On the Edge of Your Seat: How This Bicycle Saddle Is Looking To Revolutionize Cycling

Folks, upon running across the following product's website, I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Phrases like "The only bike seat designed with your crotch health in mind." and "Your genitals will thank you!" you can understand why. Heck, even the product motto seems to be "Sit on it." However, as I dove deeper into what's going on here, I realized that the VSeat may be onto something, and it's no joke.

If you've ever ridden a bike, you know what happens if the saddle isn't fit for your body and measurements. Generally, most folks will complain about the seat before anything else. This is because just about all your body's weight is supported by nothing more than a strip of what is often plastic with a bit of padding.

Furthermore, as we ride, our groin area is exposed to even more hits delivered by the road into the seat post and saddle. If you've ever ridden a bike even 100 feet while sitting down on an improper-fitting seat, you know what I'm talking about here.

Well, the VSeat has been created as a complete redesign of how a bike seat works, helping reduce pressure off sensible regions and giving us the freedom to not only roam for miles on end but, in doing so, support more of the body's natural movements, in particular the legs.

The main way that the VSeat stands apart from other markets, and the one way it's looking to revolutionize the bicycle seat, is with a noseless design. That protruding hunk of a bike seat is no longer in place, so there's nothing to jam into your body as you ride.

Benefit number two is the way your weight is supported on the seat. Your typical seat wedges in between the hip bones and places pressure on the inner region of your legs, whereas the VSeat supports your weight on the outer rear region of the hips. In short, it should feel a whole lot like just sitting on the edge of your seat and not a torture device.

This redistribution of pressure is achieved by a flat and wide look and feel of the VSeat; it's basically the complete opposite of how a traditional bicycle saddle is built. Throughout history, the cruiser seat has been the one that may have come closest to this design. With an idea of how you'll be sitting on a VSeat, let's explore more of the soft and squishy of this product.

That starts off with nothing more than a composite material as a base for the VSeat, upon which a layer of extra plush goodness is placed. It's not clear what sort of material is on top of the composite base, but it appears to be a silicon or other tough gel. With a layer to seal everything in, the VSeat is basically finished. All that's needed now is $120, and you're off to the races.

But, I have questions, some of which you may have or have not thought about too. For example, this isn't the first seat of this nature, one that eliminates the saddle nose, so why aren't we all riding such a seat?

Well, from my own riding experience, that saddle nose actually has some function, not just to make your Saturday rides a living torture scene. If you ride MTB, you may have found yourself looking for that so-called nose to help you find the rest of the bike; it's a little hint as to what the rear may be doing and where it's at.

Secondly, I sometimes pinch this component and the top tube with both my thighs to ensure I'm locked into the bike, assuming I'm not wearing cycling shoes or sporting adequate pedals. Even during turns, the seat's nose offers support to a rider and helps maintain a stable position. All may just go out the window with the VSeat.

Still, not all is lost; the VSeat clearly has its place in the cycling world. For example, since this seat is designed to keep you in the saddle for as long, one place where we could see this puppy used is on a classic cruiser, perfect for lazy rides around town.

Last but not least, the VSeat has great potential in a place where one of its creators is often found: the gym. Co-founder Bryan Visintin is a fitness coach, and if we throw this saddle onto any cycling rig found in a gym, we could be looking at some pretty amazing spin classes.

Now, all this tech seems to be backed by doctors and riders alike, and the only way to see if the hype is real is to try it out for yourself. Just be sure to adhere to the company's return policy in case you don't like the goods.

At the end of the day, VSeat isn't the only team looking to revolutionize the way we cycle, nor will they be the last, so we can expect such designs to get better and better as we move forward in time and space. Ride safe out there, and always wear a helmet.