Wallonthefloor

The iconic b17 got me interested by being touted as the most comfortable saddle and the flyer being the b17 with springs I decided to make the purchase and got it. After riding my flat bar singlespeed with it my inner thighs were burning, sore and red. I only noticed when I went swimming the next day and the chlorine in the pool irritated my legs there even more so bad I couldn't walk right. My thighs rubbing together on the irritated skin was very painful. It was all because of the brooks flyer saddle I swapped out after that. It seems that maybe it flares out a bit too much? I didn't get the laced version and I was riding it for a few weeks. Is it just not the saddle for me I guess?

PhilFo 

Did you buy the saddle new?
Sometimes leather holds a bit of mildew, regardless how new it is and t can react with the sweat on your skin causing some serious irritation, and essentially "jock itch".
If you bought the saddle new and want to keep it, wear some longer shorts or wear cycling shorts which will prevent the chafing. Get some ketoconazole OTC (med for jock itch / ringworm / dermal yeast infection / athlete's foot) if you have a visible rash that doesn't clear up with a few showers and keeping it dry.
A big issue may be the pool you were in causing your irritation to really flare up. If your clothes were abrasive or shorts were really short and the leather was scraping your thigh, the chlorine and whatever else in the pool would certainly exacerbate the problem. The Brooks saddles are well worth the hardship, in my opinion. I have three of them and love them all for what they do.

raqball

Saddles will vary from person to person. What one person loves another may hate. Measure, or get measured, your sit bones as this will give you an idea of what size saddle you need. Even having a properly sized saddle does not mean it will be comfortable for you. Most go though a few, or several, saddles before finding one they like..

jadmt

you did not notice it until the next day while swimming? you sure it was the saddle? I have a B17 and don't see how it would rub the inner thighs.

Clyde1820

Hard to know, from one ride.

Could have been something on the saddle itself, some residue, pathogen or chemical. Something to consider, as well, would be the relative difference in width of the saddle's nose/crotch area. If your old one is significantly narrower, it's possible that your hip's measurements and "best" leg position doesn't allow for much wider. (Not that the B17 family is all that wide.)

One thing to think about is that the new leather's going to have a different amount of grip on clothing and skin, as compared to a well-worn, broken-in model. (And very likely compared to your prior saddle.) A minor difference in saddle nose width, a minor increase in abrasion, and ... Not altogether unlike, say, a baseball glove's feel, which can be fairly grainy the first few months' of use but which will change markedly as it's broken-in. The leather on the Brooks saddles is much like this. Your own skin, down there, could be particularly sensitive to such differences, which you hadn't experienced until you went to a brand spankin' new saddle.

Myself, I've got a Brooks B67 Aged Short. It's rather "gritty" (with the dimpling and stiffer leather of the surface), when new, but it smooths out and gets more comfortable as the weeks go by. The B67 is also a sprung variant of Brooks saddles. I love it. It is a bit stiffer when new, as compared to what I thought it'd be. But it didn't take too long to get noticeably smoother and better-fitting.

Might well not be for you. Then again, after a few dozen more rides, and a bit more awareness of your leg/knee width as you ride, you might find its comfort level improving over time. I'd suggest waiting until your sensitive skin is back to normal, then giving it another go. It can be a great saddle, if it fits your underside.

oldbobcat

Many guys think what works for them works for everybody. Evidently, that isn't true.

syckman

I put a Brooks B17 on two of my bikes around the same time. One caused some pain on my inner thigh, the other did not. Figured it was due to bike fit vs saddle itself so played around with the fit on the one that hurt a bit and eventually went away. Maybe that could be the case with your bike too.

Carbonfiberboy 

The OP's issue depends on the shape on one's thighs more than anything else. Who knew?