A unique new bicycle saddle design — one that effectively prevents chafing, pain, and other common forms of damage associated with the genital area, such as impotence and prostatitis — has been created by researchers at the University of Alicante.
The new design is — essentially — just a hinged articulated saddle where the coccyx-support narrow front and wide back have been articulately joined. In other words, the front part possesses considerable mobility, while the back is fixed, and the positions of both are completely adjustable based on the user’s will.
The lead researcher, Alfonso Panchón Ruiz, of the University of Alicante, states that “the main advantage of this new design compared to traditional saddles, is that it allows — at the user’s will — to rest and recover from fatigue the perineal area suffering lasting intense compression for which they are not designed anatomically.”
“The classic bicycle saddle has a unitary structure formed by a rigid body in anteroposterior direction which makes that, permanently, the perineal tissues, which are soft and not ready to withstand these forces, are being compressed, independent of the position taken by the user. For this reason, soon after starting the exercise, nerves and arteries reach high levels of compression, which causes problems associated with lack of blood supply, such as numbness and affection of the genitals in both men and women, and in the long run, significant pathologies requiring medical treatment may appear,” Alfonso Panchón continues.
Until this new design was created, there were really only two solutions available to this problem — either ‘standing’ on the pedals while riding, or periodically dismounting the bike and standing up. The new saddle design now offers a third solution — continuing to ride while the saddle adjusts.
Alfonso Panchón explains, “With this new design, it is not the user who must be separated and rising from the seat, but it is the saddle which separates spinning or scrolling down to the perineal area of the user. Thus, it radically prevents pressure on that area, immediately improving the blood supply to the affected areas, resulting in functional recovery of the tissues concerned.”
Another notable advantage of the design is that “the user does not lose balance control ability in driving, regardless of the conditions of use, race, walk, gym, mountain, etc.., and this allows users to make new lateral movements on the anterior mobile part as well as immediately recover -at their will- the traditional full seat with a slight initial reverse movement.”
As well as the fact that, with this saddle design, more than 10 centimeters “can be released between the seat and handlebars, which can be availed with competitive advantage in declines as it allows an aerodynamic position on very steep slopes.”
The researchers are currently testing their prototype — and further investigating the effects that the saddle my have on the health of various types of cyclists. The new concept and design has been patented by the researchers at the University of Alicante’s Institute of Physics Applied to Science and Technology and the Department of Physics at the Polytechnic Higher School.