Women cyclists benefit from noseless saddle solution to riding-related health problems

A common problem for new female cyclists is the discomfort caused by saddle pressure but ECD, a UK company, is confident that the launch of its noseless saddle will resolve seat-related health problems permanently.

Core Facts

Cycling organisations in the UK are building on the success of female Olympic gold medallists such as Rebecca Romero and Victoria Pendleton to encourage more women to get out on their bikes.
A common problem for new female riders is the discomfort caused by saddle pressure, which can lead to them giving up what should be a simple keep fit alternative. Most saddles are not wide enough to support directly under womens sit bones as the pelvic girdle is wider than men's. Most bike seats make women sit on the perineum and this area of the body was not designed to be weight-bearing.
Sitting on a saddle compresses this sensitive area, cutting off both blood supply and nerve sensation to the genitalia. The normal, narrow, unpadded bicycle seats significantly reduce blood flow and even padded seats are still restrictive.
Top university researchers* have studied the saddle issue and found that women cyclists across the range of abilities, from casual to competitive, suffer from urinary tract problems and sexual dysfunction as well as numbness, swelling, and boils, blisters, abrasions, and bruising.
Reducing the amount of time spent in the saddle, wearing extra padding in the shorts, applying creams and adjusting the riding position have all been proposed but the heart of the problem lies in the saddle design. New London-based company ECD Sports takes the issue seriously and with the launch of its noseless saddle in the UK believes that female cyclists can resolve seat-related health problems permanently.
Traditional seats push a riders weight forward onto the sensitive perineal area, with 22 per cent of total body weight resting on the nose of the saddle. This often causes discomfort and can lead to health problems. The new ECD Seat moves the riders weight evenly back onto the sit bones.
The Seat was perfected over ten years of intense design and testing by Thomas White, former head of industrial design at Boeing Commercial Airplane.
It has been reviewed by health professionals in the UK, who have found it the ideal solution for saddle-related problems.

Images

Quotes

"Each year I see many people who have suffered from prolonged riding on conventional seats causing them discomfort and sometimes leading to health problems. What I like about this seat is that it has been ergonomically designed to enable the cyclist to sit more naturally. This is a breakthrough in comfort design for cyclists."

Dr. J R W Harris, Consultant GU Medicine at St Marys Hospital, London

I have treated the problems - and personally experienced the discomfort - of sitting on conventional bicycle seats due to the pressure they exert in an uneven pattern, particularly from the nose at the front. The ECD Seat provides a new more comfortable way to cycle, whether over a short or long distance and allows the cyclist to sit properly with their weight on the sit bones, freeing them to adopt a healthy posture.

Tracy Davies, Qualified Osteopath and Community Clinic Co-ordinator at The British School of Osteopathy (BSO) London