Like your fingertips playing guitar or your palette when playing saxophone, your sit ones need to harden up and acclimate to the saddle. More padding is rarely the answer. Though some padding can sometimes be helpful. More padding tends to lead to hot & swampy conditions which leads to friction and chafing. The purpose of a chamois isn't padding; it's to facilitate wicking and evaporation for a dry friction free posterior.
Specialized with their "Body Geometry" tend to be generally good. I also had a Terry leather over foam saddle that worked fantastic until the foam eventually broke down.
People swear that Brooks are the best-est. I never could make Brooks Cambrium saddles work for me. Maybe they mean Brooks leather are the best? I dunno. Leather tends to breathe. So, no doubt that contributed to why leather garners such high praise. (I know I liked my Terry with plain ol' blue jeans.)
What works best for me is a chamois on a smooth, unpadded hard carbon shell with a cut out. A Fizik Antares or a Specialized Riva if, for whatever reason I decide to go with out a chamois.
Different saddles tend to work different for different people and different bikes...And that's really all there is to it.
Last edited by base2; 03-21-24 at 06:13 AM.