Another reason to switch to recumbents
Category: Advertising... Cycling/Running/Fitness...
Posted Wednesday, May 17, 2006 at 06:19 PM [GMT-6]

Note: This post is engorged with euphemisms. It's hard to write one that isn't.

The Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), a "cross-sectional, population-based multidisciplinary survey of health in 1,265 normally aging men (aged 40-70 years) conducted from 1986 to 1989" has provided data for a number of related studies and pronouncements. One of the more controversial was issued by Dr. Irwin Goldstein in 1997 when he declared that the sport of bicycling caused or contributed to bad things like prostate problems, impotence, and infertility. Dr. Goldstein's stance was not well-received in the cycling community, as you might imagine. In fact, the leading cycling magazine devoted a large part of an issue in 1998 to the subject.

The magazine's conclusion was (1) that there was nothing to Dr. Goldstein's claims, but (2) even if there was, the problems occurred in only a small percentage of riders, but (3) even if a lot of people had problems, they could be mitigated, but (4) if you had problems anyway it only proved that you weren't man enough to be riding bicycles. OK, I made most of that up; the magazine actually included the story of one of its editors who was experiencing these problems after a lifetime of riding.

However, Bicycling Magazine continues to grasp at studies refuting the type of claims made by Dr. Goldstein and others.

So, with that context, I wonder about the reaction to the fact that Specialized -- one of the world's largest manufacturers of bicycles and cycling equipment -- has introduced a bicycle saddle with the stated purpose of helping to "prevent erectile dysfunction." In fact, Specialized is running a full page ad (shown at right) in this month's issue of Bicycling Magazine, and you don't even have to read the copy to get an idea of what they're up to. But click on the image just the same, because the copywriters have done yeomen's work in making almost every word suggestive of the benefits of riding on this seat.

In fact, Specialized's ad is followed by four additional pages of very fine print in which its dealers across the country are listed. The company might just be doing its dealerships a favor, but my theory is that they're trying to minimize the possibility that any demand for this saddle will be expressed via online orders rather than by guys showing up at their local bike shops asking for "that bicycle seat that, well, you know...not that I need it, mind you. In fact, it's for a friend. Yeah, that's it; it's for a friend."

Normally, one might judge the potential success of new cycling products by how rapidly they're adopted by the pros. If you see a particular handlebar or wheel in the peloton at the Tour de France, you can be assured that it's first rate (or that a sponsor paid unimaginably large sums to get the riders to use it). But my prediction is that it will be a cold day in hades before you see a guy like Jan Ullrich or Ivan Basso roll to the line on a bike sporting this particular saddle...even if they really need it (and I'm not implying that they do). You might as well brand your forehead with a big red "L."

Regardless, my curiosity is aroused as to why Specialized decided to name this product the "Toupé." Perhaps it's appropriate considering that the word connotes an attempt to cover a shortcoming, but I wouldn't think this would be a big confidence booster for a potential buyer.

Technorati tag: Specialized Toupé Saddle