touring saddle.
 

can you recommend a good saddle for touring, other than a brooks?

preferably pretty low maintenance, not cushy but not 100% hard, just a little give, and i dont know whether to go for those ones with the hole in the middle or not...

any suggestions are appreciated.

No.

Caveat: I have never toured. But, I am training for it by riding back-to-back 60-70 miles a day for four days straight. A couple days off to attend to the mundane things of life and back at it. I figure that qualifies for the purposes of your inquiry.

My answer to your question is: No, I can't. Not trying to be trite at all. It's just that when I got my Brooks, I quit looking elsewhere. Maintenance is an over rated issue although I waterproof mine as soon as I get 'em un-packed. I have three now.

honestly, no I can't. Nothing compares on long easy paced rides. If you don't mind me asking, why are you against the brooks?

i dont know, actually...ive been researching and i think i'm going to get a b17.

ha ha ha

How about a Persons saddle? :)
http://www.permaco.com/

That's what I put on my Fuji. What a great saddle. Comfortable from day 1!

the only saddle I've liked for long rides other than a brooks is a selle italia flite-trans-am-XP. Don't know if they make it anymore, but it's a little wider and maybe longer than a typical racing saddle and has one of those anatomical cutouts. Very comfortable and I'm now using it on my mountain bike, but I like my B-17's better.

just bought a new B17 two weeks ago, the thing feels like a block of wood, even sounds like wood if you knock on it, BUT........ Its the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden, the secret is there is no underlying hard base material, just the leather spanning the connection points front and back, so on rough roads the leather actually flexes, and not only the leather, but the rails under the saddle also flex upward like a bow, if you bounce up and down on the saddle there is no hard impact. unlike the saddles with the base material under the covering. The leather is also better at preventing chafing from perspiration, unlike manmade materials........ Like they say in my favorite beer commercials.....Brilliant, simply brilliant.

After covering many, many miles on many other saddles .... I'd have to say that my Brooks B17 is the most comfortable saddle I own. I've got approx. 25,000 kms on it so far, and hopefully many more in the future. :)

As for your requirements:

preferably pretty low maintenance -- I've done very little maintenance to my Brooks over the 2.5 years I've had it. I have applied proofide twice in that time, and I cover it with a plastic grocery bag (which I keep tucked in the rails under the saddle) when I park it outside in rainy or potentially rainy conditions (which I've done with all of my saddles). That's it.

not cushy but not 100% hard, just a little give - That describes the Brooks!! The saddle looks like a rock, and feels like a rock to the touch at first, but after you ride it a while, it gives and it conforms to your shape.

and i dont know whether to go for those ones with the hole in the middle or not... - I tried one of those. I didn't like it.

How about this saddle.

ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH :eek:

No-one who knows anything about cycling would consider one of these. After one mile it would be agony.

I used to ride an Avocet touring and loved it. Sold it on my old bike, thinking I could get another, bad move. Can still catch one on eBay every once and a great while.

My disclaimer: I've got a modified Brooks now.

Best regards, john

I see there is a women's version of the B17. Has anyone tried it?

"B17 Standard S Ladies Saddle" -- it's 177mm wide and 245mm long. The other (men's) version is 170 by 280.

The new Brooks ladies saddles are cute and elegant. Too bad I'm just a testosterone-addled caveman, or else I'D buy one.

Brooks' takeover by Selle Italia is putting the 'class' back in classic.

Bek, do you mean this one? The B-18?

B-18

YES! Call me a sucker for pretty, but I LIKE the flowers and the scrollwork.

Bek's a girlymahn! ;)

There is no other saddle for touring.

My sensitive side is showing! ;) Caveman.....like.....pretty.....flowers.......

lol!

I am tempted to get one. The B18 is going to sell for £60. (A regular women's model B17 is £30-35.)

i don't know bek....

I ran a flower shop for a couple of years, so my attraction to flowers is more than a passing interest.I'd never deny liking pretty things!

ANYWAYS the new B18 is a very classy saddle, albeit expensive. I didn't realize the price difference was so great, Lolly.

Offering cutouts is something that will probably be tried for mens Brooks saddles if they haven't already got one in the lineup.

I'm partial to Selle San Marco Rolls myself. Esp the ones with titanium rails, although the steel railed ones are fine. too. There is usually one or two available on eBay. Assuming it's wide enough in the back for you, it sounds like what you're looking for - some padding, but not too much and pretty dense so it doesn't collapse; not a lot of maintenance (but have a shower cap or something to cover it during rain storms), not too expensive (you should be ble to get one in the $50 range).

There is BROOKS..... and all others.
Might as well get a Brooks now and eliminate the "trial & error" phase....and end up with a Brooks anyway.