A little help with a Brooks Swallow please

[mikeymustard]

I've bought a couple of Brooks saddles off a friend who's been trying to find his perfect perch(?), one's a nice honey B17 for the partner's bike, and the other one is a B15 Swallow for my road bike.

These are as new with barely a mark on them, yet the swallow doesn't seem as tight as I would expect.
I have no experience of these skinny style Brooks so I need to know if the friend has been messing with the tension in an attempt to make it more comfy, or whether it's a thing with it having such a narrow nose.

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't admit to fiddling with it even if he had!

I don't want to wreck it - either by over-tensioning it or by using it too loose (bearing in mind I am a big chap). I've read somewhere that swallows have been known to de-tension but don't know how common, or even how accurate this is.

 

[Spiderweb]

It sounds knackered, I'll take it of your hands for £10

 

[raleighnut]

The Swallow is completely different to any others in the Brooks range, it has a metal plate joining the 2 sides together to resist the sides 'flaring' so does not need to rely on tension to help retain the shape, they are a 'hammock' design.
I've had mine for 11yrs and the only time I touch the tension nut is if the saddle has been soaked in which case I unscrew it a bit whilst the saddle is drying then re-tension once dry but then mine is one of the first 'batch' of Limited Edition models, the 'Honey' one so it is a bit special (the black model that came after my series was listed on Brooks online shop at £590) I'm not sure what the retail price of mine was as I bought it discounted when Websters gave up running 'The Bike Park' in Leicester for £200 (I also bagged a pair of big Carradice panniers and they were half price)

Anyhoo, I'm rambling, my advice is get the tension right then leave it (unless it gets really wet) they do sag under your weight but they're meant to.
BTW, I'm a biggish bloke too, 6' tall and 16 stone.

Gratuitous photo of my Swallow

 

[mikeymustard]

Whereabouts in the range of tensioning thread is it?

Good point, I hadn't even considered that - it looks like it hasn't been moved!

It sounds knackered, I'll take it of your hands for £10

Er... no?

 

[mikeymustard]

@raleighnut ah, that's the info I was looking for, I was wondering if it was in the design so to speak

I'm going to fit it now

 

[biggs682]

@raleighnut ah, that's the info I was looking for, I was wondering if it was in the design so to speak

I'm going to fit it now

Dont forget to give both sides some treatment first

 

[mikeymustard]

Dont forget to give both sides some treatment first

Duly noted - and already done (not that this bike goes out in the wet, I'll gak up my new wheels )

 

[mikeymustard]

Right, saddles fitted, not had a chance to try it other than sat in the cul de sac yet, I got up a bit late and working this afto.
Must say it looks great! My road bike is a genesis volant (or vol au vent as I like to call it) which is kinda "retroesque" and it suits it well. As for my partner's bike, the honey colour goes really nicely with her Purple Ronnie

 

[mikeymustard]

Gave the saddle a little test ride this afto, only about 15 miles (with a stop at my mother's for a cuppa). It seems to be a bit lower than my B17n, I hadn't even considered that it might be a different height so my knees hurt a bit.
@raleighnut you weren't wrong about the Swallow being different, it felt quite comfy so with just a tweak or two I think this saddle and my arse could become firm friends.

 

[raleighnut]

Gave the saddle a little test ride this afto, only about 15 miles (with a stop at my mother's for a cuppa). It seems to be a bit lower than my B17n, I hadn't even considered that it might be a different height so my knees hurt a bit.
@raleighnut you weren't wrong about the Swallow being different, it felt quite comfy so with just a tweak or two I think this saddle and my arse could become firm friends.

Yep my opinion is that the people who knacker them by winding tension on are trying to replicate the 'Rock Ard' feeling of every other Brooks (even broken in ones) I would say that it was my most comfortable but I've got a B17n (Narrow) that I've had for years on my Ridgeback that fits my bony bum perfectly (I've done tens of thousands of miles on that)
The thing to judge is how much sag there is when you're on the bike or the plate can bang on the top of the seatpost, I can tell by pressing on mine firmly with my hand when it's right but then in the time I've had it it has been really soaked half a dozen times (inadvertently) and it isn't a saddle I'd ride wet. Luckily I've got half a dozen other bikes I can use whilst it dries fully.

 

[mikeymustard]

Yep my opinion is that the people who knacker them by winding tension on are trying to replicate the 'Rock Ard' feeling of every other Brooks......... I can tell by pressing on mine firmly with my hand when it's right

I think you're bob on there!
After another fiddle with it this morning I've realised that you also need to adjust the angle to account for the hammock effect too.
I'm still inclined to tighten it a smidge though - I feel it's where it should be after a bit of stretch, not before? Or maybe not?

 

[raleighnut]

I think you're bob on there!
After another fiddle with it this morning I've realised that you also need to adjust the angle to account for the hammock effect too.
I'm still inclined to tighten it a smidge though - I feel it's where it should be after a bit of stretch, not before? Or maybe not?

Hard to tell from here.

 

[mikeymustard]

Hard to tell from here.

lol indecision leads to the dark side...must...try...make....decision....