Originally Posted by
spectastic
I'm meeting other touring cyclists and it appears brooks is like the golden standard. I'm told people can go day by day on a brooks without having to even wear padded shorts. That I REALLY like. In addition they last a long time if you take care of the leather like keep it out of the sun and keep moisture off. B17 seems like a standard. B72 seems like another popular one. But that makes me think there's another 98 models I done know about. I'd like to do the research myself but I've got limited data on this phone. Can someone school me on brooks saddles? I'm planning to get one for my next tour and forgo the chamois padding completely.
I don't like them. Back in 2004-2007, when I did some tours, I did two on an old foam-padded plastic saddle (your standard 80's OEM saddle) and one on a Brooks. The OEM saddle was better and I didn't wear padded shorts in those days.
The point being, not that Brooks are bad and that you'll hate them, but they are not universally beloved, and ditching the chamois may not be about the leather. The right saddle could be anything.