“Men no longer had to worry about flopping around when they were riding a bike or playing a sport. ”
The first jockstrap was called the “bike jockey strap” and was designed to be worn by bicycle jockeys in the 1870s.
Many bike terms were adapted from horse riding, especially during the early era of cycling as horses were the primary mode of transit. A person riding a bicycle during this time was known as a bicycle jockey and the “bike jockey strap” was soon shortened to “jockstrap.”
Since the jockstrap was originally designed to be worn by cyclists, it must be perfectly logical to conclude that modern-day riders should be wearing them too???
Should you wear a cup or jockstrap while mountain biking?
Wearing a cup or jockstrap compromises rider comfort and safety while pedaling from a seated position and is NOT recommended for general or downhill mountain biking. Wearing a cup during cycling will increase the pressure on your perineum, which can lead to severe erectile dysfunction issues.
There are also no known benefits of cups protecting against straddle-type injuries or protection against branches, rocks, and bike components.
jockstrap & supporting the “floppy man”
Image Source: Out Magazine (2004)
Charles F. Bennett, an avid bicyclist created the first jockstrap in 1874, to remedy the problem of what he called “floppy man parts.”
The 1st jockstrap was designed to support the manly jewels and prevent them from bouncing around while cycling (underwear wouldn’t be invented for another 61 years)
It took an additional 31 years and another sport before the cup was added to the jockstrap
Bouncing Cyclists
These first bicycle jockey straps were originally designed to contain “floppy man parts,” as “tighty whities” weren’t even invented yet. In 1935, Coopers Inc. sold their first pair of men’s briefs, which was dubbed the “jockey” as it offered similar support. Coppers Inc. even had one style called the “jock brief.”
The High Wheeler or “penny-farthing”
In 1870s America, the standard bicycle was the High Wheeler. Bikes of this era had a wooden seat with no springs, no suspension, and pneumatic (inflatable) tires were yet to be invented.
Cyclists were 5 feet off the ground and getting bounced around from riding on bumpy cobblestone streets without any proper inner garments. The cycling pad or chamois would be developed about 20 years later, making the bike jockey strap obsolete for the sport of cycling.
jockstrap & the cup
The original jockstrap was solely designed to support the jiggling jewels and didn’t offer any protection against impacts.
The cup was not part of the bike jockey strap and was a later addition to impact sports. In 1905, a baseball catcher named Claude Berry put a steel ‘safety cup’ in his jockstrap since catchers had no groin protection.
By the 1920s, the cup became standard gear for baseball, hockey, martial arts, cricket players, and other athletes in contact sports.
“It’s believed his qualities behind the plate were enhanced by the piece of molded steel in his pants ”
Mountain biking with a cup
According to the 2018 book, Management of Sports and Physical Education by Maddox Howe:
Protective Equipment - Cycling
- Jockstrap (optional)
- Jockstrap with a cup pocket and protective cup for mountain biking
- Spandex shorts
- Helmet
(Howe, p. 217 - - bolding is mine)
In theory, maybe, wearing a cup while mountain biking makes sense. However, in the real world, it just doesn’t work.
Wearing a cup and sitting down increases the pressure in your groin area. The whole point of wearing padded cycling shorts is to protect your groin from friction and to alleviate pressure on the saddle. Wearing a cup increases the pressure on your perineum while seated and is dangerous for your genitalia, and is also uncomfortable.
You should be riding with padded bicycling shorts without a jockstrap or cup. If you’re riding with a cup, your trading your long-term genital health for the smallest chance of a possible short-term benefit.
Practical Issues of Wearing a Cup & Pedaling
Sitting in the saddle and pedaling while wearing a cup changes your cycling mechanics. Leaning forward on the seat for climbing with a cup is incredibly uncomfortable and forces you to modify your pedal stroke. The result is excessive rubbing against the cup and increased groin pressure.
Riding over roots and logs while seated is not only uncomfortable but is also painful.
Downhill Riding & Wearing a Cup
If one were to wear a cup while mountain biking, wearing while descending or riding in a bike park would be the most logical. However, in reality, it’s not so practical.
Riding on bumpy trails vibrates the cup, and causes a lot of pressure in your groin area, even while standing. Trying to push down on the seat with your body to activate the dropper post can be painful if the cup gets in the way.
The only possible way to really make it feasible is to hoover over the saddle the ENTIRE ride, which for most people is not very realistic. Also, you use your legs to grip the seat during turns and other maneuvers, and it’s just too easy to make contact with the cup which puts too much pressure on your groin.
Fast Balls
“Scrotal rupture during athletic competition is considered a rare occurrence; however, blunt trauma to the scrotum is relatively common.”
While its common to experience testicular injuries in sports and athletic hobbies, most don’t require medical attention. A 2019 study from the Irish Journal of Medical Science noted that:
"A study in the USA involving over 5,400 sports-related injuries arising in the National Paediatric Trauma Registry encountered no testicular injuries at all. When they did occur, as reported in other studies, the majority of testicular injuries (48%) was reported in the sport of lacrosse." - - (bolding from this author)
A 2019 study from Case Reports in Emergency Medicine reports:
"Studies revealed that a 50 kg direct force is required to cause testicular rupture."
While it's possible to suffer a traumatic testicular injury, it takes over 110 pounds of direct force. Getting hit below the belt hurts and is quite common, but for those unlucky few who suffer from serious injury, it takes an imperfectly perfect shot with a lot of power or force.
From a 1904 sporting catalogue
mtb bike park & groin injuries
A team of doctors reviewed all the patients admitted to the Whistler Health Clinic for injuries while riding in the Whistler Bike Park during the entire 2009 season. The data was published in the journal of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine in a 2012 publication.
The medical clinic had 898 patients during the season from injuries incurred at the Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Bike Park, of these injuries:
86% were male
The average age was 26
Zero groin accidents (0 out of 898 riders with 1,759 total injuries)
Want to go faster ???
Whistler Bike Park, Groin Injuries & Follow-up
I contacted Dr. Mary Mckay, who was part of the research team for the Whistler bike park study. I wanted to verify that no groin injuries occurred since it’s possible they got lumped into a different category, such as abdominal or lower extremity.
Dr. Mckay said,
“I don't recall seeing any significant groin injuries - but frankly, we did the work for the paper a really long time ago.”
Dr. Mckay in her response did bring up two valid questions though:
How much protection does a cup provide in mountain biking??
It’s a catch 22. The cup can protect against a traumatic blow, but it can also cause possible long term groin damage while being sat on.
Does MTB provide a significant risk of groin injury??
Not much risk, as genital injuries are rare.
Final thought
“ And why would a cyclist want to wear any garment to support the genitals? I can only comment that several Scotsmen can’t be wrong – nothing is worn under the kilt!”
Wearing anything that comes between your saddle and “junk” is not good. There is a reason you wear biking shorts with a pad or chamois. Compromising riding mechanics, comfort, and long term genitalia health to reduce the freak odds of a traumatic blow is not a good trade.
Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, bicycle commuting, snowboarding, reading, weight-lifting, taster of craft beers, & non-cup wearer.
More articles from Pedal Chile
Sources & References
Ashwell, Zachary, et al. “The Epidemiology of Mountain Bike Park Injuries at the Whistler Bike Park, British Columbia (BC), Canada.” Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, vol. 23, no. 2, June 2012, pp. 140–145.
Blok, Derek, et al. “Testicular Rupture Following Blunt Scrotal Trauma.” Case Reports in Emergency Medicine, vol. 2019, 19 Dec. 2019, pp. 1–3.
“Briefs.” Wikipedia, 26 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briefs.
ESPN The Magazine. “ESPNMAG.Com - Why Are They Called Jock Straps?” Www.Espn.Com, www.espn.com/magazine/vol5no11answerguy.html. Accessed 27 Oct. 2020.
Freehill, Michael T et al. “Presumed testicular rupture during a college baseball game: a case report and review of the literature for on-field recognition and management.” Sports health vol. 7,2 (2015): 177-80.
Gabay, J. Gabay’s Copywriting Compendium. London, Hodder Education, 2010.
Howe, Maddox. Management of Sports and Physical Education. Waltham Abbey Essex, England, Etp, 2018.
Kimmel, Michael S. Cultural Encyclopedia of the Penis. Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.
Lengerke & Antoine. Fishing Tackle and Spring and Summer Sports. 1904 Net Trade Catalogue, No. 19. Chicago, 1904.
Loeb, Charles A., et al. “FR-09 GUARDING THE FAMILY JEWELS: A HISTORY OF THE ATHLETIC CUP.” Journal of Urology, vol. 199, no. 4S, Apr. 2018.
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Rushin, Steve. The 34-Ton Bat : The Story of Baseball as Told through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objects. New York, Little, Brown And Company, 2013
Tasian, Gregory E et al. “Pediatric genitourinary injuries in the United States from 2002 to 2010.” The Journal of urology vol. 189,1 (2013): 288-93.