Re-test a saddle months later?

[ny biker]

In my quest to find a comfortable saddle, I tested several this year -- SSM Aspide Glamour, Selle Italia Ldy, Specialized Lithia, Bontrager Affinity RL, Bontrager Affinity R. I was most happy with the Bontrager Affinity R, which is the most padded version of this saddle. However now I'm thinking of retesting the less padded Affinity RL. Is this crazy?

I started in the spring with the Aspide Glamour, which was too hard. I tried it on two rides and it was painful the whole time due to pressure on the pubic rami. The Ldy was better but there was too much pressure in the nose and some pubic bone pain. The Lithia also caused too much pressure on the rami, I think because they were seated on the edge of the cutout.

The Affinity RL also felt like there was too much pressure on the rami, though it was better than the other saddles I had tried. I returned it and tried the Affinity R and still had pain on one side due to the saddle being slightly off center, but after some adjustments and a couple of weeks, it was great. However I then started to have problems with pressure from the nose, probably due to too much padding there. I've been riding with the Affinity R all summer and continue to have this problem. The sit bones/rami feel great.

But now, thinking back over the all the testing, I tried all these saddles in a short period of time without a break in between. I rode each for 1-3 rides, then moved on to the next. So perhaps when I tried the RL, I was still experiencing leftover soreness from the previous saddles that I had tried. If I try it again now, maybe I will like it better.

Then again, maybe I'm crazy and it will be just as uncomfortable as it was before?

So I'm wondering if anyone has found a previously uncomfortable saddle to be a better option when tried a second time.

I'm also thinking of looking into the men's version of the Affinity R, since it's available in a similar width (148 vs 144 mm), and I figured the padding might be different.

Any thoughts?

Thanks as always for your input.

[OakLeaf]

I haven't had that experience, but I've definitely had visible soft tissue swelling from bad saddles. If you had any swelling the last time you tested the saddle, it could feel a lot different without that.

[Sky King]

okay you ladies know more than I, which I love BTW, but have you tried adjusting the nose tilt on any of the saddles to see if that helped.

[Artista]

I 2nd the suggestion for a professional fit. I had my 1st professional fit last winter but it didn't overcome my saddle problems. I tested 11 saddles this season with most of the saddles putting extreme, painful, pressure on my sit bones. I mentioned the problem to a guy with a reputation as one of the best fitters in the state. He suggested another fit, (by himself of course:)). Lo and behold, he resolved the saddle problem within 2 hours. The resolution was a slightly longer handle bar stem that stretched me out more and resulted in better weight distribution along the length of my saddle. Now I'm back to riding the 2nd, and least expensive saddle that I tried - a Bontrager Affinity R that I picked up for a song at an LBS. I can't say enough about the value of a HIGHLY QUALIFIED fitter.

[kermit]

I am back to a saddle I tried years ago with some success. I had a super expensive pro bike fit and have discovered a little higher nose adjustment is giving me a good ride. I always thought I was level but I think I was lower than level. its hard to measure some of these super angled saddles. I am also convinced that there will be some discomfort at times, it is just a part of riding. My body has changed with age, and my desires and goals for riding have changed. Give it a shot!