The greatest source of discomfort for cyclists is the nose of their bike seat pressing on nerves and soft tissues. For men, this pain brings the additional worry of impotence. Impotence is caused by nerve and artery damage. Exercising regularly helps to keep arteries healthy, so bicycling helps prevent impotence, as long as it does not damage the local arteries and nerves.
Recent studies show that three percent of regular male bicycle riders become impotent, and virtually all of them felt pain or numbness before the problem occurred. When a nerve is pinched or the blood supply is shut off to the penis, a man feels numb. Men who ride with conventional bicycle seats and do not feel numb are not likely to be at risk. If you feel no discomfort when you ride, keep on riding and stop worrying. If you feel numbness, get a new seat.
Half of the penis is inside the body and the main blood supply comes from the area just behind the scrotum and in front of the rectum. So bicycle seats that press on that area can cause impotence, while those that do not have a nose and have a widened area to hold your weight on your sitz bones should prevent the problem. Some entrepreneurs developed seats that have holes in the middle. Their theory is that if there is no pressure behind the scrotum, there will be no numbness. However, no good studies show that these seats prevent numbness and therefore prevent impotence, because the nose in front of the hole still exerts pressure on the nerves and arteries. They may make the problem worse because the pressure on an area increases as an area deceases. Making a hole in the middle decreases the surface area of the saddle and therefore increases the pressure on the arteries and nerves.
The best way to avoid pressure on the arteries that carry blood to the penis is to use a saddle without any nose. I use a rectangular-shaped seat with rounded edges in the front, called The Seat by Ergo. Similar designs are available from The Solution Bicycle Seat, Easyseat, Spongywonder and Spiderflex brands. The Seat is wide enough to allow me to put my weight on the sitz bones of my pelvis instead of my crotch. I never suffer numbness and don’t worry about impotence, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Racers need to have a bicycle seat nose between their legs to help control the bicycle with their legs, but if you have no need to ride with both hands off the handle bars at the same time, you should be able to use a nose-less seat. Nose-less seats force you to bend forward. To keep yourself from falling, you have to hold yourself up on your handlebars. This puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders arms and hands, so you must strengthen your upper body and change positions often.
Other tips for comfort in a bicycle seat include:
1) Avoid seats with excessive padding. The greater the padding, the deeper you sink into the saddle and the more likely you are to feel numbness.
2) Use gel saddles. They are not too hard and not too soft.
3) Never tilt the saddle nose upward. The seat should be level or angle downward slightly.
4) Set your handlebars higher so that you do not have to bend forward. The lower you bend, the greater the pressure on your perineum.
5) Ride a more upright position. However, this increases wind resistance and will slow you down.
6) Change positions often as you ride.
7) Wear thin padding in your pants. Most good bicycle pants come with form-fitted chamois padding.
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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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You cannot choose a helmet based on its size or the material it’s made from alone. There are many things that need to be considered when purchasing motorcycle helmets. Sure, it’s probably possible to locate a helmet that is the right color or that is made from the type of material that will satisfy your safety concerns, but when it comes to “proper fit” it opens up a whole new can of worms. It is so important to consider the “safety factor.” Some motorcycle helmets are just not as safe as others and you should be aware of this.
Some of the more popular motorcycle helmet manufacturers are Icon, Arai, Shoei, Suomy, Erex, Bell, HJC and Nolan. The majority of their helmets are approved by DOT or Snell. There are many other makers, but these are some of the better known companies.
When it comes to safety there are two major concerns. One, how is your visibility? How is your peripheral vision? Can you see enough of the surrounding area to be safe? If your visibility is poor your chances of being in an accident can increase dramatically. And two, if you are involved in an accident will your head be protected as well as you’d like? Will the material that the helmet is made from stand up to the test, to the punishment?
Many motorcyclists or bikers look solely at the aesthetic qualities of a helmet and disregard safety when looking to purchase a helmet. But in reality it should be viewed oppositely. Safety should always come first.
The main options you have when searching for the perfect motorcycle helmet are color, shape, visibility and liners. Color is the easiest decision to make, right? Wrong. As far as the safety factor goes you should be able to be seen well by other drivers. Bright colors stand out and are very noticeable, even at night, while dull dark colors are not seen easily. It’s very important to choose a bright color that can be seen easily by other drivers, even at night.
Another factor to consider is the shape of the helmet. Some people have tall slim oblong heads (egg shaped) while others have round or oval-shaped heads. Trying on helmets for a good fit is the only sure way to tell if it will fit your head properly and comfortably. Plus, you want the weight of the helmet to be distributed properly so that the head can support the helmet easily.
As far as safety is concerned the number one thing to consider is your peripheral vision. Some helmets simply do not allow a biker to see to their periphery well enough to be safe. With good visibility it’s a lot easier to see when an accident might happen and have time to react to the circumstances and maneuver out of harms way.
Liners are the last item on the agenda. The purpose of a liner is for comfort, but it also is there to help you with a correct fit. If the liner is not a good fit for your head you will notice specific spots on your head that are receiving more pressure than others. Avoid these liners. Possibly the most comfortable liner is the skull cap. You will usually have less pressure in specific areas when using this type of liner.
Last, but not least, it is not wise to buy motorcycle helmets online unless you have tried that specific helmet on previously in a retail store. In most cases you will be better off trying one on in a store first. Then, once you know the brand, size, color and type of liner that you prefer it’s an easy job to browse online for the best deals.
The biggest mistake most consumers make is locating a flashy cool-looking helmet online and then buy it solely because of its looks and for no other reason. Spend a little time shopping and you will likely end up with a product that you can be happy with for many years to come.
This article is brought to you by My Motorcycle Helmet, an online source for finding a quality motorcycle helmet. Learn how to find the perfect Shoei, Suomy, Nolan, Bell or Arai motorcycle helmet at My Motorcycle Helmet.
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