Latest research on bicycle saddles - updated version of book

In an effort to keep up with all the latest research on bicycle saddles, the second edition of Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat has just been release online through www.RoadBikeRider.com/pbs_page.htm today. It includes all of the most current research based information for men AND WOMEN now! It also has many more illustrations and has been rewritten to make all the concepts easier to understand. It even includes diagrams and renderings of exactly what types of seats are best to look for.



For the many people that purchased the first edition from Road Bike Rider.com, you can download the updated version at NO COST.



This book summarizes all of the latest research on noseless saddles and women’s saddles and includes illustrations and figures from many of the studies. The feedback from readers has been great. Unless you take the time to go to a research library and hunt down all this information, you won’t read about it anywhere else.









Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat:

Your Guide to a Safe and Comfortable Seat Design TM

by Joshua Cohen PT, MS

RBR Publishing Company

$19.95 eBook

89 pages

119 photos and illustrations

ISBN 0-9714619-2-9



eBook helps men and women cyclists avoid seat-related injuries and describes how to objectively choose a safer, more comfortable saddle.



Chapel Hill, NC – Every cyclist is eventually confronted by the desire for a more comfortable bicycle seat that helps avoid sexual problems and other groin-related injuries. The difficulty is telling the facts from the marketing hype when shopping for a new seat.

In this second edition of Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat, Joshua Cohen PT, MS has added 28 pages of additional information and included 119 photos and illustrations that explain all of the latest scientific bicycle saddle research for men and women. His cycling experience and extensive research in ergonomic bicycle seat design allows him to clearly answer:



* Can bicycling really cause erectile dysfunction in men?



* What types of injuries can women have from bicycle saddles?



* Which seat designs should men and women consider first?



* Do holes and gels in saddles help or hurt?



* Can riding position and style increase risk of genital injury?



* Who is most at risk for injury from bicycle seats?



With a background in biomechanics, product design and physical therapy, Cohen recognizes that no one seat is perfect for everyone. His objective is to teach each cyclist how to evaluate any seat objectively to decide if it will provide both comfort and safety.

The eBook includes 119 photos, illustrations and tables as well as 45 scientific references. The forward is by Ed Pavelka, former executive editor of Bicycling magazine, the first cycling publication to explore the potential sexual risks that result from sitting on a bicycle seat.



Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat, 2nd Ed. is available as an instant eBook download (PDF document) for $19.95 through www.RoadBikeRider.com/pbs_page.htm.

Sort of looks like spam to me, but might be worthwhile for the uninitiated. I still think that the only real way to purchase a saddle is to visit your LBS and try different saddles. If your LBS is competent, they will assist you in finding the right saddle and getting it adjusted to your fit. If they won't do this, find a different shop!

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

I assure you that this is not spam. I can also assure you that 99.9% of clerks in bike stores have absolutely no idea what goes into bicycle saddle design and what is actually healthy or not for the rider. For example, multiple research studies have shown that cutouts in saddles are not only ineffective, but they can actually do damage to men and women. I spent my graduate studies researching bicycle seat design and another 4+ years writing and refining the book. You can make fun of me for spending so long studying bicycle seats... but you can't call this spam
...no offense taken. I really hope that this book helps people. There's a lot of info for women in it. It's really important that riders become more informed. Until then, companies will continue to scam you with unsubstantiated designs and hype.

Cool! More advertising! Just what I wanted on the forum
Thank you for your shameless self-plug.

Of course this is spam! However it seems like usefull spam, and it isn't being hidden as somebody asking a question and posting a link, and its cycling related.
I'm fairly interested. Saddle design is a big issue.

How a bout a link with 10 sample pages downloadable as a pdf?

You might actually make more money by making a website and selling banner adverts.

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Precision Sports

I only posted this press release to a few forums that I frequent. It's easier and more concise to use the press release than to write colloquially for each forum. Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages. If actual research information about bicycle seats isn't exactly what cyclists really need, I don't know what is.
Anyhow, there are excerpts from the book at the link given above. If you don't think you have any saddle related problems, don't read it. But if you're interested in knowing the actual facts as science currently knows it, it's worth your time. I'm glad to answer any questions about the book as well.

Say, ain't you the rocket scientist that came up with the E3 Form saddle?

Still not done crying wolf? Your book still hasn't revolutionized the cycling world's thoughts on saddle paranoia?

Hmmmm. Someone 'round here said that pro cyclists have a higher than average number of children. That must be a result of all their nadular damage.

Let's call your post what it is: SPAM. Full stop. You have a financial stake in spreading the word. Self-respecting scientists don't whore their work out like you do.

You are good at SPAM, though.

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

SPAM is also the unwanted abuse of e-messaging forums for personal financial gain. Oh, wait: that definition fits you. How about instead of telling someone not to read your SPAM if you don't like it, why don't you just piss off, eh?

So, how long did you actually spend doing your "research" for your Master's thesis?

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Looks informative to me, but I didn't follow any links because I spent $200 on a saddle that works well. I'd hate to find out that it is a waste of money and that yesterday's scientific research is all wrong.

Which scientific research is all wrong?

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Seille Italia prolink gel flo. It works for me and I cannot afford to have it disproved by latest research.

If the shoe fits wear it it's just a freakin saddle you'll no real quick like the first 10 - 20 miles whether or not you made a good selection. MAybe if it's your first time you ever saddled up this book may be useful but at 5 years old I wasn't quite that advanced.

+1. Just make sure that the bike shop has a return policy so that you can return a saddle that is uncomfortable after the first 20 miles or so. But the best advise is locate your sit bones and measure the width. Mine are about 5.5 inches apart, so I only looked at saddles that were six inches or more in width. I also checked the padding at 5.5 inches as I like a little padding between the saddle and my bottom at that point. I also checked to make sure that there was little to no padding through the center of the saddle to avoid pressure in that area. I ended up getting a saddle that has a cutout up the center which is a good thing unless you are going ride nude , but that is different topic, might even be for a whole different website.

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

Hmm... My Toupe Team *with the cutout* is the first saddle that I've ever owned that didn't cause some sort of numbness.

If you really wanted to help people, you'd make it available for a buck, not for twenty.

Who's scamming who with hype?

I'm finally with Alienator on this one, your post is no less spam than the person knocking on my door isn't soliciting.

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'07 S-Works Tarmac SL, Polar CS600+Power
2008 Cervelo P3C, Zipp 900c+808

'07 Specialized Epic Marathon w/Crossmax SLRs
CycleOps Pro 300PT Indoor Cycle Trainer (my winter ride)

So this is the "latest" research which resulted in an updated version of the book. Are we to assume that the original research was flawed and that everyone who followed the guidelines in the original book got screwed? And if this is the case, how can we be certain that the "latest" research is not flawed also, and that everyone who shells out $19.95 is not going to be screwed?

__________________
One life, one chance. Don't waste it!