Could have been me. And yeah the bike seat should be as wide as your 'sit' bones, not your ass.
Dont go for overpadded seats, they do more damage than not - they are a gimmicky thing really. Nothing wrong with a gel seat however, or womens specific. But if it looks to wanky or far out there it generally is a gimmick. Get them to measure your sit bones at a bike shop for a seat (you sit on a board and they measure where the indents of your bones are if they stick out enough).

More important than the seat is the actual fit of the bike, you are liable to get sore knees or ass if the bike doesnt fit you properly. My sister-in-law had a sore butt all the time until i threw away her overpadded seat and fitted her bike to her properly.

Very interesting, Wishes. I never heard this before, but it makes so much sense. Does it matter what kind of biking you do? I've been doing mountain biking recently and after the first couple times I got over the sore ass thing. I got a gel seat cover, and I thought that was what did it.

If I get a real road bike I'll do the seat bone test thing.

Man started riding 2 weeks ago. Last week I rode 10 miles. Tonight my daughter and myself rode 5 miles. Feel great.

nah doesnt matter what kind of biking you do, just the fitting of the bike changes, in mountain biking you are out of the seat and moving around in general more.

Deffinatley go for a Gel seat if you can. Just for that extra comfort as some seats can be a bit painfull for the old "Meat & 2 Veg" department if your a male.

haha indeed gel seats are good.

I started last month biking to work and home and a few other places...about 10miles a day...and I'm loving it. Of course the first short ride out was Killer...my a$$ was sore for 3 days because my seat was crap. I went and bought a Raleigh seat that was a bit wider, softer, shorter nose, and had a cutout in the middle....now I ride and really enjoy it and my bum doesn't get sore!!!

just remember...what works for one might not work for another.

Heres a link for you cyclists

check out My Cycling Log

Great way to get overall stats of average speeds and monthly kms/mi etc and see your improvement over time

Wow! 30 miles round trip is a hella commute! Gratz on keeping that up, even if it's only once a week. It really does burn the calories, but the best thing is that it turns the nuisance of commuting into FUN. Do you have a nice route to ride, or are you competing with cars and buses?

No, we have a 30 mile trace that runs past where I work that was built by a group called Rails to Trails.. Very senic.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy:: Creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines:: Building healthier places for healthier people.

Here is the path I get to use:
Tammany Trace - Rails to Trail - Louisiana

Wow, it's beautiful! You are so lucky! We have lots of rails-to-trails in Minnesota, but it's rare to both live and work near such a lovely trail. When I have been able to bike commute I've usually managed to route about half my trip over nice off-road urban trails, typically along train lines.

I'm currently interviewing at a business that I could bike to - hope I get the job! Most of the route is either on quiet streets or on my favorite bike path. Unfortunately, the last mile involves picking my way under and over two freeway bridges on a shoulderless road! Not the best, but much better than where I am now.