Saddle Nirvana, the end story( pun intended)

When last I wrote I concluded that the Brooks B 17 seemed to be working for me. That is until I did a longer ride and discovered that it left me feeling bruised and swollen in the frontal portion of my ischial tuberosities. This area is also referred to as the pubic rami. So I swapped out the B 17 for the Brooks Cambium carved, which means it has a cutout. That also left me bruised and swollen. I was getting really frustrated and worried that I wouldn’t find a comfortable saddle. I already had a bike fit scheduled and mentioned the saddle issues at my fitting. I was told that the Brooks were in fact too wide for me and also that the Brooks saddles, both leather and the Cambium(rubber) flexed as I pedaled and the edges of the cutout were actually pushing up into me causing the bruising and swelling. I bought another saddle from the fitter and for the short ride home it felt very comfy and promising. But after a 50 mile ride the next day my sitbones were quite bruised. Exasperated, I removed the saddle from my bike and went into my garage and stared at my box of saddles. Something has got to work I thought. I picked out the most promising of the bunch based on all the new information I had- I needed a saddle wide enough for my sit bones, but not too wide at the front portion of the saddle, firm and not too flexy, but maybe with a tiny bit of padding. I chose a WTB Volt and installed it on my Timberjack. Finally I can report success!!! No bruising or swollen areas. Minimal chafing and saddle sore issues. The saddle had been sitting in my garage for months. I’m not sure why I dismissed it earlier but I’m glad I gave it a second try. I’ve ordered two more for my other bikes. It’s not total nirvana, but it’s pretty close. May you find your saddle nirvana.