zweitesmal2

I just don't see the point in spending so much money for a saddle needing so much care and fiddling. My LBS has a pile of take-off saddles from various mountain and road bikes that I'm welcome to. I have a basic form I like (with a "taint trench") and any one will do fine. I just did a 2 month tour using a mid-grade GT MTB saddle I'd tried for a couple of weeks and it suited me fine. No oil, no stitching, no springs and no covering it in the rain. Nobody will ever steal my seats. I appreciate that you may like the aesthetics of a Brooks but honestly is it that big of a deal?

Wildwood 

As with all saddles, finding the right Brooks for your body and riding style is the challenge. B17 doesn't work for me on my bikes, Pro and an old B15 are fine.

My other likeable leather saddles (currently on vintage bikes) include Ideale, SelleAnatomica, Gyes, Wrights, Palace, Belt, even the Troxel is pretty good now laced & tied.



For modern saddles, I like long&narrow with either center slot or split rail. But the funky looking SMP also works. So who knows what's best???

I'm just lucky my bottom side isn't too picky. It helps to be able to ride left nutted, right nutted, out-of-saddle, just-off-saddle, stretching while coasting, etc.

jlaw

Just ordered a B17 Narrow Imperial (cut out) from Chain Reaction. I have a couple saddles that are fine for 25 - 30 and bearable for 50. But, I'm going to test the mythology of leather and try to find a 'forever' saddle that I don't even think about for 50 miles.

I haven't had a leather saddle since I was a kid. I considered the Selle Anatomica X, but decided to try Brooks first.

I fully expect to be disappointed with the Brooks for at least the first 200 miles - will give it 500+ miles before deciding yes or no. If the Brooks is a 'no', then I will definitely try a Selle Anatomica X before throwing in the towel on leather saddles.

Reading saddle reviews is entertaining but irrelevant because saddle comfort is so rider-specific.

GeezyRider 

If you purchased your B17 used, it may be molded to the shape of the previous owner It may take some time to conform to your anatomy. I purchased my B17s new and they were comfortable right out of the box. I realize that is not true for everyone and I was lucky. My Selle Anatomica took some adjusting at the beginning because the leather stretched more than the Brooks.

Best of luck. I hope you find the Brooks will eventually become a lot more comfy and enjoyable to ride.

phughes

It honestly doesn't take a lot of fiddling. If you are properly fitted on the bike, it should be fine. The issue is, that many people are not properly fitted on the bike, and therefor are not stable on the saddle. Often the saddle is too high, which will be very evident when on a Brooks, it will show up as perineum Pain, and you will have the tendency to slide forward. Other seats may mask the issue slightly, using cutouts, and a more grippy surface. Reach is a factor too. If the reach it too far, you will have issues with the seat as well. Usually the fiddling is done to "correct" issues related to a too high seat.

I can just say that once the seat height is where it should be, the Brooks disappears underneath you. I have used mine on tours and cannot imagine using anything else, other than perhaps another leather saddle like as Selle Anatomica, they too are a very comfortable saddle. On my last tour, I easily did 35-75 miles a day, and got off the bike with zero pain, no saddle sores, with or without padded shorts.

sumgy

Hope it works out for you.

Darth Lefty 

I didn’t enjoy my Brooks saddle but I do enjoy all the people telling each other dubious things in a Brooks saddle thread

Slightspeed

I'm a Brooks believer, with five of them, three B-17s and two Pros. I've been riding them for over 50 years, along with a few modern ones, Prologo, Specialized, Ergon. As a different take on things, what about Brooks Cambium, like C-17? I've had a modernish Specialized Roubaix for over 10 years, and the stock Specialized Avatar is starting to bug me. I've been thinking C-17 for Brooks comfort, all weather use, in a more modern look, but hardly ever see them on the road, and never tried one. Any comments on the Brooks Cambium? I've heard that the abrasive cloth cover wears out riding shorts, and conversely that the cloth cover wears out prematurely. I've had Brooks leather saddles that are over 50 years old, and never had one wear out. Any comments?

JoeKahno

Had a shattered pelvis a couple decades back. Definitely have one on my wish list. Playing with the idea of getting a doc to write it up as adaptive equipment, even if I can't get my medical insurance to pay for it I'll feel better about spending the money.

delbiker1 

I got in 35 miles yesterday on my Poprad with the B-17. I have to admit, it was really comfortable. I think I just need to move forward just a little bit. I will try that today and move it back if that is no better. I also went back to Ritchie Pro, 30 deg. rise, also rearranged the spacers, now the bars just a bit lower then the saddle. I did some measuring of saddle position on my other bikes, and all of them are about the same in relation to saddle, crank axle height and distance to bars. I was definitely pleased with the improvement yesterday.

joesch

Agree, many great choices. Selle San Marco is another not on the list (post 23). I have used many and do like the Italia, San Marco, and Brooks offerings. I use diff saddles on diff bikes depending on the main purpose for the bike (city, road, tour, gravel, ...)

FolderBeholder

The wife and I fiddled with Brooks’ B17 for 5 painful months and they didnt/havent/wont work for us.

They are on the shelf gathering dust. Both B17...men’s in gorgeous dark blue and female in black.

We now have Sella Anatomica saddles on 2 of each our bikes. Perfect for us both.

anyone interested in a either of our Brooks saddles...PM me.

MoAlpha

Had two B17Ns. Proofided them, broke them in for 1000s of miles, moved them this way and that, sold them. No endorsement for any of their serial replacements, but, at least, they were lighter.

big chainring 

I ride a Cadillac!

restlessswind

I can never go back from a Brooks Flyer. Nothing feels right. Only problem is my new bike shares the saddle with my old one. Need to fork out another $120.

Koyote

This is akin to assuming that everyone will like broccoli because you like it.

ThermionicScott 

If you can easily squish your saddle’s padding all the way down with a finger, what good do you think it does with your full body weight on it?

Dilldog

I love my Brooks saddle. I have a sprung pre worn flyer, I forget the model number. It is amazingly comfortable and also lets not forget about the aesthetics. I love the little touch of old world cycling on my bike.

jskita

I have a B-72 and rode it for many years and it was very stiff. I just thought it was normal, but was curious as to when I would start to feel this "comfort" that everyone spoke about. Since I didn't do long distances is was fine for me. The question still nagged at me though. One day I used Sno Seal on it and took a hair dryer to it - man did that sucker soften up. In fact it got so soft it worried me to the point that I added a lace to the bottom and that took care of everything. It's now extremely comfortable.

MikeyMK

I weigh 138 lbs, it's fine..

delbiker1 

Two days in a row with 37 miles and the Brooks was really good. I think I finally got it positioned right.

ThermionicScott 

I wasn’t calling you fat. What do you expect a saddle’s padding to accomplish when it’s fully compressed whenever you’re on it?

MikeyMK

I don't know if you're aware, or not, how far you've bent this conversation.

I never said or implied that it's fully compressed when I'm sat on it.

Perhaps you should start again?

Korina

You forgot Rivet Cycle Works near Sacramento.

ThermionicScott 

How is it not? Regardless, some of us find squishy saddles far less comfortable than firm ones. The padding presses up into soft tissue, where a hard saddle just bears on the sit bones if it’s set up right. Maybe that helps with your initial “I don’t understand...”.