Impotence

Quoted message said:

Thinking about getting into bicycling again and have been reading all
types of articles all over the net, some older ones that bring up the
problem with bike seats for males. Wondered if someone can direct me
to the lastest on the bicycle seat causing impotence and other damage
or if you have any opinions.

No problems here; I think there's a lot more hype than anything else.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thinking about getting into bicycling again and have been reading all
types of articles all over the net, some older ones that bring up the
problem with bike seats for males. Wondered if someone can direct me
to the lastest on the bicycle seat causing impotence and other damage
or if you have any opinions. Thank you.

Do you mean that you WANT to be impotent and have other damages? (grin)

*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

dsikes45 said:

Thinking about getting into bicycling again and have been reading all
types of articles all over the net, some older ones that bring up the
problem with bike seats for males. Wondered if someone can direct me
to the lastest on the bicycle seat causing impotence and other damage
or if you have any opinions. Thank you.

Most of the concern is overblown. Officially, the jury is still out. I
suspect that a great deal of the problem comes from riding saddles that
are improperly-fitted to the rider.

The problem is not, as you might expect, a saddle that is too narrow, but
rather the opposite--saddles that are too wide and soft. If you sit on a
wide, soft saddle, you will sink in, and eventually put pressure on some
very pressure-sensitive parts of your body. If, however, your saddle is
only wide enough to fit the "sit bones" on your hip, then your weight
rests on the bones, you don't sink in, and the plumbing isn't pinched.

So the solution isn't one saddle: it's the saddle that fits YOU. That
will depend on your position on the bike, how you ride, and the size &
shape of your hip bone.

-Luigi

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Thinking about getting into bicycling again and have been reading all
types of articles all over the net, some older ones that bring up the
problem with bike seats for males. Wondered if someone can direct me
to the lastest on the bicycle seat causing impotence and other damage
or if you have any opinions. Thank you.

Most of the concern is overblown. Officially, the jury is still out. I
suspect that a great deal of the problem comes from riding saddles that
are improperly-fitted to the rider.

The problem is not, as you might expect, a saddle that is too narrow, but
rather the opposite--saddles that are too wide and soft. If you sit on a
wide, soft saddle, you will sink in, and eventually put pressure on some
very pressure-sensitive parts of your body. If, however, your saddle is
only wide enough to fit the "sit bones" on your hip, then your weight
rests on the bones, you don't sink in, and the plumbing isn't pinched.

So the solution isn't one saddle: it's the saddle that fits YOU. That
will depend on your position on the bike, how you ride, and the size &
shape of your hip bone.

In many cases it's not the saddle at all, but rather the position of the
rider on the bike. If the handlebar is too low relative to the saddle, or
the reach too long, you're going to be putting too much pressure on areas
where neither you nor the saddle have much padding. We have helped a number
of people with "numbness" issues simply by raising handlebars.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

http://www.skepticism.net/articles/2001/000049.html

"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. "

I can tell you that at age 66, and riding about 4,500 miles per year,
I'm not having ANY problems in this area! 🙂

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thinking about getting into bicycling again and have been reading all
types of articles all over the net, some older ones that bring up the
problem with bike seats for males. Wondered if someone can direct me
to the lastest on the bicycle seat causing impotence and other damage
or if you have any opinions. Thank you.

I think it is a urban myth myself. A lot of hype and trumped up claims with
shady test results.
Most of it to support the dubious new saddle designs inteneded to cure
something that doesn't exist.
Think about it bicycles have been in use since around 1890 or so.
With all the bicycle racing since then and no one was complaining or
indicating the was a problem.
In other countries millions of people ride bicycles, no probkems there
either.

Not only is bicycling environment friendly, it is also helping to solve
the world's over-population problem!!! Another reason why people
should be cycling instead of driving. 🙂

I try to "stand up" in the saddle,
every 5-10 minutes -- for a few seconds.
Gives some circulation back to middle area.

I also use a saddle with a "hole-slot,"
which seems to help some;
But you are bound to have Some cutoff of circulation,
no matter what saddle you use.

I wish I had a sex problem to worry about!

waterboy

[email hidden] wrote:
:: I try to "stand up" in the saddle,
:: every 5-10 minutes -- for a few seconds.
:: Gives some circulation back to middle area.
::

If you have to do this to get circulation there, then IMO, there is a
problem. I've ridden many miles without the need to stand for circulation.
I've never had any numbness down there.

:: I also use a saddle with a "hole-slot,"
:: which seems to help some;
:: But you are bound to have Some cutoff of circulation,
:: no matter what saddle you use.

I disagree. I think you have 'fit' issues.

::
:: I wish I had a sex problem to worry about!
::
:: waterboy

On 14 May 2006 04:44:44 -0700, "Colorado Bicycler" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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.

As anyone can tell from their spam loading, impotence treatments such
as Viagra, and numerous quack knock-offs, herbal "Viagra", and other
scams and frauds, combined with actual prescriptions for Cialis,
Viagra, etc, are a HUGE business.
Were one to follow the money, these Outcome based "Studies" would
surprise no one.
At one time I worked for a biomed company who charted an organization,
the "xxxx Institute for Life Sciences" as a platform from which to
publish favorable "studies".
Add to that, a cultural desire to find some face-saving, male
ego-salvaging reason for the Limp to become a "Victim".

That said, I just ordered a Specialized BG comfort model to try, in
the name of Science, but not for urogenital reasons...The seat that
came with my Expedition is just too wide for me, and I find myself
pedalling slightly bowlegged.
Shrug. If anyone is curious ask me in a week..it ought to be here
tomorrow.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I disagree. I think you have 'fit' issues.

Serious question - how do you determine proper fit? I have a Giant OCR3 and
I know I need a new saddle but I don't know how to determine what width to
get. The saddle that came with it is terrible and to say that the
experience is painful would be an understatement.

Rob

Oz wrote:
:: "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:: news:[email hidden]...
::
::: I disagree. I think you have 'fit' issues.
::
:: Serious question - how do you determine proper fit? I have a Giant
:: OCR3 and I know I need a new saddle but I don't know how to
:: determine what width to get. The saddle that came with it is
:: terrible and to say that the experience is painful would be an
:: understatement.

Well, you can go to a bike shop and get a professional 'fit' done, assuming
they have a fit kit and someone trained to do it. You can also raise your
handlebars, as others in this thread have noted.

Saddles are a very personal issue. The only real way to figure it out is to
try various saddles and see how they work for you. I know that the one I
got with my bike had the foam over it, with a ridge down the middle as
though to live room for the boys. Once I got up to riding around 45 miles,
that thing would hurt my butt so bad I could hardly make it home. I
switched to a leather Brooks saddle (B17), which has no padding at all -
just hard leather. That thing was a LOT more comfortable for my butt than
the stock saddle that can with my bike. You need to get a measure of the
distance between your sit bones as a starting point in saddle selection.
Try googling this newsgroup for previous posts on this topic, because it
comes up regularly (and that might be the best way to get the most info
possible quickly).

You may need more than just a new saddle - it problem could be both fit and
saddle related.

Oz said:

Roger Zoul said:

I disagree. I think you have 'fit' issues.

Serious question - how do you determine proper fit? I have a Giant OCR3 and
I know I need a new saddle but I don't know how to determine what width to
get. The saddle that came with it is terrible and to say that the
experience is painful would be an understatement.

Here's a decent place to start:

http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

My advice is to start experimenting and find out what works for *you*.
You might report back here for additional help / questions. You might
decide to try a LBS and have them do a 'fitting' to try and help you
out.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
The Marines:
The few, the proud, the dead on the beach.

My first bike (an inherited old English import with steel links instead
of cables for the brakes and a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub) had a
hard-as-rock leather Brooks saddle. That was eons and many bikes ago,
and since then I have encountered numbness only during century rides.
I agree with some readers in that part of the problem is finding the
correct saddle for your anatomy. However part of the problem can also
be your riding style. I ride fast road bikes with light narrow saddles
with very little padding, and I'm usually bent down and some weight is
taken up by my arms. My riding style is with a fast cadence and in my
relatively short training rides (a 24 mile circuit) I'm usually using
the saddle as a means to assist with balance rather than as a place to
rest my behind. On century rides I often relax a bit, particularly
towards the middle and end of the ride, and that's when the problem
begins. Standing up for a few strokes of the pedals every once in a
while usually keeps the numbness at bay.

No problems here, either, and I try to do 100 miles a week at age 64.
I'm using a Bianchi seat that came with the bike three years ago; it's
still in great shape and so am I.

In my business, we call those reports "junk science."

Dave

Colorado Bicycler said:

http://www.skepticism.net/articles/2001/000049.html

"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. "

I can tell you that at age 66, and riding about 4,500 miles per year,
I'm not having ANY problems in this area! 🙂

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:
:: I try to "stand up" in the saddle,
:: every 5-10 minutes -- for a few seconds.
:: Gives some circulation back to middle area.
::

If you have to do this to get circulation there, then IMO, there is a
problem. I've ridden many miles without the need to stand for
circulation. I've never had any numbness down there.

:: I also use a saddle with a "hole-slot,"
:: which seems to help some;
:: But you are bound to have Some cutoff of circulation,
:: no matter what saddle you use.

I disagree. I think you have 'fit' issues.

::
:: I wish I had a sex problem to worry about!
::
:: waterboy

Try tilting the seat forward a bit. This technique has worked very well
for me for the past 40 years

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

There is a bike saddle that claims to cure impotence from bike riding.
Actually there are many, but a bike magazine article claims that only
the Specialized Geometry has been medically tested to work. These are
recent lab tests by doctors in Germany.

Not being as astute as most readers, I bought a "toilet seat" bike
saddle made by ISM or Ideal Saddle Modification, called the ISM Comfort
Seat or bike seat, which comes in Adamo or Gel versions too. I bought
this before I was able to read the reviews, unfortunately. This
saddle's inventor claims to lessen Male Erectile Dysfunction,
impotence, numbness, biking soreness, bum hurts, and so on.

Now, for the bad news: When I lightly lifted my bike by the ISM Comfort
Saddle, the saddle's plastic bottom lip came of its metal flange(?).
So, it just sits on top of the metal flange. Pushing down doesn't get
the plastic lip to go back in.

Also, the bike magazine reviews claimed that only the saddles with a
rear cut-out was of major benefit. The ISM toilet seat saddle does not
have a cut out. Also, my erections weren't any better, after riding
this ISM saddle.

Mr. C said:

My first bike (an inherited old English import with steel links instead
of cables for the brakes and a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub) had a
hard-as-rock leather Brooks saddle. That was eons and many bikes ago,
and since then I have encountered numbness only during century rides.
I agree with some readers in that part of the problem is finding the
correct saddle for your anatomy. However part of the problem can also
be your riding style. I ride fast road bikes with light narrow saddles
with very little padding, and I'm usually bent down and some weight is
taken up by my arms. My riding style is with a fast cadence and in my
relatively short training rides (a 24 mile circuit) I'm usually using
the saddle as a means to assist with balance rather than as a place to
rest my behind. On century rides I often relax a bit, particularly
towards the middle and end of the ride, and that's when the problem
begins. Standing up for a few strokes of the pedals every once in a
while usually keeps the numbness at bay.

Not a problem for me.

First, let me assure you that I'm not gay.

I just don't like women anymore. Having a wife or a girlfriend
involves 'WAY too many compromises, as far as I am concerned. They are
just a pain in the ass, always complaining about something or other,
and always quick to criticize you but think their own [censored] doesn't
stink. The small amount of time that you spend having sex with them
isn't worth it.

Plus, let's face it, most women are as dumb as a brick. They never
learned anything in school; they are anti-intellectual as a defense
mechanism, and they are resentful of men who did well in school, went
to college and graduate school, and who are successful.

All women want is a man who is going to follow around behind them,
cleaning up their messes like the guy in the circus parade who follows
along behind the elephants. Oh, how could I have almost forgotten,
they want the man to give them a lot of money. Of course they don't
appreciate it because they are resentful that the man is successful and
has the money to give them. And even if you do give them all the money
they want, they probably won't want to have sex with you anyway.

To make matters worse, even though they are dumb and overly-emotional,
they want to call all the shots in the relationship! And they want to
buy, buy, buy. "I feel inadequate. I'd better buy something."

And if you marry one, she'll use you as a sperm donor until it becomes
too much of a hassle to deal with you, and then she'll kick your ass
out so you lose your family. But keep sending those support checks!

Women are really evil and screwed up.

In short, who needs women? I just avoid them like the plague, and have
never been happier.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Not a problem for me.

First, let me assure you that I'm not gay.

I just don't like women anymore. Having a wife or a girlfriend
involves 'WAY too many compromises, as far as I am concerned. They are
just a pain in the ass, always complaining about something or other,
and always quick to criticize you but think their own [censored] doesn't
stink. The small amount of time that you spend having sex with them
isn't worth it.

Plus, let's face it, most women are as dumb as a brick. They never
learned anything in school; they are anti-intellectual as a defense
mechanism, and they are resentful of men who did well in school, went
to college and graduate school, and who are successful.

All women want is a man who is going to follow around behind them,
cleaning up their messes like the guy in the circus parade who follows
along behind the elephants. Oh, how could I have almost forgotten,
they want the man to give them a lot of money. Of course they don't
appreciate it because they are resentful that the man is successful and
has the money to give them. And even if you do give them all the money
they want, they probably won't want to have sex with you anyway.

To make matters worse, even though they are dumb and overly-emotional,
they want to call all the shots in the relationship! And they want to
buy, buy, buy. "I feel inadequate. I'd better buy something."

And if you marry one, she'll use you as a sperm donor until it becomes
too much of a hassle to deal with you, and then she'll kick your ass
out so you lose your family. But keep sending those support checks!

Women are really evil and screwed up.

In short, who needs women? I just avoid them like the plague, and have
never been happier.

Folson, you are a genius almost on my level. I have not had your experience
of women, but I KNOW everything you say about them is true. So very many
poor men slobs seem not to have a clue about women. It just sickens me that
men can be such fools and all-around dumbbells. Well, it all has to do with
the sex angle and nothing else. Men want sex and women want children. From
that springs all the misunderstandings between the sexes. Unless men also
want children, they are better off staying as far away from the female sex
as they can get.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota