I think this is pretty simple...
The no-nose saddles DO "look funny" but I think the real reason why people don't like them is simply because they do not offer the same amount of control, and control is CRUCIAL for a bicyclist to feel comfortable while riding.
It's the nose portion of the saddle that lets you hold position while peddling; that lets you move your hands and do things while riding -- like taking a drink from your water bottle. The nose gives the rider TWO points of stability that play against one another to stabilize his/her stance. The legs can grip the nose WHILE peddling, even letting the rider do things with BOTH hands off of the bar grips.
The no-nose, by contrast, requires you to balance on two sliding points, and takes away your gripping area. The rider needs to keep BOTH hands on the grips pretty much all the time, meaning that he/she can't change stances -- an important relief factor while riding. The nose of the saddle can't be used as a stability factor.
I've ridden all my life, and though I've thought about a no-nose, a brief try was all it took to convince me that it was a non-starter.
What I recommend is that you use a gel saddle, and tip it as far forward as lets you keep control. This preserves the option of using the nose as a stability grip, and lowers the impact on your sensitive regions.
BTW, I'm also totally against helmets (for experienced riders). I've fallen MANY times, but NEVER been hit by a car, and I am long past hitting my head when I hit the ground. This is where the experience comes in. The first times one falls, one seems to just "shift" to a "fallen" perspective; the fall happens so fast, that "control" of the fall is a moot point. With experience, the PROCESS of falling becomes more amenable to control, and you find yourself falling where and how you want to.
To my mind, a helmet just adds mass to your head, making it harder to swivel it for situational awareness, and sometimes blocking the corner-of-the-eyes view -- all important.
BTW2: This is not the first time you guys have missed the obvious. Try running a topic past someone who knows something about the subject, before publishing. You'll have fewer misses like this, and like the "feedback" speed notification signs that you said lower speeds "because" the driver gets the feedback. NOT -- it's the PUBLIC NATURE of the speed feedback sign that the driver is responding to, not the simple feedback.
