Touring - Brooks Saddle Sizing?

I know theres a million threads on Brook's Saddles, but I couldnt find the answer on this one. ;)

I'm looking into doing some Brevet riding next season, and I need a good saddle to get me there. The question that I cant seem to find is this. I'm a very lightweight. I weight just a hair under 130lbs (though I am 6ft tall). Because of this, I dont have very wide hips. Now, I was considering a preaged B-17 because they are a little bit softer which logically this makes me believe they will be easier to break in (which Ive heard is a problem if you weigh less).

So, according to the width of a Brooks, can a normal B-17 work for someone like me? I typically ride with my saddle level with my bars. I'm slightly worried however that it may simply be too wide/hard to break in for someone my size.

Help anyone? :( Its a pretty big investment for me, so I cant really take chances here... I may just take the chance and go for the Wallbike special, but I like to support my local LBS and all that.

I'm 6'2" and 145 -150 lbs depending on the day. I have no less than three B17's. This talk of "breaking in" is over stated. I find the newer saddles to be nearly as comfortable as the old ones. My oldest has about 9000 miles on it, while my newest has around 1000 or so.

Brooks saddle break in is actually your backside being "broken in." The saddle changes are minor enough that it really isn't the saddle so much as you getting used to it. The first couple rides will feel weird and you might think you made a mistake. Then all of a sudden you will take your mind off of the saddle and NEVER notice it again.

See if you have a stocking dealer in your town (You'd be shoicked who has em, a very small LBS in my town had em), that was you can really picture the saddle better.
The width has less to do with your weight than your sitbones who's placement is really not detremined by weight. I ride a B17 (the gorgious green and brass champion special) and have a giant ass, which people skinnier than me want the wider brooks saddles. You really need to see them in person, which makes the stocking dealer or the wall bike route the way to go.
If you do get the b17, get the champion special, it looks so good.

I dont actually think we have any stocking dealers around here, but thanks for the input!

I think I may end up going for it. After all, they are highly praised..

Look at it this way...if you go to wallbike.com, you'll get the six month waranty. Also they are cheaper than most of the better hi-tech saddles, so even if you're out of the money, it might a little consolation to know that you could've spent more. And if you get the champion special (I just got a British racing green one myself) it's pretty enough to hang on the wall if it doesn't suit you.

And don't worry about the breaking in - I have under 100 miles on mine and it feels great. The chafing I felt at first was due to incorrect saddle alignment and not not breaking it in.

Thats true, the other saddle I was looking at was the Body Geometry line of Specialized. I bought a pair of their gloves and absolutely love them. But I'm sort of concerned that long miles on it will not be as comfy as I would like (and since your saddle is a contact point to the bike, its one of my highest priorities here..).

I guess if all goes wrong and its not what I'm looking for, at least I can try the Specialized out later.

they make that b-17 in a Narrow, which i believe is as narow as any brooks saddle. even their narrow is wide compared to most racing type saddles, especially in the most rearward portion of the saddle.

i think the narrow is close to the b17 in price, or maybe the same.

the best prices for brooks that i have seen are nashbar on sale, and wallbike. as stated above, i recc. wallbike for their no-questions asked return policy. you just can't beat that. maybe wallbike has a used brooks for sale at discount.

Brooks saddles for size/shape comparison

top row (L-R): Swift, B-17 Narrow, Colt; 150mm width

middle row (L-R): Team Pro, Pro; 160mm width

bottom: B-17; 170mm width


http://www.wallbike.com/jpgs/sixsaddles.jpg

I have a B-17 Narrow and a Team Pro.

For reference a Fizzik Arione is 133mm.

The B-17 seems to fit most people. It is by far Brooks' all time sales leader. As was already stated, it's not your hips, it's your ischial width. I also agree that break-in is vastly over stated. I ride B-67's on my tour bike and mtb city-basher because I'm a clydesdale. I think you can spend alot more money and be alot less satisfied than riding a 17. They're not that expensive. I just bought a new Specialized Sequoia that has a cheapo Specialized Milano on it. Not bad, but hot over distance. I'm getting another Brooks asap.

I'm 6'2" and 145 -150 lbs depending on the day. I have no less than three B17's. This talk of "breaking in" is over stated. I find the newer saddles to be nearly as comfortable as the old ones. My oldest has about 9000 miles on it, while my newest has around 1000 or so.

Brooks saddle break in is actually your backside being "broken in." The saddle changes are minor enough that it really isn't the saddle so much as you getting used to it. The first couple rides will feel weird and you might think you made a mistake. Then all of a sudden you will take your mind off of the saddle and NEVER notice it again.

I bought a Brooks Flyer for my Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe about 10 days ago. It sure is breaking me in. OUCH!
I am almost ready to give up on it. I am 5'4" and weigh 135 lbs. I know I am getting fat as I have cut way down on my riding due to arthritis in my neck. Gone from 40 to 50 miles a week to 20 or 30...sigh. Last June I was riding 70 to 80 miles a week.

Even at that my butt is really sore even wearing padded MTB shorts. So I really hope I get used to the Flyer saddle as my heart will be broken as well if I have to put the cruiser seat back on.:eek:

littledog

I bought a Brooks Flyer for my Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe about 10 days ago. It sure is breaking me in. OUCH!
I am almost ready to give up on it. I am 5'4" and weigh 135 lbs. I know I am getting fat as I have cut way down on my riding due to arthritis in my neck. Gone from 40 to 50 miles a week to 20 or 30...sigh. Last June I was riding 70 to 80 miles a week.

Even at that my butt is really sore even wearing padded MTB shorts. So I really hope I get used to the Flyer saddle as my heart will be broken as well if I have to put the cruiser seat back on.:eek:

littledog

Which is definitely why I'm going to go with pre-Aged models. :P

Mariner Fan: That chart is darn nifty! I was trying to find a comparison like that, to no avail. The size difference is really hardly noticable.

Is there any good way to measure your sit bones? Right now I'm just using the stock saddle on my bike, a Fizik Pave (I dont think its a standard model of theirs, I couldnt find the same saddle online). Its pretty comfy for anything Ive done on it, which is about up to 25-30 miles in a stretch. I'm guessing this all doesnt matter to some extent on a Brooks because lots of people are completely comfortable and satisfied with the 170mm width no matter how their shaped.

Neist,
I'd bet the B17 is too wide for you. Hit some bike shops,
ask if any of the employees has a Brooks, then ask to sit on it.
The prob with any saddle is that you have to try a few before you get lucky.
I'd call http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/standardsaddles.html and talk to them.
I use a Selle An-Atomica saddle personally.

Littledog...

Take a hair dryer and use it to melt your Proofide.
Then smear the melted proofide on both sides of the saddle.
Play the dryer over the saddle, just enough to keep the proofide
wet so it can soak in. Do this for a couple minutes until the saddle
is drenched in proofide.

Then slap on an old pair of hsorts and go for a ride.

That prob won't work, btw.I think maybe your hips are too narrow, but it's worth trying since you already have it. It's a fairly thin leather, so you might get lucky.

But you might want to do it on your next saddle.
Which could be the B17N, the Brooks Pro, or the Selle An-Atomica Settebello.
IOW, something narrower...

Warning! B17narrow is really narrow. I have one and i can tell that it´s really narrow, especially on the middle of the saddle. I have had Selle Italia Flite saddle and it feels wide compared with B17N. And Flite is narrow saddle in any standards.
To measure only widest part of the saddle does not give you feeling how it´s feel to sit on it.

I´m a skinny lad. About 5´9" and 154 lbs. Nowdays I have B17 standard on my touring bike and i love it. Sitting on it feels pretty mutch like sitting on Selle san marco Rolls saddle. Yes, it´s wide, but only on the rear part of it. On the middle, is as wide as any modern racing saddle. I was good enough for Fausto Coppi, so it´s good enough for me.

I bought a Brooks Flyer for my Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe about 10 days ago. It sure is breaking me in. OUCH!
I am almost ready to give up on it. I am 5'4" and weigh 135 lbs. I know I am getting fat as I have cut way down on my riding due to arthritis in my neck. Gone from 40 to 50 miles a week to 20 or 30...sigh. Last June I was riding 70 to 80 miles a week.

Even at that my butt is really sore even wearing padded MTB shorts. So I really hope I get used to the Flyer saddle as my heart will be broken as well if I have to put the cruiser seat back on.:eek:

littledog

I am not ready to give up on the Brooks Flyer saddle. Fortunately I have 3 other bikes to ride besisdes the Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe. So I am riding them for a few days and then the Schwinn. The reviews of the Brooks saddles on the Walbike site say breakin takes months. Yet the reviews on the Brooks site says many people feel there is a short break-in time,if any. I believe the Wallbike site myself. In the end-no pun intended-I think it will be worth it.
littledog

You can measure your ischials by getting a corrogated cardboard box (a packing box, not a shoe box type), cutting off the flaps and stacking them three or four deep. Take a wet sponge, generously wipe the top of the stack. No need to soak it, just get it quite wet. Then, sit on the stack with your knees slightly higher than your hips - almost a squat. Stay there for one or two minutes. You will have a perfect indentation of your sitbones.

Brooks saddles for size/shape comparison

top row (L-R): Swift, B-17 Narrow, Colt; 150mm width

middle row (L-R): Team Pro, Pro; 160mm width

bottom: B-17; 170mm width


http://www.wallbike.com/jpgs/sixsaddles.jpg

I have a B-17 Narrow and a Team Pro.

For reference a Fizzik Arione is 133mm.

Is it the angle of the picture? It seems like the top row B17 narrow looks a lot more wider than the bottom B17 standard.

I agree with Piqtyre...maybe a mixup?

Specialized BG2 saddle: bought one a couple of months ago as my THIRD saddle - seeking perineal comfort and reduced numbness past an hour's ride. With a couple of angle adjustments, it's by far the best one I've ridden yet. Never ridden a Brooks but the BG2 gives me plenty of room for my legs to peddle and today I rode 1 1/2 hrs with my slow sister-in-law and never had a thought about the saddle.

I'm 6'2" and 145 -150 lbs depending on the day. I have no less than three B17's. This talk of "breaking in" is over stated. I find the newer saddles to be nearly as comfortable as the old ones. My oldest has about 9000 miles on it, while my newest has around 1000 or so.

Brooks saddle break in is actually your backside being "broken in." The saddle changes are minor enough that it really isn't the saddle so much as you getting used to it. The first couple rides will feel weird and you might think you made a mistake. Then all of a sudden you will take your mind off of the saddle and NEVER notice it again.

you are about the same size as me. may i ask what your riding position is. i heard that b17's are mainly for people with their handlebars at the same height or lower then their seat. im riding a 75 raleigh with cruiser handlebars in an upright position and looking for a seat.

you are about the same size as me. may i ask what your riding position is. i heard that b17's are mainly for people with their handlebars at the same height or lower then their seat. im riding a 75 raleigh with cruiser handlebars in an upright position and looking for a seat.

Sorry to break in, but the saddle you want for that bike is going to be a weight bearing type that will disperse contact better than a B17. I suggest a B67.

Here is a pic of a typical setup for a B67. You can use it with your bars considerably higher that this. http://i11.tinypic.com/6cczy9v.jpg