Peter_C

Just thought I'd share my trial of a Brooks saddle with you all...

I have a Giant Suede DX 'comfort' bike - more of an upright seating position. I bought with the bike a "Cloud Nine" seat - the one that is as wide as it is long - gel, springs, the works. Super comfortable, etc, etc... until you start doing miles~!

At 400+ miles on the bike, anything over bout 15-20 miles my butt starts burning pretty bad. So am thinking I need to change saddles.

A very kind person had a new used Brooks B68 that came with a new bike, and he didn't use it so he offered it to me. Now, I know most changes take a bit of getting used to, but I was only18 miles into my normal 27 mile ride and was thinking of calling my wife to come and get me and take me back to my car~! This saddle hurts my butt that badly - one day later, I have actual bruises in 3 spots So, me thinks I am too heavy to be on an unpadded saddle at this point.

It's a shame too. It's a pretty saddle - but it did prove to me that I do need a change, as it does not hurt the same way as the first seat. I did sit on the A$$-O-Meter and my sit bones are at the 130MM mark.

TomT74

I am no Brooks fan, but am thinking you may want to hold onto that B68 for awhile. When you get down to 269# you may find the saddle more tolerable. It also takes a few more than 18 miles to get acclimated to a new saddle, at least in my case.

magohn

I have the same issue - feels great on my saddle (Specialized Avatar) for 30 miles or so, but then my butt starts to hurt (soft-tissue area). I just swapped out my Spec. seat for a WTB Rocket V. Unfortunately I cant get into the 30+ range until Saturday to test and report

Thanks for the info on the Brooks though...I was contemplating a Brooks B17. Now Im thinking twice.

bbeck

weight doesnt have any thing to do with it. i am 320 pounds and ride a team pro. i am still breaking mine in but am as comfortable as i was on the specialized saddle that came with my bike. if you have only rode one ride one ride on the saddle you may just need some adjustment to get it in the sweet spot. i wouldnt give up on it just yet. but if you are are sold it wont work ill send you my address where i can test it.

magohn

Respectfully disagree. At 290lbs Im trying all kind of bibs/shorts/saddles to discover a sweet spot for going longer distances. My wife at 120lbs doesn't even need padded shorts on 50+ milers. We've been biking the same amount of time. It makes sense that bobbing up and down onto a narrow seat is going to cause more/quicker discomfort the heavier you are.

Neil_B

Peter's saddle made me cringe the first time I saw it:



He really needs to switch that out. Gel saddles are fine for short rides, but the gel compresses and creates its own pressure points on longer ones.

While a Brooks might not be right, I think 18 miles is too soon to dismiss it.

Peter, Brooks saddles require a little more adjustment to get to the sweet spot. Also, the B-68, which is a wide woman's saddle IIRC, might be too wide for you. A Brooks B-17, the 'basic Brooks', might be much better. Or the Imperial, the one I have with the slot.

chipcom 

and now, the rest of the story....

The bike itself is a pedal forward geometry that I frankly have no experience fitting people to. The bike itself seems too small to me...both the B68 and the original saddle had to be taken back to the rear limit, and we only did a couple initial small tweaks to the saddle angle and height...so we really can't say that the saddle is properly positioned. But I don't think the B68 is the right saddle for that bike anyway. Perhaps one of the wider, sprung models would be better suited to the bike and Peter's riding style, which seems to be more sitting on the saddle, rather than straddling, with more weight supported by the butt than the legs.

It dawned on me after Peter left what might be the perfect seat for those style of bikes... if only I still had my old Schwinn Stingray to ****...

chipcom 

I do happen to have a like-new B17 as well, that we could try. But I am not sure its the correct choice for that style of bike and the way Peter rides at this point in time.

I've been racking my brains trying to think of a frame or old bike I have or can get a hold of that might be better suited for longer distance road rides for Peter...I considered seeing if my youngest, perpetually broke and unemployed kid wanted to part with his 7.2FX...but it may be too big for Peter. I'm gonna keep noodling on it.

Neil_B

Bikes like Peter's often look small on a large rider, or so I'm told. My Navigator, for instance:

BigPolishJimmy

I have a Panasonic Villager with FFS system Peter can have for free if he wants to try an old lugged road bike from the 80's. Needs some tlc though.

canopus 

A B68 needs to be broken in well before it ever gets comfortable in my opinion. We had a guy at the bike shop that had one on his schwinn cruiser that was simply the most comfortable saddle I ever sat on. I had one on the Raleigh 3 spd that never felt as good has his and the last one I purchased went and came off just as quickly (my riding position just didn't work for the saddle) A B68 is an upright saddle (that seems to have gotten smaller in the last 25 years) and looking at his bike a B-17 isn't going to cut it either.

When i first started riding last year I tried a Topeak Allay saddle, now it didn't work for a forward reaching position (on the hoods and drops) but sitting straight up it rivaled that old brooks feeling.. I am going to put it on my Gary Littlejohn when complete.

Another option depending on his riding position just might be a B33.

The seat really needs to match not only the tuckus that is on it but the rider position that the tuckus is attached to.

bautieri

What saddle is on your Navigator? Maybe it would be a good start for Peter.

MIH-Dave

Love my WTB Rocket V. I have it on my Raliegh

TrojanHorse

Don't those all-leather brook's saddles require MANY hours on the saddle to break in? Leather conditioner etc?

Sounds like it may be more serious than just a non-broken in saddle though.

CliftonGK1

Yes and yes. But don't equate break-in with discomfort. Brooks saddles should be comfortable right out of the box when properly adjusted. Think about it this way: If you had to suffer 25 miles of blisters and hotspots in a pair of loafers before they became "the most comfortable shoes ever", no one would buy them. Same with a Brooks; it should not take 100+ miles of suffering through some horrible "break-in period" before it feels comfortable.
The many hours of riding will form the leather to your sit bones and become more comfortable, but it shouldn't be painful to begin with.
The conditioner (Proofide, Sno-Seal, Obenauf's LP) is an infrequent maintenance. Once or twice a year is good enough to keep things in good shape, and it only takes 5 minutes to maintain.

Limbow

Hey Peter...I feel your pain. I've got a navigator & the stock saddle is horrible! I think "comfort" bikes are only meant to go to the grocery store or around the block.

I'm picking up my new bike tomorrow & putting on a Brooks.

chipcom 

I hated that B68 myself...it came stock on my Superbe and was too wide for me, especially after I swapped out the Albatross-style bars with some smaller arc bars. I agree that a B17 probably isn't the right saddle for that type of bike. The pedal forward position seems to require a wider saddle. I still think a banana saddle would be perfect for those kind of bikes!

chipcom 

Not for everyone. B17s and Swifts are comfy for me out-of-the-box and only get better..Team Pros, not so much. That B68 never was comfy.
IMO, the most important thing is saddle position, not the type of saddle...but if the saddle is just plain not fit for your okole and riding style, even positioning won't make it comfy.

chipcom 

I'm thinking that a Terry Liberator Y Gel would be a good saddle for Peter, for that bike.



If anyone has one that they would like to trade for a Brooks B68 (aged and laced) or a Honey B17 Champion Special, both close to like new, PM me.

Hatman52

PM sent.

Peter_C

WOW~! This thread really set people into motion

First, thank you for the offer BPJ - but I do not think I am ready for a "road bike" style bicycle yet. The neat thing about the pedal-foward style bikes, as you raise the seatpost it goes back as well - giving you more distance - that's why they do not make multiple sizes (only REG and SM) and mine is the REGULAR.

No, I won't go to a Banana seat - very funny Tassles on the handle bars anyone???

We tried lowering the handlebar height to make me a bit more aero - the problem is that my knees then hit my gut, and makes my breathing take more effort. I think I am simply too out of shape for a more agressive riding position than what I have now.

The good news is that the knee works well, and I *CAN* ride, and I do so enjoy myself~! Yes, a different seat may be just the ticket, but the Cloud Nine doesn't hurt my butt after I get off of it, or the next day either - I can not ride today as my butt hurts too much - OUCH!

Sam at my LBS is more of the opinion that being able to ride 20 odd miles before getting sore, and being able to comfortably ride more after just a few minutes out of the saddle, and being able to ride daily - means that perhaps I do not need a new seat, but rather more time for my body to get used to being on the bike for multiple hours at a time?

I dunno - it was *interesting* to try this change and see what happened.

Ernie's has this SADDLE in stock, and it's fairly cheap, and they suggest it for me...

Again, it's not like I can't ride - so no worries, it's all good

Bluetrane2028

My first time on a Brooks B17 saddle was for one of the longest rides I had just about ever gone on, a 30+ miler. PeterC was there for that day, took a video of me mounting the saddle on my bike!

It was love at first sit, the saddle "disappeared" under me, I really didn't think about it at all. I just had to have one (the one I used was borrowed from The Historian), so I got one (a special one with the copper rivets) from Craigslist for less than half the price of new, and it is just barely broken in. I love this saddle, and now I want one for all my bikes.

I will agree they aren't for everyone, but I'll gladly take anybody's rejected ones! At the moment I could use two more...

malcolm40

My 2 cents worth:
I have a B-17 and I absolutely love it. Right out the box last year and 60 mile ride. STP (204 miles) this year no problems.
I have the Specialized Avatar on another bike and it was mentioned before, at about 30 miles my but starts to hurt.
I also had the Terry Liberator thought I liked it but again 30 miles in and butt started to hurt.
You either love or hate Brooks and I love mine.

episodic

Where is the best place to get a brooks saddle? I wish there was a way I could try one. I hate to shell out a 100 and hate it

Pink Lemonade

Pain and actual bruising? Yes, I agree.