Searching for a saddle - what to try next?

[ny biker]

I'm searching for a saddle for my Ruby, and could use some advice to help me figure out what next.

The stock saddle was a Specialized Lithia, which was no good for me. The nose is too wide, and it doesn't support my sit bones, so there's a lot of pressure on soft tissue.

I borrowed a Fizik saddle from my LBS (not sure which one), and it supported my sit bones much better, but didn't have a cutout. I liked the firmness (no gel), but I missed the cutout that the Lithia has.

Now I have a Specialized Toupe (143 mm) on loan from my LBS. Last night I rode for about 30 mi. on it, and I liked it best of the three. Cutout was just right, sit bones felt supported. I noticed I was repositioning myself more often than on the Lithia (is that bad?), and my sit bones were a little sore. Not bad, but a little.

My LBS doesn't have any women's saddles to borrow, so the question is what to do with what I've learned. I'm not sure I've found "it" yet. I've looked at Terry's website, and Specialized's women's saddles, and wouldn't know which ones to try. Any advice?

It's not clear to me that you need to try a different saddle. If it's not level, that could explain why you kept repositioning yourself. If the fore/aft position is not right, that could also explain it.

If your sit bones are sore, that just could be because it's the the first saddle that is allowing you to actually sit on them while you ride, and you just need to toughen them up a bit.

[zoom-zoom]

You know, this thread has me thinking I need to revisit the Ruby saddle. I LOVED my Jett on my previous bike and I still really like it on my newer bike, but the more aggressive positioning seems to have me angled forward just enough to put more pressure/weight (and occasional pinching when things aren't adjusted quite right) than I would like on my girly bits. I tried a Ruby last Summer (the one that making the TE rounds) and found it to be too hard, but I really didn't try it for more than a couple of rides. Perhaps I just didn't give it enough time for my sit bones to adapt. I'm suspicious that the firmer saddle could be the cure-all for my up-front issues (which are still quite minor, really).