Carbon Shell Saddle the culprit?

[pdonk]

Wondering if nagging pain in my left quad and change of feel of shoes(hot spots galore) is related to a recent change in saddle.

I went from riding a fizik antares vs R3 (base model with kium rails, nylon shell) to the mac daddy fizik anatres adaptive 00 (carbon everything, 3d printed). Both are the same size and have been set up as near identical as I can in terms of setback from BB, saddle height and reach to bars.

I have read that the stiffness of a carbon shells can change the way your bike feels and rides and wondering if anyone else has noticed or felt drastic changes elsewhere on the bike.

Main reason I am thinking it is the shell of the saddle is that most of the shells of my older saddles seem to tilt/sag to the left, the leg that is now bothering me, so wondering if the lack of flex in the shell is the cause.

Any insight or experiences appreciated.

If it keeps up, going to swap back and see if that fixes things.

[RobbieTunes]

The mechanics of your pedaling may have changed with a saddle change. If you can relate the discomfort specifically to the time of the saddle change, that may be prima facie evidence.

If you're like me, you may have not saved every measurement related to the prior saddle, and replicating it may be the issue. Even a 1cm change can make a difference between pressure on a nerve or muscle.

Also, did you change anything else, like shoes, cleats, pedals, cleat positioning on the shoes, crank arms, bikes, etc?

As far as carbon vs. padded, I'm not sure that makes as much difference as people think, relative to your weight and the pressure on the saddle contact points ("pelvic welds") that would affect your leg.

If you didn't move the seatpost, perhaps put the older saddle back on, with the same tilt and take detailed measurements from C-BB to the top of the saddle, directly along the seat tube/seat post. Try to duplicate that with the ne new saddle, and then start tweaking, in .5cm increments both ways:
1-fore/aft
2-tilt
3-height

It's tedious, but more than half the time your body will tell you within a 1/4 mile if it's good or bad.

After that, I got nothin'

I ride carbon saddles from China (Toseek) that seem to come in two styles. Both tend to work, but one is a better fit for me (230-miler, no issues). However, I do the tedious fit thing on every bike, starting simply from the C-BB to top of saddle measurement and then tweaking. It takes about an hour per bike, but it's worth it.

[Peter P.]

Well, if you still have your original saddle, put it back on and ride it for a couple weeks. See how you feel.

[pdonk]

A year later and bunch of adjustments, it is finally in the sweet spot.

The shape is just slightly different but close.