Fellow pedalers,

Interesting read on saddles ... thought I would share.

Downhills and tailwinds,
Colleen Seyfert

Lorri Lee Lown -- Velo Girls <Lorri@...> wrote:
To: velogirls@yahoogroups.com
From: Lorri Lee Lown -- Velo Girls <Lorri@...>
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2005 18:33:48 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [VeloGirls] Noseless Saddle Review


Hi girls! After the engaging conversation last month about saddles and EC
and all that, I thought some of you might enjoy reading this. As mentioned
in the article, we use the nose of the saddle to steer and stabilize the
bike, and without it, disaster can occur. Guess this isn't the solution for
road riders (even though it was nirvana for the police officer quoted in the
NY Times article).

Oh, and if you don't subscribe to RoadBikeRider.com's newsletter (from which
this is excerpted), it's usually interesting, informative, and pretty funny.

BEGIN ARTICLE
We're occasionally asked about noseless bike seats, which are presumed to be
"safer" because body weight is supported only on the sit bones. There's no
narrow nose than can press into the crotch.

Some riders are interested for health reasons, others are seeking more
comfort. But many riders wouldn't put such an odd-looking thing on their
bike no matter how well it worked. Noseless seats have been around for more
than a decade without much acceptance.

We've tried noseless seats in our role as product testers. (See, we told you
it isn't always a glamorous job.) When roadies ask our opinion, we say it
feels like pedaling a bike while sitting on a soccer ball.

Noseless seats make a bike feel tipsy, particularly when you're reaching
down for any reason, like to grab a water bottle or adjust a shoe strap.
There's nothing between your thighs, nothing to slide forward on. When you
turn your hips, the bike doesn't turn with you. You feel like you're on a
perch, separate from the bike instead of one with the bike.

RBR's Ed Pavelka knew all that and still went riding last week on a noseless
seat. It was a favor for a friend in the industry. The guy is thinking of
importing the seat from Europe to market to American men worried about
conventional saddles causing perineal problems.

Ed was dubious but the first ride went okay. Then the next day, disaster. He
lost control while riding at about 16 mph and signaling a left turn. The
bike went out from under him as suddenly as if he'd hit a patch of ice.

Fortunately, the truck right behind stopped in time. Other people ran up.
"Are you okay?" Ed wasn't so sure. His helmet was cracked, he was bleeding
from the usual places -- knee, hip and elbow -- and it felt as if a
linebacker had speared him in the ribs. And he was really mystified.

"What happened?" Ed asked the driver that saw the crash. "I don't know. You
must have hit something." But the street was as clean as Martha Stewart's
kitchen. Ed hadn't ridden over anything. He had simply angled into the left
lane with one hand on the bar and the other signaling -- a move he'd made a
thousand times without winding up in a heap.

This time one thing was different. This time he was on a noseless seat.

To see a product we do not recommend, click
http://www.roadbikerider.com/noseless.htm
END ARTICLE


Lorri Lee Lown
USACycling Expert Coach
ACE-Certified Personal Fitness Trainer
Johnny G.-Certified Spinning Instructor
2004 USA Cycling Division 2 Club of the Year
2003 USA Cycling Women's Club of the Year
2002, 2003 & 2004 City Sports Magazine Best Cycling Club
www.VeloGirls.com

~~~o
_ \<,_
( * )/ ( * ) Ride like a girl -- a Velo Girl!


Congratulations, Velo Girls -- chosen by USA Cycling as the 2003 Women's
Club of the Year and the 2004 Division II Club of the Year!

Check out our upcoming rides and events at
http://www.VeloGirls.com/current.html