Quote Originally Posted by Audio-A
Terrific question, but I'll be honest. There wasn't much power transfer happening when I was in pain on the other saddles. Comparing the gel cushion to the non-gel Alias, I don't feel I gave up anything. It's such a tiny bit of gel, but apparently, just enough in exactly the right place.
Cool, good to know. The Selle Italia I rode yesterday had zero padding for the bony parts, and though they ended up a little achey I did feel like I was pedaling more efficiently than with my generally-padded Selle San Marco I'd ridden the day before.

One thing that I've learned is that we are all extremely different. Given how much love there is for the Terry's, I thought those would be perfect. But, every saddle has to have SOME fans, right? So, find a source that will let you try them out - I could tell after one 50 mile ride if a saddle was a no-go. The Terry FireFly was close, but it still just wasn't ideal.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what it all boils down to! Just try it and see. I even mentioned to my hubby that what I needed was to find someplace with a good return policy so I could ride before committing. As he said, "That's easier said than done"!

Knowing that no matter what my ego said, I needed a wide saddle helped immensely. I could look at the rear profile of a saddle and know that it would slope down too quickly, or would be too wide through the nose, or be too squishy. But, once you find 'the one', life suddenly becomes very, very good!
The more I learn to LOVE riding, the more I long for that day when it's a pain-free affair!