laplander

I will be 67 this year, and decided to start riding my bike again after 5 years of not riding. I decided to buy a new saddle, even though I have about a dozen laying around of different types.
I heard so many good things about the Brooks saddle, that I decided to invest in a Swift. I always
mounted my saddles level with the top tube, and that would be comfortable for me, but with the
Brooks, I have to mount it at least 5 to 10 degrees tipped back, if I set it level, I slide forward toward the handle bars. I was wondering if other people have experienced this on a Brooks saddle.

laplander

oops! I apologize, I posted a duplicate. I was using my laptop in a school, and was told it was a unauthorized website, and would't send it. The schools WIFI is strict, so I didn't realize the thread was summitted. I should have checked more closely.

GeorgePaul

I have 2 Brooks saddles, a B17 and a B67, and I haven't experienced this. Both saddles are horizontal.

Louis

Yup, most Brooks users end up tilting the front slightly upwards.

Welcome to the 50+ forum.

roadfix

All my Brooks saddles, regardless of model, tilt up at the nose. .....otherwise, I would slide forward. This is especially evident when I take my hands off the handlebars to sit up straight to stretch my back while riding.

big john

Or when you talk on your phone on your fixed gear.

professorbob

I've got my B17 set level. I used to slide forward slightly when it was new and slippery, but now that it's worn in a bit I no longer slip.

Monkey Face

I bought a Brooks Swift on the basis that people rave about the comfort factor, but also because I liked the looks and tradition.

After my initial excitement at 'buying a new piece of kit', I rationalised and thought back to some advice I was once given by an elderly cyclist - namely, that even with the most comfortable saddle, your rear will hurt once your legs have become too tired to support your weight properly (yes, he did mean support your weight while seated).

I tried it on both my Tommasini and Pinarello and think it looks just plain wrong. Maybe on a sturdy tourer, a stylish fixie, or a 3-speed English bike, but otherwise I think Brooks are a very successfully marketed anachronism.

billydonn

I concur that the Brooks are frequently tilted up in front a bit for best function.

laplander

I have been using the Brooks Swift for several weeks now, I have yet to make up my mind about it. I have it on my bike trainer, and have been riding 30 to 45 minutes, and my butt feels like I have ridden a century, I have been riding five days a week, trying to get my weight down from
205 at 6' tall to a respectable weight. I didn't realize that I was in such bad shape. I thought, I
could jump back on the bike after a number of years of not not riding, and spin pretty well, but,
my mind said go, my body said no. I still have time before spring gets here in MN, to get my weight down, and try to break that saddle in, if thats possible, but it sure looks nice.

BluesDawg

laplander, I have no idea whether the Brooks will turn out to be a good saddle for you as it is for many people, but I do know that it is likely that your butt would be hurting no matter what saddle you were using after several years off the bike.

treed

I ride a Brooks Flyer Special after trying half a dozen others. Comfortable right out of the box and I experience zero discomfort on the first rides of the year (post snow WI). I ride a steel Long Haul Trucker and that smooths the ride also.

I'm 61 now and have been re-riding for four years.

waldowales

My B-17 has nearly 2,000 miles on it now, and my butt is finally breaking in to fit it.

icyclist 

"I have been riding five days a week, trying to get my weight down from 205 at 6' tall to a respectable weight."

Is all that riding working? I have to play the contrarian and suggest exercise won't help you lose weight, at least not in the long run. Generally, exercise has one reasonably immediate effect: it makes us hungry. (The best way to lose weight seems to be to cut down on sweets and starches, which works with or without exercise.)

Meanwhile, my Brooks B17 is tilted up slightly.