Brooks Imperial Saddle Reviews
 

This thread is expressly for reviews of the Brooks Imperial
saddle that will be tested by Bike Forum members.
It is a central location for all reviews, and to make it
easier for Andrea_Men (and other Brooks employees?) to read our comments.

This thread will remain stuck for the duration of the evaluation period, or until such time
as Andrea requests it be taken down.

Any Non review post will be either deleted, or moved to the Brooks status thread (which
will be unstuck as soon as the reviews start).

Marty

Andrea posted the following guide for reviews:

Please use this format for all reviews of the saddles.

Just got back from my first ride, a quick 15 miler.

Never ridden a Brooks before. If it gets better with time then Oh. My. God.
I set off then after about a mile I had to readjust saddle and post, then I thought that I hadn't tightened up the clamp enough due to the flex. Then I realised it was clamped mega tight. Then I rode.

I am very very impressed indeed! I have no pains in the 'perineal' area although it was a short ride, but straight from the off it was probably the most comfortable saddle I have tried. One issue that might present itself on a long ride is that the insides of my thighs rub a little near the nose of the saddle, we'll have to wait and see.

Looking forward to many miles of riding now :)

Alex

Installed it yesterday on my 1972 Schwinn Sports Tourer, replacing a Brooks B15. Took it for a short ride, boy I had forgotten how stiff they are new. I will ride a couple of miles each evening and then do at least 10 miles on Saturday maybe more, depends on how its breaking in.

How does it compare to your current saddle? Fizik Aliante?

I got the saddle this afternoon and put it on the bike just in time for my group ride. I just got back from it, and the stats were 30 miles at a pace of about 17mph. Flats, hills, sprinting, and just lazy pedaling.

Comparing it to my recent B17, it initially felt "harder" on my sit bones. About halfway through though, I seemed to find the comfort spot and all was well. I did not shift around nearly as much as my other saddle (Velo crap) and I did not experience any discomfort! Truly amazing, and I am really looking forward to getting some more miles on it. I'm toying with the idea of loosening up the lacing just a smidge, but will leave it as is for now.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/IMG_5669.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/IMG_5670.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/IMG_5673.jpg

I think that's going to be a common theme. Lacing the saddle will greatly increase the stiffness.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad thing, it was just....different...

Received standard Imperial
 

Hello all,
I received my Imperial in the mail this afternoon (it's the normal-width version). I installed it on my commuter and took it up and down the block, just to get a quick sense of the saddle adjustment--I'll put some more miles on it tomorrow.
Offhand, the one aesthetic comment I'd make is that it looks a little chunkier than my B17 Champion Special--it looks like the skirts extend lower to make space for the lacing holes, which gives it a less svelte appearance from the side. It also made me notice how much my B17 CS had actually broken in! I have it laced as well (home-made holes) and tensioned tightly, so it's actually a bit firmer than the Imperial, but I can clearly see how the leather has curved over time, in contrast to the flat top of the new Imperial.

More later, and thanks again Andrea for the chance to test the saddle.

Daniel

Well colour me supprised, Took the bike out for a short ride expecting the saddle to be fairly stiff for the whole ride (memorys of breaking in my B15). After about two miles I noticed that the saddle was starting to feel quite comfortable. I think this weekend it should be quite easy to do 20 miles or more. My guess is that the cutout is making the difference. Very impressed. :D

Posted this on a PM to Andrea in response to how it compares with the Aliante...

The Aliante is also new to me, I only got it about a month ago but already it's looking rather favourable for the Brooks! The Brooks was comfortable straight from the off, just a bit of tweaking height and position was needed straight after fitting, the Aliante is also pretty good for me but when I got in from riding the Brooks I had far less feeling of pressure down below. I'm looking forward to getting it run in.
I'll be taking it on the commutes this weekend, one issue that may rear it's head on a longer ride is that I noticed the insides of my thighs rubbing slightly against the sides of the nose of the saddle. It wasn't uncomfortable at all on a 45 min ride so we will have to see...

Alex.

What did you do, if anything, to prepare the saddle? I have read a number of posts, in this and other fora, where riders rub neatsfoot oil into the saddle.

I rubbed in the 'proofide' stuff that came with it as per the instructions...

Smells nice too!

Got mine today! What a beautiful saddle! I noticed that there's scoring just outside the actual cut for the cut out. Is this supposed to make the cutout softer?

So far, it's very comfy. I'll post more when I get some more miles on it.

Az

Just got it and put it on bike #1 with bull horns and off for the first test ride. The UPS guy said he'd never had any one have to sign for a saddle before and I told him about it and showed him and he was real excited for the results and he said if it worked well and went to production he'd think of getting one after stating that it was the best looking B-17 he'd laid eyes on.

Initial shakedown impressions are as follows:

- Wow these things are slippery, but I have never used a brand spankin' new black brooks before.
- Presence of cutout is almost imperceptible
- I don't remember my new B17 champion special being this uncomfortable
- at least it's better than the B17N I tried.
- thoughts of butting it on my road bike with some handlebar drop were quickly squelched
- Perineal pressure was immediately apparent and uncomfortable. The cutout could be farther forward but in general a B17 seems to be too short for my personal geometry, the nose itself cause the discomfort.
- My ideale 92 is still top runner for next long distance tour, however I will continue to use and break in the brooks and hope things get better, I know the cutout may not seem to do anything right now but in the long run it may alloy flow in the soft tissues which ultimately prevents numbness... but I remain skeptical that this is an improvement.

Mine arrived today, hope you don't mind linked pics in this thread.

I was going to put the saddle on the commuter/tourer/MTB but noticed the seatpost on that bike protrudes and I thought it might interfere or affect the lacing, so I mounted it on the Fillmore instead. I'll be looking at a different seatpost tomorrow at the shop since it has a different size post than the Fillmore.

(sorry about the blur, this camera doesn't do closeups well)
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...8/DSC00080.jpg

mounted on the Fillmore
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...8/DSC00082.jpg

Might be a little atypical flareout on the right side, but don't notice it while riding
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...8/DSC00087.jpg

I did a short 5-8 mile loop around town, some city streets, some lakefront sidewalk, some paved bike path, and some dirt path shortcut through the woods.
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...8/DSC00096.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...8/DSC00098.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...8/DSC00099.jpg

Initially set it up the same height and tilt as the stock Bontrager saddle that came on the Fillmore. Stopped about three times on the ride to adjust it some. Lowered it a little, tilted the nose up a little, then tilted it back down a little, then slide the saddle a little forward. Felt a little hard at first, but softer than I remember a B17 I broke in years ago. Did not get any numbness, but the ride wasn't really long enough. Overall I think it will feel good once it conforms a bit. It is slippery and I found myself sliding myself forward and backward to see where the sitbones felt like they settled in best. I was also getting just a little ('scuse the lingo here) nut bumping, but I was riding in street clothes so things weren't exactly under control so to speak ( sorry :o ).

Comparing it to the stock Bontrager, at this point the Bontrager might be a little more comfortable, but I think once the saddle breaks in and looses some of the slipperyness I won't miss the other saddle at all.

The other bikes have a Selle Italia MaxFlite on the Colnago, a Vetta TriShock on the track bike, and some unknown brand of saddle with medium padding on the commuter bike. Once the Brooks is broken in I'll do some back to back comparisons on the other bikes.

I have just installed my Imperial on my Gary V Titanio.

• Placement of the saddle was simple, as it replaces a Swallow. They're identical sizes, of course.
• The lacing impeded the installation of the saddle completely. I loosened the laces and still felt that, even if I could mount the saddle still laced, they would be in constant contact with the top of the seatpost, a Thomson Elite. Thus, I removed the laces entirely. I don't think this saddle can be mounted on a Thomson seatpost in any fashion while the laces are installed. I definitely recommend removing the laces and relacing while the saddle is on the bike.
• I decided to try re-lacing the saddle in a different pattern, which while possible, proved difficult with the saddle on the bike. Mounting the bike on the workstand helped a lot. :)
• My lacing pattern moves forward several holes of the default, makes two crosses, then runs inside the saddle to the rear, behind the seatpost, where I crossed again and tied it. This way, the laces don't contact the seatpost head. It was tough to get any tension--even light tension--in this manner, but I used a set of vice-grips to hold my knot while tying, neatly solving the problem.
• I notice the laces still contact the seatpost head a bit, as does the saddle skirt. I wonder how frequently the lacing will need to be replaced?

Anyway, that's my installation rundown. It's a beautiful saddle, and I'm looking forward to using it. I wonder if the removal of the long skirt and a metal clip like that on the Swallow might work instead of the lacing?

^^^

One of the first things I noticed as well is that the lacing interferes with the seat post clamp. I'm going to play around with it tomorrow.

Initial thoughts after just a short 10 mile ride to work on fit. First as said above, lacing made install difficult but I was able to leave the lacing and got it installed though it was difficult. After jumping on the bike I initially noticed how slippery the black leather is. I played with my fit a few times on the ride and still need some more tweaking before it is dialed in completely which may include a different seat post that can micro adjust better. The cut out certainly has a sweet spot that is a bit tough to initially find due to the stiffness and un-contoured shape at this point. When the saddle was in a proper spot the saddle was very comfortable and stable in the sweet spot. However, I can't say that I can notice the cut-out too much with the stiffness currently but this may be due to the lacing which makes the forgiveness considerably less initially. I am excited to keep riding on it and get it broken in. Initially the saddle shows promise after some tweaking but I'm optimistic.

I have a similar issue. I use a post with a 2 bolt clamp, not a Thomson but similar design. The bolts and upper part of the clamp are trying to occupy the same space as the lacing. I got it together,it didn't seem like there should be a problem, the laces shifted slightly, but I've never had a laced saddle before will this cause problems? Might try swapping the post from my MTB, it's a one bolt type.

I was always under the impression that one would lace the saddle after it was mounted, that way you could weave the lacing above/below the rails, etc, etc.

Least thats the way I did my DIY version.

Way back when, I perforated my B17 much higher than down at the skirt. This was done under the guidance of a "pro" who knew about these things. Unfortunately, there's a fine line between "just right" and "rubs your thighs."

Mine came today. I proofided it and installed it on my Raleigh One-Way, replacing the B-17 that was on it.
I have a Truvativ XR teo-bolt seat post and found that the lacing actually helped keep the top piece in place , making it easier than usual to seat the retaining cams and thread the bolts into them. I'll be riding 20-30 miles in the morning, so I'll have more to report later. Excuse the poor pics, photography with cheap digital cameras is not my core competency. :o

http://www.chipcom.net/bikes/oneway_imperial.jpg
http://www.chipcom.net/bikes/imperial.jpg

First thoughts:

It definitely has more give than my B17 CS standard did brand new. I haven't sat in it, this is just from hand manipulation. Proofided it and will be mounting tomorrow. Hope I have time for a spin ;)

I had a bit of an experience mounting the Imperial. I had to remove the lacing in order to mount it on the Campagnolo style two bolt seat post (mounting any saddle in this set-up is always a bit of an ordeal). I did a rather ineffectual job of tensioning the lacing afterwards. I have a suggestion for improvement. Make the lacing out of a more cord-like material and add one of these (appropriately sized). It will make adjusting the tension properly so much easier.

http://www.tackletour.com/images/picmhardwearozone5.jpg

Tomorrow I give it the first ride. Note, I may be he first person to mount a tubular tire holder to an Imperial. Mounting positions were limited to being underneath the saddle. I note though that it probably does not make sense to make changes to the width of the rails in the rear.

I worked over my Imperial with Proofide, coating the bottom side generously the same as I did my B-17 Champ. Std. when I first got it, and a decent coating rubbed into the top. After a couple hours of letting it soak in on top, I buffed it and took some pix with my current B-17 (with 4000+ miles on it)

Comparison of top to top: The cutout looks nicely centered and the leather shines like I remember the old one doing when I first got it. The thickness seems comparable, and it's about as hard as I remember the old one being when it was new.
http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload...2-d590c099eeb4

Comparison of side to side: It's probably an illusion, but the leather seems to "dip" a little bit coming off the back rivet rail. I don't remember the old one having that appearance; I thought it was much flatter across the top when it was new... but it could just be the angle I'm shooting the pic. It's not much different than my old B-17 Champ. Std. My lacing holes aren't punched as tight together, but that was my personal choice when modding it.
http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload...4-9a218f1e9742

Examination of the cutout: The top is a clean line cut all around. Non-tapered edge, no excess shavings still attached; very clean, symmetrical work. The underside has this odd, long crescent scored into the leather. It's actually a bit of a trench dug out around the rear-end of the cutout, and I'm pretty sure it's to act as a hinge to let the leather flex more at the edges of the cutout. Nice idea, and more flexible than just skivving the edges to a taper, I think. The real test will be putting a few thousand miles on it and seeing how that hinge holds up. It looks to be an even depth all around, so I've got no concerns about any structural integrity issues in the future.
http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload...b-4fee1c369182

I might head out for a ride this weekend on it, but it's started snowing again this afternoon and if I don't have to put the studs back on then I'm not going to. It's supposed to melt off by Monday, so I might just wait until the Monday AM commute for a first long ride. I'll do a couple parking lot laps to get the seat angle adjusted before then.

Alright, now that everybodys got their new toys, here is an item to keep it in the best of condition. Feast your eyes on a Brooks saddle cover. :D

I put in 20 miles today on my new Brooks saddle. I Proofided the saddle and let it sit for about 45 minutes before buffing it off and installing it on my Trek 1000.

During installation, I had a small problem adjusting the saddle as the lacing was in the way of my seat clamp and I ride with the saddle to a far rear position, but nothing that caused more than a minutes delay.

During the ride, my first impression was that the saddle was comfortable and extremely slippery. I chalked this up partially as the Proofide not being buffed off completely possibly.

After about 3 miles, I noticed that the saddle felt very firm and hard on my sitbones. I am used to using a Bontrager Race Lux (soft padding on that saddle), so this is to be expected.

After around 10 miles, the firmness was still there but I started becoming accustomed to it. One of the odd things I noticed was that I felt like I was a stronger rider than normal. It could be just excitement of a new saddle, but I believe it partially has to do with the actual saddle in application instead because I was not getting the normal saddle pain.

I completed the ride doing 20 miles. Despite the firmness and the use of a new saddle, I am not sore at this point and don't expect to be. The saddle itself so far has seemed to be very comfortable in regards to my genital area. The only pressure I felt at all was on my sit bones, the firmness that I mentioned earlier.

My initial impression after this first ride is that I am very happy with it so far. I had to buy my saddle (at the discounted price), but it seems more than worth it. I'm already considering purchasing another for my other bike.

Saddles arrived yesterday. Prepped it and set it up on my commuter/mountain bike and took it out for a 32 mile ride. It took about 4 adjustments along the way to get the angle of the saddle right. My initial setting had me sliding forward after I had warmed up and gone a few miles.

The saddle felt pretty firm, it replaced a Velo End Zone, but not unexpectedly so. I had a used Brooks B-17 on this bike for a short time last year, but it ended up splitting after about a month. I noticed that once the angle was set correctly I didn't need to shift around quite as much on the Velo. At the end of the ride I had no soreness on either my sitting or genital areas. This is in contrast to how I would feel after a 30-40 miler with the Velo saddle.

I didn't notice the cut out at all while I was riding,and in contrast to some folks had no problem with the lacing getting in the way of mounting the saddle to the seat post clamp. I was wondering how tight or loose the lacing should be? I left it as it came from the factory, but was thinking that might not be correct.

Looking through the cutout, I was thinking that this would be the perfect saddle for an old bike (Bridgestone Kabuki) with the funky quill seat post binder. With a socket wrench and extension you could loosed the bolt without taking the seat off, and then have a rod or dowel to transfer the hammer whack to it.

Thinking it's too loose or what? Just curious...

Sit on the saddle, then reach under and feel how taught the lacing is.