Brooks Saddle experiences

[steveindenmark]

You could write a book on this. In my opinion every Brooks saddle and every bum is different. I have had a Brooks which took a year to break in. The amount of times it nearly ended up in the bin was many. It is now a superb saddle, so glad I kept it. I also bought a ladies Imperial by mistake for 8 quid. The day I got it I rode a 100 miler on it. Excellent, straight out of the box. If I bought another ladies Imperial it could be a nightmare from the start.

Until you get a Brooks out of the box and try it, it is impossible to say if it will be good or bad. But in my experience, given time, they all end up good.

 

[jazzkat]

My 2p worth. As the leather gives and changes shape it moulds to you, just like those tough leather boots that used to cripple your feet after ten minutes but are now oh so comfy. I tend to sit heavier on one sit bone than the other. Modern plastic saddles are ok but I eventually get a bit sore. On all my brooks saddles you can see how the saddle has shaped to me and is just spot on.

 

[roundthebendbromcycle]

I remember my first gel saddle, they hadn't been out for long, I cycled over to a new girlfriend for sunday lunch and 'meet the parents' her teenage sister nearly wet herself laughing at my shorts, the saddle had left a black stain, Im never going back, staying with my brooks

 

[Profpointy]

I remember my first gel saddle, they hadn't been out for long, I cycled over to a new girlfriend for sunday lunch and 'meet the parents' her teenage sister nearly wet herself laughing at my shorts, the saddle had left a black stain, Im never going back, staying with my brooks

well you've non-one to blame but yourself. Shorts should be black as any fule no. Pity no-one told them Polish fellas.

 

[StuartG]

The instructions come in the little booklet that comes with the saddle, just follow them and you should get a minimum of 40 years use.

Never got any instructions so no care whatsoever and left out in the rain during years of commuting in the days you could leave a Brooks on a Dawes Galaxy chained to a railing all day in Central London. Thirty-six years on it don't look pretty - but neither does my bum so they still fit together perfectly.

<-- There it is!

 

[roundthebendbromcycle]

well you've non-one to blame but yourself. Shorts should be black as any fule no. Pity no-one told them Polish fellas.

You're absolutely right there, lesson learned, perhaps they have non staining saddles in poland, they all seem to keep their girlfriends, I lost contact with that one shortly afterwards, I thought my thigh muscles would have compensated.

 

[Profpointy]

[QUOTE 3809131, member: 259"]How did you get on in the end? I'm toying with the idea of trying a B17 or a Team Pro again - quite a few years after trying a Brooks something-or-other and not getting on with it and selling it.[/QUOTE]

to be honest if you previously tried a B17 or 'pro I suspect you still won't get on with it - and I speak as a Brooksian. If you had a racy narrow one previously might still be worth a go, but B17 / team pro are the default models so most likely you had one or other. Both suit me, but I'm not you

 

[snailracer]

...
My questions are:
Does the Brooks B17 really take a long time to break in? I may not be using bike daily
Is it very uncomfortable for some time?
Does applying Proofide really help the break in period?
As this is a commuter type bike does the applied wax not leave marks on trousers?
Any other tips or advice on living with a Brooks saddle?
Thanks

Hypothetically, if I were to buy a Brompton and used it for short multi-mode commutes, I would, overall, prefer a plastic saddle over a Brooks for the following reasons:

1. You can drag a bike around by the plastic saddle, without fear of tearing the leather top off the rivets. The standard Brompton plastic saddle seems to be designed as a handle with the tubular nose, the Brooks is not
   
2. Plastic saddles are softer. I find softer more comfortable than harder for distances less than about 5 miles. Beyond this, the harder Brooks is better. A softer saddle is more comfortable to mount/dismount, which happens a lot in urban riding
   
3. The sharper nose of the Brooks tends to catch on clothing and dig into your back more than the rounder noses of plastic saddles. This is more noticeable on urban commutes with lots of mounting/dismounting
   
4. Plastic saddles are generally lighter, which is a factor if you are lifting your Brompton on and off trains, or up and down stairs
5. Plastic saddles have a more consistent feel - my Brooks seems to change depending on temperature, humidity, how long since I last rode it, how long since I Proofided it, etc.
   
6. Plastic needs no Proofiding or retensioning, never sags, won't stain your trousers and is totally unaffected by rain

The only other factor I can think of is that a Brooks has a smoother surface than plastic saddles - the upside is this may have reduced tendency to wear holes in your work trousers, the downside is you tend to slip forward onto the uncomfortable nose of the saddle when coasting/braking.