Originally Posted by
jamesdak
Ran a Brooks B17 for most of last year. Was very comfortable when on the hoods and at my normal cadence of around 65-70. But as I amped up the cadence and spent more time in the drops the saddle failed to do so well. One issue is having to run the saddle with the nose up to combat sliding forward all the time.
Have been trying a Swift but it's the same, have to run nose up to keep from sliding forward. I find the overall comfort of the Brooks to be better than any of the modern saddles I've tried but the sliding issue is a problem.
Tried a Bontrager Affinity RL for about a week or more and it's not cutting it. Had a really nice 100 mile ride yesterday except for the stinking pain from the saddle.
Has anyone found a "flatter" Brooks saddle that allows them to ride aggressively? I should note that my saddle to bar drop is not much more than 1 inch right now some I'm not going real aggresive there right now.
The Brooks Colt seems pretty flat in the pictures, has anyone had any experience with it?
The B17 is more of a "touring" saddle, where you are setting more upright. I have a Swallow on my Look 585 -- I have about a 3 inch seat to bar drop and have the saddle almost level. My average cadence is around 90. Basically, If you like the comfort of Brooks, but ride more aggressively, the Swallow may be for you. Like all Brooks, its not the lighest, but your wallet will be, especially if you get the TI rails.