gholt

Imperial B17
TR 72
miles 17
Total 1,229
Cr 9.5

bab2000

Why get miffed? Many bikes and most riders never go beyond 5 or 10 miles on a single ride.

A Brooks saddle regardless of style will take longer to break in when you only use for short rides, yet any ride regardless on length is worth note, it helps to balance the different types of riding style on more riders.

I try my best to ride every day, sometimes with luck twice on a day. Longest I normally pedal is just shy of 10 miles, ride a harder pace when solo, than with wife, and the Brooks Imperial has been more comfortable than the stock saddle on my bike. From others' experiences, I had great confidence the Brooks I would provide similar results on a longer ride I committed to, and was able to report it did perform as expected.

I just had it installed to the wrong bike, my steel, drop down bike would have been better coice for the unexpected hills and headwinds encountered. Yet with the hybrid, I just enjoyed my rider for a longer period than others, with no discomfort from the saddle of choice.

All contributions regardless of ride length should be provided, yet I enjoy with great respect the contributions of those that do commit to longer rides and are willing to test will power to physical conditioning just for the enjoyment of the ride.

MMACH 5

B17 Standard Imperial
Tester
Test Ride #56
Miles 30
Total Miles 1465
Comfort Rating 9.75

Had to go downtown before heading home.

gholt

b17 standard
TR 73
m 17
T 1,246
CR 9.5

tr 74
m 17
t 1,263
CR 9.5

Bottomfeeder

Hey all... and especially Andre;

Well I don't have the mileage numbers. But this weekend I just cruised the bike around while I was hanging down in L.A. and Hollywood for a few days to attend the Bicycle Film Festival. The Imperial excelled, as usual, in going about the business of supporting my semprini without drama - just as it should. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the ancient, broken down seats of the seedy Vine theatre. It seems I developed a rash after a day and a half. So I might not get much riding in this week. But the gang is going camping on the weekend and I am confident I will have recovered sufficiently by then to get some miles in... after which I think it might be time to render a final report on the Imperial.

DanO

wrobertdavis

This is not an Imperial test report, but rather a perspective comment. I reported several rides recently and said I was finished testing and put my Selle Anatomica saddle back on. I rode 200 miles in 4 days, working to get the Selle Anatomica adjusted just right. I had forgotten that you have to have a different mind set for setting it up compared to others. Its very sensitive to tension adjustment and can range from "not very good" to "near perfect" within a 1 1/2 turn range of the tension screw - at least that is how it works for me.

Anyway, I think I wore out my butt doing this. After two more rides, I felt it was as good as it was going to get - quite good, but not the blissful comfort that I thought I remembered before putting on the Brooks.

So net result is that I decided to put the Brooks back on immediately and get a direct comparison between the saddles. Yep, they are different. I believe under the right conditions (heat, humidity, lack of rest, hydration, phase of the moon) any saddle can cause "hot spots" for a clyde like me, after 50+ miles. This is quickly relieved by getting out of the saddle for a couple of minutes. At least that is my experience with both the Selle Anatomica and the Brooks.

After three days on the brooks, I decided to run a quick errand without putting on my cycling gear. This meant sandals and denim shorts (no Chamois). OUCH. I did not realize how sore my rear had gotten. It HURT and this was on the Brooks!

My conclusion was that when you get sore enough from long rides, you cannot give a valid report on a saddle. You have to take a rest. I did nothing to the Brooks and did not ride for two full days. Yep, the comfort I remembered came back.

Both saddles are in the top tier of comfort for bike positions ranging from upright to handlebars 1-2 inches below the saddle. When I get tired and "sag", losing my good cycling posture, hot spots develop. On the Selle Anatomica, it gets uncomfortable in the sides of the groin, near the edges of the saddle. On the Brooks, it gets uncomfortable on my sit bones. My sit bones never get sore on the Selle Anatomica. My groin never gets sore on the Brooks. I guess which is the bigger evil depends on your own tolerance. Certainly riding a lot and "toughening up" can help. But nothing works as well as just getting off the bike and taking a break. When I am riding by myself, I tend to go 40-50 miles without a good rest break. I know I would enjoy it more if I did take a 15 minute break. When I ride with a group, I usually take a break at 25-27 miles.

The Brooks is still on my bike and I really want to do another century before the test period ends. I read my last century report and realized the conditions were just horrible to give the saddle a fair test. The fit was not right, I was not used to the Texas summer yet, and I now know that I did not have my electrolyte intake figured out for the summer rides. We'll see if I can find a time to do it again and I'll report here.

Bob

MMACH 5

B17 Standard Imperial
Tester
Test Ride #57
Miles 25
Total Miles 1490
Comfort Rating 9.75

gholt

B17 Standard
TR 75
miles 17
T 1,280
CR 9.5

MMACH 5

B17 Standard Imperial
Tester
Test Ride #58
Miles 25
Total Miles 1515
Comfort Rating 9.75

Bottomfeeder

7-24-08
Ride #48
Distance 30 mi.
Total Distance 1805 - officially, I've not included a few pleasure rides of 10 miles and less
Comfort Rating 9.5

Another Commute home. The Imperial has simply been just another part of the bike for some time now... and working great. Now we just need to see how long the good times roll - 1, 2, 5 years or more? Can't even hazard a guess, not having ridden a Brooks in the past. It will be interesting to see how it wears cosmetically and whether or not that will effect performance in the long run. We don't have a lot of rain in Southern California, so it could take a long, long time.

MMACH 5

B17 Standard Imperial
Tester
Test Ride #59
Miles 25
Total Miles 1540
Comfort Rating 9.75

MMACH 5

B17 Standard Imperial
Tester
Test Ride #60
Miles 25
Total Miles 1565
Comfort Rating 9.75

lubers

B17 Standard Imperial
Test Ride ??
Miles 24
Total Miles 900 something
Comfort Rating 9

Had our club ride and once again no problems,I ride with just a pair of regular shorts no padding. Seat has been very good for me except for the squeaking that I seem not to be able to track down. I've tried everything that has been posted here to get rid of the noise but can't seem to get it taken care of. I had lent my coveted MCM Sella An-Atomica seat to a riding partner of mine who loved it so much he has kept it, and basically told me to just order another one and send him the bill. I liked the Brooks so much I ordered another one only the sprung model which I have put on my other bike and have found this seat to be a ten right out of the box. Never thought I would buy a Brooks until I had this opportunity to test the Imperial and for that I thank you Andera, I now recommend Brooks to any one who has asked about the seat. I have been converted.

jens5

Final report:
Brooks B-17 Imperial
Total miles = 1112
Comfort = 8 (there's no such thing as a 9.75 or 10 on any saddle made) (It's
either self delusion or exaggeration)
Most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden. Not perfect, as theres no such thing, but the most comfortable of any I've tried in 30+ years. I hope this saddle will excel in durability, but only time will tell. Hopefully, Brooks will make this saddle in different colors and/or a large rivet version. I would definitely buy another were that to become available. Richard

MMACH 5

I guess I'm just exaggerating like I always do, in my own delusional existence.

Siu Blue Wind

Shame on you. *shakes finger at MMACH 5*

dobber

I've been negligent in posting. I continue to utilize the Imperial on my fixed gear Cross-Check. As of late, I've been doing mostly 20-40 mile rides along the NYS Barge Canal and the old Genesee Canal right of way, a mixture or paved and cinder.

Been very happy with the saddles performance. I've only had to tweak the lacing once, other than that it's been maintenance free. There is a bit of dimpling showing up directly behind the cutout area but other than that it seems to be holding up nicely.

I've got probably 2000 miles on it now. m I'd say the comfort is around a 9. I've tossed the original 17 back on and really can't feel much of a difference unless I'm wearing loose undies and shorts.

If I were in the market for a Brooks, this one would bear consideration, assuming my lil fella suffered adverse affects from riding.

MMACH 5

*shrugs* "What?"

wrobertdavis

Wild Boars Destroy Brooks Imperial Saddle


I ran into two of these on the bike over the weekend.



As you can see from the photos below, the result was not pretty.





My butt hurts where I landed hard on the asphalt bike trail. I think my saddle testing days are over.

Bob

Siu Blue Wind

OH NO are you okay??

Please tell us what happened!

MMACH 5

Did you really run into a couple of boars on a trail? They seem to be taking over East Texas.

wrobertdavis

There is a multi-use asphalt trail on the west side of Houston which goes through what is known as George Bush Park (named for the elder George Bush). Its a smooth trail that is almost exclusively used by cyclists. Its about 10 miles long, with parts of it passing through a wooded area and ranch land. Drainage ditches and a small bayou run parallel to part of the trail. Though suburban building is getting closer and closer to the trail, it still might be considered to be a country locale. During the wet summer last year, I saw two large wild boars running on the side of the trail at dusk. I had not seen any since then.

We had a lot of rain in our area spawned by hurricane Dolly last week. Apparently the wild boars are moving in again. I was riding at dusk and saw one on the side of the trail. It saw me coming, jumped up and ran off. That should have been a warning sign to me. I have a good headlight and pressed on. Its nice to ride after sunset this time of the year because its so much cooler than the scorching hot days we have. I was entering the denser part of the woods and it was now completely dark except for my headlight. I was traveling between 16 and 18 mph.

Without any warning or noise, the broad hairy side of a wild boar appeared in my headlight, running from left to right. I would guess it was about 4-5 feet in front of me. I could not see the top of its back but estimate it was between the top of my handlebars and the top of my wheel. I also saw the head of a second boar coming into my headlight from the left. It must have been about 2 feet in front of my wheel. That's the last thing I remember seeing.

I hit one or both of them broadside. My front wheel jerked to the right and my bike was apparently knocked up in the air. I landed on my left side hard, whacking my head and butt into the asphalt. When the world stopped spinning, my left leg was beneath the bike and I was just laying there, not knowing what to do. I was sure the bike must be in pieces and I was shaken up pretty badly.

Finally, I decided to try to stand up and see what was left. The boars were gone. The headlight was still shining. My head felt like my brain had been knocked loose and shaken and I staggered around in a circle like a drunk. The front wheel was pointing to the right about 30 degrees when I held the handlebars straight. I dismounted the headlight and shined it on the bike to see that it was still intact. I did not think to look for missing pieces. Later I would discover that I had lost one water bottle and my eyeglass mounted rear view mirror.

I mounted the bike and slowly rode back home. Along the way, I stopped to straighten the handlebars. As I rode, I knew the saddle was whacked but I was thinking how it wasn't too uncomfortable, all things considered. When I arrived home, I noted that somehow both elbows had gotten skinned up. The bike was in amazing shape - no scratches anywhere. It looks like it must have flipped up in the air upside down and come down on the saddle hard. My left shoe had one small scratch on the outside of the buckle. From the pictures, you can see my head took quite a blow and I was feeling it. Today all my neck muscles hurt. My premium bike shorts did their job of protecting my butt from severe road rash.

Bob

wrobertdavis

Yep. See previous post for detailed description.

Bob

Siu Blue Wind

Wow that's crazy. My friend went wild boar hunting with a little hand gun (go figure) and that pig chased him up a tree and SAT there for almost a day. So very glad that you didn't get hurt real bad or torn up by the pigs.

You are very lucky that they didn't come back.

And I hate to put it this way but looks as though that Brooks saved your bike!

wrobertdavis

Yes, I am very glad. I guess these are Texas pigs - the friendly state!

I've been working on the saddle frame with a rubber hammer and pliers. I may have it back in good enough shape to ride soon. We'll see. I asked Andrea if he would sell me a new saddle but have not heard back yet.

In the meantime, I'm sore in all kinds of places and not ready to ride just yet.

Bob