Touring - Which saddle? Brooks?

Hi all,

I know next to nothing about saddles (yet).

I'm considering what saddle to put on a (soon to be mine) Cross Check. I'll be using the bike for short commuting, centuries and all sorts of touring.

I reckon I'll do at least 1 loaded tour per year normally, with a few longer road trips unloaded (call them centuries I guess, but I'm going somewhere specific :) I might also put some knobblies on and take the Cross where it's meant to be.

I'd like a fairly decent saddle - like wheels, it's not an area I like to shave the budget on.

Guys at the LBS showed me a fizi:k (?) Arione (eur 120 - usd 150ish) - kinda pricey, but looks good, and I asked about the Brooks. One of the messengers swears by his B17 Champion Narrow (eur 99 - 120 usd), but only if it's taken care of (waxed) regularly. He pointed out the raised center, said it helped a lot compared to the stock B17.

Have you guys any recommendations? I'd like something that's comfortable for those long days travelling along the Loire, but also sporty enough that I can do a long road trip at speed on my skinnies.

Thanks,
Al.

I'm biased... Brooks B17 in normal dimension. Without a doubt. Be prepared for the break-in and selfdoubts. But if you want a saddle you can sit in all day, a Brooks tailored to your butt cannot be beaten. The "care" with which Brooks "must" be handled is somewhat overstated and there are other current threads on BFs that discuss some of those issues.

I suggest the B17 because it is suited to riders with handlebars at seat height, as you evidently have on your bike. The Team Pro is for handlebars below seat height.

The sprung Brooks saddles also have a great following, but I have never tried one. Others might chime in with their reasons for supporting them.

I have ridden bikes without Brooks since switching over to Brooks, and the seats just don't cut it. I often wonder how I survived for metric let alone imperial centuries and extra long tours because of butt agony (chafing, not bruising).

I'm biased, too. I have a Brooks Swallow, as well as several B17's, but also a fi'zi:k Arione. The Brookses are on bikes, while the Arione sits on the shelf along with a number of other plastic saddles. Personally, I've never experienced any need for a break-in period with my leather saddles--my derrière seems to conform 'naturally' to the Brooks standard! :D

I have a Champion Flyer (B-17 w/ springs) on my aluminum road bike and a B-67 on the bike I use for loaded touring. The B-67 is like sitting on a pillow.

My best all purpose saddle is the B67. I have two. One on a roadified mtb and the other on a Trek 520. They are the workhorses and take me out to 100 miles with no problems. My other saddle is a B17 on a road bike. The Champoin Flyer may be my next Brooks buy. It's a B17 with springs.

I have had the same Cenelli Unicantor on my Road bike and all my Touring Bikes for over 30 years now and I don't even bother looking at anything else. "If it ain't broke..........don't fix it". It has done me just fine and I don't know if you can still buy them.

byfred.

My best all purpose saddle is the B67. I have two. One on a roadified mtb and the other on a Trek 520. They are the workhorses and take me out to 100 miles with no problems. My other saddle is a B17 on a road bike. The Champoin Flyer may be my next Brooks buy. It's a B17 with springs.

jcm...for what its worth, I only had about 200 miles on my Flyer when I was laid low with shoulder surgery and haven't ridden it since June. However, I did a 50 mile ride on it RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, stopping a few time to adjust and tweak it, and had no pains the next day or the next. So I think I'm going to like it. Also, my B-67 had a few squeaks, but he Champion never has. Who knows?

Brooks B17. Get the Team Professional if your wallet allows, otherwise, the regular B17.

jcm...for what its worth, I only had about 200 miles on my Flyer when I was laid low with shoulder surgery and haven't ridden it since June. However, I did a 50 mile ride on it RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, stopping a few time to adjust and tweak it, and had no pains the next day or the next. So I think I'm going to like it. Also, my B-67 had a few squeaks, but he Champion never has. Who knows?

Let's see you on that bike soon.

The Flyer looks inviting. It would probably go on the Sequoia because I'm not too fond of the susp seatpost they sold with it. I like the sprung saddles better.

Just to give a slightly dissenting opinion, I tried a B17N for about 2500 miles, and it never really broke in for me. I used the Proofide, and was as patient as I could be. I really wanted it to work out, but it just didn't. I switched to a Terry Falcon Y, and have about 150 miles on it. Seems very comfortable so far.

Brooks B17. Get the Team Professional if your wallet allows, otherwise, the regular B17.

The downside of the Team Professional is that it has no saddlebag loops. So, if (like me) you like traditional saddlebags, and if your budget allows it, you might in fact want to go for the new Swallow.

Funny that, I was just asking over on the MTB forums abot a saddlebag suitable for off-road use. Of course it'll be used on my tourer as well, which should be a lot less aggressive :)

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=231702

I like the look of the Ortlieb saddle bag 1.3L (medium size) for both my MTB and my new touring/commuting Surly.

http://froogle.google.co.uk/froogle?q=ortlieb+saddle+bag&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title

Anyway, back to the saddle, I think my wallet will only go as far as the B17 if it's sufficient. I read about 30 5/5 reviews on MTBR before I got tired, and 1 negative 1/5. I reckon I can sell it on ebay for decent money as "pre-broken" if I really don't get on with it.

So is the standard B17 suitable for both a long 100 mile day trip or a short quick 15-30 mile spin? Sounds like it could be.

Funny that, I was just asking over on the MTB forums abot a saddlebag suitable for off-road use. Of course it'll be used on my tourer as well, which should be a lot less aggressive :)

By 'traditional saddlebags' I meant Carradice bags. I have Barleys hanging from the loops of a B17 (tourer) and of the Swallow (road bike) as I'm typing this. If I need to carry more stuff on the road bike, I'll put on either a Longflap or a Super C saddlebag (on the touring bike I'll use panniers).


So is the standard B17 suitable for both a long 100 mile day trip or a short quick 15-30 mile spin?

It is perfectly suitable for both--or a 200-mile day trip. Or a 400-mile trip. With a B17, your maximum daily mileages will be limited/defined by other factors. You will simply become unaware of the saddle as you ride.

Brooks b-17 for me, like a lot, I suppose, but it fits me right from the word go - no breaking in. Nothingcomes close, in my opinion, but you never know. you might b unlucky... the only thig to make me not consider a Brooks would be prostate trouble etc. if you have/are worried about such things, I'd go for a cutaway.

Saddle porn!
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9334/mtbstuff040rr8.th.jpg (http://img247.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mtbstuff040rr8.jpg)http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9189/mtbstuff041ka7.th.jpg (http://img247.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mtbstuff041ka7.jpg)http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6033/mtbstuff045dr3.th.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mtbstuff045dr3.jpg)
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/6961/mtbstuff043ma0.th.jpg (http://img110.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mtbstuff043ma0.jpg)http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5766/mtbstuff047qt2.th.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mtbstuff047qt2.jpg)http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7039/mtbstuff048yi9.th.jpg (http://img59.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mtbstuff048yi9.jpg)

So is the standard B17 suitable for both a long 100 mile day trip or a short quick 15-30 mile spin? Sounds like it could be.

And every type of shorter and longer ride. In fact, it may get to the point that you'll do shorter rides in civvies clothes without the need for bikeshorts, and those trips may get longer and longer.