JWay

wow had no idea that much thought went into the saddle. Good to know. Thanks for sharing

restlessswind

I was at a REI garage sale last Saturday and I was able to grab a returned (new) B17 for $40. Yay for me!

FLYBYU

I got my Brooks B17 on sale from Chain Reaction for $75. I thought that if it didn't work out I could sell it for at least that. Well 1300kms later I love it. It really has renewed my love of cycling as I would avoid riding due to painful saddles (even bought a recumbent). It just disappears from under you. Great saddle....for me!

Sojodave

There are three things that prevent me from getting a leather Brooks saddle.

1. They weigh a ton. I'm not a weight weenie, but some of Brooks saddle weigh three times what my current saddle weighs.
2. Most Brooks saddles have to be tilted nose up. This may make your sit bones comfortable, but it feels like your riding on the horn.
3. After you go through the break-in period, there's no guarantee that it will be comfortable.

If my current saddle doesn't work out, I may invest in a C13 wide saddle. It does weigh under 300 grams, and a lot of people rave about it for distance. Time will tell.

FLYBYU

1. Your faster when you are more comfortable

2. Mine is perfectly level, I don't feel the front at all, but this is all personal preference.

3. Mine felt amazing from the 1st km to now. 1300kms later it only feels better.

cooker

My personal experience with Brooks B17 is that it is completely comfortable right out the box. In fact I let one get wet and rode on it, and it stretched a bit and I haven't been able to get if comfortable again, and I will probably replace it. I know other people feel they need to break them in, but for me, the newer the better. I always have a plastic bag with me and cover the seat every time I leave the bike outside, no matter the weather. At work we have a locked bike area which may have helped prevent my seat and other bike paraphernalia getting stolen.

Here is my B17 joke from years ago:

An older male cyclist was worried about his declining sexual functioning, but he was reluctant to tell his wife, who already disapproved of his bicycling, that the problem could be due to nerve compression from a badly fitting bike seat, and might be fixed by getting a Brooks B-17 leather saddle. Finally, one night in bed, after another mediocre bout of lovemaking, he blurted out “I wanna B-17”. She laughed wryly and said “Honey, it wasn’t that great when you were that age, either”.

Slightspeed

I just got my first Brooks Cambium C17 today. As owner of 3 B17s, and two Pros, I thought it was time to go "modern" and try the C17. The Specialized Avatar on my '07 Roubaix is starting to bug me, and I'm a big fan of the Brooks comfort, look and fit, as well as durability, so as a $69 Ebay find, I decided to go for it. Its 97° here today and getting windy, plus we have a early class tonight, so I won't get any seat time till tomorrow. I do like the looks though, just wonder how long the cloth cover will hold up. I had a Brooks B17 for 50 years before it split on a wet weather ride. If this lasts 1/2 as long, I'll be 95!

cooker

I looked at getting a Cambium, but I ride to work in casual work pants and I wondered if the pebbly surface would wear them out faster than the smooth leather of the traditional saddles, which don't seem to harm my pants. I haven't noticed any staining on the pants from the proofhide, but I always wear dark pants.

My only beef with B17 is that it rides a bit higher on the post than other saddles, so I found it had to be pushed farther back on its rails to maintain the same position relative to the seat tube. To correct for that I got a new seat post with more setback.

And I agree with some posters, that for me it works best with a very slight nose elevation, to keep you at the back of the saddle and not sliding forward onto the nose.