Discover Just How Safe the vabsRider is
The vabsRider and the Hierarchy of Control
Robin Macan - ataraxyBSC Founder
27-02-2025
Saddle discomfort is a persistent challenge for both regular and casual cyclists, impacting enjoyment particularly over longer rides. Traditional bike saddles can create painful pressure points, lead to heat buildup, and result in long-term discomfort. But the risks go further than simple saddle soreness. There is emerging evidence to suggest that cyclists are at risk of other more significant urogenital overuse injuries, such as genital hypoesthesia (partial numbness) and paresthesia (burning sensation), erectile dysfunction, vulvar discomfort, and insertional dyspareunia. Several studies suggest that many of these injuries are due to the pressure on the soft tissues of the perineum and chronic compression of the pudendal nerve and artery.
All of this sounds very technical however what is important to understand is that long term cycling, using traditional saddles, can cause significant genital injuries in all cyclists. In the following blog I will explore how I looked at the causation of these injuries as an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) hazard, and how the use of the Hierarchy of Control helped us shape the design of the vabsRider, the world’s first virtual axis bicycle seat.
The Hierarchy of Control
The Hierarchy of Control (HoC) is a safety management tool used by OHS professionals to recognise, evaluate and control hazards in the workplace to create safe working conditions for employees. The Hierarchy of Control has 5 levels, ranked from most effective to least effective.
The point of the HoC method is simple; once you’ve identified the hazard and learned all that you can about it - its root cause, its short term and long term effects - you work your way down the HoC until you find the best solution to control the hazard.
The Problem with the Bicycle Saddle
It’s no secret in the bicycle industry that one of the biggest sore points (pardon the pun) for cyclists is in the saddle. Spend too long on a traditional saddle, and you will guarantee yourself a sore bum the next day. Spend too long across multiple days and long term injuries start to become a factor. The hazard is in the inherent design of the traditional saddle, creating unavoidable pressure and compression, on the more sensitive parts of your body.
“Pedaling while sitting on a slim hard saddle and being constantly subjected to repetitive impacts generates extreme perineal pressure, which indirectly compresses the pudendal nerves, and increases the friction within Alcock canal.”
(I. Leibovitch, Y. Mor/European Urology 47 (2005) 277–287)
The Hierarchy of Control in the saddle industry
The ultimate use of the HoC in hazard reduction is to eliminate the hazard altogether! This is inarguably THE most effective form of prevention while all other controls are compromises. Unfortunately industry norms and expectations by cyclists have accepted a standard that is far inferior in what can ultimately be achieved. The current market approach to hazard reduction and where they fit in the HoC pyramid is summarised below;
5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Current market solutions—like padded shorts, bicycle seat covers and anti-chafing gels—are reactive measures that fall into the bottom of the hierarchy. These are the quick fix solutions, the work-arounds that don’t eliminate the hazard of saddle soreness, but simply displace them. They often impose a recurring cost to the rider and can be quite expensive with very little value for money. The pain lingers on well after the bike rides are over. Not to mention a catastrophic failure in the fashion sense.
4. Administrative Controls (Changing How You Ride):
There are many blogs and YouTube videos that exhaustively explain the best way to increase your cycling comfort. Shift your saddle up or down, back-wards or forwards, make sure it’s level, these are common things you should definitely do to ensure a comfortable ride. But ultimately, if you ride for long enough, or often enough, that pressure on your privates is going to build and you’ll be left at risk of developing significant injuries.
3. Engineering Controls (Modifying the current design)
This is the part of the HoC where the majority of modern saddles are at. Big industry players make slight adjustments to saddle shape, size, material and/or padding, all with a purpose to soften the pressure between the saddle and the sit bones. Ultimately the saddle shape has remained largely unchanged over the decades with saddle design nearly identical from brand to brand.
2. Substitution (Trying something new)
Substitution in the HoC is about tackling a hazard by trying something new, an alternative product, a different method, straying away from convention and thinking outside the box. In my research I couldn’t quite find anything on the market that neatly fits the substitution level of the HoC, except for the vabsRider, but I think we’ve gone a step further, I think we’ve hit the gold standard in HoC hazard prevention; Elimination!
1. Elimination
The human body clearly needs some form of support whilst riding a bicycle. By turning the philosophy of saddle design, which is over 200 years old, inside out! We have effectively and convincingly eliminated any pressure on the soft tissue area that is maintained through a pivotal and dynamic design.
The vabsRider does just that. By splitting the saddle into two independent seats, the intentional gap that is created eliminates all pressure from the genital area. This effectively eliminates the hazard, preventing insidious injuries that can affect cycling enjoyment or causing people to stop cycling altogether. Not to mention surgical practices that are becoming more common.
vabsRider: Hazard elimination at its core
The pure genius of the vabsRider is that the benefits are not singular, it has been designed with hazard elimination at its core.
Pressure Relief
The split seat design alleviates pressure on the sit bones and perineal area by up to 80% when compared to a traditional bicycle saddle. This makes it particularly beneficial for those who experience saddle soreness or discomfort with traditional saddles. For more on this see the study performed by Anthony Mezzini, Exercise Scientist, published on our website here.
Above: Pressure distribution on traditional cycling seats compared to the vabsRider dynamic bike seat
Dynamic Movement
The independent vabsRider seats adapt to your body, enhancing flexibility while pedaling. This is especially noticeable during tight turns and maneuvers, making the ride significantly more enjoyable.
By looking at the hazards of cycling and asking ourselves, “why do we put up with uncomfortable riding that puts our privates at risk?”, we have been able to tackle the hazards with conviction.
The vabsRider dynamic split seat saddle exemplifies how thinking outside the box can force innovative designs. This saddle adopts a proactive approach to eliminating the risk of genital injury, while also significantly reducing the risk of saddle soreness. It truly represents the principles of hazard reduction and the proper use of the Hierarchy of Control—something no other saddle on the market can claim.
Kickstarter
Our saddle is a game-changer in cycling comfort, poised to transform the riding experience worldwide. This innovative saddle represents a breakthrough in cycling ergonomics, delivering a level of comfort and performance that many cyclists have long sought. If you’re ready to elevate your cycling experience, contribute to our Kickstarter campaign and guarantee yourself one of the very first saddles out of production.
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Robin Macan
Founder of ataraxyBSC and inventor of the vabsRider.
References
1. T.J.N. Hermans, R.P.W.F. Wijn, B. Winkens, Van Kerrebroeck, “Urogenital and Sexual Complaints in Female Club Cyclists—A Cross-Sectional Study”, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 13, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 40–45
2. Ilan Leibovitcha, Yoram Mor, TheVicious Cycling: Bicycling Related Urogenital Disorders, European Urology 47 (2005) 277–287
3. Marsha K. Guess, et al, “Genital Sensation and Sexual Function in Women Bicyclists and Runners: Are Your Feet Safer than Your Seat?”, J Sex Med 2006;3:1018–1027
4. Nathan J. Dettori and Daniel C. Norvell “Non-Traumatic Bicycle Injuries A Review of the Literature”, Sports Med 2006; 36 (1): 7-18
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ataraxyBSC respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which ataraxyBSC operates on, and pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
©TK-800 PTY LTD. 2025 | Website Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
Subscribe to our Waitlist
Be the first to hear about our Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
ataraxyBSC respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which ataraxyBSC operates on, and pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
©TK-800 PTY LTD. 2025 | Website Terms of Use & Privacy Policy