95strat

I apologize for the noob question. So the B-17 seems the most popular. I noticed some of you guys were the test group for the Imperial. Is it better? I honestly like the look of the B-15 Swallow. It seems the B-15 used to be cheaper in quality than the the B-17, but it's more expensive now. There's so much varying information on Brooks stuff it gets confusing.

So which is best for FG riding? Is the B-17 more comfortable than the B-15?

Scrodzilla

Because nobody else has your ass, nobody will be able to provide an answer for you.

My own ass happens to prefer the Swift or Team Pro.

hairnet

Not to mention the Swallow and B17 are meant for different riding styles.

striknein

B15 and B17 are great when the handlebars are level with or slightly above the saddle. If you're going for mad pursuit drop, seek out something else.

95strat

Good point. I guess I should be asking what hairnet is pointing at. So the Swallow is built more for racing and the B17 for touring. I'm not a racer, but was wondering if the Swallow would work for a commuting bike. I've got 8.5 miles to work. It seems the B17 would have more friction on the inner thighs with a deeper design. The B15 just looks better, but that's not what counts.

cobrabyte

Rule of thumb (sort of) is the lower the saddle position compared to the bars, the wider the saddle...so a B17 would be appropriate if you have little to no saddle to bar drop. If you plan to have the saddle above the bars, I would go with a B17 narrow, a Swift, or my fave is a Brooks Team Pro

Leukybear 

Cheap??? The swallow is and always was the flagship...
If anything the B17 is the brooks saddle for the average joe schmo.

As mentioned above, you're comparing two totally different saddles, night and day, as far as their designed rationale go. One is a large touring saddle and the other is a narrow sport saddle.

~~~In addition to your own butt, also consider your thighs. I for one, with larger thighs, can't stand the b17's large side skirts which seem to weld themselves to me while riding.
That is why I highly favor their narrower swallow and swift models.

fixin2ride

For my wabi I got the B17 Narrow. The B17 standard seems to be best suited for handlebars that are level or above the seat so I ruled it out for any FG bike since most have handlebars below the seat.

solipsist716

Uh huh... You were so close to making sense, too.

cobrabyte

I agree with the B17 being the "entry level" Brooks saddle, but as far as the flagship, check out almost every quality road bike from the 50's-70's and they were almost always sold with the ever ubiquitous brown Brooks Professional with chamfered edges & small rivets (because that's what the pro's used). When I think of a Brooks that's the saddle that comes to mind:

fixin2ride

I'm definitely not a bike expert but on their website and when I called they recommended the Narrow for road bikes and MTB with handlebars below seat level and the standard for Trekking and touring bikes with handlebars above and at seat level. People that have had the standard on road bikes have reported uncomfortable thigh rubbing because the seat isn't narrow enough for that non upright posture. I don't really know but it works for me...

solipsist716

I'm not saying that bit is wrong, the rest of your earlier post is just silly.

fixin2ride

D'oh! Bikes do come in all shapes and sizes I was probably a bit off saying that . Oh well

bowzette

If you want to buy a Brooks check out Wallingford Bike Parts
www.wallbike.com
They have a six month return/refund policy.

cobrabyte

+1 for WallBike
THE BEST customer service I've gotten from an online retailer

95strat

Thanks for the help guys. I've got a Wabi on order. I don't think I'll have a very aggressive angle set up. I won't know until I get it, but I did get a frame size that should put the seat post inline with the bars. We'll see. I won't order a saddle until I ride the bike for a bit.

Top Gunner

Be mindful of saddle width as well. Some bike shops will actually measure your sit bones for you, which will enable you to determine how wide your saddle needs to be. Regardless of bar drop, I cannot ride a Swift or a B-17 Narrow, because they're both too narrow. A Team Pro is ok, but I use a B-17 Imperial (same measurements as a B-17 Standard), it's a lot more comfortable. Regarding the Swallow, it may look cool, but it's a lot of money to spend on a saddle you are unsure of, so you may want to look for a retailer that will allow you to return used merchandise.

Scrod's point is a good one. It took a lot of trial and error for me to find a saddle that worked.

rms13

I have a Team Pro and a B17 narrow. I prefer the Team Pro. As others have pointed out, saddles are very personal and what fits one person might feel like torture to another

tashi

I've put a ton of miles on a Pro on my touring bike - tops of the bars level with the seat. Very comfy for that.

I've used it a bit on townies where the bars are higher than the saddle - seems to work well for that too. Plenty wide enough to support my ass, even when sitting upright.

I've used it a bit on my CX bike (well, my "touring" Cross-check with a different collection of parts but...) where the bars are considerably lower than the bars. It works well for that too.

So I guess I gotta recommend the Pro! Pretty versitile in my experience. I have a hard time thinking that the B 17 would be comfy for bikes with low bars - seems a bit too big for that.

Germany_chris

I've never had issues with a B17 with any saddle bar drop..

europa

I must confess, I'm the same ... though to be honest, a large bar drop for me is about 1"

Umm, that wasn't very useful was it

Scrodzilla

And I've never had any issues eating raw habanero peppers. People are all different.

Germany_chris

I was pointing out the internet "wisdom" being proffered in this thread.

Scrodzilla

On the contrary, you were just adding to it by injecting your opinion based on your personal experience.

As stated several times above, a saddle is a very subjective thing.

TejanoTrackie 

I get very emotional about my saddles.