Originally Posted by CL39
How much of a trouble is it for a rider from one team, using one brand of bikes for the entire team, and then switching to another team that uses a different bike? Is it a big deal, is there a noticable change in their ride efficiency?
I've read that some riders use their preferred brand of bikes, then have them re-badged with decals from their own team's sponsor's logos.
Also, to answer the OP's question about the tiny saddles, the riders use those because there's less surface area for their legs to rub against and chafe. The reason for using hard saddles sounds counter-intuitive, too, but with a squishy saddle, your rump will sink into it and experience more overall pressure. The harder saddle keeps the pressure limited to your sit bones.