Fifty Plus (50+) - Another Pre-aged B-17 or ... anyone suggesting a new favorite Brooks Saddle?

Things change: I have a great preconditioned B-17 that I purchased from Santa Fe Bike Shop not so long ago and, sorry to hear, they are now closed for business. I am in the market for another "pre-aged" Brooks for a CF road bike.

A B-17 with steel rails may be a little retro on a CF bike, what with all the new offerings that I noticed on the web. And, I'd like to consider any suggestions about something better.

Is anyone loving a particular Brooks saddle other than a B-17, such as one with ti rails? I did not see the pre-aged with Ti-rails. Best price info appreciated too.

Thanks, :)

B-17s with steel rails are fine for me. Why pre-aged? Age it yourself.

And I was just beginning to accept my Specialized Roubaix Expert with a Brooks B17N. I hope I don't look "retro" along with the bike. I am OK with "Fred", I am over 50, so who cares? For the full line of Brooks Saddles go to Wallingford's web site.

Definitely not a brooks fan but it does not matter what saddle you use- providing it is comfortable. The only saddle I notice on organised rides are the ones towards the end where the riders are out of the saddle for comfort. Those are the saddles to think twice about getting.

The B17 Ti cost $250 more and weighs 105 grams (3.7 oz) less. The leather part of the saddle is the same as on the regular B17. So it is left to the buyer to determine if saving those 3.7 oz is worth $250.

The Ti Swift is a pretty good deal. It works great on my Lemond. I have a Team Pro on my Miyata and was amazed how much difference there was in weight. Both saddles work fine for my bum.

I am using a Brooks Team Professional on my CF Roubaix. It has about 600 miles on it and is now starting to be very comfortable. I know it is good for 100 miles at a shot but have yet to do a single ride beyond that distance.

Pretty heavy though. 560 gm (1.2 lb) for the steel rails (about $130US) or 395 gm (0.87 lb) with titanium rails (about $390US).

The B17 Ti cost $250 more and weighs 105 grams (3.7 oz) less. The leather part of the saddle is the same as on the regular B17. So it is left to the buyer to determine if saving those 3.7 oz is worth $250.

Would never go to that price just to lose weight but having had Selle italia Flite saddles of various types- I can assure you that the Titanium rails do add a bit of comfort over a chromoly rail or steel one. I would never use Steel rails again as these are the only ones I have bent after hard landings. Ti is a bit more flexible than Chromoly and I believe has the same strength as I am yet to bend either.

Would never go to that price just to lose weight but having had Selle italia Flite saddles of various types- I can assure you that the Titanium rails do add a bit of comfort over a chromoly rail or steel one. I would never use Steel rails again as these are the only ones I have bent after hard landings. Ti is a bit more flexible than Chromoly and I believe has the same strength as I am yet to bend either.

I have a Brooks Swift with the Ti rails and I agree with stapfam; it really does add another level of shock absorbsion that I have not experienced with steel rails. You can find the Swift on ebay usually for around $150, already partly broken in. :)

Ok, thanks for the feedback. Ti rails couldn't hurt; however, I wish I did not have to give up on having the one-year of conditioning with the pre-aged leather (and I like the look of the smaller rivets).

I think the Swift might be too narrow for me. It is 152 mm, which is as narrow as Brooks saddles get ("best suited to an aggressive riding style," which sounds like mostly, out-of-saddle riding or using aerobars).

B-17s are 170 mm wide. Fizik' Arione saddles, for example, do not work for me.

:)

Of all the options on Brooks saddles, the "pre-aged" thing is the hardest for me to comprehend. The old fuddy-duddy in me says that if you don't have the patience for the relatively short time it takes to break in your own saddle, you really aren't Brooks material. The live-and-let-live side of me tells me I'm just being an old fuddy-duddy. :) The former is closer to how I really feel about it. :o

The Ti Swift is a pretty good deal. It works great on my Lemond. I have a Team Pro on my Miyata and was amazed how much difference there was in weight. Both saddles work fine for my bum.

I recently bought a Ti Swift to put on my Klein but I have a little trouble putting it into the "pretty good deal" category. Wallingford bike has Swifts listed at $348 and Team Professionals at $150. Nashbar has Swifts listed at $359 and Team Professionals at $159. The weight difference is roughly 200 grams so that's a dollar per gram.

I also have to say that I have found the break in requirements for Brooks saddles to be greatly overstated. My experience has been that about 100 miles pretty well does the job.

My favorite Brooks saddle is the one on someone else's bike. I need more padding for my skinny butt. But it sure does look nice. [The Brooks saddle, not my butt]

I'll buy you an expensive Brooks, (I ride a B-17,) if you'll come back to P&R....

And, I'd like to consider any suggestions about something better...

Is anyone loving a particular Brooks saddle other than a B-17.... Best price info appreciated too.

Think outside the box. Persons #77 Deluxe. Better design, great leather. Bottom line: as nice as a Brooks Champion Special for less than the cost of a regular B-17.

http://www.permaco.com/

HTH,
Tom

Think outside the box. Persons #77 Deluxe. Better design, great leather. Bottom line: as nice as a Brooks Champion Special for less than the cost of a regular B-17.

http://www.permaco.com/

HTH,
Tom

Interesting. Might be worth a try. Have you ridden both the Brooks and the Persons saddles?

How long have the Persons saddles been around? The information on the web about them is amazingly scarce. Found only two dealers and not a single discussion or opinion posted about them.

I read somewhere that Mr. Persons was a marketing guy for Brooks before Brooks was bought by another company. disclaimer - I cannot verify any of this other than the fact that I did read it. It may be true or total hogwash for all I know.

And now I have read it too, and can make this same claim in other forums.

And now I have read it too, and can make this same claim in other forums.

Be sure to add the disclaimer. :)
I didn't have time to go find it again at the time and thought it might prompt some other research-minded person to search for the information. I'll go find it now and provide a link. I'm certainly not trying to spread rumors.

I've picked up a few Fujita Belt saddles off the bay for reasonable prices. I can't tell any real difference between them and the B-17 and find them quite comfortable since they are used and someone else did the wailing and gnashing of teeth bit to break them in. Of course, if you don't want a Japanese saddle on European bikes, I can understand, but most of my bikes were made in Japan (or Asia -- pick your country of manufacture) anyway. I didn't know about the Parsons. Good to know.

Here's what I saw about the Brooks-Persons (http://www.dirtragmag.com/gal/showphoto.php?photo=752&cat=548)connection.

Also this (http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4138551-1.html).

And this (http://www.selleroyal.com/selleroyal_news_sr_bought_brooks.asp?menu_id=53&lan=ENG) about the buyout of Brooks by Selle Royal.

I did see one mention of the Persons saddle (very negative (http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2007/09/interbike-report-day-1.html)).

But glimpses of useful information about the saddles are few and far between. I'd sure like to hear from someone who has spent time on both brands of saddle.

Ok, research over (I had to give up on Brook's 1-year worth of preconditioning to get ti-rails; must use my own aging tricks now) ...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31QcJYjV7QL._SS500_.jpg
a ... Brooks B-17 Titanium Honey (the image shows the saddle in "Antique Brown").

Thanks
:)

Have you ridden both the Brooks and the Persons saddles?

Brooks rider since 1979. Been riding Persons since June '07.

TCS

Brooks rider since 1979. Been riding Persons since June '07.

TCS


Good. It would be interesting to read some of your impressions of the similarities and differences between the two.

Saddles are a personal thing. I am a mesomorph (heavy) body type and have played heavily trying to find a good ass hatchet. The Fizik Arione works alright, I tried tons of padded saddles and saddles with the centers cut out. The most comfortable saddle I ever used is a Brooks Team Pro w/titanium rails. It weighs as much as a buick bucket seat, but so do I. It took several hundred miles to break in but was worth it. I can ride 100 miles without any problems on it, even in the Spring when your butt is not worn in yet.
I also have a Brooks Swift and made a real rookie mistake with it. I rode it in the rain, it stretched some, and I overtightened it. I have since loosened the cover and hope to re-break it in.

The only problem so far, is I can't seem to get my Brooks Saddles back far enough to really get comfortable. My Fizik saddle was infinitely more adjustable and I could slide it back far enough to get my power to the pedals, but the Brooks are by far the most comfortable for distance.

Saddles are a personal thing. I am a mesomorph (heavy) body type and have played heavily trying to find a good ass hatchet. ... The most comfortable saddle I ever used is a Brooks Team Pro w/titanium rails.
... but the Brooks are by far the most comfortable for distance.

Another vote for the Team Pro, this one from a lightweight guy. It is my favorite saddle, followed closely by my 45-year-old Professional. My Brooks Competition is comfortable, but I dislike the small rivets, which tend to rip though the leather and snag clothing, and which lack the elegance of the Pro's big bright copper rivets and the Team Pro's even larger ones. The only downsides of Brooks saddles are excessive weight and vulnerability to water damage, but in every other respect, they look great and, more importantly, minimize discomfort.

Another vote for the Team Pro, this one from a lightweight guy. It is my favorite saddle, followed closely by my 45-year-old Professional. My Brooks Competition is comfortable, but I dislike the small rivets, which tend to rip though the leather and snag clothing, and which lack the elegance of the Pro's big bright copper rivets and the Team Pro's even larger ones. The only downsides of Brooks saddles are excessive weight and vulnerability to water damage, but in every other respect, they look great and, more importantly, minimize discomfort.

Interesting info about Brook's solid copper rivets (http://www.wallbike.com/accessories/rivets.html), is that they are replaceable and also, e.g., Tip: If your copper rivet starts sticking up from the saddle you can use a hammer and tap it back to form.


http://www.wallbike.com/accessories/jpgs/rivets_saddles.jpg

:)

Selle Anatomica. Great lonG distance saddle (IMHO)
http://www.selleanatomica.com/