Brompton Seat hurts !

[Ciwan]

Howdy friends

Just got my Brompton today, loving the cycling quality, I cycled for 5 miles on it. It felt soo good

However, my bum hurts so I was thinking of going for something like this (without child seat of course, I'm talking main Rider saddle):

Brompton.jpg

I'm not sure what Saddle model that one is, but I think it is the Brooks B66. Would the B66 fit on the Brompton ? Also since no dealers near me have or sell the Brooks B66, does anyone know how comfortable it is ... etc

Thank You.

[Mr. Fly]

Have you cycled regularly recently? It may be that your bum requires some acclimatization.

[alhedges]

I use a B-67 on my Brompton and like it a lot. It is the same as the B-66 but uses the more common modern method of attaching to the seatpost. If that's the saddle you want, you probably want the B-67.

[folder fanatic]

Saddles (or bicycle seats for the novices) are a very personal choice. It seems to vary with each rider/user. I seem to settle after a time with the Nirve or Electra Beach Cruiser ones that are a bit wider in the back:

http://www.nirve.com/cruiser-bike-ac...s.asp?cid=3004

http://store.electrabike.com/eSource...ts.aspx?store=

or similar ones out there. My own Brompton has the Nirve one. My restored Raleigh Twenty uses the Electra one. My my latest vintage bike uses the original saddle it came with (and probably was on it when the bike was new).

Photos below:

[Ciwan]

Nope, last time I cycled was back when I was 7 or 8 years old. You make a good point. I'll stick to it for a month. Thanks

[jur]

What brand of saddle does it have?

[Ciwan]

Hi Jur

I have the default / original Brompton that comes with the bike.

@alhedges: The B-67 looks good too ! Is it comfortable ?

@Folder Fanatic: Nice pics !! I like leather and have heard really good stuff about the Brooks, that is why I want to go for a Brooks, just not sure which model yet.

[fietsbob]

B17 is on the B-spoke list, when you run the build list, the new standard ,
is their own design.. molded handle feature under the nose, to carry folded up bike.

I found the saddle offered a few years ago as their option in X package..
ordered it, afterthefact.
Fizik vitesse.. Brompton's batch has a different rail bend to clear the penta-clip.

[jur]

The stock Brompton saddle is a WTB Rocket or something close to it. I had a saddle like that once, it looked great but my bum hated it after just 30min of riding. An hour and it would write a letter of protest to the local politician.

[alhedges]

@alhedges: The B-67 looks good too ! Is it comfortable ?

I love it. It's what I have on both my bikes.

[Ciwan]

Is it springy ? I have a big bum, and I'm a big fan of comfort ! hehe

[badmother]

Got springs but not springy. If springy you would be fed up quite soon. Jumping up and down trying to pedal is not fun. It just reduces the road buzz and take the edge off the bumps.

If this is the right seat for you depends on where your handlebars are related to your saddle. The wide seats is said to be used when saddle is below handlebar height. If your saddle is same or higher go for the slightly narrower "brooks flyer" saddle.

[Sangetsu]

Wider does not necessarily mean more comfortable. I find the big comfy-looking sprung seat on my Schwinn Phantom to be a torture device on long rides, while the skinny Brooks B-17 on my Birdy folder is comfortable enough to ride for hours without needing bicycle shorts.

You need to break in your backside over a period of 2 to 3 weeks before you begin to feel comfortable riding for longer distances. On my first training ride after the winter I will go out for 45 minutes and ride a slow pace. Then I'll stay off the bike for a couple days until the pain subsides. I'll ride again, and then take a one-day break. By this time the pain will begin to go away, and I can gradually ride longer and faster. After a couple of months a 4 hour ride becomes bearable, and after 4 months I am good enough for a double-century.

Having ridden umpteen dozens of different bikes, and even more saddles (I have worn out three saddles on my favorite road bike) I have found the garden-variety Brooks B-17 to be the most comfortable. YMMV

[Ciwan]

I'm confused now. I don't know which model to get

They're not cheap, and I'm worried about spending a lot of money on a saddle, and then find that even after the 2 month period, it still is uncomfortable Plus, you can't return them after 2 months of riding.

[Jiten]

Just for fun you can try measuring you sit bone distance.

[Ciwan]

How am I suppose to do that

[Ciwan]

Just purchased the B-67 like alhedges has. Will post back in a month or two and let you guys know what it feels like

Thanks

[kamtsa]

I'm confused now. I don't know which model to get

They're not cheap, and I'm worried about spending a lot of money on a saddle, and then find that even after the 2 month period, it still is uncomfortable Plus, you can't return them after 2 months of riding.

http://www.wallbike.com/warranty-and-other-information

6 months return policy on Brooks saddles.

Edit: you may want to read this http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

[Ciwan]

Thank You Kamtsa, I did not know about their return policy ! Wow, Brooks really are good people

Thank You for the article, it is so true too. Towards the end, just before getting my B-67, the pain did decrease, so my body was getting used to it. However it still was no where close to the comfort of the Brooks.

Thank You.

[fietsbob]

Re sit bone measurement:

How am I suppose to do that ?

try a sandwich stack of paper with a sheet of carbon paper in the middle
and sit on it in a hard bottom wooden chair.