katezila

Hey I've been raising the money to get a Brooks for my bicycle that I generally use for commuting about the city and I've been thinking about getting a Flyer S instead of a traditional city bike saddle.
My bike is a Schwinn Collegiate so it's more of a "semi upright" position and I plan to put porteur bars on it so I can ride it even a bit more forward then I can now. After riding an few vintage english frames my bicycle is comparable, but certainly not as upright as those.
While I want to be able to lean forward for more longer training and short tour rides in the summer, I'm still going to spend most of my time mostly upright on the bike.
Does anyone know if the Flyer is a good saddle for these purposes? It seems like the perfect marriage of city and tour for a semi-upright rider like myself, but I'd love to hear opinions before I go all the way on this.
Oh! I should probably mention I'm about 120lbs with pretty average width hips for a thin person (i wear a size 4)

fietsbob

Flyer and B17 are the same shaped leather portion one adds springs..

Seems others want to get those saddles by stealing, not buying them,

so there is that issue, a second seatpost will make swapping saddles somewhat easier.

to put a lesser attractive but serviceable seat on your bike for the winter..

how it will feel is not something a word from me will answer , should be fine ,
they are popular with bike tourists with a similar posture, not racer's tuck, nor bolt upright.

IT"s between your tush and the Saddle .

they , well cared for, are a long term practical choice.,
that you can keep and mount on your many.. Next Bikes ..

cbchess

I have a Brooks Champion flyer (the B-17 with springs) and it was perfect for my commuter. Very comfortable! My commuter also was set up as a mountain bike first and I used the same saddle with a more aggressive position and it worked well.

exile

I had the flyer pre-aged on my touring bike, but it was stolen. For your weight a traditional Brooks may take longer to wear in.

When I get money again I plan on looking into the Velo Orange saddles model 5.

threecarjam

If you don't mind not paying the absolute cheapest internet price for a Brooks, you can buy from Wallingford Bicycle Parts (https://www.wallbike.com). They have a 6 month unconditional return policy on Brooks saddles - so you can try one (might want to start with the Flyer), if that doesn't work you can try swapping it for something different. Only your own butt will tell you if the saddle works for you.

Otherwise you could also try the Velo Orange saddles - Model 3 is unsprung like a B17, Model 5 is sprung like a Flyer. If you're in Detroit, I think the Hub on Cass Ave carries (or at least can order) some Velo Orange stuff. Cheaper than Brooks (between $50-80), and I've heard good things. Just ordered a Model 5 myself, I'm going to try out the springs on a new city bike build.

And as far as theft goes, you should be fine if you carry around a plastic bag, and put it on your saddle whenever you park your bike.

wahoonc

I use the Flyer on my touring bikes. Two things; I am a big guy (215#) and I have a Brooks Butt. I have never had a Brooks saddle be uncomfortable, even right out of the box. To keep them from wandering off the bike you can buy a little cable to thread through or use a piece of bike chain in an old inner tube and put back together with a chain tool. Eight of those methods will keep a casual thief from grabbing it, if they have tools....maybe not. I have used thin braided, coated stainless steel cable with crimps on it before with decent results.

Aaron

no motor?

I use a B17 on a commuterized Hardrock and love it. Like many others do. You may need a little longer to break yours in, but think it would work fine for you.

Chris_in_Miami

I've got a B17 on my Moulton and it's pretty comfy for me. This bike has an upright riding position, but also a rudimentary full suspension...

I've used the B17 on my fully rigid MTB and I liked it there also.

katezila

Thanks everyone for the input I really appreciate it! I missed out on the flyer I was after on ebay but it's alight I guess since I decided I really should get an s model. Now I'm a little torn between a Flyer and a B17! B17s sure are more common, but with the state of Detroit roads I really lean towards springs. My walmart cruiser saddle (hey it was cheep! I'm in college!) has springs and i certainly like how that's been riding. Buuut after 20 minutes on a warm summer day... Lets just say I want to try to get the brooks by mid spring.

threecarjam Thanks for reminding me about the VO's. Your right, the Hub is supposed to be a VO Dealer, I'll have to ask tomorrow. However I'm not really sure about getting a VO when I've heard they soften and sag within a few years, and considering I can snag a brooks on ebay for only a bit more if I'm patient, I should probably just hold out.

chandltp

It depends on your butt. I had a B17.. for a week. By the end of the week, I dreaded getting on the bicycle. I got a B67 and it worked out really well for me, until the sides started to flare out after about a month. I was told a lot of people lace them for that reason, but I couldn't bring myself to do that to a new $100+ saddle, so I returned it. I'm thinking the B67 aged that's laced would be perfect for me. I was looking at the VO saddled similar to the B67, but no one has used it long term and initial reviews are that it won't last as long as the Brooks. Not sure it's worth a $20 (I don't really remember) savings at that price point, even if I only got an extra years worth of service out of the Brooks.

I have a Trek 7000 and I sit almost straight upright. I think the B17 might be comfortable on my winter bike, but the stock seat works so well I'm not looking for anything else.

Grim

My experience with helping my 5ft 90lb wife pick a saddle is even as small as you are your sit bones are still significantly wider then a man even my size (6'1" 220lb). The saddles my wife likes right now is a Terry and a RX (REI). She tried my B17 and found it a bit narrow.

I would recommend the B67s over the B17 or Flyer in the brooks line especially with the upright riding position.

ClemY

I have one Champion Flyer and a bunch of B17s on my bikes. The Champion Flyer is on my non-suspension mountain bike. The B17s are on everything else. They work well for me, but for me, break-in is critical. While racing in the rain many years ago, I accidently found out what happened to a leather seat when it got soaked. It conformed beautifully to my butt. Since that time I have artificially produced the same condition by soaking a new seat in water over night and then taking it out and riding it for at least an hour. I did it again last Spring when I assembled a new bike using a B17.

RichardGlover

I just put a B17 on my commuter (mostly upright position, but with trekker bars I can stretch out some).

We'll see how it breaks in.

One thing that sold me on the Brooks instead of a Velo-Orange was potential resale. If the Brooks doesn't work for my butt, I'm confident I can sell it either here, ebay, or CL, and get a decent price for it.

I've also got a few months to break it in properly before I really pound the miles on my bike.

NormanF

I recommend the Flyer. I like a sprung saddle. Its worthwhile to have some form of suspension to even out road buzz. It makes bike riding more enjoyable.