How do I know I would hate them? Well, because where I live, they don't sell any fancy Italian made saddles, only local made cheapies for Asian munchkins with tiny butts, who weigh half as much as we weigh. (I wonder how much of the problem with wedgie seats is traceable to the fact that they're mostly made in Asia by these munchkins, who apparently don't realize that we westerners have big arses.)

I also know, because a year ago, I tried riding the biggest local made seat I could find, and ended up in sheer agony for 2 weeks. Now, admittedly, I was riding a bike for the first time in 10 years, and maybe went too far (maybe just 10 or 20 miles), and the nose could not be pointed downward because the local rental bike seat did not have that capability...but there you are.

They do have some seats here with cutouts, and I sat on one today, and I think these cutouts are a joke. The cutout is only an inch wide and doesn't go all the way to the front of the nose. My crotch is at least 3 inches wide...what good is a one inch wide cutout going to do? That's still going to put pressure on your crotch.

Guybierhaus, thanks for the opinion on the Rido...I would love to hear more opinions about that one, because there are a lot of ecstatic opinions on the Rido website, and others on this forum have also had favorable comment on it...but how much of this is being written by the manufacturer and his shills, and how much by real users?

This is very discouraging. I really need to be able to ride a bike. I was thinking today that the Spongy WOnder type design, with the complete separation between the pads, is the only one that makes sense, from a point of view of not harming your delicates. Surely there are real people who are riding it without a problem? The nose being needed for steering...is that really true, for casual riders?

I am thinking something like that or one of the flat bench type seats makes sense for me...but not if it makes the bike unridable.

I would love a recumbent, but they don't sell them here, and people would stare at me even more than they do now...and they might be more dangerous in traffic...and they are in an early stage of development and refinement...

any other suggestions where one might find real reviews of these seats? I suspect many "satisfied customer" reviews are written by parties with a financial interest in the outcome.