well biked

I've tried LOTS of different saddles, liked some, hated others, but I'll tell you, the B17 Brooks I've got on my tourer/commuter is awesome. I don't even wear padded shorts with it, at least for shorter rides. It does take a while to break it in, but for me, even during the break-in period it was comfortable. It's a simple, proven design, and that's the kind of thing I like on my bike.........Even if you try other saddles, I'd hold onto that Brooks, because you'll probably come back to it-

well biked

One more thing....against the advice of just about everybody (inlcuding Brooks, I think), I've used Neatsfoot Oil on mine exclusively to condition and protect the leather. Feels like an old worn-in baseball glove. I love it. I've never used Proofhide-

Dahon.Steve

Why not trade it for a Brooks Champion Flyer with springs. That saddle is incredible and it's best for those who are "tourers" and prefer to sit straight up.

Nicodemus

Oooh, a T2000. Now I'm jealous. Very nice, very nice.

womble

I thought by B17 was heavy already, but some of those sprung saddles weight over a kilo Sure, the T2000 isn't a race bike, but there are some big hills around Colorado.

gweazy

The first 50 miles or so on my Brooks were not comfortable. The sit bones hurt. After about 350 miles, it got comfortable enough to ride without padded shorts. It's getting better and better.

roadfix

Just the thought of a sprung saddle on her T2000 is going to give HelenHeart a stroke....

mac

BTW - you can adjust the tension by removing the seatpost and screwing the nut to increase stiffness. I prefer to keep mine stiff which slighly increases the length.

Bolo Grubb

A Brooks Team pro came on an old 1984 Trek 720 tour bike I bought and I was surprised that the saddle is actually comfortable. Even though it was "broken in" by someone else.

I bought the bike from the original owner and he said that it was the original saddle. It is good enough on my commutes that I have thought about getting another one for my road bike.

HelenHeart

Why is this??? Don't forget I don't know much!!
I do know I'm getting more and more unsure of myself the longer this thread goes on............

Bikepacker67

Are they REALLY this good???

I mean, I have a Specialized BG comfort:



And can comfortably stay in the saddle for 5 or 6 hrs a day (obviously with short breaks off the bike for food/drink/"evacuations")

What is this Brooks thing gonna do for me? Make me feel like a cowboy cuz my azz is on leather?


----

I'm not trying to besmirch what seems to be quite the religion - but what is it with you Brooks converts?

HelenHeart

O Bikepacker.....thank you!!!!

Bikepacker67

<John Wayne Drawl>
De Nada, lil' Lady....
</John Wayne Drawl>

Machka 

I have one of those Specialized things too, on my trainer. I can ONLY last about 5 to 6 hours on it before I am in AGONY!!! Was that saddle ever a mistake. However, it wasn't as bad as the one before it ... a Ldy Selle Italia. Now there was an uncomfortable saddle!!! I couldn't last more than about 4 hours before feeling like my back was going to be irreversably injured.

I switched to the Brooks and I can ride 24 hours a day in comfort.

Bikepacker67

Ahhh
Now it becomes clear....

Ya'll are hallucinating from sleep deprivation.

Machka 

Funny .... but I don't usually start hallucinating until after about the 900 km (65-ish hours) point of a randonnee ... except on the odd occasion where I haven't been eating well. The first 24 hours is usually pretty good.

phinney

Helen,

The Brooks saddles seem to work for most people. Thick formed leather saddles are much, much more expensive to produce than the synthetic saddles which explains why Brooks is the only one still making them. Cannondale made that bike (and it's a great bike!) for the hard core touring rider and they selected the Brooks saddle because it's very popular among touring riders. The model Brooks they selected also happens to be my all-time favorite.

I expect most Brooks converts are like me and have suffered through many other saddles over the years before discovering the Brooks. My first Brooks was the "Conquest" model and it is made of super hard leather. I remember my opinion of it in the first weeks was that it was less comfortable than my old saddle for the first hour or so but that the comfort level never degraded no matter how far I rode. With the old saddle anything over two hours was torture.

You will have to adjust the Brooks correctly and sit on it correctly. For the first week or so just set it level and ride as much as you can. Then start the fine tuning. When new they are really slippery but that goes away. Most people prefer the nose up a bit. If you're getting discomfort anywhere other than your "sit bones" either the saddle isn't adjusted properly or you're not sitting on it properly. As your "sit bones" and your Brooks get acquainted you will start to forget all about the saddle.

Don't wig out over the maintenance. It's pretty dry in the West and the seat would probably be good for a decade it you didn't do anything for it. I strongly recommend using Brooks own leather treatment product per their recommendations.

Beware the gimmicky synthetic seats, I've got three drawers full of them. The bottom line is that there is only a small bit of anatomy available to support your body weight on a bicycle seat. This necessitates that the contact portion of the seat be very firm. Over their long history Brooks has figured out the right grades, thicknesses, and processing to produce leather seats that provide the correct firmness.

I don't know if you've ever hiked much but you'll find the hardcore hikers still prefer to use heavy leather hiking shoes rather than synthetics. Once those shoes are broken in there is nothing as comfortable and if properly taken care of they'll last for many years. A Brooks bike saddle is much the same way. On the other hand, I'll gladly send you a box full of my old plastic seats (a couple of them are like pillows and one has a big groove down the center) in exchange for your Pro!

If the Brooks turns out to be an uncomfortable traveling companion try to keep a stiff upper lip and think of The Queen!

HelenHeart

That was one heck of an amazing, thoughtful, informative response. Thank you. That does it, I'm gonna keep it (but still scared). I am cycling 1500 miles in October. Hope my Queen's Saddle is ready for me, and vice versa. I just can't keep on ignoring all the advice from this forum, after all, I'm asking for it, aren't I??
I'm happy to read you approve of my new bike too. That was an agonizing decision, but not as hard as this one!!!!
BTW. Did you read my Foo about Public Profiles!!!!???

Michel Gagnon

Is that a wrench or what ?

Just kidding.

mac

I've got that same seat on my old road bike. See the groove down the middle behind the nose? Well I rolled over a small pothole in the road and the sit-bone cushions compressed down very quickly... that left Mr. Johnson smashed up against the nose. I thought I wasn't going to be able to pee for a while. While the cushion is nice, it's too soft and pressed up against all of your parts, not just your sit-bones.

skookum

The British have given four good things to the world

1)Brooks Saddles
2)Carradice saddlebags
3)Monty Python's Flying circus
4)The BBC world service

Nothing else.

Nicodemus

Yes, I know, it's just another troll. But I can't help it.
I won't get into the huge list I could rail off the top of my head, but let's start with a few shall we?

5. Marmite
6. Cheddar cheese (the real stuff, not plastic processed garbage)
7. Fawlty Towers
8. this could go on and on and on...

ctyler

I'm one of those "My Brooks was great right out of the box" people. I'll never, never ride another saddle!

skookum

Good lord, Marmite?
I said GOOD things!

lokerola

Rido saddles. Made in England.
https://www.rido-cyclesaddles.com/content.php