Originally Posted by
GlowBoy
I have a Brooks (B-17 Champion Special) but I prefer the
Selle An-Atomica Titanico. Not just because of the cutout, though I suspect that the independent movement of the sides contributes to improved comfort, but it's a much more supple (also waterproof) leather that gives you much more of a "hammock" effect. I have 3 of these saddles and don't ride anything else anymore.
For me the most important feature of the An-Atomica is the more "normal" rails, unlike the Brooks whose rails don't extend far enough forward for those of us who prefer a slacker seat position. Downsides are that they are very expensive, the rails are fairly soft and can bend with hard hits, and the leather stretches a bit too easily.
Velo Orange, in addition to selling genuine Brooks, also offers their own self-branded leather saddles which offer more aft adjustment than the Brooks. My next leather saddle will probably be a VO.
I own 3 SA saddles they are the most comfortable saddles I've ever owned. I would give them a 11/10 for comfort vs. a 9.5/10 for a Brooks. The only issue is I've already had one SA replaced due to the leather stretching out [literally a few turns of the tension bolt a day]. I have one SA that seems to be okay and two more that are newer that are stretching a lot. My newest had to be tensioned twice on a 200K day ride.
I'm not sure what will happen to my two stretching SAs. I hope they reach some steady state and it stops. If not I'll return them under warranty and request the clydesdale version, but I am 165-175lbs and using these on a road bike so I shouldn't need that type of heavy duty saddle.
My lack of confidence has me ordering another Brooks so I can start breaking it in as a replacement should the SAs ultimately not work for me.