Hello, Bikeforums!

Looking for saddle-related help. It's a long story, please bear with me...

When I bought my travel bike, it arrived with a Brooks B17. I embarked on a fairly long trip immediately (beginning of August) and initially all was good. However, recently after some 2500 miles I have developed pain in the left knee and I am 99% certain that it's due to bad saddle alignment since liquids have accumulated in the inner side of the left knee and the outer side of the right one, suggesting lopsided pedalling. Lately it wasn't feeling that good while riding either, I had to keep shifting my butt for a beter position.

So, I wanted to adjust the saddle to be perfectly centered (surely, I had taken it off recently and put it back on incorrectly) and I noticed that the saddle was crooked! He nose is going up and right, while the left hand side is sagging lower than the right one. It's not awful, and looks even better in the pictures, but still it makes straight saddle alignment a confusing task and knee problems don't make it easier

I don't think it was crooked when it arrived, but it was squeaking a lot since day one, and I ignored it thinking it was normal. I used proofide 3 or perhaps even 4 times during the break in, which may have been too much. It has gotten wet a few times, and some wet riding too. I suspect that tensioning might be a good idea, but I am not sure at all? Also, when I look under the saddle, it seems to be quite far from symmetrical.

I can't say for sure if my legs are not equal in length. I weigh around 230 pounds (not fat, just tall). I don't use clipless pedals. I rarely cycle more than 70 miles per day.

Could you advise what to do next? What do you think about the saddle? I am in Azerbaijan, where bike service is weak. Let me know if more/better photos are necessary and forgive a noob.

imgur . com /a/cEwjv

P.S. I did email my bike manufacturer and brooks themselves, but maybe some user expertise would be benefitial too.

We had a post on this topic recently.. maybe searchable..


knee pain ?, take a break off the bike for a few days..







...

Everything on a bicycle works together. Find somebody experienced to eveluate your position on the bike.

Unless you were used to that saddle, immediately embarking on a long tour is a pretty gutsy move. I would take the saddle off your regular bike and try it for a while.


Saddle choice is highly personal. What works for me may not work for you and so on. Best to establish a favorite and stick with what works for you.

Too tough to diagnose. It could also be your pedal setup. I'm no expert, but if you are clipping in and setup incorrectly it will wreak havoc on your knees. As for one leg being shorter, I have that problem and until I made adjustments to my shoes, it was my hip that was killing me after long rides.

John

I am not using clipless, so my feet are free to move about. It was fine for quite a long time, and the onset of pain was very sudden too.

I did search the forums, but I am a little lacking to be able to understand my problem. Also, here in Baku I am yet to find a service which would sell 10spd cassettes, let alone know about brooks and do fits.

Perhaps I will narrow down to a more specific question:

If you open the link to look at the photos, are you able to say that there is something wrong with the saddle itself?

your link just brings us back to this post ..

02, given you are where you are ... live with it. its not perfect..


I had 10 years of riding on my Brooks (team pro) saddle before I took my 1st long tour..

But you are not the only one wanting a different saddle on the road, when you started out a tour on a brand new one..

it was just more convenient, for the person that came into the Bike Shop, here, with a brand new honey colored B17, last summer..

She got a 'Composite' plastic-foam-pleather , steel rail saddle .. and I suppose she mailed the Brooks Home...




..

I can't tell anything from photos, especially with the saddle detached from the bike.

I would say one of the springs likely is bent or sagging more than the other, or there is something wrong with your seat post clamp.

Do you know other experienced riders? Say in a club? If so, have them ride with you and watch you ride, especially from behind. Any issues you have may be easy to see for someone else.

Different leg lengths sets up all sorts of little issues through our entire bike fit. I did a really good job of compensating for a 1/2" (12mm) difference for decades with no idea that leg length difference was there. Went at age 62 to a physical therapist for an entirely different issue. First thing she did was have me walk the room away from her then back. Told me my right leg was shorter from that one look and sent me home with 12mm lifts to put n my right shoes. I then made shims of half that thickness to put between my cleats and shoes from 1/4" aluminum plate (6mm). All life-changing,

Correcting my cleats with that one shim meant that for the first time in 50+ years of cycling, I could look down at the top tub and see it block the bottom bracket.

Ben

Thanks everyone!

I did a bike fit before leaving, and the guy did not really observe any problems. I have done physiotherapy in the past, usually realated to lower back problems, and not once has anyone observed a difference in leg length.

There is a semi-pro here who could take a look at me riding, I will do that, thanks for the idea

The clamp might be a little off as well! I will make a slow video tomorrow and upload for review...

A few things to consider and as you are wondering it could just be the saddle is defective but could also be: (as already mentioned) Different leg length (you mentioned this has never been suspect but hard to know for sure), Saddle height to high or too low, saddle is too far back or forward, since you have non-clip in pedals there's not likely a problem with foot position being wrong but if your feet are too close or far apart from each other it could cause knee problems, pedaling too slow of a cadence which can tear up knees for some people especially when climbing, even having the wrong bar position can be a problem (too high/low, too far forward/rearward). The saddle may be fine and being a Brooks tends to shape itself to your riding movements which can give you clue as to whats wrong. You might want to consider taking a few days off and let your knees recover since for some conditions the more you ride the worse it gets and can take months to fully recover if it gets bad enough.

For knee pain.

Learn to stretch your leg muscles. It must be repeated multiple times per day. You may be surprised how well it works. Your perceived imbalance may be due to favoring one leg over another due to pain. Learn to stretch.

One thing's certain, that's not a B.17.
It's not possible to tell from the pictures posted, but could it be that the shackle has become dis-engaged with the nosepiece?

My guess is that your seat was too high, and you drop one side to compensate. I had the same issue. Once I got the seat height correct, the pain went away, and the saddle wore dimples evenly.