Glacier John

There is a lot of talk about how great the old Brooks professional is but I'm wondering if the new saddles arn't a bit more comfortable. I rode a Brooks Pro for many years on my old Raleigh International, and took pride in riding enough to keep the rivits polished and the seat as broken in as rock hard leather can be.

When I switched over to my dave moulton in the early eighties I built it up with a state of the art for the time Cinelli saddle, thin leather over nylon. It really never broke in but I tolerated it.

Now after starting to ride after a 15 year hiatus and a few pounds gained, I don't toerate the Cinelli like I used to. I can't remeber thinking the Brooks was exactly cushy back in the seventies but I took pride in acclimating to it. I was just in a LBS and noticed all the new road bikes come with slim padded saddles. Has anyone tried one of these new saddles? Are they more comfortable? It might not match the looks of my vintage bike but pragmatism could win out over aestitcs this time.

lotek 

For comfort try the Brooks B17 easier to ride than the Pro.
That said there are those who swear by the new
thin saddles (Flite derivatives), personally I think they
are the reason for the term Asshatchet being invented.
Of course saddles are personal, one mans asshatchet is
another mans perfect saddle.

Marty

el twe

Asshatchet. Tee hee! I like that. Seriously though, look at MTB saddles. I'm riding on a Titec Ithys Amore. It has similar lines as a racing saddle, but it probably weighs more and is meant for comfort pusses as opposed to weight weenies.
https://www.icyclesusa.com/catalog/se...amore-seat.htm

*They don't seem to make the Ithys Amore anymore, but this one is similar: https://www.titec.com/pdmain.php?class=3&series=9

phinney

If you've been off for 15 years anything is going to hurt for awhile. You may find you have to change your riding position also, assuming your conditioning and flexibility aren't what they used to be. The 'Flite' style saddles worked ~ok~ for me but seem to lose their comfort after a year or two. The Brooks takes awhile to get really comfortable but for me are more comfortable than any other road bike seats I've tried and don't seem to wear out. I had a solid nylon saddle back in the '70s - it was light.

spider-man

I have a modern Selle Italia with a cutout and titanium rails on one of my bikes. The 45-year-old Brooks on my Raleigh is by far more comfortable, but the Italia is not bad as long as the bike is set up right.

TheOtherGuy

Try a Brooks B-17 Standard or Special... Not the Narrow (for me, anyway). The Standard is just a tad wider than the Pro, and I think a bit more comfy. The leather is also a little thinner (lesser quality) than the Pro uses, and it breaks in a little sooner.

Kogswell

I started with leather saddle, switch to a Cinelli, hated it and switched back.

Leather is #1 for comfort.

The best deals come from people who don't bother to let them break in. They ride them for a couple of weeks (the hard part) and then sell them cheap.

Happens all the time.

There's a new model, the B67, which is quite comfortable.

If you get one and don't like it, let me know. He, he.

KirkeIsWaiting

I think this has a very classic look.
Could work well with most any ride.
And I believe it's OCP certified.

Grand Bois

I couldn't resist this deal:

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...egory_ID=5210#

I have Brooks saddles on my vintage road bikes, but the WTB doesn't look bad on the Bridgestone MTB. It's very comfortable without a break in and it's light.

John E

Saddles I like, starting with my favourite:
very heavily used 1972 Brooks Pro (Capo)
nicely broken in 1990? Brooks Team Pro (Schwinn)
late 1990s Serfas ARC (Bianchi)
early 1970s Brooks Competition (PKN-10)
Saddles I hate and need to replace:
narrow padded late 1990s Marin (UO-8)

Yes, I really like tensioned leather saddles, but I admit they have three drawbacks:
1) they are too heavy;
2) you have to protect them in wet weather;
3) they require at least some break-in.

John E

That's how I got my Brooks Pro for $5 when it was nearly new. I bought it from my boss at the bike shop after he bought himself a PX-10 and decided he didn't like the saddle.

Grand Bois

My most comfortable Brooks is a Champion Flyer. It's a B17 with springs, thin leather and small copper plated steel rivets. The springs absorb shocks and the thin leather breaks in quickly. I had it on my PX10 for a while, but it just looked wrong with those springs. It heavy, too. I took it off and put it on my wife's bike. I have an old Brooks Colt on the Peugeot now. It's hard as a rock and I don't like to ride the Peugeot any more. It looks cool, though.

el twe

Just got one, and I've been raving about it on the boards recently. Can't beat that price!

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...e=Front%20Page

Glacier John

Thanks for all of the advise. I see a couple of Brooks pros on ebay that I might bid on. The B17s seem to be nice but I had good luck with my original por way back when, so I'll try again. That WTB doesn't look bad for $49.00 though.

Kogswell

I've bought and used lots of used Brooks saddles.

It's the way to go.

Kinda like old leather easy chairs. They look funky, but they feel like home.