Originally Posted by
hueyhoolihan
both the b-17 and the pro work for me. recently, i purchased one of the 90gm hong kong carbon wonders from ebay, just to see whether i could tolerate it now that 20 years have passed since my last venture into non brooks saddles. turns out this thing is really, really, narrow, but surprisingly i can ride it without too much difficulty. like they say "it disappears underneath you". trouble is it magically reappears 30 miles later.
as far as getting an objective opinion of the suitability of these various brooks saddles goes, you will probably never know until you purchase all three saddles, and ride them extensively until broken in (several thousand miles altogether i should think). should keep you busy for 5-10 years maybe. remember despite the price of brooks saddles bicycling is cheap when compared to most other recreations. real cheap.
I have now made the transistion away from Brooks saddles and don't believe I will go back. Three basic reasons...well four actually:
- Rain sensitivity
- Weight
- Leather stretch...retensioning...rarely a problem
- Perineal pressure when riding with forward torso angle
That said, for years, I could never find a saddle I like better than a Brooks. Enter Specialized. I learned that much of my appreciation for Brooks saddles was due to the width of my sit bones. I am wide hipped apparently. I now ride a Specialized Toupe and Romin in size 155. No pain and better overall comfort than either the B.17 or Pro...racier Brooks saddles are too narrow for me.
So I believe we have a new era really in saddle technology. It took over a hundred years but that time has arrived. A plastic saddle that is as if not more comfortable than a Brooks...hard shell like a Brooks but with flex and in particular, light, not sensitive to water and with a cut out for relief when in the drops. Huey, if you like the hard carbon shell saddle which makes sense because in my experience a firm shell aka Brooks is best for comfort...consider a wider variant...like one of the Specialized saddles.