One Year Review of Selle Anatomica NSX
Selle Anatomica NSX when brand new Folks at The Ride Journal have made their magazine's past issues free to download so I began enjoying some excellent writing from diverse sources such as Jon Tomac and Alastair Humphreys. A publication that has been providing a venue for some of the best writing available as it pertains to all sorts of different folks who enjoy riding a bike. Whether that be road racing, adrenaline junkie downhill riders or fat bike boys merrily cruising the country side in three feet of snow tipping the old whiskey flask to keep warm. Their magazine provides ride articles for every type of rider.
While perusing a copy of the publication and stoked after reading the magazine's mission statement from their editor which ends with the following paragraph:
"Times they are a-changing, and those of us who love bikes
and live bikes are one of the few groups who are changing
them for the better. Wherever you are and whatever bike
you favour, ride safe and ride hard".
Nice, although I definitely consider myself a part of some other excellent groups that contribute just as well to so called "better changes", namely the Natural Living Country Store
At any rate joyfully perusing another fine contributor to The Ride Journal, James Straffon and his written work entitled 'Seat of Learning'. In my humble opinion a better title would have been 'Saddle of Learning' but after reading his article in its' entirety it is the author himself who's claims of knowledge reveal his need to learn more of what he is speaking. Referencing Hindu sanskrit teachings and Taoist practices (ancient Chinese healing arts) he proclaims the wonderful experience of one getting their mystical rocks off on the road to enlightenment by the pure grace of bouncing one's genitalia on a bike seat.
While perusing a copy of the publication and stoked after reading the magazine's mission statement from their editor which ends with the following paragraph:
"Times they are a-changing, and those of us who love bikes
and live bikes are one of the few groups who are changing
them for the better. Wherever you are and whatever bike
you favour, ride safe and ride hard".
Nice, although I definitely consider myself a part of some other excellent groups that contribute just as well to so called "better changes", namely the Natural Living Country Store
At any rate joyfully perusing another fine contributor to The Ride Journal, James Straffon and his written work entitled 'Seat of Learning'. In my humble opinion a better title would have been 'Saddle of Learning' but after reading his article in its' entirety it is the author himself who's claims of knowledge reveal his need to learn more of what he is speaking. Referencing Hindu sanskrit teachings and Taoist practices (ancient Chinese healing arts) he proclaims the wonderful experience of one getting their mystical rocks off on the road to enlightenment by the pure grace of bouncing one's genitalia on a bike seat.
"So how does the saddle fit into this psychoactive pursuit? I present the perineum. Ordinarily one would not expect the average cyclist to be on first-name terms with it. But it’s there, focusing your energy stream. Right between your ischial tuberosities, or sit bones. A man’s perineum is twice the length of a woman’s. And Taoist philosophy will tell you that your Hui Yin, or ‘root chakra’ is based there – your prime energy centre, your CV1 meridian acupuncture point".
Selle Anatomica NSX one year later Reports of folks logging many hours and many miles on their bikes as it pertains to a bike saddle consists mostly of men's prostate problems, impotence or erectile dysfunction than that of a college student doing acid for the first time. Definition of "psychoactive" is more appropriately used in association with oh, I don't know, psychedelic drug use?
After decades of avid cyclists cranking out thousands upon thousands if not millions of combined miles a more common experience of a poorly designed saddle or improper bike fit is a condition called Pudendal Nerve Entrapment. Pelvic pain, erectile dysfunction or impotence have all been attributed to frequently riding a bike. However, after researching this a bit I found this very interesting bit information.from Men's Fitness
"Not all researchers believe this is a real problem. A 2004 study in the Journal of Urology looked at 688 cyclists and found no statistically significant difference in erectile problems in the study group compared to non-cyclists. However, a study of 90 bicycle-riding police officers did show that using a "saddle without a nose" seat design resulted in less penile numbness and pain. Another study showed that riders who used seats with a wider posterior region (distributing weight to the "assbones," or "ischial tuberosities") had fewer physical complaints".
Now I can get to the points of how much I enjoy the Selle Anatomica NSX. Selle Anatomica designed this saddle for folks who sit either more upright, for mountain bikes or who have had problems with their patented slot design, a cutout portion in the saddle which does not press on the nerve areas described by either the scientific approach of potential nerve damage nor the haphazard mystical mumbo jumbo of the arm chair spiritualist.
After what has actually been eighteen months of mostly bike commuting, some twenty mile jaunts and trail riding sprinkled in not only does it look about as nice as it did when I first received this saddle but Lisa's not complaining either. It is important to note that as an experienced bike builder I took into consideration all the factors of body weight distribution and chose my saddle width appropriately. In fact due to the saddle's width the inside of my thighs would chafe along the sharp edge of the saddle. This is very common and easily remedied with a file by gently removing the hard edge. Selle Anatomica was receiving complaints of the slotted saddle stretching too much too fast as the adjustment screw used to incrementally take the sag out of the saddle was maxed out. The company offers replacement covers for a hundred bucks at the time of this article. I haven't had this problem on my Selle Titanico Watershed model at all. At some point I will need to have a new cover put on but that's to be expected, There have been some structural improvements to the saddle rails and materials covered in an earlier post.
After decades of avid cyclists cranking out thousands upon thousands if not millions of combined miles a more common experience of a poorly designed saddle or improper bike fit is a condition called Pudendal Nerve Entrapment. Pelvic pain, erectile dysfunction or impotence have all been attributed to frequently riding a bike. However, after researching this a bit I found this very interesting bit information.from Men's Fitness
"Not all researchers believe this is a real problem. A 2004 study in the Journal of Urology looked at 688 cyclists and found no statistically significant difference in erectile problems in the study group compared to non-cyclists. However, a study of 90 bicycle-riding police officers did show that using a "saddle without a nose" seat design resulted in less penile numbness and pain. Another study showed that riders who used seats with a wider posterior region (distributing weight to the "assbones," or "ischial tuberosities") had fewer physical complaints".
Now I can get to the points of how much I enjoy the Selle Anatomica NSX. Selle Anatomica designed this saddle for folks who sit either more upright, for mountain bikes or who have had problems with their patented slot design, a cutout portion in the saddle which does not press on the nerve areas described by either the scientific approach of potential nerve damage nor the haphazard mystical mumbo jumbo of the arm chair spiritualist.
After what has actually been eighteen months of mostly bike commuting, some twenty mile jaunts and trail riding sprinkled in not only does it look about as nice as it did when I first received this saddle but Lisa's not complaining either. It is important to note that as an experienced bike builder I took into consideration all the factors of body weight distribution and chose my saddle width appropriately. In fact due to the saddle's width the inside of my thighs would chafe along the sharp edge of the saddle. This is very common and easily remedied with a file by gently removing the hard edge. Selle Anatomica was receiving complaints of the slotted saddle stretching too much too fast as the adjustment screw used to incrementally take the sag out of the saddle was maxed out. The company offers replacement covers for a hundred bucks at the time of this article. I haven't had this problem on my Selle Titanico Watershed model at all. At some point I will need to have a new cover put on but that's to be expected, There have been some structural improvements to the saddle rails and materials covered in an earlier post.
"In 1943, the great visionary Pablo Picasso fully embodied the ‘art of the readymade’ when he chanced upon a disused saddle and handlebars. These he fused into Tête de Taureau– a bull’s head, with saddle as face, handlebars as horns. What a wonderfully ironic metamorphosis – subverting posterior to anterior. The third eye relocated perhaps".
He just described a fella with his head up his arse. Photo at left is of Picasso's "Bull Head" which he completed sometime in 1942 to '43. That leather saddle has a wicked high centered crease that would wreak more havoc on man's sexy time parts than Picasso did on his women as he was quoted in 1943 describing "Women as machines for suffering". I think he confused women with the bike parts he assembled in such a way that they are neither going forward nor backward and if you can't move on a bike then that would feel like a machine for suffering. An obvious interpretation provided with the necessary information to have one is that ol' Pablo was a freakish bully toward women causing many of his mistresses to hurt or kill themselves.
Real Bike Saddle Wisdom
When it comes to bike saddles you more often than not get what you pay for and is perhaps the most important component on a bike for putting many miles on. As a former bike shop owner it was easily the most common complaint with folks wanting bigger, gel filled cushy sheepskin covered mega saddles that by the time they were done adding padding it looked like they were sitting on a small bean bag chair. It's funny but there's truth to some of the lengths folks would go to not believing that a good quality leather saddle is what has been working for several decades in providing happy healthy bike rides. Visit your local bike shop, ask questions about bike fit, proper saddle height, fore and aft position of the saddle and proper bike saddle selection. Brooks, Velo Orange, and Selle Anatomica are all reputable manufacturers of excellent quality bike saddles with proven rider satisfaction. Brooks has saddles designed specifically for men and women riders. A most notable difference between Selle Anatomica and the others is that Selle Anatomica saddles do not require a break in period and receive much praise for their saddles being comfortable brand new. As the title indicates the company has a knack for making the hard easy. Brooks riders typically claim that their saddle starts to soften and cooperate with their bum after a few hundred miles.
Fellas, if you love and appreciate your woman like I do mine you build her a nice ride that she can enjoy and appreciate for couple's bike rides. I have to laugh at the absurd notion of welding a pair of handlebars to the bottom of a saddle and then having the brass balls (pun intended) to blame it all on my woman by referring to her as a machine for suffering. I would be out on the street in a minute and deservedly so. But seeing's how I did build her a beautiful classic rare beauty of a bike in keeping with her powerfully unique and adorable qualities we have a lot to look forward to with many good times ahead.
Regarding John Straffon's misleading information in his article and sending out much thanks for sharing a bit of inspiration to a below average writer such as myself. For comparison of his lofty ideas consider researching the grounding, emotionally soothing effects that riding a bike has had for folks who have experienced trauma in their lives or are recovering from PTSD. Listen to the editor quoted at the beginning Ride Safe and Ride Hard.
Links related to this topic
Seat of Learning by James Straffon
Selle Anatomica Mountain Bike Saddle Review
Made in USA Selle Anatomica Titanico
Build a Bike for Someone to Love
Fellas, if you love and appreciate your woman like I do mine you build her a nice ride that she can enjoy and appreciate for couple's bike rides. I have to laugh at the absurd notion of welding a pair of handlebars to the bottom of a saddle and then having the brass balls (pun intended) to blame it all on my woman by referring to her as a machine for suffering. I would be out on the street in a minute and deservedly so. But seeing's how I did build her a beautiful classic rare beauty of a bike in keeping with her powerfully unique and adorable qualities we have a lot to look forward to with many good times ahead.
Regarding John Straffon's misleading information in his article and sending out much thanks for sharing a bit of inspiration to a below average writer such as myself. For comparison of his lofty ideas consider researching the grounding, emotionally soothing effects that riding a bike has had for folks who have experienced trauma in their lives or are recovering from PTSD. Listen to the editor quoted at the beginning Ride Safe and Ride Hard.
Links related to this topic
Seat of Learning by James Straffon
Selle Anatomica Mountain Bike Saddle Review
Made in USA Selle Anatomica Titanico
Build a Bike for Someone to Love
Selle Anatomica Titanico Watershed with patented slot at left and NSX model on right suggested for mountain bikes.
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