For ~2 years now, I've had problems with saddle sores. My commute is only about 5 miles, so I figured that I could just ride sans chamois and be fine. Well, my butt didn't like that. I've have persistent saddle sores every time I forget to wear my bike shorts. And yes, this meant wearing bike shorts under whatever clothes I was wearing for the day, then changing into normal underwear when I got to work, then the reverse whenever I needed to bike anywhere. (Incredibly annoying for short trips like my commute, perfectly OK for long trips or actual rides.) I tried different saddles. I'm a skinny flexible guy with incredibly skinny sit bones. If I went by the normal recommendations I'd be riding something like a 125mm -130mm saddle. So, I went out and tried the Fizik saddle that was right for me. (Flat, skinny saddle.) That didn't help. I still got saddle sores.

I finally got fed up. I went to wal-mart, bought their skinniest, "soft" seat and tried that. It STILL gave me saddle sores, although it took much longer. These aren't the typical friction sores either. They were more like boils/acne. (Trust me, it wasn't either of those. They were directly where my butt sat on the seat. Right under my sit bones.) Anyway, finally fed up to the highest extent, I went out and bought one of those gel pad seat covers. Low and behold, it works. I no longer have to wear bike shorts on my commute and I no longer have saddle sores. I couldn't be happier. (Yes, I tried adjusting my saddle as well.)

So go ahead, flame away. I'd never use this thing on my road or mountain bike, but for my short commute, it works... and that makes me happy. The saddle+pad is a bit wide for me, I feel it on my thighs, but that doesn't bother me one bit. I'm a runner, my thighs are used to it.

I'd love to try a brooks or stella saddle, but I'm not willing to drop the money on a saddle that may be too wide for me as brooks tend to run a bit wider than most saddles.

Moral of the story is: Don't be afraid to try things that most people would consider to be for "newbie" bike riders. Sometimes they end up being just what you need.