THE truth is often uncomfortable. Male cyclists run a serious risk of becoming impotent because their saddles are exerting too much pressure on their man-hood.
The crushing conclusion has been uncovered by Dr Irwin Goldstein, a urologist at the internationally renowned Boston Medical Centre, who is convinced that bicycle seat impotence is being suffered in silence by thousands of men.
Traditional saddles should now be redesigned, he says, to bring an end to a problem that will alarm Britain's growing army of cyclists. Cycling is now being encouraged by the government to reduce dependence on cars and improve the nation's fitness. Cycle journeys now total around three billion miles a year.
According to Goldstein, a US expert on impotence, the condition can stem from a simple anatomical fact. When a man sits on a saddle, his weight is focused on the main penile artery, compressing it and temporarily inhibiting the blood flow. In the short term this results in numbness - but repeated over a number of years it can lead to complete dysfunction.
The trend toward fashionably thin saddles has mode the problem worse, he claims, because a cyclist's weight is even more concentrated on one particular area, leading to even greater risks.
Goldstein's interest in the subject began when he treated patients subjected to the shock of accidentally falling on to the crossbar. In an article published recently in the Journal of Urology, he claimed that a 10-stone cyclist pedalling at 20mph could fall on to a crossbar with a force equal to a quarter of a ton.
He explained, however, that over the years, too many cyclists were coming to his clinic with similar impotence problems but who had never had a crossbar accident. He began to wonder if constant long-term pressure was having the same effect.
His first study on pressure was completed last May and involved 100 impotent men. Goldstein concluded that it takes a pressure of just 11% of a man's body weight to compress the penile artery. He also detected -using X-rays, ultrasound and arterial pressure readings - a reduction in blood flow as high as 66% when a patient sat on a skinny bike saddle.
The result of constant rubbing and compression was scar tissue that, over time, would narrow the artery enough to lower blood flow, leading to impotence.
"Fifty per cent of the penis is actually inside the body," Goldstein explained. "When a man sits on a bicycle seat he's putting his entire body weight on the artery that supplies the penis. It's a nightmarish situation. I cannot say that sitting on a bicycle causes impotence but I can go on record with supporting data to show that sitting on a bicycle seat compresses the artery."
He now estimates there are 100,000 men in the United States who have this particular type of sexual dysfunction. One of his patients was Ed Pavelka, a writer with the magazine Bicycling, who explains in the current issue how a hard-core cyclist like himself could go "as soft as overcooked rigatoni". This from a man who cycles 21,000 miles a year at the age of 50.
"Men should never ride bicycles," Goldstein concludes, adding that the only safe saddles would probably have to be shaped like a toilet seat.
Other urologists were sceptical last week about Goldstein's findings. Peter Paterson, a consultant at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said he did not believe he had had a patient whose impotence was caused by bicycle seats but he did not think it was impossible. "I haven't come across it but then having said that I don't ask people about their sporting activities so I can neither confirm or deny it," he said. He is reluctant to carry out research. "The thought of a urologist measuring a man's penile blood flow while he's sitting on a bicycle sounds horrific."
But John MacNaughtan, the commercial director of Brook saddles, based near Birmingham, is convinced there is an impotency problem. "If you cycle on drop handle bars and are bent right over a thin, long saddle and your legs are going up and down, it's not surprising that you have an affect on parts that move involuntarily," he said.
He believes there is a solution. "If you chose a good riding position and you've got a saddle that's got give in it, you should have no problem."
Jim Riach, the development officer of the Scottish Cycling Union, said he did not believe impotence was caused by cycling. "It's not something we've had any complaints about," he said. "The doctors is probably talking about saddles that are incorrect for the riders."
Gregor Russell from the Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative said he had heard of cases but not among his friends. "It's not really a common problem. But if you had problems with your prostate it would be difficult to cycle."
One question remains unanswered. Are there any risks for women? Goldstein says he only has anecdotal information about problems among female cyclists, some of whom have complained of sexual dysfunction as well as chafing and numbness.
Scotland On Sunday, 24th August, 1997
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