brooks saddles
- Thread starter dobo
- Start date
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ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
I have a B17, and have ridden countless 75-100 mile days touring on it (loaded up so was longer in the saddle than I would have been unloaded) - it's now part of me, if that makes sense?
One thing I wish you could do is test sit/ride saddles in an LBS. I would like a sprung Brooks, but don't want to shell out the money for one just to find we don't get along.
Oh, BTW, if you do get one, be religious with the application of the seat wax, you'll regret it if you don't.
One thing I wish you could do is test sit/ride saddles in an LBS. I would like a sprung Brooks, but don't want to shell out the money for one just to find we don't get along.
Oh, BTW, if you do get one, be religious with the application of the seat wax, you'll regret it if you don't.
oldfatfool
Guru
I have an aged flyer, thought I had made a mistake, but once I had spent a few hours fine tuning the angle it is very comfy 
Scilly Suffolk
Über Member
Are you trying to tell us you have a fat a...?
A B17 Standard should give you plenty of wriggle room.
Saddles such as the Pro and Swift are supposed to be better suited to racier riding (changing position more), but being narrower might not offer you as much comfort.
I move from drops to tops a fair amount, but have never found my B17S to be compromised.
As a (my) rule of thumb: Brooks for distance, Selle San Marco Rolls for speed.
Either way, if you look on Ebay you'll see that it is hard to lose money on a Brooks: re-sale values are rock-solid, so much so that it is hard to recommend trying second-hand first.
A B17 Standard should give you plenty of wriggle room.
Saddles such as the Pro and Swift are supposed to be better suited to racier riding (changing position more), but being narrower might not offer you as much comfort.
I move from drops to tops a fair amount, but have never found my B17S to be compromised.
As a (my) rule of thumb: Brooks for distance, Selle San Marco Rolls for speed.
Either way, if you look on Ebay you'll see that it is hard to lose money on a Brooks: re-sale values are rock-solid, so much so that it is hard to recommend trying second-hand first.
rb58
Enigma
- Location
- Bexley, Kent
Ah-ha! Brooks - the marmite of saddles. You either love it or you hate it. I'm happy to report that after several thousand miles my Brooks has finally broken by backside in nicely.
If, like me, you have a natural B17 shaped a***e then they are heaven from day one. Soreness is something I ever only read about.
If not then it is going to take quite a while to bend yourself or the B17 to fit each other. Some people never make it. Sad.
If not then it is going to take quite a while to bend yourself or the B17 to fit each other. Some people never make it. Sad.
theloafer
Legendary Member
- Location
- newton aycliffe
+1..
I count myself in the lucky group of people with b17 shaped backsides.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
I regularly give thanks to Darwin for my B17-shaped arse genes.
numbnuts
Legendary Member
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
After 27,000 miles I have given up on my Brooks it is so uncomfortable after 50 miles, I have tried many saddles over the years and I'm now thinking I have the wrong arse for long cycle rides 
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
It's not so much the amount of lard on your ar$€ as the shape and spacing of your sit bones. I doubt I could ride a B17 for any distance, even though I am "well covered". Narrower Brooks OTH suit me fine.
Bike shops that sell Specialized saddles have a 'seat fit' thing, where you sit down an a pad, make an indentation in the soft material, so when you rise they can measure the distance between your sit bones and can therefore recommend which Specialized saddle will best fit you.
[another way to do this: sit on a soft mat at home, make the indentations, measure for yourself !]
On this thread, postman posted that Spa Cycles are doing their own version of a Brooks saddle - and a bit cheaper too.
[another way to do this: sit on a soft mat at home, make the indentations, measure for yourself !]
On this thread, postman posted that Spa Cycles are doing their own version of a Brooks saddle - and a bit cheaper too.
I have a B17 which is comfy and still rock hard. My newer brooks is a Flyer, which is a B17 with springs. The tension bolt is continually undoing (probably because I'm 110kg and my ride can be very bumpy) and the leather is very saggy and soft compared to my B17. I had a team pro but broke the frame after 2 years and binned it. Didn't realise it could be fixed. With my experience and the huge increase in price of Brooks over the last few years, I'd think about an Ebay one or a spa cycles fake brooks first, before you blow a load of cash on genuine Brooks.
