When it comes to saddles, lately there seems to be no shortage of ideas on how to revolutionize how we sit on a bike. The latest bizarre creation is Dpardo’s T2 Healthy Saddle – basically just a horizontal bar that you sit on. The simple design has two main functions, eliminate friction on the groin, and pressure on the perineum. According to U-Chien’s research, pressure in the perineum can result in abnormal genital growth for juveniles as well as “hymen injuries for girls,” as well as countless genital related issues for adults. Right. Fortunately the Type 2 saddle eliminates those issues by eliminating pressure on the perineum completely. In fact the saddle comes with a benefit list that borders on infomercial with the ability to “slim down, tighten and lift the buttocks, improve blood circulation to increase leg strength and butt muscle mass, restore elasticity and vigor for loose muscles, improve sagging buttocks”…. and on and on.
That’s a lot of talk, does it work? Get our first impression after the break…
The hardest part to wrap your head around (or your butt) is that you sit with your sit bones on the upper portion of the saddle. Nothing actually touches the lower pad, it’s just there should you slip off I suppose. Here is something even harder to believe – it was actually comfortable. Maybe it really does provide relief through the Cheng fu acupuncture point. Or maybe it’s just because I had been walking around the show floor for hours, so I probably could have sat on an actual 2×4 and been comfortable, but it was strangely comfortable for pedaling in jeans. But, with absolutely no support to keep you from falling forward, and no ability to change positions, comfort on a trainer for a few minutes might be as far as it goes. However, if you have a completely upright riding position it might just do the trick.
The T2 Healthy Saddle weighs in around 267g and retails for around $88 in a variety of colors.
Not surprisingly, the Healthy Saddle is brought to you by the same company responsible for the Sickle Crank. These are the cranks that supposedly increase torque output by 41% over a standard crank. Apparently the cranks are so easy to turn that they have had to increase the chainring tooth counts to include a new Monster R58 58t ring. There is also a 56t ring with a solid crank arm to the left of the picture for mountain biking on a 29er(?).
