vadopazzo

The seat that came on my '05 520 is quite comfortable and I don't mind spending the day on it but I have to stand up often to relieve numbness. I have been thinking about a Brooks fine leather saddle. I know, I know, they are the most comfotable saddles in the universe, yadda, yadda, yadda. Will a person still get numb on a Brooks or will it even solve that problem? Just wondering before I lay out the $90.

Thanks all.

onbike 1939

The question may be not be what type of saddle you use, but what is causing the numbness. Do you have too much of your weight on the saddle? Do you have approx. 40%of your weight on the bars and 60% on the saddle. If not you need to look at the length of the top tube and height of the saddle relative to the bar height.

Cyclist0094

Not everyone is comfortable on a brooks saddle though it seems most of us are. I reccomendWallingford Bicycle in New Orleans ,they give you 6 months to try it out.

Mo'Phat

I was numb for a year on my Selle Flite Ti Gel. Then got a Brooks Team Pro. I'm no longer numb and I have less than 100 miles on the Brooks.

But, you want to heed everyone else's suggestions as well.

markf

If your saddle height, angle and fore/aft position are not correct, any saddle will be uncomfortable. Play with the position of your current saddle a little to make sure this isn't what's causing the problem before you lay out $90 + for a new saddle. Then again, just get the Brooks and play with the position on it. They're really comfy saddles.

PugDriver

'greed. I bought a Brooks a few years ago in the UK for the cool factor. It was like sitting on a piece of wood for a few days, but a couple of applications of Proofide helped. What really works it in is good old sweat. I started on a two-week tour with it as a piece of wood (oh! the humanity!) but after a couple hundred kays it settled down. The trick is they mould to the shape of your rear, effectively a custom saddle.

And they look great too ...

-PD

edit: it's a Brooks Professional

jimx200

Vado, I got a new B17 about 2 months ago and love it. Like you, getting some numbness is not fun, and can lead to damage. BTW, I see in my latest Nashbar flyer the Brooks were on sale at $49.99....great deal. Good luck, I really like mine.

jwbnyc

There are good saddles for some people that hurt other people and visa versa.

One thing I know for sure is that you have to sit on a saddle correctly, or you will have problems with any saddle.

IOW, sitting back on the saddle and staying off the perineum by perching up on the ischial protrubances is key, otherwise no saddle will be comfortable.

The B17 and Champion Flyer are very comfortable for me.

The B17N is comfortable, for a skinny saddle, but requires a break in period for me.

The Challenge is comfortable for me after breaking in.

Although there are modern saddles I can live with the Brooks have proven to be very comfortable with minimal break and in some cases (B17, Champion Flyer) right out of the box.

Buy it through Wallingford. If you don't like it return it.

Thor29

I bought my first Brooks B17 and experienced numbness for the first time ever. I freaked out and tried to return the saddle but the bike shop I bought it from wouldn't let me. After doing an internet search, I found out what was wrong - I had the nose tilted up a little. I repositioned the saddle so that the back of the saddle was slightly higher than the nose. After that, no more numbness. Just like a previous poster said, the idea is to make sure that you are sitting on your "sit bones" and not your perineum. I now have 2 Brooks saddles on different bikes and I love them, but I do have one thing to say that doesn't always get said - they take forever to break in. At least both of mine have. The first one took over 600 miles before it started to get noticeably better. The second one seems about the same. I think maybe in another 1000 miles they'll be just right.

vosyer

Not all Brooks are the same - I tried to break in Brooks Pro for 35 years - I sold it ebay recently for a premium price. Last year I bought a B-17 Special - heaven from the day it came out of the box - it was wider than the Pro which for some reason made all the difference. I am now considering a Brook's Conquest or a Flyer for another bike. I agree with everyone's assessment that saddles need to be level and I use a contractors level with each installation - it probably more important than the saddles it's self.

mtnroads

I like mine tilted up slightly at the nose, it helps to keep me planted on my sit bones and not sliding forward onto parts that will get numb. With that, I have no numbness at all, whereas I did with the stock saddle (trek 520).

SteveFox

so far, ive had my 520 for about 3 months, and ive got it fine tuned now so that i rarely feel any numbness, but ive still got a B17 on the way, should be here tomorow or something i think. ill probably put the stock saddle off the 520 onto my giant, cause its not a bad saddle, ust not soething id like to sit on for a few years.

Steve

sam21fire

I can relate to the 520 saddle problems, similar experience with me and yes, it was the cruddy saddle. I opted for a Terry saddle (yeah, they make them for men also!), but I'm interested in seeing what others have to say about the Brooks. I suppose that it comes down to trying it out to see how it feels, huh?

Sam

jwbnyc

Watch out for the Challenge then.

It's basically a sprung Pro.

I find the C Flyer is more comfortable right from the get go.

Not saying you won't like the Challenge: just a heads up.

The Challenge needs to be sat on Way to the back of the saddle, I find. It's also more rounded than the C Flyer/B17. I tend to like flatter saddles better: maybe you do too?

Mo'Phat

A wise forum member named onbike 1939, who has had plenty of experience breaking in new and reviving old Brooks saddles, uses the following break-in procedure. While I couldn't find "Hydrophane" in any stores around here, I did find Lexol...which is recommended by Wallingford, and it has worked wonderfully:


I did this the day my saddle arrived, and so far it has been pretty comfortable. It's not 'easy chair' comfortable, but has the right amount of both firmness and give. I am considering another light application of Lexol to the underside of the saddle, since mine's a Team Pro w/ thicker leather than the B17, and I was probably too conservative on the first application. Plus, I have a jug of the stuff.

bccycleguy

I've got 2 Brooks saddles: a B17 on my Trek 7500Fx which I use for Touring and spring riding, and a Team Pro on my Lemond. Both need to have the nose tilted up a bit to be comfortable, i.e. keep me from having to much weight on my hands. I think the Brooks are a bit different from other saddles in that the part you sit on needs to be level when you are sitting on it, what it looks like (as in how level) when you are not on it is irrelevant. I probably like my Brooks with a bit more sag than other people, but I have noticed that when I tightened the "Nut" ~1/2 turn it was noticeably tighter and needed to be flatter.

For people buying a new Brooks, the water-treatment method works well: dip the whole saddle in a bucket of fairly warm water for about 30 seconds (hold the bike upside down) then ride for a couple of hours. Repeat once or twice. I did this before I applied any proofide and had my Team Pro acceptably comfortable in about 500 Km (300 miles).

NoReg

My B17 was comfortable from the first. I agree that the fit is a big part of it. Often saddle height being too high.

I feel that traditional seats and bars are comfortable, but they are designed around cycling inserts in the seat of your pants, and cycling gloves. I assume everyone has those, but one never knows.

The B17 is the most comfortable seat I have tried.

onbike 1939

[QUOTE=Mo'Phat]A wise forum member named onbike 1939, who has had plenty of experience breaking in new and reviving old Brooks saddles, uses the following break-in procedure. While I couldn't find "Hydrophane" in any stores around here, I did find Lexol...which is recommended by Wallingford, and it has worked wonderfully:




If anyone is interested I've now come up with a shorter and more effective method of achieving a comfortable saddle from the first ride and which carries little risk of overdoing it to the point of ending up with an oversoft saddle.
The Brook's method relies on your sit-bones breaking the dry leather fibres so that depressions are formed. This means that your sit-bones fit in these while you are supported by the rest of the saddle which is still hard and remains so. I, along with others, have never been able to get the Brook's method to work as my backside is too well-covered to allow the sit-bones to bear against the leather. If you can manage this you have a comfortable saddle.
Better to use this method with the saddle straight from the box. In this state the saddle is dry, the oils in the leather having being leached out by the forming process and the leather fibres are more easily broken. Basically you are just helping the recommended Brooks method along by speeding up the process and saving your butt from some pain.
Coat the areas where your sit-bones hit the top surface with a layer of Proofide. Using a reasonably heavy ball-peen hammer cover the peen part with some soft cloth taping this in place. This is to protect the top surface of the saddle.
Taking a ball-peen hammer start to hit those areas, with the peen, gently at first and then as you watch the indents deepen you can use more force but take it easy. If you are uneasy about striking the top of your saddle with the hammer then hold a small round object against the chosen spot (golf ball or similar) and strike this with the hammer but be sure to cover this also. The whole process should take about 3 mins if the saddle is still hard and dry as when new. No need to make the indents too deep as you will soon ride these to the point where it fits perfectly. I find this is easier to do while the saddle is fitted to the bike as it lends purchase.
Remove the saddle and turning it with bottom-side up give only the underside one coat of "Hydrophane" or similar leather conditioner (avoid others such as "neats foot oil or "mink oil").
Make sure that you cover the area of the rivets as this is where any cracks will originate in time. Give one coat only as the results will only be obvious in 24-36 hours. Make sure no conditioner is allowed on the top surface and if so wipe away at once. One coat is usually sufficient with the B17 Special for instance as the butt is not too thick. The ""Professional" series are usually a bit thicker as is the "Colt".
Leave in a warm room for a day or so and view the results. With a honey coloured saddle you will find it takes on an attractive weathered appearance (see photo) after this time. Now give the saddle a coat of Proofide and polish. While it is now weatherproofed to a large extent you should still make sure the saddle is protected from rain if not being ridden.
The photo given in the link is of my latest saddle which has been conditioned using the above method but has not yet been ridden.
Keep in mind that this and other methods will break Brooks' warranty as they only recommend their own method.



https://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...e/PICT0297.jpg

bmike

The stock 520 saddle was horrible!
I have a Team Pro on my 520... slightly up tilted.

I have a Swallow on my LeMond. I agree with another poster that the saddle needs to be "flat" where you sit. I mounted both of these level, and found myself sliding off the front. Tipping them up (even with the bars 2" below saddle height) seems to work, even in the drops.


I can't bring myself to "break" in a saddle any other way than riding. Numbness and "hot seat" were my biggest problems - now that those are gone, I can deal with my sit bones being sore. (My Team Pro is comfy, the new Swallow needs to be ridden quite a bit more...)

And yes, proper width will make a difference. I wasn't crazy about the Team Pro on my LeMond with the bars dropped - it seemed a bit wide between the legs. The Swallow is narrower than the Pro - and so far seems like it will work well. My sit bones still come in solid contact with the wide part.

Wallbike will tell you to order wider than you think you need, as this plays a role in comfort. If your bones aren't on the saddle, you are just crushing your soft parts until something solid supports you.


(*note, these are my personal experiences with my 2 Brooks - saddle choice is highly personal, and what works for me, may not work for you.)

Ridelots24

Rather than start a new thread...id like just to ask a related Q. I recently bought the Brooks pro... seems very slick and narrow...but i havent rode it enough yet. I have been riding the Selle Italia pro gel for years and it feels wider and offers more comfortable riding positions fore/aft.

My Question. Does the brooks widen a little as it softens?
Are there other brooks models that are designed wider than the Pro?

bmike

The Pro is narrow, compared to a B17.
You may need a wider version. You want your sit bones supported, so you don't crush the sensitive areas. I like a narrower saddle and like the Pro on my touring / commuting bike. You can read about my new purchase for my road bike here.

If you are sliding forward, tip the nose up a bit. I have done this on both my bikes, including one with a 2"+ drop from the saddle to the bars. It does work.

One thing I like about the leather and the "slick" nature of it is that when I get into the drops I can slide back a bit, and when I sit upright, I can slide forward a bit.

NoReg

I already mentioned the hit it with a mallet break-in a while back. I didn't bother with the proofhide, and I didn't use a heavy hammer, or lots of whacks. I could forge steel with that approach. The sit-bones are not applying that much force, the only thing is that getting the seat broken in takes a little more force. Don't overdoo it, take your time and see how it turns out.

Bombeer

​​​​Exactly!

I think any saddle can be made comfortable, it's about the right angle and height. I prefer a relaxed riding position. So my saddle is tilted slightly upward for flat saddles... For padded a little more tilt. Brooks won't work for my anatomy, I prefer saddles with a bit more pads. I can spend as much as 4 hours on the saddle total. I don't mind buying a brooks saddle if I were not living in a tropical country, caring for it would just be too much work when it rains and it rains all the time where I am from.

I recently bought a serfas rx, it's all the same to me. It's a lot bulkier than my old saddle but with the right adjustment it is as if I didn't change saddles. The only difference is padded saddles are comfy from the moment you sit on it, after 20 minutes it's all the same..... If installed correctly.

indyfabz

Well...We are approaching Halloween.

robow

Well played sir !