fishermba2004

I'm looking for suggestions on how to adjust my Brooks Flyer saddle. The front portion of the saddle feels like I'm sitting on a golf ball. I've tried adjusting the saddle angle but that doesn't seem to help much. I'm not opposed to getting a different model of saddle.

Misc info:
I've got about 100 miles on the saddle.
The saddle is perfectly comfortable when riding perfectly upright (no hands or steering with fingertips).
The bike is a Surly LHT
The saddle I do find perfectly comfortable is a Specialized Toupe Gel Saddle.


Thanks

LeeG

I can't help you with the Brooks but if you have a saddle that's perfectly comfortable compared to one that feels like sitting on a golf ball I'd go for the comfortable one.

kuan

Are your handlebars lower than your seat? My B17 took about 3x2 hours in the saddle to begin like it was going to break in.

kk4df

I have a Brooks Flyer on my LHT, and it's quite comfortable. Can you post a pic of the bike? Saddle tilt and bar height are certainly factors in the comfort of any Brooks.

juggleaddict

Off of what you've said, I would think you're sitting too far forward on the saddle. I had a similar problem with the team pro before I lowered the handlebars to a lower position, but that was because it's made for a racing stance. You could try fiddling with different geometries to see what works best.

I also noticed that before I had a brooks I had the tendency to sit on the wrong part of the saddle. The brooks kind of forced me into riding where I should. Part of that was due to my bike being one size too big. I have made adjustments since then.

Sounds like a bit of adjusting will do the trick.

kayakdiver

If this is so........... why in the heck would you not use it? One size/brand does not fit all and it looks like you found something that does. Sell it and ride the Toupe if it fits great.

studchicken

It took about 250 miles before my Brooks Flyer broke in,it feels great now.I feel like it was definitely a good investment.

CardiacKid

Saddles are like women. When you find the perfect one, you better stick with it. If you start cheating with other saddles, the Toupe is going to get pissed and she'll end up taking half your bike.

juggleaddict

250 miles!?!?!? I've ridden over 600 on my team pro and it still isn't "broken in." it feels great : ) and does get better every time I go on a big ride, but . . I wouldn't say it's formed to 'me' quite yet. It does have a nice springboard effect now though.

staehpj1

+1

A Brooks is just a saddle. It isn't magical. It isn't a must have for all. It just isn't automatically the best saddle for everyone. If you have a saddle that suits you, why force the issue by buying a Brooks?

Personally I am not very fussy about saddles and ride with whatever came on my bikes. I could happily leave on a multi-month tour on the saddles that came with any of my bikes. That said some people are very fussy about saddle models. If you are one of them and have a saddle that works, stick with it and maybe buy a spare or two in case it goes out of production or gets "improved".

You should consider yourself very lucky that you like a saddle that is almost a pound and a half lighter than the Brooks Flyer.

rhm

+1.

Adjust the Brooks' tilt, move it forward or backward, do whatever it takes to make it as comfortable as possible. Once you've done that, you can expect a modest improvement in comfort over time, partly because you get used to it, partly because the saddle will change. There is general agreement, I think, that over time a hard leather saddle will soften, and its shape will begin to change to conform to your anatomy. There is somewhat less agreement, however, as to whether this is a good thing (I am one of the ones who prefer them before they soften).

If you can't make it comfortable, don't ride it. Get a different saddle, i.e. the one you like already.

BigBlueToe

I have a Brooks Champion Flyer. On tour last year I got worried because after a few 60+ mile days in a row my bottom started to hurt. It would start out the morning still a little sore from the day before. During the off-season I tried a couple other saddles on my Allez, including a Specialized Avatar Gel (which was properly fitted by using a "butt-o-meter" at my local shop.)

I was signed up for a 100K ride on Saturday (at the Tierra Bella Century in Gilroy, CA - a beautiful ride!) During my training rides the Avatar would be comfortable for about 20 miles, then start to hurt. If I got off the bike for a break, it would be okay when I got back on, but wouldn't take long before it started to hurt again. For my last training ride I decided to ride the LHT with the Brooks. What a difference! It never hurt once in 40 miles. Nothing.

I took the Brooks off the LHT and put it on my Allez. During the 100K ride it didn't hurt at all. Sure, it's heavy and the springs squeak, and I look like a Fred, but my butt was happy, so I was happy.

I've ordered a black B-17 for the Allez. The Avatar is going on the shelf with all my other attempts at finding saddle heaven.

Of course, when I put the Flyer on the Allez, I did have to go through a bunch of adjustments, including one final one on the 100K ride. If your Brooks doesn't feel right, try some adjustments before rejecting it.

All of that said, if the Toupe feels good, why change? I suppose the Brooks was worth a shot, just like I thought my Avatar was worth a shot, but I say ride the one that feels the best and don't worry about anything else.

kayakdiver

Yep

fishermba2004

Thanks for everyone's comments so far.


I believe the handlebars are slightly higher than the seat

I have a feeling that Brooks did not intend for the saddle to feel like I'm sitting on a golf ball so I'm guessing I have something setup wrong.

There are two reasons I would rather not switch to my comfortable saddle.
1. I wouldn't learn anything about making adjustments that way
2. I want a more vintage look for the bike. The ultra modern saddle wouldn't do that for me.

Lowering the handlebars is an interesting idea. The golf ball feeling seems to get worse when I ride in the drops or on the hoods.

Saddles are like women.... One of the reasons the woman agreed to bringing another bike into the relationship is that this bike was different than the others I already have. What happens when I try to put the same seat on the new bike

diesel_dad

I have a Champion Flyer on my LHT with about 5000km on it. Most comfortable saddle I have ever used even if it weighs 850g.

It sounds to me like you are sitting too far forward on the saddle. You can either slide yourself back a little to sit behind the tensioner or raise the front in very small increments until you are naturally situated further back.

Where you sit on the saddle makes as much difference on at the saddle itself. The Specialized Toupe Gel is a good example. Your sitbones need to be right on the platform to be comfy.

Here is a photo of what your Brooks aspires to look like: