Originally Posted by
pi03k
Could you please elaborate on the role of the nose and hips? Is that hip stability issue? Do cyclists have weak hips? Any research papers?
It's not an issue of weakness, or adding stability. The hips are free to move on a bicycle because the only "fixed" point is where the wheels are in contact with the ground. If a cyclist has weak hip function, no seat will help them, they need to improve their overall body strength.
The point I was getting at is that you can use your hips/ thighs to control your bike through the nose of the saddle. It's the same way that you would control a bike when riding no-hands, by moving your hips to either keep the bike balanced beneath you, or to move it to steer.
Originally Posted by
pi03k
Would you please share your opinion on ISM saddles? I've seen lots of them in mass races. Also Nater used one in sprints at SixDay events. Obviously they're great for pursuit and time trialing.
The use of a short nose saddle would be highly personal (just like any saddle). What works for one may not work for another. If you are a person who tends to set their saddle up so that you are sitting more towards the rear, then short nose saddles will provide enough of a nose so that you can push the seat around with your thighs to help control the bike. If you are a person who tends to sit more towards the middle, or moves around on the saddle a lot, then you may not have enough nose to control the bike like you are used to with a longer saddle. On the end it depends on riding style and of it can work for you.