Machka 

Brooks B17 ... 50,000+ km on it, and it is still the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned.

Nota

Brooks B17's for me.

I've got a Honey colored one on my touring bike with 1500 miles on it, that is, by far, the most comfortable saddle I've ever had. Certainly much better than the $170 I wasted on a Fizik Arione that, after 2000 miles on it, still feel like a midieval torture device.

I just received another B17, in Black, for Winter Solstice, that I'm going to mount on my racing bike.

mattbicycle

I've done about 6000km on my supermarket bicycle including one long, and two short tours. The original saddle felt comfortable from day one. I never bothered to replace it. Now, if the entire bicycle falls to bits, or when I move back to Australia, the saddle will be removed and taken with me to use on my next bike. I think I was just incredibly lucky to find something compatible with my anatomy on such a cheap bicycle.

I'd love to try a Brooks saddle one day; but honestly I have never even seen one aside from pics online!

NoReg

B17

BigBlueToe

I've tried so many saddles! I had a Brooks in the 70's. It came on my Raleigh Gran Prix. It was bad. After 25 miles I was starting to hurt. By 30 I was definitely in pain. By 40 I was almost numb.

I bought a Nashbar touring bike in 1992. It had a Vetta Gel saddle. For some reason, that saddle was perfect for me! I never got a sore butt once. Unfortunately, they stopped making them.

It eventually got too torn up and ratty and I tried to find something to replace it. Everyone raved about Brooks saddles, but after my experience with the Raleigh's I resisted the urge to buy one. I tried a Terry, an early Specialized Body Geometry, a Nashbar Century, an Avocet; I even found 2 Vetta Gels on Craigslist. Of them all, most were terrible. The first Vetta wasn't the same model - it was really small (?) The second one was pretty good, though not as good as the original.

When I bought my LHT a couple years ago I decided to bite the bullet and see what all the Brooks hype was about. Maybe they had changed since my experience in the 70's. I bought a Champion Flyer, thinking the springs would help soften the ride on a long tour. It worked out pretty good. On a tour of the Northern Tier I had little problems with sore butt. There were a few times when, after 3 or 4 long days in a row, my butt would start to get uncomfortable in the afternoons. The biggest problem was the annoying squeaking sound coming from the springs.

When I bought my next bike, a Specialized Allez, it was my "fast" bike. I tried to set it up more like a young racer would do (silly me), and make it look good. I started with a sleek Nashbar saddle that was color coordinated and advertised as being comfortable. It wasn't good. 25 miles were okay; by 30 it was starting to hurt. I had some centuries scheduled. The thought of doing 100 miles on that saddle scared me. Next I bought a Specialized - an Avatar, I think. The results were about the same or worse than the Nashbar. I tried a Serfas RX. It was very cushy, but hurt just as bad after 30 miles.

Finally, the week before my first century of the season, I took the Brooks Champion Flyer off the LHT and mounted it on the Allez. Finally, relief! I completed the centuries in comfort!

After that experience, I bought a Brooks for the Allez - a B17 - and put the Champion Flyer back on the LHT. If anything, I think the B17 is more comfortable than the Champion Flyer. It started out comfortable, and has gotten more so with time. Now I'm wondering if I should switch the B17 to the LHT before going on tour this summer. It's certainly lighter, without the springs.

I know not everyone likes Brooks, but so many people swear by them that I'd say anyone who is struggling with finding a comfortable saddle should at least try one. We all know that finding a comfortable saddle makes a huge difference in touring pleasure!

dwilbur3

Well, y'all talked me into it. I just got a new (for me) bike with a horrible saddle (WTB must stand for "We Torture Butts"). I was about to pull the trigger on a Terry saddle on sale with good reviews, but then I read the last review. He had rated the saddle a 5 of 5 but said something like "My last one lasted me 4000 miles!" Heck, I put 4000 miles on my bike last year. No way I'm going to buy a new one every year!

So I ordered the B17 instead. I'm on the band wagon (but I haven't drank the kool-aid yet).

By the way, it was on sale at Nashbar for $95 and they have a 20% off any item sale going on as well so I got it for $75!

Machka 

OK ... brace yourself.

When it arrives you're going to open the box and think that the saddle is the hardest rock of a thing you've ever seen, and you're going to have some doubts about it. It is hard, and it never softens up. It is not supposed to get soft. It will change shape to fit you, and it will give a bit, but it should never become soft.

When you put it on your bicycle, make sure that the nose of the saddle tips up. With any other saddle you're supposed to install them so they are level. Brooks saddles, however, are best installed with the nose up a bit. Go look at the "Your Century Bicycle" thread in the Long Distance forum and you'll see what I mean. Tipping the nose up forces you to sit on your sitbones (and sucking in your abs when you ride will help you with that as well).

When you get on your saddle, one of the first things you'll notice is that it is slippery. You'll feel like you're sliding all over the place. This is normal, and it goes away after a few weeks of use.

Don't go crazy with the proofide or any other sorts of creams etc. Proofide is just there to protect the saddle from the elements ... a little dab of it will do just fine.

And ... don't go crazy with the various break-in techniques you might have heard about. Just ride the saddle a lot, in all sorts of weather conditions. Breaking in will happen naturally.

dwilbur3

Thanks for the advice. I am expecting something hard, that takes a while to break in. But I put a lot of miles on my bike so hopefully it won't take too long to reach a comfort level. From what I've read a Brooks saddle can give years of good service which seemed a lot better than buying a new saddle every year!

Good advice about the break-in, I had recently read some questionable advice about how to break it in right away. I'll avoid those techniques. Tipping the nose up sounds a little strange to me (that decidedly did NOT work on my last saddle) but I'll take your advice on that one, you've got more experience with this saddle than I do. Thanks again.

TomM

I have B17s on all of my bikes.

Machka 

Well, have a look through that "Your Century Bicycle" thread and look at the Brooks saddles ... most are tipped up: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...tury-bicycle-s

I was struggling with comfort on mine until Rowan suggested I tip the nose up. I did, and I've been comfortable ever since. I've got mine tipped up slightly, and he's got his tipped way up, so the level of tip is a personal preference. And for whatever reason, tipping the nose up on most other saddles doesn't work at all ... it seems to be a Brooks thing.

As for breaking it in, a lot of people have this idea that if they apply all sorts of oils and creams etc., or if they beat the saddle to death, it will become soft and thus it will have broken in. But that's not the way it works. First you'll notice little scuff marks where your sitbones sit. Then the scuff marks will get a bit deeper and turn into divots. Don't be alarmed if they aren't even ... most of us are lopsided, and the beautiful thing about a Brooks is that it conforms to you. If the divots start to get too deep, you might want to consider tensioning the saddle. I did that after about 40,000 km.

You can see my saddle (after about 50,000 km) in these photos ... and there's a photo of Rowan's bicycle and saddle in there as well:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/1430288...7622345234456/

wahoonc

I do use proofide on mine, heavy coat on the underside and a less on top. Let it sit for a bit in a warm spot. Then buff the top off. I have Brooks saddles on most of my bikes, for me they are always comfortable right out of the box and only get better as they age. I usually proofide my saddles once a year or so.

As Machka pointed out the nose tilt will vary a bit for each person. FWIW in my observation men seem to need more back tilt than women.

Aaron

Cyclebum

Velo Biologic. Just as uncomfortable as the B-17, 1/3 the price, and no worry about it getting wet. Standard issue for the Dallas Bicycle Patrol. Not nearly as durable or classy looking.

BigBlueToe

I don't think I have my Brooks tilted up - it's more level. It feels right. My B17 was comfortable from the first day, but after half a year I think it's getting more comfortable.

I agree with not trying any wacky treatments - soaking in Neetsfoot oil, running through the dishwasher, beating it with a nylon spoon (I made that one up.)

I'd put a coat of proofide on it to protect the leather and then ride. Try the tilted-up thing, but also try other configurations until you find what works for you. Let us know if you start drinking the Kool-aid.

Machka 

I added it up, and 50000 km on my Brooks B17 was a little bit high. It's actually about 44,000 km of outside riding and 1-2000 km of indoor riding.

I took the last three photos in this set yesterday ... my Brooks, after 44,000+ km of use over the past 5.5 years.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/1430288...detail/?page=2

twodeadpoets

@Machka, 44k, I'm not surprised but very impressed! And your saddle is a testament to how awesome Brooks are. I bet there aren't too many saddles brands out there that would last nearly as long or be half as comfortable if they did.

GLA

Certainly a lot of Brooks here!

I ride a Fizik Aliante Graphite Twin flex. There's a bit of a long story about getting it, but it's great. Perfect for me.

deepakvrao

I'm new and yet to do my first tour [next week], but I have a B17 for about 20 days now on my new LHT and its the most comfortable saddle I have ridden [having said that, I have ridden only 4].

It was comfortable from day 1, got better - then I started getting a pain over only the first 6-8km of a ride. I tipped the nose back to level and it seems fine now. Done almost 1000km on it till date.

SteveJ

San Marco Rolls for me, i have two white ones on my road bikes and a tan suede on my commuter/touring bike

seeker333

I love my SM Rolls too. It has significantly more padding than the identically-dimensioned SM Regal, which I have on another bike. I like it so much I may buy a spare. They are also inexpensive from Wiggle UK, with free shipping to USA for totals over ~85 bucks.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Se...le/5360010942/

I also had good luck with SI Flite - the plain old style they sold for 15? years.

I have a B17 which I rode for ~3K miles. It was no better for me than alternatives above, with reduced range of F/R positioning due to rail design, and an extra 200-300g mass.

mijome07

I'm waiting for my E3 Form Titanium Rail Saddle to arrive. It has good reviews from all types of riders.

eofelis 

I have been using a Terry Liberator Ti-Race saddle for the past several years and I have been happy with it.

HardyWeinberg

I have that on my fixie. Not sure about the Ti rails but definitely that saddle. It is great for that bike but it really emphasizes the cushiness of the B17 on my LHT.

mijome07

Good to know. Maybe you have the gel version. That got good reviews as well.

IronMac

B-17 here...only about 10,000 kilometers I think. Had an annoying squeaking/creaking sound for the first year but it seems to have quietened down. Used Proofide once. Cycled wet and put away wet...looks even better than the day I bought it. Seems to still be as hard as ever but maybe it's my butt that's toughened up?

emarg0ed

B-17 on my touring bike, a Velo Orange sprung saddle on my daily commuter. Both are fantastic.