Touring - Newbie to LHT: Saddle advise

Hello everybody, I've recently received my new Surly LHT and I'm anxious to get it on the road. I've been researching accessories and noticed that a dominant number of touring bikes I've seen have a Brooks saddle attached to it. I can say I've been through a few on my Fuji Roubaix and haven't been too impressed yet. I'm just wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are to the Brooks B-17 or Flyer models. Obvously they are on the heavy side, but I'd rather be comfortable and heavy than in pain and light. Any input would be greatly appreciated because I don't want to drop any more coin on endless pain

"6 Month UNCONDITIONAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - new BROOKS saddles. Return your new saddle at any time within six-months of the ship date for a full refund of the price of the saddle. Shipping will not be refunded unless there is a manufacturing defect that would make the return a factory warranty issue."


http://www.wallbike.com/Brookssaddles.html


Try it out, if you don't like it within 6 months, get your money back and try something else.
I'm not sure yet if my champion flyer is for me, but I have another 4 months of riding to decide.

Edit: I have no affiliation, I just like a good warranty.

if you want to try other saddles, your lbs will usually let you test/return/swap saddles if you put some tape on the rails so your seatpost clamp doesn't mark it.

Hello everybody, I've recently received my new Surly LHT and I'm anxious to get it on the road. I've been researching accessories and noticed that a dominant number of touring bikes I've seen have a Brooks saddle attached to it. I can say I've been through a few on my Fuji Roubaix and haven't been too impressed yet. I'm just wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are to the Brooks B-17 or Flyer models. Obvously they are on the heavy side, but I'd rather be comfortable and heavy than in pain and light. Any input would be greatly appreciated because I don't want to drop any more coin on endless pain


A saddle can't be chosen by words.....they all sound great on paper. It's trial and error. ;)

Brooks saddles.... most hate them or love them. They are just another saddle, not some miracle device.

As stated, if you have a LBS that allows saddle tryouts , do that. If you don't have that choice, choose your online places wisely. As stated, Wallbike is good for Brooks. Nashbar, Performance and REI are good for various plastic ones as they have a no hassle return policy.

I've tried all sorts, including the B-17. Not my cup of tea. The rails are too short for tall people, and the hardness under my sit bones set me on a road to bicycling he!!. It wasn't something I'd have gotten used to.

Some like the sloping sides, some like the flat backed ones. An example of a flat backed saddle is the Lookin MOD saddle made by Selle Royal. It's about 6-1/2 inches wide. Very supportive of the sit bones for my rear.

One's poison, is another's passion, and vice versa. Anatomies vary a lot. It's really up to you to find what works. Yeah... it can be a PITA......but you'll find one. :thumb:

Love my B-17. A saddle is a personal thing though. I have a buddy that loves super thin selle italia's. But I'm a 215 pound fatty...

The rails are too short for tall people:

What does the short rails have to do with tall people? I am 6'6" and have a couple of B17s and two Professionals on various bikes. My LHT of course has a B17.

Hmmm, decisions, decisions. I've got a Koobi PRS Enduro on my Fuji right now, so I'll probably swap it over and give it a whirl first. I'm curious of the feel of it on the LHT because of the more upright riding position. None of the local shops stock any saddles that interest me, so thats out of the question. If the Koobi doesn't do it for me, I'll have to spin the roulette wheel again. I'm just excited to have the bike. My buddy assembled it at the shop for me, and was kind of pissed he doesn't have one yet. Definately a sweet ride.

The WTB SST saddle that comes with the LHT Complete is actually a very good saddle. It achieved somewhat of a cult status when it first came out for mountain bikes. It went out of production for awhile, but is now back to the delight of many. It is soft and light and has that downward sloping nose to keep pressure off while climbing in the saddle. There is really no need to replace it if you bought the Complete. I recently bought a new LHT Complete, and put an old Brooks Flyer on it from my former tourer because it's what feels best for me for long miles. I put the SST on my mountain bike.

Maybe I'll give it a try before I yank it. I've just heard nothing about it. I figured it was just one they throw on the bike so it has a seat when they ship it

The SST really isn't all that bad, but my B17 isn't any worse, hopefully it'll only get better.
-Gene-

I love my B17 Ladies', and I'm one of those lucky folk that was very happy with it right out of the box. They aren't for everyone though, so do as the rest have said and find an LBS with a good return policy and try out a few saddles before committing to one.