Originally Posted by
DaveWC
So given that saddles used to be more comfortable, but are now sleeker & lighter, shorts are required to pick up the slack. So when someone asks whether Assos/Rapha are cushioned, the statement that shorts aren't for cushioning makes little sense. Even your analysis of the current situation states that they in fact are "for cushioning". The fact that you think it's a shame is something else.
There's nothing wrong with stating opposing opinions. When you state it in such a way that you term it as an irrefutable fact you may get responses like mine. Especially when your followup response to the statement shows that your thinking was muddled at best.
Opinions are supposed to be irrefutable facts...to the guy who owns the opinion. And they are supposed to be expressed that way. It is not up to me to degrade my own opinion. That is your job, and I welcome you going after it. But don't expect me to help you out.
I know that I am dealing with a very difficult personality when a discussion morphs from the facts of the subject to my rhetorical style. That is just an attempt by my opponent to manipulate the situation to their advantage without the real facts to do so. I see lots of that around here; it is kind of epidemic. That's too bad really, but I can't fix it. You have to do that.
Regarding the original topic, at least the one WE were discussing, there is no muddled thinking. Better, that is slightly more padded, saddles are still available. If you choose to buy one, as I suggest, then you can be much less picky about your shorts. Funny thing is that the more comfy saddles are also cheaper than the higher-up-the-line, less padded ones. So if you go back just a little bit toward the past way of doing things, you can save money on your saddle and on your shorts. Wouldn't that be fine?