Which Brooks?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

mac1

Aggravating bore magnet
Location
Basingstoke
Bought a B190 from Chain Reaction Cycles and am going to exchange it because the saddle clamp on it doesn't fit my Kettler's suspension post.

Not quite sure which one to choose though: the current saddle is a 20cm wide Selle Royal gel. I would describe my bike as a city/hybrid bike, fully equipped - similar to a Dutch bike, but maybe not quite as utilitarian and weighs over 20 kilos. Very much a workhorse, I use it for lots of small trips to the shops and say up to 50 mile rides say once or twice a week - covering over 3800 miles since February last year. I don't (and don't want to) wear specialist clothing. The riding position is very upright, European, with swept back handlebars.

I want a saddle in smooth brown or black leather with standard rails, and maybe the same width as the present one - 20cm. None of the saddles in Brooks's "City and heavy duty" range meet this criteria, whilst the ones in the "Trekking & Touring" range do. These include the B17 and the Flyer Specials. I quite like the ones with the "boinng!" springs, but a poster on another thread said that these AND the suspension post might be too springy. I don't want to change the seat post.

Looks like the B17 is the one to have, but any other thoughts or recommendations?

Cheers.
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
In order of increasing width, Swift/Swallow --> Team Professional --> B17

I found a Swift to be painful on anything but short rides. Not tried a B17, but a Team Pro is about right. I also take the medium-width Specialized saddle (143) so I must have a medium-sized bum.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
I've got B17's and have just got a Flyer Special. Vay vay pleased with it, it has taken the sting out of riding an alloy framed tourer and after the first 5 mins of the first ride you forget it is sprung.

In theory it could be that a combination of a sprung saddle and a suspension seat post could work very well if the two sets of 'springs' have complimentary spring rates but this is unlikely to be the case.
 
OP
OP
M

mac1

Aggravating bore magnet
Location
Basingstoke
hmmmnnn...B17...someone told me today he'd ridden 20,000 miles on his B17 and it hadn't worn in yet...
 

e-rider

crappy member
Location
South West
Yes, the B190 already has it's own clamp that fits onto those crappy old style posts. Why are they still making these?

Not sure about your choice in saddles or bikes so best not to offer any advice!
 
OP
OP
M

mac1

Aggravating bore magnet
Location
Basingstoke
tundragumski said:
Yes, the B190 already has it's own clamp that fits onto those crappy old style posts. Why are they still making these?

Dunno, but I'm sending it back tomorrow probably for an exchange, (not quite decided yet) and will email Brooks a few comments too.

Looks like Brooks have shot themselves in the foot like having expensive panniers & saddlebags made in China when you have "England" in all your adverts, sponsoring bike rides full of people clad in Edwardian get up and stressing your heritage & tradition going back to 1866...

Oh, and selling this product via your website for £15 more than CRC PLUS postage when CRC post it for free.

Might have a little rant on the Cyclechat Cafe forum...
 

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
mac1 said:
hmmmnnn...B17...someone told me today he'd ridden 20,000 miles on his B17 and it hadn't worn in yet...


This is just nonsense....your someone just doesn't have a Brooks shaped @r$e, that's all. It will never be right for them, even if they do 200,000 miles and why subject yourself to that much pain?
I tried several highly recommended Fizik & Specialized saddles, all of which were uncomfortable after a couple of hours before I happened across a second-hand Brooks that just works for me. So, I'm a fan of Brooks - but I'd be the first to say they will not suit everybody's shape.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
mac1 said:
.... will email Brooks a few comments too.

Looks like Brooks have shot themselves in the foot like having expensive panniers & saddlebags made in China when you have "England" in all your adverts, sponsoring bike rides full of people clad in Edwardian get up and stressing your heritage & tradition going back to 1866...

Oh, and selling this product via your website for £15 more than CRC PLUS postage when CRC post it for free.
Just the sort of customer everyone loves. Buys something from the cheapest box-shifter he can find, then whinges on about price to the manufacturer... :rofl:
 
OP
OP
M

mac1

Aggravating bore magnet
Location
Basingstoke
ASC1951 said:
Just the sort of customer everyone loves. Buys something from the cheapest box-shifter he can find, then whinges on about price to the manufacturer... ;)

Not just cheap, CRC gave very good prompt service - I ordered it on Saturday and it came on the Tuesday following.

Looks like there's a REASON for their success other than price; Brooks IMO are demonstrating flawed business practice that reminds me of people like Rover, BSA and Webley.

Must be something about companies in the Midlands.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
mac1 said:
Oh, and selling this product via your website for £15 more than CRC PLUS postage when CRC post it for free

I'd expect it to be more expensive to buy direct. Brooks ain't a retailer, inventory costs soak up huge amounts of capital and selling saddles retail via mail order is labour intensive.

No one forces people to buy from any retailer at list price, no person, bar 'market' forces, causes retailers to offer discounts from list prices.

Caveat Emptor, surely?
 
OP
OP
M

mac1

Aggravating bore magnet
Location
Basingstoke
GregCollins said:
Caveat Emptor, surely?

Indeed - let the buyer beware - which is why I didn't buy it from them, and nobody else with the common sense to shop around will either.

Oh, yeah - the LBS won't stock them either; because of extra costs like postage - there's hardly any profit left
 
OP
OP
M

mac1

Aggravating bore magnet
Location
Basingstoke
good for you; I don't necessarily go for the cheapest, it's just that CRC tends to come up pretty quickly in any internet search for bike stuff and I noticed how Brooks was more expensive which surprised me.

Anyway, have ordered a old style seatpost (£4.50) from Freemans Cycles so I'll probably keep the B190 - which I really like and didn't want to exchange.
 
Top Bottom