Best Bicycle Product Ever? – Dual Pad Seats by Hobson

Transportation made easy, fast and cheap. Plus you stay in healthy shape without realizing that you are exercising.

But (no pun intended) what is the huge drawback to bicycles? If you’ve ever taken a long ride – say over an hour or so – what is your biggest complaint?

Right – the seats are awful. Some would say excruciating. They seem almost intentionally painful. They put all your weight on your crotch – on a piece of stretched leather (if you are clever you added a gel-covered seat). And if either foot ever slips off a pedal – what is the result ? the “seat’s nose” (or the top tube) slams into one of your most favorite sensitive places. Aughhh !

(There’s a rumor that Cheney and Rumsfield ordered GiTMO detainees to ride 10-speed bikes 3 hours a day just so they would have to endure bike seats.)

OK I’m kidding, however, The New York Times caught my attention with an article “Serious Riders, Your Bicycle Seat May Affect Your Love Life by Sandra Blakeslee“.

The well researched article described how you can do permanent harm to your reproductive system with a normal bike seat, and why you might want to look into alternatives to eliminate pressure on your perineum area.

I always knew there was something wrong with bike seats. Purposefully I would leave my seat just slightly loose so I could adjust the angle to take the pressure off my Perenium and move it to my cheeks. No matter how outrageously I angled the seat (a classic Brooks on a Raleigh from when they were made in England) – it was never good enough; it always left some unwanted pressure.

So I went looking for one (you know “Buy Locally”) and got quite a shock. Every bike shop on our Monterey Peninsula I called tried to talk me out of buying an “dual bun” bike seat. Of course none of them had one to try out.

One shop owner even called me stupid for just wanting to try one out ! (If you ever want to endure a wrath blasting of a know-it all (Cliff Claven could take lessons) – try going against the grain of a bicycle “expert.” )

What could I possibly know? (I mean other than the dozens and dozens, probably more like hundreds, of bike races I’ve won — likely more than most of these self-important experts have ever even attended; member of the IHPVA, and I did test lots of racing bike high performance equipment as far back as the 1970s.)

But apparently in their eyes – I’m just another dolt who doesn’t have the first clue about bicycles. (Heaven help the ordinary bike rider who is just trying to ride more comfortably) “Just shut up and buy what I tell you to buy.”

Well, I did my own research and found a few firms do provide a “comfortable” alternative.

So I bought one of these seats a few years ago – and I’m never going back. The one I have is the EasySeat II by Hobson — http://hobsonseats.com/new/

It took maybe two — one minute rides to get used to it – and I’m never going back to the torture seats.

(and No, thank you for asking, I am not getting any kickback for this article.)

The only drawback I’ve found is (other than the berating by bike Anti-Experts) is that if you try to ride “hands-off” of the handlebars, or balance hands off while standing still it is slightly more difficult to balance. Since most people never even dream of riding “hands-off” – that’s not a big deal.

This type of seat is not a small change — its is a huge improvement — similar to awkwardly putting up with sitting on a pole then getting to comfortably sit on a welcome seat.

So now I can ride for hours and never even think about the seat as I’m enjoying the views.

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Update:
The New York Times has another nice article today (“A Release Valve for Cyclists’ Unrelenting Pressure“) and the hostile reaction to the more comfortable seats is stunning. (Also reassuring as I was beginning to wonder if my memory was exaggerating the contempt bike store salesmen had for these seats.)

Some comments raise these issues:

Myth 1: Correct choice & adjustment of a nosed saddle eliminates the discomfort issue.

Truth: As described above – no that doesn’t work unless you put the seat at an angle that defeats its ability to carry weight.

Myth 2: At speed, a noseless saddle offers much less control, and is therefore less safe.

Truth 2: Having ridden and raced with this improved seat at speeds in excess of 40 mph on twisty, bumpy roads for a number of years now I can attest that any “less control” is trivial — if any.

Myth 3: The seats cost $200.

Truth 3: I spent less than $60 including shipping.

As a scientist this willful hostility to a new and demonstrable idea is fascinating. There’s an experiment in here. Remember, One test is worth a thousand “expert” opinions. 🙂