Well, I was fit for the bike when I got it, but since changing the saddle and making the adjustments I mentioned, it's not set the same.
I may be wrong, but I thought that the changes I made in position would not be comfort issues. Lowering and sliding the seat forward would reduce maximizing the pedal stroke, but I see no reason why they should cause the irritation.
I'm not familiar with all the saddles you mentioned, but I've heard of Brooks and it is a pretty hard road saddle - in other words, pretty much the kind of saddle I'm trying to avoid so I don't need to wear bike shorts.
That's why I got the wider, padded, Bontrager. I don't think it is as big or padded as on my comfort bike, but it is much more than you normally find as stock on a road/racing bike.
Like I said, maybe that kind of saddle just won't work for me. When you talked about Bontrager being torture devices, were you referring to the normal road saddles (narrow and pretty hard) or to ones like I described?
Let me mention some other things, but before anyone jumps on them for being wrong, keep in mind that they are what I did for almost all the miles I rode:
I have bag balm and sport stick. I've tried them but have never really been satisfied with them - maybe I don't use them right. I have no idea how much you should use or do you put it over everything (butt, scrotum, upper thighs). What I have found that worked okay before was simply a bunch of baby powder and that's what I did today.
But I still really want to get away from bike shorts. Just very inconvenient for my situation. But with all the trouble I've had even with the shorts lately, I'm worried that even if I buy a Trek 7000 or something to get the upright position and a little suspension in the seat post to, hopefully, let me go back to simplified riding, what if the problem doesn't go away even then!!! I'd have to test ride a bike for probably 20 miles to be pretty confident it won't be an issue and bike shops don't let you do that! Besides, it is not in my budget for a long time.