Menagerie
If the big squishy one was comfortable, I'd just put it back on and ignore the squeaking from it, and if you start going on rides that are long enough for it to become uncomfortable, then think about swapping it. It takes some time riding for your body to get used to sitting on a saddle, and if your body isn't used to sitting on a saddle, then a hard narrow saddle is going to suck, even if it is otherwise a good fit for your body.
When picking a new saddle, the most important thing is to get something that is the correct width for your sit bones. Many bike shops have devices to measure this. Your position on the bike also influences the type of saddle that will work best for you. If you ride a road bike with a leaned forward, aggressive position, a saddle that is a bit more narrow with less padding can be more comfortable over long distances, as long as it fits your body well. For more upright bikes, a slightly wider saddle with a tiny bit more padding often works better. Saddles with a ton of padding can often be uncomfortable for rides more than a few miles, as they can put pressure on the soft tissue between your sit bones. Finding the right saddle can take a few tries, but it is worth it. Cycling shorts also help a ton.
The saddle in the article is not what I would start with. Designs like this can result in less control of the bike due to the saddle not having a nose. There are a few people who find that a saddle like this works well for them, but there is a reason they are not widely used.
The more you ride a bike up hills, the easier it will start to become. But if it feels like too much of a wall to ride up the hills around you, you could look into swapping out your chainrings or cassette to get lower gearing so the hills aren't as much of a challenge.
Another valid reason to fly one is self defense. If you are bold enough to exist on rural american roads while riding a bicycle, having an american flag visibly attached to your bike can do a lot to disarm the types of people who would otherwise run you off the road.
There are dozens of us, dozens! All stuck in this body.
Not great. Taking turns being burnt out from fronting, and it looks like we get to live the rest of our lives in fear.
Seeing some activity in this community is nice though.
This is great to hear. Maliit does work, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Actually, most of the women inside my head look like the middle one.
Winter Cycling Tips:
Studded tires make riding a bicycle on ice much safer. The front one insures you won't fall on your face, the rear one helps give you enough traction to move forward.
Full coverage fenders will keep your bike significantly cleaner, which means it corrode far less. And they keep snow/slush/water from flying up at you too.
Cold drains batteries much quicker. Consider getting a dynamo lighting setup so you don't have to rely on batteries.
Your body generates a significant amount of heat while cycling, so it is best to dress so you will be somewhat cold the first mile or two, then you are more likely to be comfortable for the rest of the ride.
I'd rather imagine a world without monarchs, but with more opossums.
VI comes with a clock up in the corner of the screen so you actually have something tethering you to reality.
Future Shock is pretty spot on with it's predictions. Reading it convinced me to try and take things slower, and to spend less time on the phone, on the internet, which helped. Then covid came along, and pushed me right back into information overload...