Brooks B17 V C17 Rail length?
 

I figure that this is the best place to ask this ,

Can anyone tell me if there is a significant difference in how far back a Brooks Cambrium C17 can be placed on a seatpost in comparison to a B17 ? Doe sthe shape of the C17 allow you to sit more reward also ? I find with the B17 that once its broken in that sit bone position is kind of locked into place.

Thanks ,

J

hey there Mr Irish Ham,I ride both and I'll have to look at both to see about rail length, although might be hard as both are onbikes. Dont hold your breath.

some general thoughts on both, personal opinions of course:
bought the c17 used, tried it and found it ok but not as comfy as my B17s, and ended up putting the c17 into a drawer for a few years. I had bought it thinking it might be a good alternative to a B17 for some long trips without rain wet concerns, but in the end , went with what I know works best for me and am glad I did.
Eventually did an overhaul on my "faster lighter" bike and ended up putting the C on it , kinda went along with removing the fenders and making the bike as light as I could , with the idea to ride it more unloaded, kinda fun to have a bike that was faster for the same energy put out compared to my other bikes.
In the end, with good quality padded bike shorts on, and also the fact that I was on a bike that I would ride harder generally and be out of the saddle more often, the C ended up being fine. When we ride harder and for shorter rides (as opposed to long touring days at moderate output) we have less weight on our arse, and standing gives breaks, adn less time overall...so it was fine.
Your mileage and arse may vary....

this winter I rode all our Canadian winter, and decided to put the C onto my winter bike, and for the more short rides I do in winter commuting, it was ok.
On thefew longer rides, because I didnt have padded bike shorts on, and the seat itself was probably less flexible at -10c vs 25c, it was uncomfortable a bit after hour long rides, but that rarely happened....

so there you go, my take.
will try to get an idea on rails, hopefully or maybe you could simply ask Brooks and get a better informed accurate answer from them.
cheers

I have a B17 and found it to be a bit too wide and flat for my anatomy, my B17 now is permanently on an old hybrid that is permanently installed on an indoor trainer, I can sit upright on that bike and read or watch tv. But my anatomy does not agree with the shape of a B17 if I lean more forward like I do on a road or touring bike.

For bike touring, I prefer a shape like a Brooks Pro, it is a bit narrower and the back is a bit more rounded, less flat. Or the Conquest that has a shape very much like a Pro with springs. The Conquest is what I use for touring or other long distance riding.

I bought a C17S at a great clearance price, tried it for maybe a total of 100 miles (~150 km) but the one I got was rock hard. The people that had C17 saddles that had suggested that I try one all had softer ones, so maybe mine was a one off problem with stiffer rubber. I have quit using it and bought a C17 weather proof one a few weeks ago, have not tried it yet.

To answer your question, on my new C17 weather proof saddle the part of the rails that clamp onto the seatpost on a C17 is much longer offering more adjustment than the rails on the B17.

C17 I think is very similar in shape to a Brooks Pro or Conquest, not as wide and flat as a B17. So, if you have a B17 and like it, you might want to visually look at a C17 before you buy, it might not have the shape you want.

re hardness/stiffer rubber--I may be imagining it, but I think mine got more flexible the more I actually used it. Even though I bought it used, it had not really been used, so essentially new, so I think with a few tens of thousands of flexes, it is easier to flex than at first......like I always say, I could be wrong, who knows....

and clearly, not taking the shape of our specific sit bones like a leather one means that it wont be the same, and also clearly, my really good padded bike shorts help a lot, and not being seated all the time.

oh, and I'm a slight fellow, so the shape is ok for me, ish.

C19 Closer to Shape of B17 than C17?
 

I have had B17 for a long time, and have wanted to try a Cambium saddle. When I was looking into it, I came to the conclusion that the C19 would be the better choice for touring due to what was said above... the C17 is "...not as wide and flat as a B17. Looks to me like the C19 is closer to the shape of the B17.

I have heard both, (1) softer with time and use, and (2) stays the same in perpetuity.

I was doing some bike maintenance today, planned to try my new C17 waterproof on my rando bike, got it installed but by then it was late in the day, did not give it a serious ride yet. But that new one feels lot like the ones that other people have. Last year I rode a couple 200k brevets, several of the other rando riders had Cambium saddles, I was a rarity because I rode a leather saddle. But enough of the others had Cambium saddles that I decided to give one a try.

If nothing else, I can use that rock hard one to train in my bum faster each year after spring thaw, then switch to leather for longer rides.

I have heard that the Cambium saddles are rock hard in winter, softer when warm. That does not surprise me.

Re temps vs flexibility
certainly makes sense, rubber is rubber, stiffer when cold, more pliant when warm.

Jambon, didn't use a ruler but did a quick look at both and it would appear that the c rails are a bit longer, maybe a cm.

hard to tell though because of hard to determine where the end points are, given the rails have a slant to them and i was looking at these in a dark garage with both on bikes.
let is know if you get an official answer.

as per moving around more on a C, I would say a general yes, as you say there are no sitbone divets. That said we do tend to find a general best spot on even non leather seats, but I don't feel the rivets on the C compared to feeling the rivets on a leather model, especially after the leather depresses a bit near the rear rivets over time.

I have never felt the rivets on a leather saddle. The steel plate under the leather that gives it form might be what you are feeling?

You're probably right. I know early on I had my first b17 set up all wrong and felt hard stuff back there, and can sometimes feel something if I really skooch too far back and press hard like on a climb, so that's probably it.
Really though, with proper seat position it's never an issue, no matter what I feel, so in other words it's not a concern for me in real life.
Good spotting

Thanks for checking that out for me

no problem.
I take it you are all mostly staying Iin and not going to work etc like in England, Scotland and us here in Canada?