My understanding is that there isn't much area beneath where you are sitting to force the padding to disperse across a large area as there would be if you sat at the rear and widest part of a conventional saddle. ISM is a local company and I actually met the owner (after I got mine) at an open house of one of the LBSs in Tampa. He had a demo of the saddle and explained why the saddle is shaped as it is and why you don't sit on it like a conventional saddle. It probably doesn't make sense to most people unless they ride on one and feel the difference. BTW, I have no affiliation with ISM in any way except being a very satisfied owner of their product.