Touring - saddle's

rite at the min i use a rolls saddle but been looking at them brookes one's......
which are the best touring/alround biking saddle??? and if it is brooks which brookes?
thanks

i got the b17 standard and have found it to be bloody great. the horror stories of the pain of breaking in were greatly exaggerated in my experience and i now have a saddle that i barely even notice which, i guess, is the whole idea. the only tme i ever had any problems was when i was looking at a whacky handlebar set up involving aero bars - leaning over on a brooks is probably not the best idea.

B67 is wider than the B17 and has springs if you are looking for more support.

i got the b17 standard and have found it to be bloody great. the horror stories of the pain of breaking in were greatly exaggerated in my experience and i now have a saddle that i barely even notice which, i guess, is the whole idea. the only tme i ever had any problems was when i was looking at a whacky handlebar set up involving aero bars - leaning over on a brooks is probably not the best idea.

The B17 isn't really designed for use with aero bars and the like. It's meant to be used with the bars approximately level with the saddle maybe even a little higher. You can get the Brooks B17 Professional or Champion for a reasonable price that are a little narrower in the nose and more suited to that type of use. Or you could go crazy and get a ti-railed Swift or Swallow...

I would look at a Rido saddle if you're willing to try something different. I probably never would have tried it if the glow model didn't match my frame perfectly, but it's cheapish so I tried it. I've ridden on it for almost three years now and feel like a genious for buying it.
It has the same hammock effect as a leather saddle, and is waterproof. I can't comment on Brooks specifically, but I prefer the Rido to my leather Ideale.
I love the look of a Brooks saddle though, and you will luck out to find a Rido color that doesn't look goofy on your bike.

How have springs treated you guys on touring. I'm looking at getting the flyer for $60 from a friend..

Thanks,
Travis

How have springs treated you guys on touring. I'm looking at getting the flyer for $60 from a friend..

Thanks,
Travis

Get it, the champion flyer is a great saddle, my wife and I both use them, together with 35C tires they absorb most bumps and we can sit comfortably on them for over eight hours a day, every day.

Welcome, rikgrimsby, to the universe of Brooks saddle devotees!

Let me add my voice to the heavenly choir...

First, note that there is no universally perfect saddle. What works for Person A may not work for Person B. You need to experiment with different saddles and figure out, through trial and error, what feels best to you.

That said, I toured for decades with non-Brooks saddles and had few problems, but switched to a Brooks B17 last year after my old (synthetic) saddle broke. It was comfy from the get-go, and felt broken in after less than a week. I have never had the experience of a saddle "disappearing" from my consciousness, but that is what happened to me after five or six days or riding on the Brooks. So I guess I have been converted.

But there is no guarantee a Brooks saddle will work for you. If this thread continues long enough, you will hear from anti-Brooks "heretics" as well as from folks who have found something else that they much prefer. There is no right answer here. The best saddle is the one you are most comfortable riding.

Also, note that the brand of saddle is not the only thing that determines tushy comfort. The saddle must be positioned correctly, your bike needs to fit you and be adjusted to fit your body. Also, wearing padded pants contributes to comfort, at least for me.

While a believer in Brooks' (many years living on them), I've run across an inexpensive alternative in the past year. From time to time you'll find an ad on eBay for a Favorit (Czechoslovakian) saddle - it's a well made copy of a B-17, with somewhat heavier leather (old Iron Curtain technology - built strong, like tractor), and every bit as comfortable as a Brooks. I've found them in both brown and black.

Oh yeah, less than half the price of a B-17. I've got them on three of my bikes at the moment (both touring and a vintage racer), and would have more if they'd just show up.