late

I suggest Clydes get the B17 Champion Special if they get a B17. The leather is a bit thicker and will last longer.
If you want springs, the B17 with springs is the Flyer and there is a Flyer Special.

5kdad

I was at 220 pounds. I have a Brooks sprung saddle. Really like it.

Nola_Gal

I have a relatively new champion flyer. I'm very happy with it. Like someone else said, I've had to work to find the right tilt etc but my rear has had no trouble at all. I'm very happy with it. One of the only downsides I've experienced so far with the sprung version is that the springs make the saddlebag placement a little different/awkward because my seat isn't raised that high (maybe a couple of cm above the handlebars).


[/ATTACH]

Fat Tire

Look at the B135 and B190, before you choose. These are double sprung leather saddles, and maybe more comfortable. Cost a fortune, yes, and weigh a lot too, but more comfortable for an upright position. Go for Velo Orange if yo want a saddle that is pre-tied to reduce spread, and at a nice price. (They don't make a B190 or B-135, unfortunately.)

dartanyon

Hey mate, I feel your pain, or felt it. I've got a B-17 that I absolutely love. I've got it on my touring/commute bike. For what it's worth I started out around 315, down quite a bit these days. Have a look. https://bit.ly/7kWaLD

spiker

My Brooks Pro is a mere 35 yrs old. Have a B5N on another bike. A wright saddle on a third, sort of Brooks lite. No going back.

Machka 

It's rare for my butt to get sore on a ride. My legs and lungs will give out on me long before my butt does ... and you know the length of rides I've completed.

10Wheels rides with his tire pressure at max ... perhaps that's the problem. I ride with my tires a bit below max and it makes for a more comfortable ride.

Rowan

A long-time Brooks user here (although not 20 or 30 years yet).

Started with a Brooks Pro, but it is better suited to riding with bars more than 2" below the saddle, so sold it and got a B17 for my touring/rando/commuting bike.

Then I bought a B17 in London and fitted it to a fixed gear and rode it in on the way to Paris for PBP2007.

I have just fitted a titanium Brooks Swallow to my new road/rando bike and its inaugural long ride will be a 100km brevet tomorrow. I have already had a 15km trial ride and the usual adjustments were made -- nose tilted more and saddle moved back on the FSA seatpost as far as it will go.

I am expecting comfort similar to the B17s even though the Swallow is around 20mm narrower. While it would be expected that the Swallow is for riding with the bars well below the saddle, it seems so far to be fine with bars level.

It probably will help to drop my weight from 95kg to my previous "normal" ride weight of 85kg (which is a roundabout way to saying I actually do qualify to post with the Clydes right now).

Even so, for anyone who thinks Brooks only makes heavyweight saddles, they should pick up a Swallow and immediately know otherwise. This one replaced a very light Ti San Marco SKN, but really, the weight difference is negligible at 183 grams (around 360grams for the Brooks compared with 177 grams for the SKN).

I found the SKN quite comfortable for centuries, but with 1200 randonnees in the future for this new lightweight bike, a Brooks was needed.

thsevlie

B17. I had a bit of trouble with the saddle spreading out during break-in, but after I tightened the bolt in the front it's been wonderful.

Terrierman

I'm 6'1" 235 and ride B-17 on both my Jamis Coda Elite and my Felt Nine Comp. Comfortable from git-go for me and I consider them a cycling comfort essential. Saddle adjustment is the deal, after fiddling with mine a lot found dead level worked best for me. The only down side to Brooks (and other leather saddles) is they get wet in the rain.

CliftonGK1

Spend the $8.00 on a Velox saddle cover. If you've got fenders, then you're totally covered for rain riding with a Brooks saddle. I recently did a 200k where it rained for all 10.5 hours I was out. Not a bit of a problem with the saddle getting wet.

Terrierman

Do they work when the bike is on a rack too? I've used plastic bags but they tend to blow off in shreds when I'm doing 80.

jart

I have been riding an old Brooks Professional that I bought used for over a year now. It is an amazing saddle, and I haven't gotten butt sore at all, whereas my old selle italia was uncomfortable and painful as soon as I sat on it. Many of my friends have B17s, and while they are nice as well, they are wider and probably suit a more relaxed riding position.

CliftonGK1

Yeah, the Velox cover is a fully waterproof tight cover so it works just fine even when the bike is in a rack. Plus, there's no snazzy logo on it like the Brooks branded cover, so it hides the saddle from view, making it less of a theft target.

iamsomeguy

not threadjacking here , i have a b17 that is pretty much brand new (has around 300 miles on it) i moved over to a swift and like it better.
Willing to let go for 60 bux + shipping if your interested.

superslomo

I had a B17N, never got friendly with it.

I love my fizik Aliante, but now have swapped my narrow for a regular B17, and will report back. Hopefully I can come back with the same unbridled love all other brooks-ites report.

SouthernGirl

Just found a Brooks Flyer S on e bay for 57.00. Seems reasonable? It's unused and has a fair shipping rate. Sound like one to nibble on?

jyossarian

Yup. They retail for more than $57. Just make sure it's not a scam.

SouthernGirl

No scam. Been doing eBay for years. 100% feedback (real feedback). Really careful and haven't been scammed yet. Hopefully, that trend will continue. Apparently it was installed for a customer, not used and removed. Small scratch just above the Brooks logo on the back. They have tons of bike stuff listed. Dunno about prices for the other stuff. This did sound good to me, but didn't know if it was possible to find it wholesale somewhere else on a routine basis.

Thanks for the info.

Hillbasher

Put my B-17 on the bike an hour before doing a century up in the Sierras( Mammoth Lakes). That is considered a cardinal sin, or so I am told. The only part of me that felt good at the finish of the ride was my butt. Go figure. Right out of the box for a hundred miler. It was also the first time using that slimy buttery stuff for down around the boys, so that may have had an influence on things also. But the saddle is one purchase I have not regretted making. Love it.

Elliots Quest

This has been my experience as well. Very happy with my purchase, I've had my B-17 about a month now, very functional, if you wear street clothes (such as jeans).

rdtompki

I have a Selle An-atomica (similar to the Brooks). Rode a 100K the day after I put it on the bike with no discomfort. I no longer use chamois cream. Will be riding several centuries and perhaps a 200K this year so the saddle will get "sorely" tested. not the lightest saddle, but worth the weight penalty (x2 on a tandem) in my opinion.

bbeck

well i just placed my order. nashbar has the team pro honey with copper rails on sale 40% off from 189.00 to 119.00 so thats the way i went. i hope the team pro rides as well as it looks.

thanks for everyones comments i will comment on the break-in process as it comes.

iforgotmename

Congrats on pulling the trigger....welcome and enjoy.

bbeck

here it is resting with a coat of proofide. team profesional copper honey i sure hope it rides as good as it looks. as many have said i was suprised at just how stiff this saddle is. sounds like you are tapping on wood if you tap the top.