Cutaway saddles are something new?



Status
Not open for further replies.
(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> http://www.wallbike.com/content/archives/1914brooks/page16.html

AFAIK, it's fairly recent. It's to solve a problem that's been labeled "numb nuts". The problem is
that numb nuts is not always a temporary condition. I know that when my wife found out, she was VERY
insistant that I get a saddle that prevents it :). For more details, do a web search.

The idea of the saddle is to take the weight off the problem area -- which shouldn't be supporting
your weight anyway! The idea is for you "sit bones" to support you. There're 2 approaches: a channel
and a hole. I find that I need a hole -- a channel's not enough. Like other saddles, there're lots
of variety and fits of which you can hopefully find one for you :). It's good to have an LBS that'll
let you try the ones that they have to help home-in on one that fits. I would start by looking for
one that is shaped similarly to one that you have that's comfortable.

David
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> (Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> > http://www.wallbike.com/content/archives/1914brooks/page16.html
>
> AFAIK, it's fairly recent. It's to solve a problem that's been labeled "numb nuts". The problem is
> that numb nuts is not always a temporary condition. I know that when my wife found out, she was
> VERY insistant that I get a saddle that prevents it :). For more details, do a web search.
>
> The idea of the saddle is to take the weight off the problem area -- which shouldn't be supporting
> your weight anyway! The idea is for you "sit bones" to support you. There're 2 approaches: a
> channel and a hole. I find that I need a hole -- a channel's not enough. Like other saddles,
> there're lots of variety and fits of which you can hopefully find one for you :). It's good to
> have an LBS that'll let you try the ones that they have to help home-in on one that fits. I would
> start by looking for one that is shaped similarly to one that you have that's comfortable.
>
> David
>
>
This is just my own conjecture, but the incidence of "numb nuts" syndrome seems to correspond to the
shift away from slack, relaxed geometries in road bikes in the last 10 years in favor of steeper
seat tubes, which have the effect of rotating the hips forward. This places less weight on the sit
bones and more weight on the fleshy parts.

Just my $02.
 
Mark Scardiglia wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>
>>(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
>>
>>>http://www.wallbike.com/content/archives/1914brooks/page16.html
>>
>>AFAIK, it's fairly recent. It's to solve a problem that's been labeled "numb nuts". The problem is
>>that numb nuts is not always a temporary condition. I know that when my wife found out, she was
>>VERY insistant that I get a saddle that prevents it :). For more details, do a web search.
>>
>>The idea of the saddle is to take the weight off the problem area -- which shouldn't be supporting
>>your weight anyway! The idea is for you "sit bones" to support you. There're 2 approaches: a
>>channel and a hole. I find that I need a hole -- a channel's not enough. Like other saddles,
>>there're lots of variety and fits of which you can hopefully find one for you :). It's good to
>>have an LBS that'll let you try the ones that they have to help home-in on one that fits. I would
>>start by looking for one that is shaped similarly to one that you have that's comfortable.
>>
>>David
>>
>>
>
> This is just my own conjecture, but the incidence of "numb nuts" syndrome seems to correspond to
> the shift away from slack, relaxed geometries in road bikes in the last 10 years in favor of
> steeper seat tubes, which have the effect of rotating the hips forward. This places less weight on
> the sit bones and more weight on the fleshy parts.
>
> Just my $02.

I get pain with regular seats on my mountain bike. What I've read said that it's been around for a
while -- it's just now getting attention.

David.
 
In article <[email protected]>, Mark Scardiglia
<[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>This is just my own conjecture, but the incidence of "numb nuts" syndrome seems to correspond to
>the shift away from slack, relaxed geometries in road bikes in the last 10 years in favor of
>steeper seat tubes, which have the effect of rotating the hips forward. This places less weight on
>the sit bones and more weight on the fleshy parts.

I don't think seat angles are getting steeper in the last 10 years. If you look at the Italian
racing geometries of the 80s and the criterium-geometry craze in the US ~10 years ago you will see
there were a lot of bikes with 74+ degree seat angles back then, sometimes bikes with 75 or 76
degree PARALLEL angles (!!!).

These days in medium size range (eg, 54-58) you will find road bikes have seat angles of 72.5 to 74
degrees, nothing steeper unless it's a Tri bike or a very small size.

The two most common geometries I see on general-purpose road racing-type bikes today are what I call
the "Lemond" geometry which is 72-72.5 seat and an extra cm or two in the top tube (found on Lemond
bikes and some imitators, mostly high-end road stuff) and what I call "Paramount" geometry which is
something around 73-73.5 parallel and can be found on Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Serotta, etc.
and many others, top tube a hair shorter than on the Lemond type bikes.

At least in my own experience I find that rotating the pelvis forward has more to do with reach to
the bars and drop from seat to bars than seat angle. So this problem is accentuated by riding bikes
that are too small and using a too-long stem in order to "look like a racer". People who do that
tend to "look like a racer" on short rides in the park but are often not comfortable enough on the
bike to do any sort of real distance. Buying bikes too small has been a common error for many years.

--Paul
 
I didn't see any "cut-away's" Just a bunch that looked like Champion Flyers with an additional
front spring...

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner
 
RE/
>AFAIK, it's fairly recent.

You didn't look at the web page behind the URL.

It's a scan of a Brooks saddle catalog circa 1914 - which feature several cutaway saddles.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell
 
RE/
>
>I recommend reading the page on saddle choice and adjustment. Good advice is always good advice.

Also, in 1914, a lot more people in the Anglo world were putting in a lot more hours on bicycles -
not just riding them as playthings or for sport.

Personally, I'd like to hear some of the distilled cycling wisdom that I imagine has been
accumulated by the Chinese population.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell
 
Mark Scardiglia <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...

> > The idea of the saddle is to take the weight off the problem area -- which shouldn't be
> > supporting your weight anyway! The idea is for you "sit bones" to support you. There're 2
> > approaches: a channel and a hole. I find that I need a hole -- a channel's not enough. Like
> > other saddles, there're lots of variety and fits of which you can hopefully find one for you :).
> > It's good to have an LBS that'll let you try the ones that they have to help home-in on one that
> > fits. I would start by looking for one that is shaped similarly to one that you have that's
> > comfortable.
> >
> > David
> >
> >
> This is just my own conjecture, but the incidence of "numb nuts" syndrome seems to correspond to
> the shift away from slack, relaxed geometries in road bikes in the last 10 years in favor of
> steeper seat tubes, which have the effect of rotating the hips forward. This places less weight on
> the sit bones and more weight on the fleshy parts.
>

A lot of people try to solve errors in positioning by changing their seat. This isn't new, remember
the gel pads from the 80s ? And all the types of seats that existed in the past (with springs etc.).

I think the tendency is (esp. for newer riders and riders from MTB) is to sit too high and too far
forward to compensate.

I think the method of raising you saddle until your hips rock, then lowering it a tad will result in
a saddle that is far too high.

-Amit
 
"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> http://www.wallbike.com/content/archives/1914brooks/page16.html
>
>
> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell

This came up once before (in connection with patents by Specialized) and reminded me of the snippet
from Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men on the Bummel" (follow-up to "Three Men in a Boat") that shows
there's nothing new under the sun!

Have a look at:

http://tinyurl.com/agyr

and such saddles will always make you think of "irritable lobsters"!

Cheers,

Richard.
 
Hello all,

I'm looking for a cordless computer. What are some of the better brands that I can research?

Thanks in advance, Michael
 
Michael James Anderson wrote:

> I'm looking for a cordless computer. What are some of the better brands that I can research?

I like my Titanium G4 Powerbook just fine!

Oh, you mean a _bike_ computer...

I've always thought cordless bike computers were silly and overcomplicated, but if that's what
floats your boat, I'd lean toward CatEye. They seem to be, in general, the most reliable and
well-engineered brand.

I've got Mity3s on most of my bikes, just bought one of the new Mity8s for my Raleigh/Baylis.

If you install the wires properly, they're not obtrusive, and you don't have the extra battery and
bulky transmitter on your fork.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/cyclecomputer-installation.html for installation tips.

Sheldon "Wires Are Good" Brown +---------------------------------------------------+
| In theory, there's no difference between theory | and practice; but, in practice, there is. |
+---------------------------------------------------+, Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
"Sheldon Brown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Michael James Anderson wrote:
>
> > I'm looking for a cordless computer. What are some of the better brands that I can research?
>
> I like my Titanium G4 Powerbook just fine!
>
> Oh, you mean a _bike_ computer...
>
> I've always thought cordless bike computers were silly and overcomplicated, but if that's what
> floats your boat, I'd lean toward CatEye. They seem to be, in general, the most reliable and
> well-engineered brand.

You "always thought cordless bike computer were silly"!

Stick your hand in your pocket and you may feel nuts.

Hawke
 
Status
Not open for further replies.