aceofspaids

I see most peoples brooks are level, does the fact that mine is tilted nose up (pretty extreme) mean anything more than just personal preference?

seeker333

most are tilted slightly up like yours

clayface

My Brooks are all tilted slightly down

djb

until last summer I dont think I would have ever thought that tilting a seat upwards a tad could be anything but torture. I ended up trying a slightly upturned position and found it worked well for me, so I was surprised.
I guess with seat stuff, you gotta be open to trying stuff, even to see that in 1 min that its not for you.
Kinda like the whole "Brooks" in general thing. I sure as heck dont like sufferiing and if something is hurting me I stop. Reading online about Brooks saddles and break in period did help with giving me a heads up on what to expect, but as for position, you really do have to listen to your own nether regions, and not what anyone else says.

Caretaker

Looks a lot like mine.

For me it has to do with keeping my weight from being thrown onto the bars. A level or nose down position and my hands hurt.

mbcharbonneau

When I bought my Brooks I positioned it level, like other bike saddles I've used. After a few > 50 mile rides I tilted it up a bit, then tilted it up some more as I still had some numbness after the ride. Maybe it looks a little weird at that angle, but it's very comfortable.

djb

ps, my two Brooks are angled less than yours, perhaps half way between straight and how you have it. Mind you, on both bikes the bars are a bit lower than yours in relation to seat height, which plays a part. On my drop bar bike, I can spend time in the drops without discomfort seat wise, but am really only in the drops with strong headwinds or short fast sprints, so majority of time is spent uptop.

Machka 

Most people ride with the nose of their Brooks tilted up ... some just a little bit, some lots. Go look at the Your Century Bicycle thread in the Long Distance forum.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tury-bicycle(s)

Tilting the nose up forces you back onto your sitbones so that you sit on the saddle properly. If the nose is tilted down, you'll find that you are putting a lot of weight on your arms and hands and will likely develop neck, shoulder, tricep and hand pain over longer distances.

clayface

Until I began to move the saddle nose slightly downwards, perineal numbness was such an issue to me that riding for more than half an hour was really uncomfortable and impossible. I had to stop every now and then and get out of the saddle for five minutes or so. From the beggining the saddle was flat and moving the nose up only made things worse. Now I can ride in total comfort.

DropBarFan

Used to have a Brooks Pro that was swaybacked & the nose tilted up & caused some discomfort. But if it works for you who's to argue. BTW yesterday I passed by a guy riding a Windsor Tourist, first time I've seen one of those. Didn't have time to ask any questions.

noglider 

Generally if tilting the nose down feels better, it COULD mean that the saddle is too high. But everyone's different, and there's no hard and fast rule.

Machka 

Or that the handlebars aren't level with the saddle maybe.

djb

machka, by the way, that "century bike" thread has such a neat range of interesting bikes on it. Was fun browsing through just to gander at the photos. Thanks for putting it up.
cheers

clayface

Bars and saddle are level. The Brooks is pointing downwards, just that little bit that relieves pressure from the center and moves it back to the sit bones.

NoReg

There was an article, I thought it was on https://www.rivbike.com/, or maybe Brooks, but couldn't find it. Basically it said front high a little. Though I don't prefer mine all that visibly high.

clayface

That's a frequent criticism with Thorns

Ti-tillIdie

My brooks is fairly new (less than 500 miles) but I have found a nose up position is much more comfortable than a level one. Picture to show my angle... slightly less than yours (but in the ballpark).

Uncle Buck

Just started breaking in a B17. Less than 100 miles. When I first put it on the nose was tilted up some and the test ride around the neighborhood felt great. Before my next ride I leveled it and I had to stop after 5 miles to adjust it back. I was sliding forward and it was very uncomfortable. After raising the nose all was well. Went 70 miles the next dat and I'm glad I went with the Brooks saddle. It just gets better the more I ride. Now if I can just save up enough for a nice steel lugged frame.....

Tourist in MSN

Adjust it for comfort.

My Brooks Conquests (a discontinued model) are sprung so I aim the nose slightly down because I get roughly 5mm spring deflection when I am in the saddle.

Mine is set at a compromise position, when I am on the drops the nose is too high and when I am using the bar tops my nose is too low.

FrenchFit 

Yes, I means you are not rotating your pelvis and flatting your lower back. It means you're riding upright and putting more weight on your sit bones. It's a choice, not a judgment. If you rotate your pelvis the seat nose will come down, so will your handlebars, and you may want a longer stem.