read this:
maybe we, unicyclists, should be worrying about this too.
let me know what you think.
I’m scared!
Dan
You would think that they would have used a control group that was road cyclists. They sit in the saddle for longer periods than say a mountain biker. I would think that a road bike group would show the same or probably greater. Mbikers - from my own experience spend some time out of the saddle, especially if you are doing descents and when you climb.
I remember in the late 70’s this issue came up with relation to the nerve that runs under “there” and it could effect erectal difficulties, but (as I remember) the literature of the time said that you really didn’t have to worry about it.
However, if you jump ahead to current times, this has been popping up recently, and IS a concern. I have always worried about numb crotch from the getgo with UNi riding, but with Muni, I spend more time on UPD’s or out of the saddle as I go over obstacles. Cross country Coker riders, might have an issue here, dunno.
As for the lowering of the sperm count. I am “done”. Three kids is enough anyway and I can’t bring my self to get snipped. But the possible cancerous growth issue is something to be mindful of.
I’m only 15 and practice Unicycling for a minimum of an hour a day. I can’t imagine giving up the sport, but I wonder how bad will I get with age, because I plan to Unicycle the rest of my life. 
Logan.
I have read about this before. This is why they have all of those neat split seats with all of the gel in them for bicycles. Trauma to the testicles, nerve damage, and vascular damage all contribute to erectile dysfunction(due to nerve problems or lack of blood flow), low sperm count, testicular growths and/or cancer, and decreased blood flow to the region.
Check out an anatomy book and see how the blood vessels and nerves that service the groin area are arranged.
I know a guy who had to have a nut removed because it got cancerous after being kicked REALLY hard doing martial arts.
Another of my friends, from biking and various sports has large varicose veins on his bag. I mean HUGE. Perma-swollen.
Damage to your sensitives is not just a funny face, high pitched squeal, and rolling on the floor like in the movies.
I am new to unicycling and just learning but I already have been having problems with immediate pain, numbness, and lingering aching pain. Of course I pull the big guys up and out of the way but that is only half of the problem as the nerves and vessels are still getting squished. I am riding on a Velo saddle. While better than most that I tried, I have had it for three days and am already tearing into it to do some modification surgery to it. Are women designing these things? They certainly aren’t made with males in mind. The pain is just too much and I have yet to sire children. If anything works out I will post the results.
noodle
WOW, that is scary! Especialy the cancer bit!
I dont really want kids anyway, well i aint really though about it much, just being 14.
My dad uses his Bike alot (dont worry, he unicycles too!) and he has one of those saddle with the gap in the middle. We also have two on our Tandem, and they dont not squash your tackle (mine tend to be ‘scooped’ up out of harm way), but it puts less presure on the part between your B4!!$ and your a$$ (u know were i meen?). It does make a huge differece on a bike, especialy when your doin like 50mile a day.
Its very very scary tho!
Joe
with padded shorts and air saddle! 
I don’t have the medical facts and figures at hand, but it seems to me that at least some of the people in this forum have kids.
I know from personal experience that years of unicycling on anti-ergonomical saddles doesn’t always affect fertility.(or maybe I was just lucky)
It doesn’t hurt to be aware of a potential problem, but don’t let this scare you away from uniing. Use this as an excuse to get a decent saddle and a good pair of cyclingshorts.
Protect your head! It’s the second most important part of your body.
You could also remove the saddle all together, and the frame while you ar at it. I like my ultimate wheels even better now.
Morten
I didn’t read the entire article cited. If it’s like similar ones I’ve read in the past year, it refers to serious hardcore riders, who put in many hours per day on their seats.
But the report is more worrying when it involves mountain bikers, who presumably don’t spend the same constant time sitting in the saddle that road bikers do.
Certainly, during the time we’re seated, we are being affected at least as much as a biker, especially if we’re sitting with our full weight on the seat. Our seats are wider, but our pelvic areas are tilted forward more, so that probably evens out.
I’d say that if you’re riding to the point of numbness, you should really pay attention to this. Most of us probably don’t put in the same kind of saddle hours as the guys in the test. Without knowing this, it’s hard to compare. Even then, with the differences in seat width and pelvic angle, there is still a wide range of variables.
This doesn’t mean to dismiss the danger. I’m sure there is some risk there. But if you ride 5 hours a day and don’t smoke, you’re probably in better shape for the long haul that someone who does 5 packs and 0 hours of riding 
Re: health warning?
“johnfoss” <johnfoss.hxyvb@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:johnfoss.hxyvb@timelimit.unicyclist.com…
>
> I didn’t read the entire article cited. If it’s like similar ones I’ve
> read in the past year, it refers to serious hardcore riders, who put in
> many hours per day on their seats.
>
> This doesn’t mean to dismiss the danger. I’m sure there is some risk
> there. But if you ride 5 hours a day and don’t smoke, you’re probably in
> better shape for the long haul that someone who does 5 packs and 0 hours
> of riding
I read a similar article recently which seemed more medically comprehensive
and had more detailed analysis of results. I don’t have the link handy, so
will go from memory:
In it they quoted some doctors who said although the results were
noteworthy, they cautioned people not to panic. They pointed out the
majority of the population falls way below the targeted range of people in
the study - the findings were considerably lower for riders who rode less
frequently. The one interesting item which I don’t the above article
mentioned was they had also found the numbers were even lower for guys who
rode Full Suspension versus Hardtail.
Overall they wanted to make very clear that the obvious health benefits of
riding a bicycle FAR outweigh any risks found in these studies.
So it would be interesting to compare a Uni with a Hardtail, or a
Muni/Trials with a Full Suspension.
As my dad always told me - too much of ANYTHING is probably not a good
thing - how many people in this forum fall within the targeted range of this
study (more than 2 hours a day)?
Maybe you should get checked and let us know the results 
David Winston
Here’s the abstract for that article:
US findings in the scrotum of extreme mountain bikers
I’ll see about digging up that article tomorrow.