staehpj1

That surprises me. I would have estimated 10% based on the folks I ran into on my tours. I never actually counted though so I could be off by a good bit, but I'd be shocked if it was 1/2 - 3/4.

BigAura

I agree that the majority of bicycle-tourists do not ride a Brooks but of any single saddle model there are more B-17's out there being ridden on tours than any other model. They're definitely not for everyone but personally I think it's more than fashion & fandom.

staehpj1

There is always some fashion and fandom with bike stuff, but I am sure that the B17 works wonderfully for many folks. I didn't like the one and only B17 that I owned, but no saddle works well for everyone.

Carbonfiberboy 

When I have a saddle which suits me, I don't even realize I'm sitting on a saddle. It disappears. I don't/can't ride Brooks.

InTheAether

I recently started riding a vintage Brooks Colt that had sat for a long time. After a few hundred miles it's broke in nicely to me as have I to it.

robow

They're sure not for everyone but I do feel that the comfort of a Brooks is extremely dependent on its positioning (as in less forgiving and more critical than most saddles). A very small movement of the saddle, fore and aft, nose up/down, tautness of the leather can make a huge difference in the comfort.

Trevtassie

Bought a Gyes for $30 Australian, that's only $25 US, it's great. But I'd never use Proof Ride or any kind of organic leather treatment on a leather saddle or boots. I only use Nikwax Aqueous Wax. Inorganic waxes in an emulsion, so it doesn't soften the leather.

elcruxio

Brooks saddles are truly very narrow. When you compare a leather saddle and a modern saddle you really have to compare the useable width. With a 130mm wide foam saddle the useable width is usually 130mm. With a 175mm wide leather saddle (Brooks B17) the useable width is in the region of 125mm - 130mm. So you know, If you need a saddle that's at least 143mm wide you're out of luck. If you need 150mm, don't even bother to try.

Useable width is narrower in leather saddles because of the whole suspended leather and outer frame thing. You don't want to be sitting on the metal frame.

Lacing means that you tie the saddle skirts toward each other since otherwise they tend to flare and cut you in the thigh, especially if there's more than the usual amount of muscle there.

Tourist in MSN

I think I have seen about one third to one half bike tourists using Brooks leather saddles. I think that those that traveled with lighter weight were more inclined to use a non-Brooks, whereas those using four panniers were more likely to use a Brooks because they were not as concerned about the weight of the saddle.



I agree with BigAura, the B-17 is the prevalent Brooks for touring. I find however that the Conquest works better for me for touring, I put my B-17 on my trainer for indoor exercise.

This data is 8 years old, but quite interesting. Half the people on this really long ride (1,228 km) used leather saddles.
https://www.bikequarterly.com/BQPBPEquipsurvey.pdf

staehpj1

After giving this some thought, I think that on the Trans America and on the Pacific Coast I saw a lot more riders, but only a fairly small portion were using leather saddles. On the other routes I have ridden I met a lot fewer riders, but think a much larger percentage of them were on leather saddles. Of the warmshowers guests that stayed with us (only a handful), I think the majority were on Brooks saddles. I also think that, of the riders I met, the Europeans were more likely to be riding on a leather saddle. I don't really know what to make of all that though.

Again, I didn't actually count and this is just an impression, so my margin of error may be high.

jfarwell

is comment is right on the mark. We have brooks saddles on our tandem and our single bikes, an thy are awesome. sometimes hear that you can "break-in" a brooks. Our experience is that they either fi or don't fit right out of the box. Like shoes, buy a saddle that fits, rather than thinking it will get better with age.

psy

While I have to admit that only about twenty percent, perhaps less, of the people I've met on tour were riding a brooks, about eighty percent of the ones I met that weren't on their first tour were on a brooks.

So yes most people that are "into touring" seem to be on brooks saddles. How much of it is a fashion statement... idk.

I like my brooks ok, it's great for a more upright riding position,(which may account for the touring popularity) but for more aggressive riding the up tilted nose sucks. Im thinking about swapping it out for a specialized toupe. I have one on my road bike and I think it's more comfortable overall for the type of riding I do.

robow

As an example of lies, damned lies and statistics, from a trip this spring, I can say without a doubt as to the data that I have on hand, that 100% of all bike tourists use a leather saddle, 86% Brooks, 14% Sella Antomica, and oh btw, 86% use Ortliebs as well (one bike adorned with a Brooks and Ortliebs on that trip not shown here)

Tourist in MSN

For many decades people rode leather saddles for racing, but they used a narrower saddle like the Brooks Pro. When I ride on the drops (drop bars), I prefer a narrower saddle like the Brooks Conquest which essentially is a sprung Brooks Pro.

MassiveD

In fact with leather shoes, if they are bought retail, they normally don't fit right away, and take some breaking in, normally just a few days. If they fit badly, or the person has some flaws in the foot they may not break in but they can be stretched to fit mechanically. Of course custom shoes should fit perfectly pretty much from the beginning. One could make custom fit leather saddles, but it would be an involved process much like a custom shoe, starting with a last.

DropBarFan

Personally I never had a problem with Brooks being too hard & requiring break-in--the actual sit-bone part was OK even before break-in. But being part of the 70's "10-speed" boom I was already used to rock-hard plastic saddles.


As a teen I once bought a Brooks Pro from a local LBS--got a good price but shop owner 'forgot' to tell me it was used. It already had some sway despite otherwise looking new, I just assumed sway was how it was built. I was afraid to tighten the tension nut since the nose leather was so close it seemed like it would have marred or stretched the nose. Seemed like a rather thoughtless design. Current Brooks B17 seems to have a bit more room to access the tension nut.


Lacing means drilling holes (or some Brooks etc already have them) in the bottom of the side skirt & using boot laces to pull ends of skirt closer together so they aren't wider than the top-most part of the saddle. Lacing also helps to stiffen up the top a bit.


I wear black shorts for riding & have the "honey" color B17. OTOH some Brooks models are aimed at commuters who may want to wear light-colored clothing. I'd try the B15 Swallow but it costs a fortune & Wallbike.com always seems to be out of stock for the sweet-looking Select model.

Doug64

I posted this awhile back:

The way we used to break in a Brooks Pro saddle was to use a small childs baseball bat, Proofide, and a hair dryer. After every ride a light coat of Proofide was applied to the saddle. Using the hair dryer to warm the leather the Proofide was rubbed in by hand. Then the small, 16"-18", bat was used to tap the saddle lightly a couple of dozen times. Finally, the saddle was buffed with a clean rag. This seemed to speed up the breakin period.

Did it really work? Who knows!

This is a 40 year old Brooks Pro that was treated in this manner. The water from a light shower still beads up on the saddle.

fthomas

I've ridden the Brooks Flyer in the past and loved it - B17 with springs. I am in the market for a new saddle to replace the stock saddle on a Jamis Aurora Elite and Brooks is currently out of my price range. Recently, I have been reading "Just Ride" by Grant Peterson the owner/founder of Rivendell Bike. I was surprised in his book that though he likes Brooks he does not believe that they should be the only saddle considered and that there are plenty in the $40 price range (can't remember the figure he used) that should also be considered. He also said that leather is not for everyone and spoke to it's limitations.

So I am going to look at some Forte saddles at Performance to see what I might come up with. I had a WTB on my last mountain bike that I really liked. Time will tell.

revcp 

Proofide.

Tourist in MSN

I have a Brooks Pro with a date code of 1962 that I retired, it looks like the one you are holding. It came off an Italian racing bike of that vintage.

I replaced it with one that I bought used at a garage sale in the 1980s, but that one had no date code so I can't say how old it is, only that it is at least 25 years old.

robow

What about a Brooks knock off such as a Gyes saddle? Now I can't vouch for their saddles but maybe others can chime in.

Gyes GS-06 Leather Bicycle Saddle, Racing Comfort, Honey Brown

Doug64

Yup, that works too

fthomas

Certainly an interesting alternative, but not one I can try. Thanks for the link.

manapua_man

I think that applies to most saddles. I've tried all the Brooks and some other brand name saddles... and I think there's no real accounting for the shape of your ***. I have a much larger collection of bike saddles than camera lenses, and I have a few hundred camera lenses. (Not so many super teles though.)

My favorite saddle totally died recently, and it was a kinda narrow no name brand that I pulled off an abandoned frankenstein mamachari a few years ago.

MassiveD

Thanks for the lacing info. That is what I thought you were saying, no problem in what you wrote, but I wasn't aware people were doing that or Brooks was facilitating it.

Too true about the 70s saddles, at least for the shorter trips they were surprisingly comfortable. I wasn't suggesting you were ignorant in your approach, few posters around here fit that bill, but there are people who say they rode 1000 miles and finally the saddle settled in. They should have been a little more proactive, if they wanted to shorten the ride in to about 5 minutes.