avidone1

I love the look, but wonder about the 'breaking in' part.
My sit bones can be sore after an hour or so.
I hear conflicting reports about these saddles.
Any comments?

MRT2

There is a break in period, but for me, it wasn't horrible right out of the box. It is hard for me to gauge as I bought mine in July and if memory serves, I was aware of the saddle for the first 6 weeks of riding, or about the first 300 to 500 miles. But I was also adjusting to a new bike, so that was a factor. By the start of my second riding season, it was pretty much broken in and has stayed about the same ever since. I just completed my third season riding on my Brooks, though I did take a little detour with the purchase of a Brooks Cambium, which promised the feel of a Brooks with no break in. I went back to my leather Brooks after just a few hundred miles on the Cambium. My son now rides the Cambium.

bicyclelove

I have one bike with a Brooks B17. When I first got it I thought I made a mistake for a few hundred miles! I was told to keep using it, it will break in. So after maybe 300 or so it did break in and is now a very nice saddle for long rides. I do always wear padded shorts with it so I can't say if it's just as good with regular clothing.
I have a different saddle on each of my bikes. It is a tie between the Brooks and some cheap Velo or something I took off my son's old MTB as far as comfort. That cheap saddle really fits me well. But any big miles I put on are with the Brooks, none of my other bike see more than 40-50 miles at a time.

Hypno Toad

My wife and I both got Brooks this summer. Mine is B17, I forgot hers. She took that bike for a 40-mile ride right after setting it up, she was totally happy! For the record, we biked to the Minneapolis Tour de Fat event; it wasn't a hard ride and more time off the bike than on the bikes. She has had significant issues with saddles in the past, so this is impressive!

Like the posters above, my first 4 to 6 weeks I was questioning the choice. I mounted the B17 to my summer-commuter, so it got a lot of short rides to start with. I had the opportunity to ride the summer-commuter last week after it been in the basement for 6 weeks - I was very, very happy getting back on it!

During the break-in time, my Brooks was never painful, just not totally comfortable. Now, I can see the dimples in the saddle where my seatbones are, clearly I have worn in my butt-groove.

Honestly, I don't know anybody that has been miserable with a new Brooks, just not excited about it right out of the gate.

Wanderer

Consider a Selle AnAtomica as an alternative. More comfortable right out of the box, and similar look. Still on sale for a couple more days. Your LBS can order thru QBP at the sale price, but you better hurry.

fietsbob

They're Hip Now , the making them in Multiple Colors and Italian Cycle Industry + fashion Marketing Worked well ..

But they're not for every one, all The Time. Know There are Thousands of other kinds of saddles Made.


I own 2 well used Brooks Pros. 1, 24 years Old, the other 38 years Old .. my daily rides have Neither on them, so when rained on it doesn't Matter (to Pleather ).


When taking another Multi Month Tour, I'd take the bike with the Brooks , again.

rumrunn6

mine was great right out of the box, huge improvement and I had tried many other saddles

bikemig 

I'm neutral on Brooks saddles; like 'em fine but don't think they're better than other saddles. Everyone's derriere is different so your mileage will vary. I second the idea of buying a selle anatomica saddle. My SA NSX was comfortable from day one; I can't say that for any of the Brooks I've used (other than the ones with springs).

tk1971

I love them. When new, the leather B17 was noticeable, but not uncomfortable. But right away, it feels more "right" than "wrong". After a few hundred miles I can see dimples on the surface and the saddle is now invisible (feel-wise).

After that, I got 2 Flyers (for folding bikes) and 2 Cambiums for my road bikes. The B17 is on my 90's Specialized RockHopper with drop bars.

I'm now trying to see which Brooks I should get for a titanium Raleigh build.

Since getting my saddles, I've converted 2 more riders with just one test ride.

1nterceptor

See if there are any local dealers that has the Brooks C17 Cambium loaner/test model.
No break-in, waterproof, no magic lotions.

100 Miles(160 Km.) on a Brompton by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

fietsbob

'No break in' is a Mixed Blessing .. Like Leather shoes are more comfortable than Rubber Boots when it's warm out. Too.

avidone1

I"m impressed and grateful for the feedback...The comments here essentially mirror the comments I've seen on other review sites, namely that they can be annoying at first but after break in become very comfortable for even the longest of rides. I'm currently looking into the flyer imperial. It has the springs like my current saddle and the cutout for the pressure relief.

mudmouse

Been off and on Brooks saddles for years depending on bike/season/mood. My best recall is that I had a little bit of break in when I first started using Brooks, but it was less painful than what I suffered on regular saddles. I had a B68s on our tandem and a B17s that got soaked in the rain and immediately developed dimples. Later I got another B17s, that I have barely used, so it’s basically still new - comfortable from the get go. I prefer it to the dimpled one.

My only complaint was the lack of a cut out. Since I’m tentatively looking at a tour this year, I picked up a B17 Imperial. Love it! Comfortable right out of the box. No pain whatsoever.

If Goldilocks was doing this review:
B68 - too wide
B17 with dimples - too soft
Black B17 - getting there…
B17 Imperial - Just right!

Good luck with your saddle search!

avidone1

I have taken a serious look at the selle anatomica as suggested. they look great and have an excellent reputation. May jump on it.
Anyone know when the sale ends, can't find the date on the website.

Wanderer

I believe it is Christmas, but I will try to find it

From their Facebook page "Announcing our annual Holiday Sale! Until the ball drops, pay $99 for any saddle we make!
https://selleanatomica.com"

till the ball drops, would be midnight New Years Eve.

tcs

Tensioned leather saddles:

Berthoud
Brooks
Lepper
Persons
Selle Anatomica
Selle Monte Grappa
Tops
Zimbale


Gyes
Cardiff, made by Gyes
Rivet, manufactured by Gyes to their specifications
Velo Orange, made by Gyes


Dia Compe
Papillionaire
Torelli

(I suspect the Torelli, Dia Compe, Spa, and Papillionaire saddles are also made by Gyes.)

Ideale - out of business, sometimes available on ebay or at cycle jumbles

No connection to any retailers mentioned, examples only. There are plenty of places to get any of these.

1nterceptor

Don't worry if you miss the sale this year; I believe they have the same "sale" every year.

Wanderer

Sale ends at midnight, New Years Eve. Your LBS can order it thru QBP at the same price, and you help your local economy.

avidone1

Well, I bought a selle anatomica direct from their website. As a rider who is both under 160 and rides less than 100 miles per week, I ordered the T series.
I made a few adjustments to my bike and the ride is much less painful. I'm hopeful that the new saddle will eliminate all butt pain and I can start to extend myself.
thanks for the input.

keyven

I have 3 of the Brooks saddle - B17, B72 and B67, and I love the B67 even though it's ridiculously heavy. Unimpressed by the B17 though my wife enjoys it. The B72 has a similar shape and feels almost as good so it's a great middle-ground.

fietsbob

Are They Good? Brooks saddle threads seem to infect all the different sub categories ..

general theory the more upright you ride the wider the back part of the saddle ..

those SA saddles are targeting the road segment , bars not higher than the seat and Lower .