Recently replaced the drop bars on my Schwinn Prelude with upright ones, and it has a B17 saddle that's not very well broken in. It worked okay with the drops, but the first ride with the upright bars, the saddle gave me some pain -- possibly because I hadn't ridden any distance for a while, maybe. But I stopped and tipped the front up and slid it forward a bit. Couldn't tell much difference. Do many folks use a Brooks B17 with upright bars, or should I look for some other saddle?

Generally speaking, you would want something like a B66 or B67 for more upright riding.

I would expect that any time you change your position drastically on a bike there would be some adaptation and maybe even soreness with the new way you are sitting on the saddle. I personally would just get some distance on it and see if you get used to the new position.

I use a B17 on my upright bar bike and it has been totally comfortable. It did take a bit if fiddling with position to dial it in. Key for me was tipping nose up more that I expected to. ymmv

I have a B17 Imperial on my Gazelle (right) it works just fine and is perfectly comfortable. I do use this for 'spirited' commuting. For riding at slower speeds I would suggest the ones @Hudson308 suggested.


My older Gazelle Grand Tourist has one of the spung Brooks. Very comfy ride.

The Brooks B17 is one of my favorite saddles and it works just fine for me when riding with an upright bar cockpit.

At least two issues could be contributing to the lack of comfort. Saddle needs to be broken and/or your butt needs the same thing - to toughen up. I go through this each year, between riding seasons. My Motobe is long gone, now, but was a wonderfully comfortable bike to tool around on...

B17 works well for me on my bike with upright bars. They are about level with the seat. If you want to sit bolt upright, the wider Brookses might be worth considering.

you will be sitting on it .. all weather, rubber, rather than Leather, from Brooks , Italy is the Cambium series C 19 is wider than the C17 ..
you just put it on and ride, never worry about rain getting the leather wet.. stretching and such...

Cannot say how your backside will like it since I don't have your bones..

their chart has 3 postures 45, 60 & 90 degree upright and the recommended saddle is wider as you sit up more ,

Thanks for your responses. I probably should give this a good bit more time, and probably change the angle around some more. I was just surprised that it was as uncomfortable as it was. Good to hear that some of you have some positive comments.

Sometimes a minor change in handlebar/stem height, saddle height and/or fore/aft positioning can solve comfort issues.

Since switching my Univega Via Carisma from a riser bar slightly above saddle height to an albatross bar at or below saddle height, I've swapped saddles around a few times trying to find the right setup. Pretty much anything is fine for 10 miles or so, but on 30-50 mile days I notice some discomfort.

I went from a heavily padded comfort saddle -- Lycra fabric over foam -- to a thinly padded old Selle Italia road bike saddle, to a more padded Selle Italia Q-Bik, and back to the thinly padded older Selle Italia. The older saddle is a split configuration with a flexible shell and quite comfortable with the right setup.

I've found that some minor adjustments, 1/8" here, 1/4" there, improved saddle comfort. No problems on my last 40 mile ride, mostly gravel.

So your saddle may be fine. And you may not need to toughen up any part of your body. Maybe a few tweaks here and there will do the trick.