Saddles - Kind on the Prostate!

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

A normal saddle with a horn won't necessarily do that anyway, *if* it is
otherwise the right shape for you. For example, my Brooks saddles don't
put any discernible pressure on "sensitive parts".

Quoted message said:

There are seemingly plenty in North America, albeit a bit pricey, such as
Spongy Wonder, Moonsaddle, Spiderflex, Comfort Saddle and Easy Seat.
Some of these can be seen here: www.coccyx.org/coping/riding.htm

Any experiences with this type of saddle would be most interesting.

General feeling is they don't actually help. If you get a "normal"
saddle that's actually the right basic shape for your bottom end, and
it's set up right (fore/aft, height and tilt) then it should be a non-issue.

Alternatively, do comfort Properly and get a recumbent...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

The Specialized Body Geometry is available in most bike shops.
Just walk in, and use the handy Assometer.

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

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

There are seemingly plenty in North America, albeit a bit pricey, such as
Spongy Wonder, Moonsaddle, Spiderflex, Comfort Saddle and Easy Seat.
Some of these can be seen here: www.coccyx.org/coping/riding.htm

Any experiences with this type of saddle would be most interesting.

Surprisingly E-bay and Google doesn't appear to reveal anything here.

Mike

It takes a long finger to reach the prostate - how do you sit on your
saddle?

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

Do you mean the perineum?

--
Mark T

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

If you've got serious issues with your walnut, why not buy a recumbent
bike or trike?

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

"Mark T"
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid> wrote
in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

Do you mean the perineum?

No he means his sensitive parts!(:-)

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

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

A conventional saddle need not put pressure on sensitive parts. If you are
used to saddles with gel or thick foam this may be your problem: the sit
bones just sink in, putting load onto the central area.

I look for thin foam wings and a soft central spine (not a hole) which is
the complete inverse of a gel saddle. The Bodyfit Viper is one such and
might be a cheaper alternative to the BodyGeometry.

Quoted message said:

There are seemingly plenty in North America, albeit a bit pricey, such as
Spongy Wonder, Moonsaddle, Spiderflex, Comfort Saddle and Easy Seat.
Some of these can be seen here: www.coccyx.org/coping/riding.htm

I know someone with a Spongy Wonder...

Quoted message said:

Any experiences with this type of saddle would be most interesting.

....and I am sure she would be happy to dispose of it. Would you like me to
put you in contact? The reply address in this message will work so reply to
sender not to the newsgroup.

Many thanks to all of you who took the trouble to reply to my request for
information on "kind" saddles. My problem is that I am already suffering
from prostatitis due, originally, to an infection. The inflammation is
gradually improving from excruciating to mild and my consultant has advised
me that I can take up cycling again after a break of almost 2 years
provided I put no pressure on the perineum as this will certainly cause a
flare up of inflammation. After researching the subject it would appear
that only the designs such as the Spongy Wonder, Moonsaddle, Spiderflex,
Comfort Saddle and Easy Seat satisfy the criteria.

Geoff Pearson and Mark T correctly identify that the prostate is a long way
in and that pressure point is the perineum.

Peter Clinch said, "The general feeling is they don't actually help"; are
there any written studies supporting this from a scientific and user
viewpoint? As a point of interest what is the "correct" set up (fore/aft,
height and tilt) of a normal saddle?

John Hearns said that the Specialized Body Geometry is available in most
bike shops and use the handy Assometer. At 559Active they say that the
‘assometer’ measures the exact width of the ischial tuberosities to fit
individual sit bone width. So this only concerns itself with the prominent
downward protuberance of the hip bone.

DavidR knows someone who has a Spongy Wonder and I shall be contacting him
direct but David, for the benefit of all, what is your friends experience
of using the saddle?

Jon Catling's design looks to be most innovative but the flexing of the
central section looks to be a potential reliability issue and I have
commented accordingly on his web site form.

Thanks to those who suggested a recumbant cycle, this is certainly an
option that I have looked at quite seriously but storage space is a bit of
an issue for these machines.

Some References:
http://tinyurl.com/h2avn "Prostatitis" Includes the statement "avoid
activities that provoke attacks (especially cycling)"
http://tinyurl.com/36pogc "Cycling is uncomfortable for many" Includes a
review of many types of saddle.
http://tinyurl.com/2tfseu "Cycling Down Under" - an in-depth article

Mike

Quoted message said:

Peter Clinch said, "The general feeling is they don't actually help"; are
there any written studies supporting this from a scientific and user
viewpoint?

I'm not aware of published science, but plenty of anecdotal data you'll
find googling the archives of this group.
Put simply, the anecdotal evidence is that despite the brouhaha about
standard saddles rendering men infertile, there isn't an obvious track
record of it happening, and traditional hard leather saddles are still
frequently recommended for maximum comfort by seasoned cyclist. It is
also the case that in countries like NL and Denmark that have never lost
their cycling culture there has never been that much obvious worry about
this "problem", suggesting to me it's a non-problem.

Quoted message said:

As a point of interest what is the "correct" set up (fore/aft,
height and tilt) of a normal saddle?

If there was only one way to do it then there'd be no point in letting
people vary it. It will vary according to your riding position and
personal physiology, and the way to find out what's right is experiment.
The Correct Answer is the one that allows most comfort.

Note the influence of riding position in there. If you usually operate
in a crouch you may well find that sitting far more upright (like your
typical Dane or Cloggie, in fact) will help considerably as that will
rock the weight backwards and reduce the chance of pressure where it's
important. Sitting bolt upright might be a good starting experiment:
you may need a change of position for the bars, and maybe a change of
bars altogether.

Quoted message said:

John Hearns said that the Specialized Body Geometry is available in most
bike shops and use the handy Assometer. At 559Active they say that the
‘assometer’ measures the exact width of the ischial tuberosities to fit
individual sit bone width. So this only concerns itself with the prominent
downward protuberance of the hip bone.

Though with a firm saddle you won't be sinking in and it's relatively
unlikely you'll be pressuring anything, at least after you're fiddled
the position.
The Speccy BG is a case in point for me that saddles are very individual
things. While designed by anatomists with fancy computers and marketed
as being very body friendly, what they tell my particular bottom is that
the "body geometry" they're made around is rather different to mine.
The time I rode one for about 5 miles I found it almost cripplingly
uncomfortable. Mileage clearly vcaries.

Quoted message said:

Thanks to those who suggested a recumbant cycle, this is certainly an
option that I have looked at quite seriously but storage space is a bit of
an issue for these machines.

Not particularly more so than a conventional bike. They're often a
little longer and you can't use e.g. widely available ceiling hoists
that assume you've a diamond frame, but aside from that there's really
not much difference to speak of storing a recumbent bike rather than a
conventional one. Having said that, if you live up a stair, especially
with a narrow close, they can be a royal PITA if you need to get the
bike up and down.

HTH, Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

This is in reply to message of Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:54:17 +0100, "DavidR"

which said:

I know someone with a Spongy Wonder...

Quoted message said:

Any experiences with this type of saddle would be most interesting.

...and I am sure she would be happy to dispose of it. Would you like me to
put you in contact? The reply address in this message will work so reply to
sender not to the newsgroup.

Hi David,
Agent newsreader doesn't seem to be able find a different address to reply
to so perhaps you would kindly drop me a line using:
[email hidden]
Mike

Quoted message said:

This is in reply to message of Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:54:17 +0100, "DavidR"

which said:

I know someone with a Spongy Wonder...

Quoted message said:

Any experiences with this type of saddle would be most interesting.

...and I am sure she would be happy to dispose of it. Would you like me to
put you in contact? The reply address in this message will work so reply to
sender not to the newsgroup.

Hi David,
Agent newsreader doesn't seem to be able find a different address to reply
to

Press the H key when reading his message to see all the message
headers, including a reply-to address.

HTH
--
Ace in Alsace - brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

John Hearns said that the Specialized Body Geometry is available in most
bike shops and use the handy Assometer. At 559Active they say that the
?assometer? measures the exact width of the ischial tuberosities to fit
individual sit bone width. So this only concerns itself with the prominent
downward protuberance of the hip bone.

The point is that if you're supporting your weight comfortably on your
ischial tuberosities (and arms and legs) then you're relieving pressure
on your perineum. A saddle that's the right shape and size for your
anatomy doesn't need high-tech padding[1] or special cutouts to
compensate for poor fit. Once you have a saddle that suits your shape,
have sorted your position on the bike (horizontal and vertical position
and tilt of bars and saddle) and have developed a bit of tone in the
muscles that contact the saddle, you'll hardly be aware that you're
sitting on anything.
One issue is that fore/aft balance on the bike varies with the effort
that you put into pedalling - it will probably change as you get fitter,
so will need to be adjusted to compensate. This mainly affects the bar
reach and height, which unfortunately is more hassle to adjust than
saddle position.

[1] or indeed much padding at all - one of the most comfortable saddles
I've ever used has no padding, just leather over a hard plastic base
that happens to suit my anatomy.

John Hearns said:

Quoted message said:

Has anyone come across a UK supplier of saddles that are kind on the
prostate - ie no horn to put pressure on sensitive parts?

The Specialized Body Geometry is available in most bike shops.
Just walk in, and use the handy Assometer.

I took the arseometer test and bought one of these it was far worse than
the saddle I already had.

Quoted message said:

DavidR knows someone who has a Spongy Wonder and I shall be contacting him
direct but David, for the benefit of all, what is your friends experience
of using the saddle?

Jon Catling's design looks to be most innovative but the flexing of the
central section looks to be a potential reliability issue and I have
commented accordingly on his web site form.

Mike,
I shall, of course, respond directly to your kind comments; we work
very closely with DuPont - who have been exceptionally helpful and
have set the material parameters so we can be sure of their continual
performance.
Even our old prototypes are faring well and showing little signs of
wear at the bearings, but the movement and bearing pressure is
actually quite modest.

We shall also have a guarantee in place and the individual parts are
inexpensively replaceable, mostly so they can be finely customized if
required.
We plan to have a returns and exchange service for parts not needed,
and for recycling.

The design does not need any padding as the load is spread over such a
large area - the opposite if the 'Spongy Wonder' and many other
alternatives.

I tried [built] a recumbent and although I enjoyed it I prefer the
sense of control one gets from uprights, perhaps due to the horse-like
steering with the legs - on every subtle, distinct pedal stroke; which
is what sent me back to the 'drawing board'.

http://www.comfortsaddle.org - [emphasis on the '.org' - as we are
manta design - not the other comfortsaddle]
The manta saddle can *increase* the pudendal blood flow; like other
forms of exercise...

Jon

This is not from the UK (yet) but I didn't get charged any extra or
any tax to have all three of mine shipped over from the US - the Selle
Anatomica leather saddle with cut out hole. Take a look at the
website: http://www.mcmwin.com/ In particular the MPEG files - if you
click 'R&D video clips' on the home page and scroll about half way
down past the bike photo, theye are there and you can see there how
these saddles actually work when someone is pedalling whilst sitting
on one. This shows that it is not just down to the width and set up of
the saddle - they do *need* (for many people) to flex at the 'wings'
in order to accommodate the pedalling action without excess contact,
chafing or pressure to the undercarriage of the rider. This is the
only saddle that works for me. I have tried many, including 2
Specialized Jetts (women's version of the Avatar) which were far too
softa nd caused even worse problems, and two Brooks B17s (with no cut
out holes). I have ridden a 400 and 600km on the Selle Anatomica
saddle and had no probelms - a big improvement from last year when I
got contusions when riding and also painful and long lasting (9
months) pressure sores - hard lumps of tissue on genitals (rather
than on buttocks) which made them appear literally twice the size,
with the surrounding swelling of tissue (alarmingly, it looked like I
had changed sex and had a pair of gonads or something). These hard pea
sized sores were formed by contiunual pressure from the Brooks saddle
without a cut away hole. Every anatomy is different and so I know it
is not merely a matter of set up and saddle width - some people really
do need a cut out hole. I am one of them. I realise that for women it
is a bit different as we actually sit on the genital area (in many
women, the labia protrude more than the sit bones when in a sitting/
cycling position, in which case one has no choice, no matter how the
saddle is positioned or tilted) whereas men can lift theirs out of the
way! But, the (male) loved one also finds holey saddles better, as he
gets penile numbness from perennial nerve constriction when using a
non-cut away saddle, although this is only a temporary feeling it was
rather alarming and so he also prefers a saddle with a cut away hole.
I know the selle anatomica saddle is not a cheap option, but for me it
is the only one - I now have three of them, one for each bike!

This is in reply to message of Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:46:11 +0200, Ace

which said:

Press the H key when reading his message to see all the message
headers, including a reply-to address.

HTH

Thanks but the headers do not show the "reply to" address in Agent 3.1 see
below:

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From: Ace <[email hidden]>
Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling
Subject: Re: Saddles - Kind on the Prostate!
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:46:11 +0200
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Quoted message said:

This is in reply to message of Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:46:11 +0200, Ace

which said:

Press the H key when reading his message to see all the message
headers, including a reply-to address.

HTH

Thanks but the headers do not show the "reply to" address in Agent 3.1 see
below:

OK, once again for the apparently hard of thinking. Press the H key
when reading _his_ message, i.e. the one in which DavidR says to use
his Reply-To address.

Honestly, sometimes I don't know why I bother...

--
Ace in Alsace - brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom

In article <[email hidden]>, Ace
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is in reply to message of Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:46:11 +0200, Ace

which said:

Press the H key when reading his message to see all the message
headers, including a reply-to address.

HTH

Thanks but the headers do not show the "reply to" address in Agent 3.1 see
below:

OK, once again for the apparently hard of thinking. Press the H key
when reading _his_ message, i.e. the one in which DavidR says to use
his Reply-To address.

That would be fine if there was a Reply-To field in his header.

This is in reply to message of Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:07:32 +0200, Ace

which said:

Quoted message said:

This is in reply to message of Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:46:11 +0200, Ace

which said:

Press the H key when reading his message to see all the message
headers, including a reply-to address.

HTH

Thanks but the headers do not show the "reply to" address in Agent 3.1 see
below:

OK, once again for the apparently hard of thinking. Press the H key
when reading _his_ message, i.e. the one in which DavidR says to use
his Reply-To address.

Honestly, sometimes I don't know why I bother...

How do you think I got the header data that I posted in my last message ...
Ace!