Okay ladies, I tried the Atola Gelaround yesterday on a 40 mile ride (my first of that distance since my accident - yippee!!!) It's too early to say definitively, but I think I am going to like it.

When I sat on it right at first, it felt like the right shape and size, and I could feel my sit bones being well supported in back, even though it's quite a bit narrower than the Butterfly, so that confirms that I didn't really need the extra width of the B-fly. It also seemed like the areas in back that chafe on the B-fly weren't even hitting the saddle anymore, so it really might be an improvement there, as I'd hoped. The cutout is perfect, completely unnoticeable, the nose is comfy, the shorter length is fine, the only thing that was not perfect was that it definitely has a firmer feel in the sit-bone area (as I've read here), and as a result, I got a little sore by the end of the ride just on those two small areas, but I think this is something I can toughen up.

Riding the Atola was a very different sensation than my first couple of rides when I tried the Terry Damselfly (two years ago) and thought it felt like a 2 by 4, and it also pinched and rubbed me raw in the labial area b/c the cutout was very narrow and firm. After the first ride on that one, I wondered how anyone could ever find it comfortable! A few rides later, it came off the bike, never to be used again.

So far, I am happy with this purchase! A final verdict will come a bit later, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Emily