Originally Posted by
Bluesfrog
The seat may be two things; too high and too much tension. I adjusted my B17 none after the initial fitting. But I also soaked it with Obenauf's leather oil. It is the only leather conditioner I have owned that smells like new leather. The underside of the seat MUST be treated too. Take the seat off and make a "bowl" of aluminum foil which will hold some liquid and the seat. Pour a generous amount of the oil into the upside down seat, spread it, and leave it to soak. Ten minutes in, you can turn it over and soak the top as well. Another ten minutes and you can let it drip a bit onto the pan and wait overnight. Rub down the outside with a soft cloth, install and ride a bit. If it is still too stiff let off some tension from the bolt under the front. Only do about 90 degrees at a time. I always soak a B17 with the provided proofhide first. Then go to the Obenauf's. The proofhide can be used entirely but you will need a tin of it. That tiny packet provided with the saddle isn't enough. Good luck and Be Well, Bluesfrog.
Oh, man, I'm sorry to say it but: I disagree with everything except "may be too high." Soaking a saddle in oil may have been good advice 40 years ago (dunno!) but today's Brooks saddles do not need any such treatment.
What do I know? Well, ive restored a couple hundred saddles at this point, so I've seen what a ruined saddles looks like. Most of them are just worn out from age and use, which is as it should be. But one in five, or maybe one in ten, has been drowned in oil and proofide, resulting in a soft sticky mess. Ugh. I know, there's no accounting for taste, but I do not like a sticky saddle.
I also disagree, quietly, with those who talk about saddle width. I mean, sure, for every rider the is an ideal saddle width, and it behooves us to figure this out. But finding the ideal saddle width depends much more on riding style and saddle-to-bar drop than on anatomy.
I tend to agree with those who have suggested OP's problem is setup or fit. Hard to say. Could also be that OP just needs to ride ride ride. If I take a month off the bike, any saddle is uncomfortable when I get back on the bike. It can take you a while to figure out how to sit on a bike.