I took the Bontrager Inform RL, Fizik Antares, and Selle Italia Thoork models for rides around the parking lot today. Actually all felt good enough to do long term tests.
I rode the Inform saddle first at an LBS that I seldom go to because of their location. They were the closest LBS that stocked them so I made the trip. The saddle felt good enough that I was tempted to buy one and rely on the 90-day money back guarantee. However, I wanted to try more saddles before making that commitment.
The next store is one that is closer to home and I do business with occasionally but only when my main LBS does not have the item that I want. They are a Selle Italia test center and they also had the Antares test saddle which I did not expect. I rode the Antares first and it felt good. The Thoork felt good also so I am going to test it. My main LBS sells Fizik so I will by an Antares or another Aliante from them if that is my final decision.
I researched the Thoork after I returned home and found a post where I had related that my neighbor had ridden an Aliante for a season and then purchased a Thoork. I had forgotten about that. The plan is to ride the Thoork tomorrow for 60+ miles and do a 55-mile ride Tuesday evening and then decide if further testing is warranted.
It is interesting that no LBS wants to recommend a saddle but both LBS's preached to me at length that my current saddle is set up wrong. My fitter has my Aliante angled downward a little over 2 degrees. One of the LBS's measured and indicated it was angled 3 or 4 degrees. It has not felt as comfortable this Spring so it may have slipped slightly while doing high intensity drills on the trainer this winter. Both LBS's stated that it should be lower and level and the downward angle was compensation for too much height.
I have read a lot of threads on Aliantes and positioning. Some have it level, some have it angled upward, and some have it angled downward. I don't know if they listened to my answer when they asked me how the current position was arrived at. I told them it was based upon a 2-hour fitting, hundreds of miles of riding, and some tweeking. Nobody commented on that. One LBS said that having it angled that far downward would put too much pressure on my wrists. I replied that I knew exactly what he was talking about because my wrists, elbows, and neck were stiff before the fitting and that my current position had cured all those problems. Again, no comment.
I am probably preaching to the choir. When it comes to saddles everybody is long on knowledge and criticism but solutions are nonexistent. I can sympathesize with an LBS not wanting to make a recommendation because my main LBS tends to recommend the Arione for most cyclists that are looking for advice. That is the absolute worst saddle I have ridden. But I don't think they would criticize every aspect of someone's current position if that person stated that they were not having any problems but still wanted to demo some saddles in the hopes of finding something better.
I hope this effort is not as painful as last year's Arione demo. I have ridden a lot of saddles in my life and mostly with much cheaper, less effective shorts and pads and only experienced less comfort than I wanted. Riding the Arione gave me saddle sores and pain that I had never experienced before.
The Aliante may be the best saddle for me. The Inform saddle is interesting. However, most riders that like it say that it takes 3-4 weeks to adjust to it. I could take discomfort for that long but if pain and saddle sores developed I think I would just quit and buy an Aliante Gamma or Carbon and forget trying to fix something that is not broken.