Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Chazzlee
07-29-10, 11:32 PM
I ride fairly upright on a Trek hybrid 7000 with a shock absorbing seat post, and the Wallingford folks recommended an unsprung B68 Brooks for this, which I then (just recently) got..
And right out of the box, I said Geeeez, this thing is like a rock! But I followed the suggestions and loosened the tension bolt 1/2 a turn, then (instead of Proofide) I rubbed the seat down good with Kiwi Saddle Soap (which also has glycerin and lanolin), to protect and soften it a bit.
Still, first ride felt uncomfortable until I moved all around on the seat and discovered the way I had it setup I was missing its 'sweet spot'. I had to move the seat way back on the post-clamp rails to fit into it the right way, and then it was, surprisingly enough, extremely comfortable! -Now it feels somehow as if I'm sitting in it instead of on it!
Before the B68 I had been riding the Trek around on a friend's recommended Avenir foam saddle. The Avenir is covered with Lycra and has about two inches of foam on top, and it makes the Brooks B68 antique brown saddle look like a thin slice of liver next to it! But the plushy Avenir still was uncomfortable, and more importantly it also made the bike harder to peddle; it was like trying to peddle while balancing way up high on a sticky rough sponge that grabbed at your butt and rubbed against your legs! -It even made it harder for me to just mount and dismount!!
So what a fantastic difference with the B68, once I got it set up right for me! I only rode with it for about 10 miles so far, but it was very much easier to peddle the bike, and my butt and back felt absolutely comfortable! -And this is right out of the box; I can imagine how much more comfortable this B68 is gonna get after a few hundred miles or so....
I didn't much like paying $123 (with shipping) for a bike seat (hey, the Avenir was only $25!), but I think the Brooks B68 is not so much a 'seat' as it is really a saddle! And as such is well worth it if you like to ride your hybrid bike as much as I do...
-And besides, I haven't had any toys or sports things as nice and fine in leather like this, since my boyhood baseball gloves! :lol:
Namaste,
Chazzlee
And right out of the box, I said Geeeez, this thing is like a rock! But I followed the suggestions and loosened the tension bolt 1/2 a turn, then (instead of Proofide) I rubbed the seat down good with Kiwi Saddle Soap (which also has glycerin and lanolin), to protect and soften it a bit.
Still, first ride felt uncomfortable until I moved all around on the seat and discovered the way I had it setup I was missing its 'sweet spot'. I had to move the seat way back on the post-clamp rails to fit into it the right way, and then it was, surprisingly enough, extremely comfortable! -Now it feels somehow as if I'm sitting in it instead of on it!
Before the B68 I had been riding the Trek around on a friend's recommended Avenir foam saddle. The Avenir is covered with Lycra and has about two inches of foam on top, and it makes the Brooks B68 antique brown saddle look like a thin slice of liver next to it! But the plushy Avenir still was uncomfortable, and more importantly it also made the bike harder to peddle; it was like trying to peddle while balancing way up high on a sticky rough sponge that grabbed at your butt and rubbed against your legs! -It even made it harder for me to just mount and dismount!!
So what a fantastic difference with the B68, once I got it set up right for me! I only rode with it for about 10 miles so far, but it was very much easier to peddle the bike, and my butt and back felt absolutely comfortable! -And this is right out of the box; I can imagine how much more comfortable this B68 is gonna get after a few hundred miles or so....
I didn't much like paying $123 (with shipping) for a bike seat (hey, the Avenir was only $25!), but I think the Brooks B68 is not so much a 'seat' as it is really a saddle! And as such is well worth it if you like to ride your hybrid bike as much as I do...
-And besides, I haven't had any toys or sports things as nice and fine in leather like this, since my boyhood baseball gloves! :lol:
Namaste,
Chazzlee