues.
I always say to people that if you sit on a chair incorrectly at your computer desk (ie. turn it upside down and sit a top a leg!! - ok, exaggerating to prove a point!) it could cause you problems and this is no different for cycling - sit on a saddle that's right for you correctly and you'll have no problems.

Monty Dog

Many of the studies that raised the issue of impotence for cyclists were conducted on recreational cyclists rather than experienced cyclists. From my own experience, if you want discomfort, go for a soft saddle - I bought an MTB with a soft gel saddle once - after one ride I had pain in places I never knew existed! A firm saddle of the right shape and position for you combined with a decent pair of shorts is key. Likewise, regular spells out the saddle allows blood to flow and reduce any potential inflammation.

Radioactiveman

keef66 wrote:

Dr Mirkin?? Type mirkin into Google or Wikipedia.

Cheers mate, I knew it was something funny but couldn't remember quite what

neeb

I have spoken to my brother about it and he agrees entirely with what you said. He told me to sit further back on the seat so that my weight is supported, like you said, by the sit bones. I will try this before looking at different saddles as by all accounts the Arione is a good one

The Arione is a good saddle but it may or may not be the best one for you. If you find it difficult to sit further back, the saddle may be set too far back, or too high, or both. It would really be worth getting some expert advice on saddle positioning if there are any bike shops near you that can do that.

miurasv

On my ride tonight I tried sitting further back on the seat so that my sit bones rested on the wider part at the back and it did take a constant conscious effort. Also I found myself having to hold myself back with my arms to stop sliding forward down the seat to the position that I was sitting on before, over the perineum. To get the sit bones over the back of the seat I found my lower torso had to be more upright too. Previously my torso was arched forward which partly explains why the perineum was in contact with the middle of the narrow part of the seat.

Sitting on the sit bones doesn't feel natural at the moment but I think this may be just a matter of getting used to it. It's maybe too soon to tell but into the ride I found that when I was sitting on my sit bones, I was actually able to push harder. My brother recently set the seat height from the middle of the crank at about 90% of my inseam. The seat height had previously been at least an inch higher and since he lowered it I thought I wasn't able to push as hard. Now that I am sitting further back I have some of the length back enabling me to push harder. Also I did my run in the fastest time I've done it this year so something must be improved and although this position doesn't seem natural at the moment I am aware that my perineum received a lot less punishment.

It looks like you have shown me the solution to my uncomfortable rides. Both me and my penis are extremely grateful. Thanks, guys, especially Neeb.