Note there are more confirming studies now, and more is known about the
mechanism of penile numbness and cycling-related impotence. Major bummer
that most of the fancy saddles that have been invented may actually make
things the same or worse than before (heh, heh). Disappointing (but not
terribly surprising) that recumbents don't even get a mention as a
possible cure for the problem. Keep your Alcock's Canal happy, ride a
'bent instead!
Tim Dunsworth

=============================================

New York Times, October 4, 2005

Serious Riders, Your Bicycle Seat May Affect Your Love Life
By SANDRA BLAKESLEE


A raft of new studies suggest that cyclists, particularly men, should
be
careful which bicycle seats they choose.

The studies add to earlier evidence that traditional bicycle saddles,
the
kind with a narrow rear and pointy nose, play a role in sexual
impotence.

Some saddle designs are more damaging than others, scientists say. But
even
so-called ergonomic seats, to protect the sex organs, can be harmful,
the
research finds. The dozen or so studies, from peer-reviewed journals,
are
summarized in three articles in September's Journal of Sexual
Medicine.

In a bluntly worded editorial with the articles, Dr. Steven Schrader,
a
reproductive health expert who studies cycling at the National
Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, said he believed that it was no longer
a
question of "whether or not bicycle riding on a saddle causes erectile
dysfunction."

Instead, he said in an interview, "The question is, What are we going
to do
about it?"

The studies, by researchers at Boston University and in Italy, found
that
the more a person rides, the greater the risk of impotence or loss of
libido. And researchers in Austria have found that many mountain
bikers
experience saddle-related trauma that leads to small calcified masses
inside
the scrotum.

This does not mean that people should stop cycling, Dr. Schrader said.
And
those who ride bikes rarely or for short periods need not worry.

But riders who spend many hours on a bike each week should be
concerned, he
said. And he suggested that the bicycle industry design safer saddles
and
stop trivializing the risks of the existing seats.

A spokesman for the industry said it was aware of the issue and added
that
"new designs are coming out."

"Most people are not riding long enough to damage themselves
permanently,"
said the spokesman, Marc Sani, publisher of Bicycle Retailer and
Industry
News. "But a consumer's first line of defense, for their enthusiasm as
well
as sexual prowess, is to go to a bicycle retailer and get fitted
properly on
the bike."

Researchers have estimated that 5 percent of men who ride bikes
intensively
have developed severe to moderate erectile dysfunction as a result. But
some
experts believe that the numbers may be much higher because many men
are too
embarrassed to talk about it or fail to associate cycling with their
problems in the bedroom.

The link between bicycle saddles and impotence first received public
attention in 1997 when a Boston urologist, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, who
had
studied the problem, asserted that "there are only two kinds of male
cyclists - those who are impotent and those who will be impotent."

Cyclists became angry and defensive, he said, adding: "They said
cycling is
healthy and could not possibly hurt you. Sure you can get numb. But
impotent? No way."

The bicycle industry listened, said Joshua Cohen, a physical therapist
in
Chapel Hill, N.C., and the author of "Finding the Perfect Bicycle
Seat."
Manufacturers designed dozens of new saddles with cut outs, splits in
the
back and thick gel padding to relieve pressure on tender body parts.

Scientists also stepped up their research. Since 2000, a dozen studies
have
been carried out using sophisticated tools to see exactly what happens
when
vulnerable human anatomy meets the bicycle saddle.

The area in question is the perineum, between the external genitals and
the
anus. "When you sit on a chair you never put weight on the perineum,"
Dr.
Schrader said. "But when you sit on a bike, you increase pressure on
the
perineum" sevenfold.

In men, a sheath in the perineum, called Alcock's canal, contains an
artery
and a nerve that supply the penis with blood and sensation. The canal
runs
along the side of a bone, Dr. Goldstein said, and when a cyclist sits
hard
on a narrow saddle, the artery and the nerve are compressed. Over time,
a
reduction of blood flow can mean that there is not enough pressure to
achieve full erection.

In women, Dr. Goldstein said, the same arteries and nerves engorge the
clitoris during sexual intercourse. Women cyclists have not been
studied as
much, he added, but they probably suffer the same injuries.

Researchers are using a variety of methods to study the compression
caused
by different saddles. One method involves draping a special pad with
900
pressure sensors over the saddle. The distribution of the rider's
weight is
then registered on a computer. In another technique, sensors are placed
on
the rider's penis to measure oxygen flowing through arteries beneath
the
skin. Blood flow is detected by other sensors that send a "swoosh"
sound to
a Doppler machine.

The research shows that when riders sit on a classic saddle with a
teardrop
shape and a long nose, a quarter of their body weight rests on the
nose,
putting pressure on the perineum. The amount of oxygen reaching the
penis
typically falls 70 percent to 80 percent in three minutes. "A guy can
sit on
a saddle and have his penis oxygen levels drop 100 percent but he
doesn't
know it," Mr. Cohen said. "After half an hour he goes numb."

Dr. Goldstein added, "Numbness is your body telling you something is
wrong."

Today's ergonomic saddles have splits in the back or holes in the
center to
relieve pressure on the perineum. But this may make matters worse: the
ergonomic saddles have smaller surface areas, so the rider's weight
presses
harder on less saddle, Dr. Schrader said. The perineum may not escape
injury
because its arteries run laterally and they are not directly over the
cutouts. The arteries can come under more pressure when they come into
contact with the cutouts' edges.

Thick gels on saddles can also increase pressure to the perineum, the
studies found, because the material can migrate and form clumps in all
the
wrong places.

Just as many smokers do not get lung cancer, many cyclists will never
develop impotence from bicycle seats, the scientists said. What makes
one
person more vulnerable than another is not known. Body weight seems to
matter: heavier riders exert more pressure on saddles. Variations in
anatomy
may also make a difference.

Dr. Goldstein said he often saw patients who were stunned to learn
that
riding a bicycle led to their impotence. One middle-aged man rode in a
special cycling event to honor a friend and has been impotent since. A
28-year-old who came in for testing, Dr Goldstein said, showed the
penile
blood flow of a 60-year-old. A college student who had competed in
rough
cycling sports was unable to achieve an erection until microvascular
surgery
restored penile blood flow.

"We make kids wear helmets and knee pads," Dr. Goldstein said. "But no
one
thinks about protecting the crotch."

The safest seats and saddles, experts say, force the rider to sit back
firmly on the sit bones so the perineum is protected.

Dr. Schrader advocates saddles that do not have noses. After finding
that
traditional saddles reduced the quality of nighttime erections in
young
policemen who patrol on bicycles, he has persuaded scores of officers
in
several cities to use noseless seats and is now studying the officers'
sexual function over six months.

Nunzio Lamaestra, a 46-year-old police officer in San Antonio, said he
appreciated his noseless bicycle saddle.

"You get used to riding without the nose," he said. "I can do
everything,
including ride with no hands."


Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company