An under-reported danger for cyclists
posted by Rob Anderson @ 10:52 AM
11 comments
District 5 Diary
Rob Anderson's commentary on San Francisco politics from District 5
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
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11 Comments:
You don't have to fear this. Erectile dysfunction is only a problem if someone is willing to have sex with you.
No, this danger only affects you bike people. The more time you spend on your bike, the worse it gets.
despite testicular cancer and all that riding, Lance Armstrong just had child #5, no modern medicine needed. That's pretty much the definitive counter-case.
Irwin Goldstein designed the noseless saddle. Not to save us from impotence - to make $$$. Completely discredited.
You apparently haven't read the NY Times article I linked, which is supposedly based on some actual studies:
"The dozen or so studies, from peer-reviewed journals, are summarized in three articles in September's Journal of Sexual Medicine.
In a bluntly worded editorial with the articles, Dr. Steven Schrader, a reproductive health expert who studies cycling at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, said he believed that it was no longer a question of "whether or not bicycle riding on a saddle causes erectile dysfunction." Instead, he said in an interview, "The question is, What are we going to do about it?"
The studies, by researchers at Boston University and in Italy, found that the more a person rides, the greater the risk of impotence or loss of libido. And researchers in Austria have found that many mountain bikers experience saddle-related trauma that leads to small calcified masses inside the scrotum."
There are several design variations for the 'standard' saddle which relieve this problem - a problem which really only affects cyclists involved with extraordinarily prolonged cycling activity.
The so-called 'noseless'saddle design has very limited usefulness on some bicycles of particularly upright configuration.
Most cyclists will find the loss of control associated with the noseless saddle to be a far greater concern.
If cycling causes ED it would explain why all the cyclists who comment here are so cranky.
Wow, did you really dig up an article from 2005 to make this point? You must be getting desperate! Given your predilection for research and "reading stuff you don't agree with", I'm surprised you didn't come across this thorough debunking of Goldstein's sad fearmongering attempts, which quotes the good doctor saying:
"Men should never ride bicycles. Riding should be banned and outlawed. It is the most irrational form of exercise I could ever bring to discussion."
(Which, aside from demonstrating obvious bias, also explains why you're so eager to toot his horn.)
You also seem to have overlooked a more recent examination of the topic, which includes this gem:
The most common lifestyle-related causes of erectile dysfunction are:
* Smoking
* Obesity
* Inactivity
If that's the case, then I find it really hard to believe that cycling carries a greater risk of erectile dysfunction than not cycling, which obviously tends to be more common among people who are inactive, overweight, or both. I'd love to see the data, though.
Regardless, I can confirm that cycling has had very positive effects on my sex life: I met my girlfriend on the AIDS Life/Cycle last year, during which I also raised $4,800, which, even if I do end up impotent some day, probably did enough for others' sexual health that it's a net positive in the end.
So yeah, I'll take my chances. Thanks for watching out for us, though!
In the response you link, I find this:
"One thing that came out over and over again is that most male cyclists who have logged any significant mileage, 100 miles or more per week, have experienced genital numbness. This is usually referred to as 'numb nuts' in the
bicycle world. I have experienced it a half dozen times in my life. What constantly amazes cyclists is that for most of us, it disappears within an hour of getting off the bike and has no discernible effect on erectibility."
"No discernible effict" after years of riding a bike? Okay, Shawn, if you say so. Along with solo falls, street conditions, and distracted and/or drunk drivers, it's just another risk from riding a bike.
Nope, I walk every day. I'm not complaining about the bike seat problem; I'm just showing still another danger involved in riding bikes.
I cycle drive and walk. I would be very happy for a 'zero tolerance' approach to breaking the Law. I think that drivers would have a lot more to fear were such an approach to be introduced. But the roads would be a lot safer.
I see bad cyclists, but I see a lot of bad motorists.
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