Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
(pcaw.org) has compiled information on the issue of
non-impotence-causing bike seats.
Non-impotence-causing bike
seats
New bike seats
A cyclist comments
Recumbent Bicycles
Non-impotence-causing bike seats
A long-distance cycle race had near disastrous results for a 27 year old man whose case was reported in the British Medical Journal. The man was suffering from secondary erectile impotence after taking part in a 200km cycle race five months previously. He was not used to cycling long distances and was forced to stop only 32 km into the race because of severe pain and an urgent need to urinate. On doing so he noticed that 'his penis was completely shrivelled and had lost all sensation.' The pain then subsided and he was able to finish the race despite further frequent stops.
After the race the man, who had previously enjoyed normal sexual function, suffered total loss of erections for three weeks as well as impaired penile sensation. Doctors at the local hospital concluded that the hard narrow saddle of the cycle had probably led to the compression of the nerves. Although only one other case of 'short-term erectile impotence' has been reported, they believe this condition to be a lot more common than is recognised.
'After the cycle race the man, who had previously enjoyed normal sexual function, suffered total loss of erections '
Three months later the cyclist had fully recovered.
Source: Summarised from an item in 'Which? way to
Health'. 'Which? way to Health' (subs. from The Consumers'
Association, PO Box 44, Hertford SG14 1SH).
New bike seats have now been designed with this problem in mind.
The new Body Geometry seat, designed by a physician - and retailing
at about $40 from Specialized Bicycle Components Inc. - has a cut-out
at the front which increases the wights on the rider's seat, taking
the stress off the perineal area. The Terry Toaster saddle -
originally designed for women - has a slot in the middle and sells
for about $35 from Terry
Precision Bicycles 
They are just one manufacturer of these kind of seats and currently
carry 15 for riders from performance, touring or recreatoinal.
Source: Summarised from an article by Scott
Richards in the Seattle Times (13th Sep '98), monitored for the
Institute by Roger Knights.
