anthony691

I just received a new B17 in the mail this afternoon, and I was wondering whether or not light surface cracks surrounding the eyelet nearest the nose of the saddle (as pictured) are normal, or whether they are indicative of a dried out saddle.



Thanks,
Anthony P.

socalrider

I checked mine and it seems very normal.. If you treat the saddle with some proofide, it should take care of some of those cracks.. Make sure to proofide top and bottom...

F4UX3/2

+1

yours looks the same as mine

socalrider

If you bought the model with the copper rivets make sure they are flush, otherwise you can snag your shorts.. If they are not flush, just take a small hammer and give them a couple of hits to get them flush against the saddle..

cshell

<------------ Jealous.

You're making me want to get one!!!

anthony691

If your current saddle is uncomfortable and you think you have wider sit bones, you should just buy one.

This is actually the 6th installment in my quest of achieving saddle comfort. My current saddle is a comfy but low quality B17 knock-off (Gyes Thames)

(Stock saddle->Advocet Touring III (comfy, but ugly and dyed my clothes black)->Forte SLX->Specialized Body Geometry->Gyes Thames->Brooks B17)

Hopefully the B17 is the end of the line.

cshell

If not, at least it's the most gorgeous saddle out there.

:drool:

MGtrack

FWIW, I've found one of the keys to saddle comfort is fitness. The fitter you are, the more power you put into the pedals, the lighter you are, all means less weight on your sit bones -- more comfy.

anthony691

I think there's definitely something to that, but saddle width is also important. When I was just starting out and in terrible shape, I found the Advocet Touring III to be quite comfortable. Now that I'm in much better shape (dare I say "good shape"?), I still don't find the Forte SLX or the Specialized BG saddles comfortable.

rugerben

I have two B17's. They both came with very minor surface cracks. It's perfectly fine.

Treat with a SMALL amount of proofide. Top and bottom. Rub it on before bed. Wait till morning. buff it off with clean rag/towel. It's that easy. Reapply proofide once every 4-6 months. It's tempting to do it more frequently, but resist the urge. Also resist the urge to over-apply.

If the saddle is not immediately comfortable, give it about 300-400 miles to break in a little. Lucky, mine was comfortable from the first moment I tried it. It's on my commuting/touring bike (C'dale T400).
It's by far, the most comfortable riding saddle I'v ever used.

PedallingATX

OP- I think you're a little paranoid. Just ride it.

crhilton

Ever seen a Swallow?

crhilton

OP: Your saddle looks fine. Follow the proofiding instructions that came with it, ride the hell out of it, and don't sweat the nicks and scratches. The nicks and scratches always look better if you proofide and ride a few hundred miles. It sounds stupid, and cliche, but it builds character and ends up looking better.

Besides, the droop after they're broken in is the ugly part.

Hank244

There is nothing wrong with that saddle.

BTW, I just "graduated" from a B17. As a new rider, I found it to be (by far) the most comfortable saddle. However, my riding style was not very aggressive. I was working on top of the bars.

After a thousand miles, I decided to switch to a Brooks Swift. I've only ridden it a hundred miles, but I can tell that it is much more suited for riding in the drops.

The B17 was great when I rode in a more upright position. If you find yourself having trouble getting into the drops, get a Swift.