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  • I don't think that this strategy will be successful, Alex. Your commute is an hour each way, and I have no doubt that this discomfort is caused by your lack of padding, not by an unsuitable saddle. It's not really a lack of moulding to you that's usually the issue but the chafing you get from sliding around on it while riding. You may get lucky finding a saddle that fits you well, but I'd first consider wearing padded shorts under other trousers or shorts or skirts that you wear, or to get trousers or shorts with padding built into them. Fair enough if you don't like padding, but don't expect as comfortable a ride as with it.

    We are all different. Goes without saying, I know. And it is possible to never use padded shorts and be comfortable. I can't stand pads- feels like wearing a nappy to me and grossly uncomfortable. I never wear one. (In fact this weekend I spent half an hour unpicking one from a rather nice pair of Pearl izumi 3/4's my friend gave me). I ride daily, commute is 5 or 6 miles each way, sometimes more. But I ride 50 to 100 miles at weekends and spend my summer hols touring similar distances daily for anything from 5 days to 5 weeks. Can't remember the last time I suffered soreness/pain in those personal saddle contact parts. I use Brooks on all my bikes, but I have used all kinds in the past, including cheap, trashy plastic things. I may just be lucky, I guess.
    My personal feeling is that saddle soreness is more to do with how your bike is set up and how that affects your weight distribution over those parts. But again, maybe that's just me.

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