Originally Posted by
brawlo
Finally, and almost counter intuitively, a padding reduction of the saddle worked wonders for longer rides. Once upon a time when I was riding metric centuries, the most comfortable saddle that I had was a Selle SMP Composit. Zero padding. For longer rides, that piece of shaped hardness was the most comfortable saddle that I had tried.
Funny how that works, isn't it?
Bar none, the single most comfortable seating position I've ever had was at a park in British Columbia, where the seat had been carved from an old growth stump. The shape of it was so utterly perfect, for me, it felt like sitting on a cloud. Sat there for hours, admiring the gardens and the view. I've never been more comfortable in a seat than on that day, before or since.
Certainly makes one think about what makes comfort on a seat. It isn't about the padding, outright. IME, it's mostly about the shape and contours, and how well those match one's backside, and whether there are seams/creases in the way to interfere with that comfort.