socal

Need opinions on purchasing a used B17 for a Trek Pilot 5.0. After browsing the forum, it looks like many people are satisfied. Would like to do some light touring and centuries. Apparently the seat eventually conforms to the shape of the rider. It is better to buy a new one and do the break-in myself or will the used seat eventually conform my shape? I imagine that the used seat would more comfortable right away. I've tried about 10 seats so far and the most comfortable has been the Terry Liberator Y. Any opinions?

botto 

if one really wants to go down that road, then it's probably a good idea to start fresh, and not try and conform to someone else's ass print.

ymmv

cuda2k

I've ridden on a used B17 and it fit me well right out of the starting gates. Play with the nose tilt a bit on the saddle if you initially aren't happy. There are several schools of thought on saddle angle on Brooks so try several options till it fits you.

Paniolo

The B-17 and Professional I tried were pretty comfortable right out of the box and were 90% broken in in a little over a weeks riding. I think a used one would be altered to your butt in a few rides, but unless I got an appropriate discount in price I would buy new.

lotek 

just be careful that the used B17 isn't so used that the leather is stretched to
the point the saddle is unusable.
If you're really not sure about the saddle, get it from Wallingford bikes
( www.wallbike.com ) Bill laine has a great return policy.
He also has some used Brooks saddles at reasonable prices.
marty

Lucky07

I got a used B17 for a 70's road bike build up. I didn't want to spend a ton on this bike and I found a bargain. There is life left in the saddle, but I won't be logging hundreds of miles on that bike. It's a errand runner. But if I was going to put a Brooks on my primary bike, I'd spring for a new one.

cuda2k

+1 to Marty's warnings.

socal

Thanks for the replies. The used seat I was considering is 1 year old and is in good shape. I was concerned about a lengthy break-in. Some posters noted that it has taken many months to achieve this. We have a tour coming up next month so that may not be enough time with a new seat. One thought was to use the method shown on this site: https://sheldonbrown.com/leather.html

eandmwilson

I did some poking around on BF before getting my B-17. From what I could tell, the heavier you are, the quicker the break in. Another thing to watch for--after treating the leather, it can be slick for a bit.

If you are 200#s or more, the 3+ weeks you have are plenty

Mariner Fan

Wallbikes has some returned saddles and they state the saddles will conform to the new butt shape. I wouldn't have a problem buying a slightly used brooks but I'd shy away from one that is really broken in.

socal

I decided to get the titanium version of the B17. https://bicycletires.com had the best price at $163. Thanks for everyone's advise. Looking forward to our upcoming ride going from San Francisco to LA on the Pacific Coast Hwy.