Brooks B17

[Bodhbh]

I've got a B17 on my tourer. It's well worn in, but it does take a little getting used to it if I've not ridden it a while. I think there's some truth in the Brooks breaking in your arse rather than the other way round. Maybe it's just the width relative to other saddles.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Agree. Got both. Bought a B17 to put onto my new commuter which came with the Spoon.

The Spoon was that good that the B17 stayed in its box for six months until I put it on my weekend bike.

Both are lovely, though the B17 edges it on the comfort factor. I prefer the Spoon's for its low maintenance - no need to proofide and keep dry.

recent experience in soaking wet Perth and Kinross suggests wet B17 variants, and I mean soaking wet as in "should I wring it out?" work fine and the problems may be largely myth/exaggeration.

 

[YahudaMoon]

A Brooks is for life. Ditch / bin the old bike. Keep the saddle and put it on your new bike.

 

[Plodder335]

Just got mine last week, I will let you know how I get on with it........just given it another layer of proofing on the underside.

 

[Davidc]

Agree. Got both. Bought a B17 to put onto my new commuter which came with the Spoon.

The Spoon was that good that the B17 stayed in its box for six months until I put it on my weekend bike.

Both are lovely, though the B17 edges it on the comfort factor. I prefer the Spoon's for its low maintenance - no need to proofide and keep dry.

I have a spoon (recommended to me on CC) on my round-town utility bike, which rarely does more than 15 miles return. It's very good on that. Not as good as the Brooks when I tried it on a 4 hour ride on the tourer though.

Like Greg Collins I've never bothered keeping a Brooks dry other than to avoid a wet backside. No prblems in 44 years of using them. I do use mudguards so I've never totally saturated one from below, but have had them unprotected on bikes left outside in torrential rain while camping.

 

[upsidedown]

I loved mine apart from one of the rivets that scratched me all of the time. Wasn't until i took it off to change the seatpost thast i realised how heavy it was. Changed to a Charge Spoon and love it.

 

[jonas123]

Got one on my mountain bike - seemed to fit my bum ok and have toured on it for days without any (big) pains. Worth it I'd say. Only issue was it didn't take a certain design of saddle bag

 

[samid]

I loved mine apart from one of the rivets that scratched me all of the time.

"Outstanding" rivets can easily be hammered flat.

 

[tyred]

I remember the day I took delivery of my first Brooks B17. It was love at first sight. First time in my life that I was truely comfortable on a bike, and that was straight out of the box. As it's broken in, it's became more and more comfortable and about 4,500 miles later, I would never change it for anything and tend to fit Brooks saddles to any of my bikes which I ride on a regular basis. I use a B17 standard, two B66, a B72, a B15 and a Wrights B17 clone.

 

[taximan]

I bought mine over 30 years ago and I wouldn't part with it. If I remember rightly it cost about £5

 

[MattL]

I did London-to-Brighton and London-to-Southend on a stock saddle on my Specialized Hardrock Sport and by the end I was in what I can politely call "some discomfort". I'm not quite sure what a "Brooks-shaped arse" is but I bought a B17 Special and compared to the previous saddle, this is almost like the difference between wiping your arse on silk rather than sandpaper. I often do a 20-mile trip from work to home and I have no soreness at all when I get home whereas I'd be slapping the Sudocrem on with the previous one.

At the time of purchase and when I fitted it, I did question why I spent £80 on a saddle -- even berating myself a little. There are lots of people gushing over how good they are and I'd have to say I don't regret spending the money at all. Given how much nicer it is, it'd be the first thing I buy if I get a new bike.