from Hacker News

Cycling's Silent Epidemic: Labial swelling and pain in women

by dinosor on 5/27/24, 2:40 PM with 83 comments

• by blueflow on 5/27/24, 3:41 PM

  For the people who didn't read that far:

    Back in 1997, Bicycling published a story that linked cycling to erectile dysfunction in men. The article sparked a slew of research on the sport’s impact on male sexual health and led to the development of the first Specialized Body Geometry saddle, which featured a center cutout that relieved arterial pressure. “That story brought it out of the closet,” says Pruitt, who was also a consultant for Specialized’s Body Geometry line and lead developer of the Mimic. But for women, he says, it’s been “a silent epidemic.”

• by AnonHP on 5/27/24, 4:35 PM

  The details in the article describe saddles from Specialized that solve the problem for women. It also says that men prefer and are able to use the same saddles (Mimic and Mirror), which is why Specialized doesn’t make women’s and men’s saddles separately anymore.

  The larger problem is that most bicycles still seem to be sold with sub-par and harmful saddles. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of competition and innovation here for the mass market. One could buy a bicycle costing several hundred (or even a few thousand) dollars or euros with a lighter body, fancy brakes, suspension and so on, but you’d still get sub-par saddles.

  As a non-cyclist, I’m curious to know if there’s even any kind of standardization to fit saddles to any bicycle…or is it that most common bicycles cannot have these custom or other better saddles fitted at all?

• by luqtas on 5/27/24, 3:51 PM

  i cycled thousands of kilometers on this: https://mantasaddle.co.uk/ and i used Brooks and other good stuff before, for thousands of kilometers... the former doesn't even compare! no need for cycling shorts (tho i never used shorts with the Brooks too) and maybe isn't the most aerodynamic saddle out there but who f* cares :P

  edit: and i use exclusively the MS5 version, which has less room to distribute pressure

• by nowandlater on 5/27/24, 3:54 PM

  I have an absolute treasure trove of saddles; it's hard to state just how personal they are to each person's physiology. What works for one may not work for another. It can be a long frustrating (and expensive) experience.

• by idunnoman1222 on 5/27/24, 3:53 PM

  “after she’d progressed to regular 50- to 60-mile rides, she began to notice pain” … this is not typical. But for anyone reading, there are men and women’s bike seats, and for anyone innovating in this space women ride bicycles too.

• by endisneigh on 5/27/24, 3:39 PM

  I have tried an elliptigo which is neat. It’s unfortunately way harder to ride due to wind resistance and the elliptic nature. Also worth a mention.

  Obviously simply not using or having a saddle will remove such class of injuries.

  Too bad they’re ridiculously expensive for what they are.

  As far as bike seats go, I’ve had success with the cloud 9 seat and women and men alike said it was comfortable (for short rides <30 min). Never been a fan of the stiff ones, other than the fancy leather ones.

• by archsurface on 5/27/24, 4:01 PM

  I remember having a conversation with a woman about cutout saddles around 2006 - not sure how this is new or silent or epidemic - it's long been known.

• by BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 on 5/27/24, 4:30 PM

  It really surprises me that women's needs were neglected when mens' erectile dysfunction was quickly addressed back in the 90s.

  But back then few women were on road bikes. Perhaps this is why it took so long for this article to appear.

  Another factor is that bike shops are heavily male. It's quite understandable that women don't want to discuss their saddle anatomy with bike shop staff.

• by kazinator on 5/27/24, 4:47 PM

  The saddle shown in the "Anatomy of a Saddle" picture doesn't seem very good to me.

  One problem is that the sitting area has a convex profile.

  Your sit bones should be placed on horizontal surfaces, like this - -. This thing is more like / \. What that does is drive a wedge between the bones under the weight of the rider, which is bad for the pelvis.

• by JKCalhoun on 5/27/24, 4:13 PM

  Have two women in my life I wish found cycling as enjoyable as I (a man) do.

  Can anyone confer that the "Mimic" mentioned in the article solves the issue for women? (I'm assuming it is fitted correctly, of course.)

• by 1024core on 5/27/24, 3:45 PM

  Clearly there's room for innovation here. I'm sure someone (maybe a woman inventor, since they have first-hand experience with this stuff) will come up with a radical new design for a bike seat that works for them?

• by zxxh on 5/27/24, 3:45 PM

  This goes for men and women, but it’s irresponsible to say this can be treated. Just don’t over do it. It’s like saying you should wear diapers when playing video games for 8 days straight because that causes incontinence.

• by incomingpain on 5/27/24, 6:12 PM

  My other comment was downvoted and flagged for me being trans and not a real woman.

  I swear I have a vulva and am a long-distance cyclist, this subject matters to me. I might not fit everyone's definition of a woman, I certainly wasn't implying that women's issues shouldn't be addressed.

  I still want to share my advice: invest in a good quality pair of women's padded cycling underwear. It made the difference for me, and also why it's golden rule #1 from the article.

  I was genuinely just sharing my experience and wasn't attacking women or anything like that. I understand I might get downvoted or flagged again, and I apologize in advance.

• by UI_at_80x24 on 5/27/24, 4:50 PM

  Disclaimer: I'm a guy. This is why I switched to riding recumbent bikes.

  Towards the 'end' of my previous riding lifestyle, I could only be in the saddle for 10 minutes before excruciating pain and numbness (I don't know how pain & numbness can happen together; but they did.) would force me to walk. And this was during a stage of my life where I was riding 50km daily, and 100+kms every weekend.

  Now, I can ride for 12hrs and the only thing sore are my muscles from the workout.

• by jmclnx on 5/27/24, 3:46 PM

  I cannot comment on women issues, but for men, unless you are a pro racer, buy a brooks saddle. After break-in I never had issues and it was like riding on a cloud. I expect the same would be true for women too.

  Also for break-in, follow brooks recommendations closely, not all the crazy suggestions on the WEB. After a season of riding almost every day, you will be sitting on a cloud. You do not want a soft saddle, but one that forms to your butt. I have been using the same saddle for well over 20 years, no issues plus it has lasted longer than any other saddle I have ever owned.

  I never liked the saddles with the hole in them and I cannot help but wonder if the article is really an advertisement.

  To me, if you are having this issue, see a qualified sports doctor first.

• by Horffupolde on 5/27/24, 3:33 PM

  For men there’s sexual dysfunction.

• by incomingpain on 5/27/24, 3:24 PM

  Cycling with balls is far worse then labia. I've done both.

  Get yourself a nice pair of women's cycling padded underwear helps a great deal. I haven't found a good seat yet.