Joshua Cohen is changing the way people ride bikes – one bike seat at a time.

While pursuing his graduate degree at the University of North Carolina, Cohen was brainstorming for thesis ideas when his mother, Rebecca Cohen, suggested he build a better bike seat.

Joshua Cohen, who grew up in Sycamore and graduated from Sycamore High School in 1994, was studying biomechanics and product design at UNC when he decided to design a more comfortable bike seat, otherwise known as a bike saddle.

About eight years ago, he began developing the Kontact Anatomical Bike Saddle. Cohen said his research was built on a German researcher who figured out a new way to measure oxygen levels while bicycling. He recruited bicyclists from around town to test blood flow in the groin area while riding and was able to gather instant results.

"Pretty much you want as much contact area with the saddle as you can," he said. "When you cut away areas, that causes pressure."

An avid cyclist himself, Cohen has competed in triathlons alongside other bikers, many of whom would complain about numbness and pain after the race. He developed a bike seat that helps increase oxygen flow, allows more leg room and decreases friction.

For about five years, a national retailer sold Cohen's bike seat design, but stopped when the company decided to scale back. After the company stopped selling his product, Cohen started getting calls and emails from people who still wanted to purchase the saddle.

About three months ago, Cohen teamed up with his business partner, Andrew Severson, to create the Kontact Bicycle Components Company. He's in the process of coming up with additional designs to create a line of bike seats.

Cohen said the design he created allows cyclists to move their legs more easily than the traditional teardrop seat because of its elongated nose.

"It's like a noseless saddle, but with a nose," Cohen said. "It has a wide, flat rear support system that supports the 'sit bones' without pressing on them."

In 2005, Cohen published a short book called "Finding the Perfect Bicycle Seat," which sums up his research and pinpoints common problems people have with bike seats. The wrong bike seat can actually lead to an array of health problems, he said.

"The biggest injuries are impotence and erectile dysfunction" in men, Cohen said. "For others, there are friction issues where you get nodules and skin lesions."

He said uncomfortable bike seats can cause the same types of issues in women when it comes to cutting off blood vessels. The seats can be attached to any bicycle, Cohen said.

When he's not designing bike saddles, Cohen runs his physical therapy practice – Mobile Rehab – in Pittsboro, N.C.

On the Web

www.kontactbike.com