Here's everthing you wanted to know about noseless saddles, NIOSH, tinfoil helmets - and much MUCH more!
About six months ago there was a thread on here with a paper from NIOSH, extolling the virtues of noseless saddles.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2009-131/pdfs/2009-131.pdf
There was a certain amount of pubescent snickering here about it.
Could you imagine the government scientist prepping the area and installing the sensors!?
The next day, I got an email from a woman who was interested in coming to visit 1me. It was the first email I got from her work account - NIOSH.
We actually began some of the ...um ... "experiments" mentioned. The government work here was very thorough, indeed. She made the suggestion that NIOSH could hire cheerleaders to help with this valuable research.
I was starting to train for a GAP DC round trip so I looked into noseless. One thing to go 20 miles a week and another thing to go 660 in two weeks.
Bob at IC bikes refused to order a noseless for me. Considering what QBP had available at that point, that was wise. Through Freeride, I ordered an IMS touring saddle, because it seemed the best in the QBP catelog:
http://bikehacks.com/nose-less-bike-seat-caught-in-the-wild/
Those seats are actually have high quality materials and great workmanship. Instead of a nose, it has what amounts to two spines sticking into your thighs just below your buttocks. When I first used it to go two miles to work, I considered walking home.
I met the NIOSH woman at a park near a hospital once about 15 miles from town. She asked why I had not used th noseless. If I *had*, we could have met at the hospital next to the park.
I sincerely belive that a distance of 30 miles with this saddle could draw blood. 4 miles made for chafed spots.
If you are interested in this particular saddle, I will not only GIVE it to you, for free, but give you a beer for coming by and picking it up.
Really. Just report back on how it worked for you. And then give it away to someone else, along with TWO beers.
Just now, I had a hard time finding a pic of this type of on the internet, so possibly they have stopped making them.
The whole thing reminds me of a marketing company I'll start one of these days.
BAD IDEAS®
New Ideas for a Nuclear Age!
Motto: "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
The next week at work, I got a call from a guy at NIOSH - an agency that had never before shown an interest in our registry (on a specific pharmacogenetic condition). He had some questions for me about my work and he was from the same office as my new friend, who had just finished gong through a divorce, the details of which I did not know - except that it was "messy."
Before calling back, I made the discouraging discovery that they do NOT market tin-foil lined bicycle shorts.
"Protect YOUR parts from government conspiracies." Another New! Idea!
(He was legit though, and perfectly normal on the phone, with good questions. Whereas, I was cagey and paranoid.)
On the DC trip, the first night, I stayed at the Connellesville motel accross from Walmart (another new idea for the nuclear age!). They had a noseless that looked roughly like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Endurance-Bicycle-Noseless-Black-Vinyl/dp/B000AOC3ZG
I did not get rid of my old saddle, but tried to use the noseless one for a few hours ever day.
I did not find it comfortable and it slowed me down considerably. On the other hand, using it for bit each day, made my bits feel a little better at the end of the day. Still, by the end, I jsut used my regular saddle.
The problem seems to me that if you don't have a nose that keeps you from sliding forward and down, then when you are sitting on is really the start of your thighs. I had to lower the seat way down to be able to sit on it and pedal at the same time.
Maybe a fews ways around it:
1) I wsa using platform pedals. Maybe with clipless or toe clips and sliding forward vs support wouldn't be as much of an issue. I'm probably going to give this a try sometime.
2) I met a guy with a saddle like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Hobson-Easyseat-Ergonomical-Saddle-Black/dp/B000GBK4Z4/ref=pd_sim_sg_2
or this:
http://www.bicycleseats.org/easyseat-bicycle-seat.htm?source=google
I forget his name, but he's 50 or so y.o and works at REI. Maybe posts here? He seemed happy with his seat. I'm not sure if each side of that seat adjusts indivually. If I recall correctly, he used clipless.
3) Half-bent. Crank forward bikes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH3_u4QLrQg
These young women obviously like their bikes very much.
I'm pretty sure my next bike will be a crank forward.
QUESTION: Does anyone know of a crank forward long-bike? Would take care of my cargo needs and help with the front-back weight load balance, too.
4) Follow the advice of Darth Reddan:
"Luke ... (rasp, rasp) ... I'm your father ... Luke ... Come on over to ... the BENT side ... Feel the power of ... the 'bent side."
Hope this helps.
