Effects of Workload on Seat Pressure While Cycling with Two Different Saddles

Abstract

Introduction Seat pressure during cycling and its relationship to urological disorders have been discussed extensively in recently published literature. The effects of exercise configuration on seat pressure, however, still have not been fully investigated. Aim This study evaluates the effects of two different pedaling workloads and two saddle designs on saddle pressure in 22 (11 men and 11 women) recreational cyclists (bicycling <2 hours per week). Methods Seat pressure was measured in the saddle surface while pedaling at workloads of 150 and 300 W using a plain and a holed saddle model, both without any gel cushion characteristics. Analysis of variance was applied to compare seat pressure between situations. Main Outcome Measure Study the importance of bicycle saddle pressure. Results Mean seat pressure was not different between men and women. For the plain saddle, the men’s average seat pressure increased as the workload increased. Using a holed saddle, the mean pressure increased as the workload increased, regardless of gender. Conclusions The increase of workload increased the seat pressure for the subjects, with the main effects dependent on workload. The use of a holed saddle was not directly related to lesser seat pressure during cycling. Our results support our understanding of a similarity between genders related to mean seat pressure, and suggest that different workload ranges may present different results for seat pressure.

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