The Psychology of Sports Technology: BiSaddle Adjustable Bike Saddle
You may be thinking: What does a bike saddle have to do with sports technology? Saddles don’t have computer chips or batteries or record data (at least not yet) Yet, I would argue that a bicycle saddle is one of the most important pieces of cycling technology for several reasons. It is the biggest interface between your body and your bike. Bike saddles can create profound discomfort and pain that can prevent you from riding faster and farther. And your bike saddles can, literally, be the difference between success and failure in your riding.
Physical Impact
As anyone who has ever ridden a bike knows, your bike saddle has profound physical implications on how you ride. Almost every body part, from your neck and shoulders down to your calves and feet, can be impacted by the saddle you ride.
I speak from painful experience with a long history of real discomfort when I ride either my road bike or triathlon bike. The last ten miles of rides always had been torture for me; my back hurt, my hamstrings and gluts were on fire, and, worst of all, my private parts were completely numb. On training rides, my power and speed would decline as my body rebelled against the pain “down under.” In triathlons, I struggled to maintain my aero form and the discomfort sapped my energy and tightened my legs, making the transition to the run segment very difficult and impaired my efforts to finish the race strong.
Psychological Impact
But an uncomfortable bike saddle doesn’t just affect you physically; rather it has real psychological consequences as well. Think about how those physical challenges that an uncomfortable bike saddle can have on how you think, the emotions you feel, and how you respond during a training ride or in a race. As you all know, when you’re in pain on the bike, it’s hard to stay motivated and maintain your effort, particularly in the later stages of the bike. In such a painful state, your mind sends messages to your body to slow down or stop.
With your backside either on fire or numb, you lose confidence that you can keep pushing. In an effort to protect itself from the pain of an uncomfortable saddle, your mind goes into protection mode, creating anxiety and muscle tension. That discomfort is also a huge distraction that prevents you from focusing on important aspects of the race including power output, pacing, nutrition, road conditions, and the competitors around you. Lastly, saddle pain triggers a plethora of negative emotions including frustration, anger, helplessness, and even despair. Clearly not a recipe for an enjoyable or successful training or race day.
Problem Solved
I’ve always wondered how the part of the bike that has the most contact with our bodies can be such a big problem that no one has adequately solved. I’ve always just accepted that the pain “down south” was just part of the deal when we ride bikes. It’s going to be uncomfortable, so we just have to suck it up and keep riding. Or maybe we don’t.
As I was sourcing parts for my new tri-bike in early 2022 (my previous bike was destroyed in a hit-and-run collision in September of 2021), I was searching for cool new bike technology that would enable me to build my dream tri-bike and I came across BiSaddle, an adjustable saddle that can be customized to our own unique anatomy. What a no-brainer, I thought, and how did it take so long for someone to think of it. So, I ordered a Stealth for my road bike and a Bonneville for tri-bike and had my bike fitter set me up on them. On my very first rides, I knew BiSaddle was a game changer! No back pain, no hammies or gluts that needed extinguishing, and best of all, I could tell that my private parts were still down there. The physical benefits alone were worth every penny.
But, given what I do for a living, I was interested in seeing how BiSaddle impacted me psychologically and emotionally. And the change has been dramatic! Without the pain and numbness that I thought was just a part of cycling and with my body now feeling comfortable and at ease, I have an entirely different mindset around my biking. On training rides, because my body is no longer pushing back against my workouts, I can maintain a quality effort from start to finish which has paid big dividends in my fitness. On race day, because my body is relaxed, my mind is better able to stay motivated, confident, and focused. This confluence of physical and mental changes resulted in a big shift emotionally, where I am now experiencing enjoyment, excitement, inspiration, and pride instead of all those negative emotions I used to feel.
Importantly, because I’m no longer adding the insult of a painful bottom to the inevitable injury of a hard exertion during the race, my mind is able to devote its energy to overriding my body’s desire to ease up at the end of a race as I fatigued and push hard right to the finish. The end result is now a happy body, a supportive mind, more fun, more consistent effort, and some very satisfying results over the last year. So, if you don’t want every ride to be a big pain in your you-know-what, go to Bisaddle.com and get one of your own. I promise that your backside will thank you every mile of every ride!
Disclaimer: I gain no financial benefit from your buying this product. I write about it because I use it, believe in it, and think that you may benefit from it as well.
of the most important pieces of cycling technology for several reasons. It is the biggest interface between your body and your bike. Bike saddles can create profound discomfort and pain that can prevent you from riding faster and farther. And your bike saddles can, literally, be the difference between success and failure in your riding.
and gluts were on fire, and, worst of all, my private parts were completely numb. On training rides, my power and speed would decline as my body rebelled against the pain “down under.” In triathlons, I struggled to maintain my aero form and the discomfort sapped my energy and tightened my legs, making the transition to the run segment very difficult and impaired my efforts to finish the race strong.
particularly in the later stages of the bike. In such a painful state, your mind sends messages to your body to slow down or stop.
output, pacing, nutrition, road conditions, and the competitors around you. Lastly, saddle pain triggers a plethora of negative emotions including frustration, anger, helplessness, and even despair. Clearly not a recipe for an enjoyable or successful training or race day.
riding. Or maybe we don’t.
On my very first rides, I knew BiSaddle was a game changer! No back pain, no hammies or gluts that needed extinguishing, and best of all, I could tell that my private parts were still down there. The physical benefits alone were worth every penny.
part of cycling and with my body now feeling comfortable and at ease, I have an entirely different mindset around my biking. On training rides, because my body is no longer pushing back against my workouts, I can maintain a quality effort from start to finish which has paid big dividends in my fitness. On race day, because my body is relaxed, my mind is better able to stay motivated, confident, and focused. This confluence of physical and mental changes resulted in a big shift emotionally, where I am now experiencing enjoyment, excitement, inspiration, and pride instead of all those negative emotions I used to feel.
exertion during the race, my mind is able to devote its energy to overriding my body’s desire to ease up at the end of a race as I fatigued and push hard right to the finish. The end result is now a happy body, a supportive mind, more fun, more consistent effort, and some very satisfying results over the last year. So, if you don’t want every ride to be a big pain in your you-know-what, go to Bisaddle.com and get one of your own. I promise that your backside will thank you every mile of every ride!
