- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Like a lot of people, finding the right saddle has been a bit hit and miss for me. Having replaced the Charge Spoon on my Raleigh with a Brooks B17 this year, I found that although the Brooks wasn't perfect I could happily get on with it on rides up to 100 miles (furthest I've gone so far) which would have been impossible for me on the Spoon.
Thoughts then turned to the knockabout bike as I'd like to be able to do some longer rides through the winter as the Raleigh has gone into hibernation. A Brooks was out of the question for this bike due to the cost, but a leather saddle was desirable, so I decided to try the Nidd from Spa Cycles. (£35 plus postage at the time of writing)
I ordered one in honey and was pleased that it arrived quicker than estimated. First impression was that it is clearly copying the B17, right down to the shape of the spanner for adjusting the tension of the leather. (This incidentally is a slightly different size to the Brooks one and is not interchangeable.) However, the leather used is thicker than the Brooks and the standard of finish is different. It looks machine made rather than hand made, which it probably is.
Another difference is that the side flaps are laced together on the Nidd. A spare set of laces was supplied with the tools.
First ride - looking smart.
Once fitted I headed out for the first test ride. For the first mile I found the saddle incredibly firm, however it did feel better once I'd gone a bit further.
Before the second ride I had a look at the adjustments. The leather was set fairly taut from the factory and the lacing was also tight. I backed off the tension half a turn and loosened the laces and it gives a much more supple ride. One nice thing is that the leather isn't as slippy as the Brooks is from new, so it's easier to stay in a comfy position once you've found it.
At the time of writing I have done just over 175 miles on the saddle with 33 miles as the longest single ride so far. The saddle is still very firm and will I suspect take a while to properly break in, especially with the thicker leather, but I am already more comfortable than I've been on the Spoon and it has the advantages of leather that I like: not sweaty like a plastic saddle and easier to find a comfy position for the longer rides.
Problems: Only one really, which is that after 175 miles the dye is coming off the surface and making the leather look worn:
It doesn't appear to be affecting the leather itself so I'm not that bothered about a bit of patina, but it has come on sooner than I expected.
Worth the money?: Yes. I think that if you want a leather saddle this has to be worth considering.
Worth spending the extra on a Brooks? Yes in my opinion. Time will tell, but my impressions of owning both at this point is that the Brooks is better made and is a little lighter so is worth it if you have the budget.
Thoughts then turned to the knockabout bike as I'd like to be able to do some longer rides through the winter as the Raleigh has gone into hibernation. A Brooks was out of the question for this bike due to the cost, but a leather saddle was desirable, so I decided to try the Nidd from Spa Cycles. (£35 plus postage at the time of writing)
I ordered one in honey and was pleased that it arrived quicker than estimated. First impression was that it is clearly copying the B17, right down to the shape of the spanner for adjusting the tension of the leather. (This incidentally is a slightly different size to the Brooks one and is not interchangeable.) However, the leather used is thicker than the Brooks and the standard of finish is different. It looks machine made rather than hand made, which it probably is.
Another difference is that the side flaps are laced together on the Nidd. A spare set of laces was supplied with the tools.
First ride - looking smart.
Once fitted I headed out for the first test ride. For the first mile I found the saddle incredibly firm, however it did feel better once I'd gone a bit further.
Before the second ride I had a look at the adjustments. The leather was set fairly taut from the factory and the lacing was also tight. I backed off the tension half a turn and loosened the laces and it gives a much more supple ride. One nice thing is that the leather isn't as slippy as the Brooks is from new, so it's easier to stay in a comfy position once you've found it.
At the time of writing I have done just over 175 miles on the saddle with 33 miles as the longest single ride so far. The saddle is still very firm and will I suspect take a while to properly break in, especially with the thicker leather, but I am already more comfortable than I've been on the Spoon and it has the advantages of leather that I like: not sweaty like a plastic saddle and easier to find a comfy position for the longer rides.
Problems: Only one really, which is that after 175 miles the dye is coming off the surface and making the leather look worn:
It doesn't appear to be affecting the leather itself so I'm not that bothered about a bit of patina, but it has come on sooner than I expected.
Worth the money?: Yes. I think that if you want a leather saddle this has to be worth considering.
Worth spending the extra on a Brooks? Yes in my opinion. Time will tell, but my impressions of owning both at this point is that the Brooks is better made and is a little lighter so is worth it if you have the budget.
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I suspect I may be sore tomorrow, but think that the next ride of this or greater distance will probably be better.
Still much better than the plastic saddles though.
Slight indentations where the sit bones go are becoming visible too.
It's on a more 'sporting' bike.
