Originally Posted by
robow
As to the nose up thing, I'm wondering if that doesn't work better for those that sit more upright rather than those who ride in the drops or ride more stretched out.
I do think that Brooks saddles are more finicky in regard to positioning than most other saddles, in that only a small difference in tilt or set back can make a huge difference in comfort. Once I find that sweet spot, I HATE to move my saddle or seatpost.
True. On my road bike, the Brooks Swift is almost exactly horizontal, but because I ride with a significant saddle-bar drop, it is nose-up relative to the line from saddle to bars. The B17 on my flat-barred tourer, where the drop from saddle to bars is less marked, is a few degrees nose-up.
It is certanly finicky to get precisely right, with trial and error leading to a number of minute adjustments before it's perfect. And once it's right, I don't touch it. Were I to lend one of those bikes to anyone I'd swap out saddle and seatpost rather than have them tinker with the setup.
If I have one criticism of Brooks, it is that the shortness of the rails severely limits the scope for fore-and-aft adjustment. Very difficult to compensate for a poor riding postion by moving the saddle, so the frame had better fit you pretty well.