Jude

Basically what the title says. My friend back in Philly has an old *** Raleigh...well, I'm not 100 percent certain that it's a *** since he also got a nice 80s Trek sometime recently and ran it into horrible shape...but the Raleigh weighs like 40 pounds...anyway, this Raleigh has a saddle on it that says Brooks. I don't have a picture (gonna see if he can send me one) but if I remember its the same logo as other Brooks saddles I've seen. So I was kind of surprised to see a Brooks saddle on a rustbucket like that and was wondering if a) he just ended up with a really nice saddle somehow or b) Brooks also made some ****.

stausty

Choice A. Brooks saddles were standard issue on most Raleigh's of that era. The bike just rusted around the saddle.

mkeller234

They did make some mattress saddles, so I guess those would be at the bottom of the barrel.

Jude

What's a mattress saddle?

rhm

Steel frame with steel springs covered with upholstery. They can have a leather cover, or a good imitation leather cover; examples from the 60's and later usually have a cover made of vinyl or some similar plastic. They are not low quality, but we snobs tend to look askance at any saddle that isn't made of leather.

Seems to me, Brooks also made hard plastic saddles once.

Jude

I'll have him upload some pictures of the bike and saddle when he has a chance. I'm curious.

Doohickie

I've also seen the Brooks name on el cheapo vinyl (non-leather, non-naugahide even) saddles. Similar to the all vinyl racing style saddles on mid-70s Schwinn Varsities.

Also, remember that Brooks was the house brand for Raleigh saddles at one time (i.e., Raleigh owned them).

molarface

Kinda reminds me of back in the day- guys would put gorgeous mag wheels and giant Goodyear Polyglass GT tires something like a 4 cylinder Falcon or a Malibu w/a 6.

But as an old guy I can understand the concept of having a good saddle on any bike- best components in the world are no fun when your butt's killing you.

Don

CardiacKid

Most Brooks saddles are made from leather. They did make a Vinyl saddle that I have seen on some Raleigh 3 speeds. However, I have never seen a Brooks crap saddle. I don't think crap is durable enough and it is too soft. Rain would destroy it and it would smell bad, but that is true of their leather saddles as well.

Veloria

Fascinating. Would love to see photos of some of the old crappy saddles.

EraserGirl

I object to the implication that a Brooks mattress saddle is by definition 'crap'.

muccapazza

Yeah, but those were some quality barrels.

I think there's a crappy vinyl one down at the co-op that we use for a laugh when someone comes in looking for a replacement saddle, I'll try to get a pic if it's still there.

lotek 

YES!
https://cgi.ebay.com/Brooks-Black-sad...QQcmdZViewItem

I doubted it was a Brooks, but look at the embossing on the back of the saddle.

Marty

unworthy1

many folks say that the "Colt" was a loser, even though it is an all-leather Brooks, and seems to still be available in the UK. As always, there's bound to be somebody's *ss it just fits perfectly.

lotek 

I'm riding a colt right now, it's a strange creaky (very) saddle with long skirt. I think this
was supposed to be more of a heavy touring type saddle? Looks really good, but the noise
is driving me nuts. oh yah, it is comfortable.
I wouldn't call it crap, more of a failed experiment.

marty

raverson

I sold a ladies Raleigh Sports a while back that had the Brooks mattress saddle. Overall quality was decent but it had a thin white plastic shell on the underside that was slowly disintegrating from age.

Jude

Pictures will be coming whenever my friend uploads them so you guys can tell me exactly what year and model it is and how much the going rate is on ebay, without checking any website other than this one

mkeller234

I think you guys misunderstood what I was saying. I am not calling the mattress saddles crap, what I was saying was in the line of products they offered that would probably have been the bottom.

I don't hate on mattress saddles, I have one on each of my Schwinns. I also don't stick my nose up to anything thats not leather, my main rider has a padded Vetta saddle that I love. It's very similar to the Turbo saddles.

See, i've got room in my heart for mattress saddles, and I would hardly call Schwinns the bike for a snob:

noglider 

I remember in the late 70's or early 80's, Brooks decided to get with the times and compete against the Italian saddle makers. They took a nylon shell, put on some padding, and stretched a leather cover over it.

Panthers007

Their B66 "mattress" saddle is great!

Grand Bois

You can still buy a Brooks Colt new. I've seen them on British sites. They called them their top touring saddle at one time and they're not cheap. It was an attempt at an aerodynamic leather saddle. I move my Brooks saddles around a lot and the Colt always ends up on the bike that I ride least. It was on a Gitane that came from the desert. The bike is completely rust free because of the desert climate, but the saddle is dried out and hard as a rock.

I'd post a picture, but Webshots has lost them.

cb400bill

I have a Brooks Vitesse 600 that has a padded nylon shell with leather stretched over it. Funny thing is, it was made under license in Italy.

noglider 

cb400bill, I didn't remember that those Italian style saddles were Italian made! Good thing they didn't tool up to make them themselves, or it could have put them out of business.

I know not many will share my view, but I think Brooks saddles are insanely overpriced. And I'm going to sound hypocritical, because I ride a 40- or 50-year old Brooks Professional, and I love it, but I wouldn't spend the money on a new one. I could try out a whole lot of cheap saddles and find one or two that feel just fine for the money I'd have to spend on a new Brooks. And with a new one, it might not feel right for years. It seems to me that the Brooks name has a cult status, which might be driving up the prices.

JohnDThompson 

Brooks made a wide range of saddles; not just the high-end shaped leather saddles most people here seem to know, but also a lot of cheap, vinyl-over-plastic-shell saddles for the entry-level market.

Grand Bois

The Brooks B66 is not a mattress-style saddle.

https://www.wallbike.com/B66B72.html