SQlab Cycling Technology – Saddles for special circumstances
The SQlab active-saddle technology
by Robert Thorpe & Til Drobisch (SQLab)
Now that we’ve got you sitting relatively comfortably on your new SQLab step saddle, we want to talk with you about those medical issues which some cyclists unfortunately have, and which can benefit from even more detailed technical thinking from those clever people at SQlab. Their ‘active saddle’ technology was designed to aid cyclists with back pain caused from spinal issues and other factors. The technology enables a physiologically correct co-movement of the pelvis and thus prevents discomfort in the lower back.
It’s worth understanding that, in addition to 24 cranial nerves, humans have 62 other spinal nerves. More than half of all spinal nerves pass through or past the pelvis. This can bring on those significant pain issues that we mentioned in our earlier saddles blog with SQlab. However, all these nerves within the spinal area can after trauma, or simply due to our lifestyle, cause us back pain that is debilitating. Add to this the movement of a bike, and you’ve got a serious pain problem that needs a solution. With Tobias’ own history of spinal injury, this has always been an issue that SQlab wanted to look at and to find a solution to help riders.
In essence, the solution was a new way of constructing a saddle so that it became more than simply a support system for sit bones. After lots of research and testing, the ‘active saddle’ technology was borne.
SQlab’s ‘active saddle’ technology enables the pelvis to move laterally while riding, reducing strain on the lower spine, pelvis, and hips, and relieving the discs and facet joints. This added movement, whilst controlling the stability of the sit bones, makes cycling more comfortable and helps prevent back pain. Let’s look briefly at this in detail.
The active – Technology
The active saddle concept incorporates a unique technology that allows the saddle to tilt and move slightly as the rider shifts their weight, and it moves in just the right way to compensate for that rider motion. This movement helps to reduce pressure on sensitive areas, improve stability, and promote a more natural riding posture. Movement is important for the spinal column, as it allows the spine to flex naturally. The metabolism of the intervertebral discs within the spinal column functions via movement (loading and unloading) – for example when walking… or cycling. On the other hand, constant one-sided pressure, such as that caused by sitting motionless for long periods, has a disruptive effect. That disruptive effect is felt as pain and it can be severe. Importantly, as you’ve already measured yourself and now have the right width of SQlab saddle and are benefitting from their step-saddle design, you have the correct stable base for your own unique sit bones, meaning that ‘active saddle’ technology is one more element to help your now correctly fitted saddle to give you the ultimate in cycling comfort.
Preventing Back Pain
By allowing this gentle and controlled movement, whilst maintaining the stability of your sit bones, the saddle promotes a more ergonomic posture, which can help alleviate tension and pain in the lower back. The dynamic motion also supports the natural curvature of the spine, reducing the risk of strain during rides. It relieves those important spinal discs, as the slight movement of the saddle helps to distribute pressure evenly across the sitting bones and minimizes stress on the spinal discs. This relief can be crucial during longer commutes, longer rides and general cycling. Since its development in 2010, SQlab have introduced this technology across their range of saddles.
Active saddle technology can help sporty cyclists too. In terms of these performance-orientated riders, the active saddle technology helps to reduce back pain on those longer and arduous days on the bike, riding into the hills.
The active system works, because the rails are attached to the centre of the saddle shell, allowing the base of the saddle to flex, when pressure (coming from the body weight) is applied. The flex in the sportive models can be altered by using elastomers with different damping properties (white: soft, grey: medium-soft, black: hard), so depending on body weight you can use the elastomer that allows the correct amount of flex.
The comfort saddles don´t have an elastomer, they have a switch function, which allows even more movement if the switch is turned 90°, but they already come with more flex, because they are focused more on comfort and pain reduction, than the sporty models.
Prostate saddles by SQlab
One other area of bike saddles that we wanted to explore, due in no small part to my own health related issues, is cycling with prostate issues. We won’t suffer you with the details of this potentially serious condition, suffice to say that thankfully, SQlab have researched this and created a specific saddle to help to alleviate discomfort for riders with prostate issues. The prostate sits at the area of the pubic arch, and when enlarged can adversely affect cyclists who are using an incorrectly fitted saddles. Many cyclists have significant issues due to saddle problems and an enlarged prostate. It can lead to you needing medical consultation, and so we’d always recommend speaking to your doctor if you believe that you fall into this category.
Thankfully though, with the correct medical intervention and support, and the right saddle – from SQlab in this case – you can ride pain free and without your enlarged prostate being an issue. Fundamentally, it is essential to reduce the pressure on the prostate to a maximum, and the prostate specific saddle from SQlab does just this!
Removing the pressure and creating comfort
After a prostate operation or in the case of frequent prostate inflammations, it is crucial that the saddle does not exert pressure on the sensitive perineal area. The SQlab saddle models 621 M-D active, 602 M-D active and 610 M-D active provide the best possible relief in the perineal area and are recommended after prostate surgery. Instead of the trademark double-step shape, they only have one higher elevated step, which leads to higher pressure relief on the saddle nose and the perineal area, which includes the prostate.
The SQlab M-D Line stands for maximum relief of sensitive areas and so the 602 M-D® active 2.1 offers the optimal pressure distribution according to medical criteria for trekking and touring bikes. The relief of the perineal area is with 80% very large and usually also sufficient for an age-related, enlarged prostate.
The 602 M-D active 2.1 also gets an improved, lighter saddle shell, an increased adjustment range and the completely newly developed technology for the Comfort active system, which is now adjustable via a switch function. New models from SQlab are also integrated threads for the connection of bags. The new 602 M-D offers more comfort with the same relief and a slightly narrower saddle nose, meaning that every aspect of your medical needs is catered for, leaving you to ride in comfort.
In the next blog, Til and I will be talking about the next contact point for cyclists – handlebars – and the associated issues that need to be overcome. For now, though, we’ve hopefully given you a better understanding of the importance of getting a correctly fitted saddle, and, how using a well-researched and well-engineered brand such as SQlab can benefit your general health as well as your cycling lifestyle.
