Thaindian News

Washington, Jan 12 (IANS) Noseless bicycle seats enhance male potency and sensation while conventional seats have the reverse effect, says a new study, confirming something long suspected by five million bike riders and sexual experts. Ninety bicycling policemen from five metropolitan regions in the US using traditional saddles were evaluated prior to changing saddles and then again after six months of using the noseless bicycle saddle.

The findings show that use of the noseless saddle resulted in a reduction in saddle contact pressure in the perineal region. There was a significant improvement in penile tactile sensation.

The number of policemen who had not experienced genital numbness while cycling for the preceding six months rose from 27 percent to 82 percent using no-nose saddles.

Irwin Goldstein, director, Sexual Medicine Program at the San Diego-based Alvarado Hospital, who led the study, said policemen riding bikes, using wider, no-nose bike saddles as opposed to conventional nosed seats, improved penile sensation and erectibility.

“Changing saddles changed physiology. This is a landmark study for our field that is important for future riders, and modification of lifestyle showing improvement without any active treatment,” he said.

Use of the noseless saddle also resulted in significant increases in erectile function as assessed by the initial evaluation, but there were no significant changes noted in Rigiscan measures, a method used to record penile rigidity while the subject sleeps, said an Alvarado release.

With a few exceptions, bicycle police officers were able to effectively use no-nose saddles in their police work and 97 percent of officers completing the study continued to use the no-nose saddle afterward.

The study was published in the current issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.