Touring - New Brooks on tour?

Well, I'm 1300 miles into the Northern Tier. I know I've posted about a few malodies.. sore knees (thanks for the help!) and the sort. I've got some nasty saddle sores going on, and the general consensus I've found in the forums is that a Brooks helps since it is leather. This brings me to two points. How bad would it be to break in while on tour with an already sore bum and also, how could I get one? I know they aren't easy to find in bike shops (I am in North Dakota, not much here).

Matt

I would think you could order one somewhere (like a bike shop, the next one you come to), and pay in full, and have it shipped to someplace you will be in a week or so. I believe you can still have stuff sent "general delivery" to any post office, and pick it up with a picture ID.

Ask for a care package from home!
If you live somewhere in the U.S. have someone back home purchase it either locally or online and then send it to you general delivery. (This could be done from other countries as well, but the shipping could get expensive.) I'm not sure if online dealers will ship general delivery but you could ask.

Here's where I purchased my last Brooks, they have very good prices:
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=SA1212

Depending on what is causing your soreness, the Brooks B17 will probably help a lot (if it's going to help at all) right out of the box...And then it well get even better after a few hundred miles. At least, that is what happened with me and mine.

I started out with a new Brooks Champion Flyer on our tour and have been pretty happy with it. I haven't had any major problems with saddle sores, but as the saddle was breaking in my ass was pretty sore at the end of the day! It took about 1000 kilometers before the saddle really felt broken-in. There is a nice bicycle shop in Fargo called Island Park Cycles (http://www.ipcycles.com) that may be able to order a Brooks saddle for you. WallBike at www.wallbike.com also is very responsive to email orders and will ship anywhere.

James Welle
http://www.erck.org

Lick Bike (http://www.lickbike.com/sectionsublist.aspx?SECTION='0009'&SUBSECTION='050'&SECTIONNAME='Saddles'&SUBSECTIONNAME='MENS') is in Illinois and has some of the best prices on the B17 I've found.

Hi, I say go for it. My saddle broke a couple of days before a tour, I bought a brooks B17 and had no problems.

Observations:
- Saddle is hard. Sore to sit on for first few minutes, but strangely gets more comfortable rather than less as the day goes on.
- Slippery surface. Maybe this, along with the breathability of the leather, is what stops chafing.
- Wide saddle. There's a guide to measuring the distance between your sit bones somewhere on the net; maybe have a look for that, or if you like narrow saddles consider the narrow version.
- Seems to like being slightly front up rather than completely horizontal
- Black colour rubs off on your shorts. Wear black shorts (or go for natural colour).

I think it is Wallbike in the US that has a money-back satisfaction guarantee.

I have a champion flyer on my touring bike. I love it. Make SURE to also get a tin of Brooks Proofhide and apply it liberally on the first trip. You'll be glad you did.

Well, I'm 1300 miles into the Northern Tier. I know I've posted about a few malodies.. sore knees (thanks for the help!) and the sort. I've got some nasty saddle sores going on, and the general consensus I've found in the forums is that a Brooks helps since it is leather. This brings me to two points. How bad would it be to break in while on tour with an already sore bum and also, how could I get one? I know they aren't easy to find in bike shops (I am in North Dakota, not much here).

Matt

I shudder to think about riding any new Brooks saddle with existing saddle sores. Having said that, the B17 seems to be the most universally successful Brooks. Maybe because its so cheap? The more streamlined Brooks saddles get really variable reviews, especially the Swift. I had to take the Swift off my bike because it was like a torture device, even after 600 miles.

Good luck!
Bob

I agree with Bob here. While I absolutely love my partially broken in B-17 Champion Special, I can't imagine sitting on it, brand new, with a previous condition. I don't think that is the right answer. You might have to take a week off to let yourself heal, which would allow the Brooks time to get to where ever you are!

-Barry-

Lick Bike (http://www.lickbike.com/sectionsublist.aspx?SECTION='0009'&SUBSECTION='050'&SECTIONNAME='Saddles'&SUBSECTIONNAME='MENS') is in Illinois and has some of the best prices on the B17 I've found.

Very good prices there. Next time you order from them tell them your post got them a customer. I just ordered the Flyer and a tin of Proofride and it only came to $77.90 with shipping.

Thanks for the link.

My Brooks B-17 was comfortable the very first time I rode it. You do need to set up a Brooks saddle properly, however, and that make take some adjustments. Most people seem to find Brooks most comfortable with the nose raised slightly higher than the rear of the saddle. Also, some frames just don't work with Brooks saddles -- I've found that I can't move the saddle far enough back on frames with steep seat tube angles. A setback post helps, but that might add to your expenses and ordering hassles.

If you prefer narrower saddles, the B-17 might be too wide for you. In that case, try the B-17 Narrow, Pro or Swift saddles.

I think the issue about having to break in Brooks saddles is a little overblown. If you buy a Brooks that's the right width for you, and set it up properly, it should be comfortable enough to ride right out of the box. At least that's been my experience.

Well, here it is. I ended up buying a B-17 Special (Honey Brown looks very nice on my green 520). I was hoping to get a sprung one, but this is all that the shop could get ahold of on such short notice. It is quite hard to tour on, but I've survived the first 340 miles over four days after two days of rest. I can already tell that it is getting a bit softer. In a perfect world, I would have been able to wear it in before the trip, but chafing happened and this actually has helped to clear that up. Now instead of the sharp chafing pain, I have that dull I've been sitting on a hard piece of leather for 6 hours pain.

Thanks Jameswelle for the advice on the shop, they were very helpful at Island Park Cycles.