brooks b17 narrow or pro?
 

I can't decide which one to get. Can someone point me in the right direction?

I own a couple B17s and a pro.
Can't tell the difference.

(It's just me maybe.)

The Team Professional is nicer looking to me. It also super big rivets and is made of a thicker leather. It may take longer to break in a Pro, but it will last longer.

I have both.

My B17's broke in a lot faster than my Professional. I'm not sure my Professional is broken in as it is hard as a rock.

I ride both and find both comfortable. The B17 has bag loops, and the Pro does not, and that often makes a difference for me to determine my bag needs.

Neal

Good point, Neal. I prefer the chrome rails of the Pro black ones. One can always add bag loops, but that does mean throwing more money at your saddle.

http://store.velo-orange.com/media/c...ag_loops-2.jpg

B17N is narrower than the Pro, and also of thinner leather. Of the two, I'd choose the Pro. The Pro will last longer, and is a better fit for me... The B17N is too narrow. My favorite is the B17 Standard (or the fancier, big rivet version of the B17 Standard), followed by either the Pro or Team Pro. The Pros all have thicker leather than the B17, but take more time to break in.
I stay away from the B17N. :)

Get a Pre-softened Team Pro. It makes all the difference.

I prefer a professional, and not a softened one. They say the professional is hard as rock, but that's not quite right, though it's fair to say it's as hard as plywood. I also prefer bag loops, but you can't have everything.

But my advice is, don't listen to anyone's advice. I can tell you what fits me, but I can't tell you what fits you. I'd be happy to let you try all my saddles, but given your location that's not a useful offer. See if you can find someone in your area who has one the saddles you're interested in, and try it out.

They are not two different saddles. A Team Professional is the only Professional of which I'm aware (at least of currently produced models).

But I've got a couple dozen of the old small-rivet Pros here. :)

I think Brooks still produces the old style Team Pro with the small rivets and non-chamfered edge. It's still essentially the same saddle and both are called the Team Professional despite being stamped "Brooks Professional".

24 of the same saddle? There's your endorsement, OP!

out of all my saddles my narrow b-17 imperial is my favorite comfort wise by far and therefor has the most miles on it. My pro's are ok, not not as comfy. The pro's with the big copper rivets looks better though.

Well, I can't get a b17 because I have like 3-4" inches of bar drop. I'm a little concerned about the pro being too hard (I want comfort!) and a little concerned about the b17n being too narrow (although if it runs true to size it shouldn't be).

Break in a Pro, and you'll have it for life. Once properly adjusted, you won't notice it being too hard... B17s are pretty hard before broken in; they just break in sooner. With that much bar drop, I can see your wanting a narrow saddle... My back likes a more upright riding position, so I prefer a wider saddle.

I have two Pros (a 77 and an 81) and a B17 narrow (73), the Pros fit me much better. The narrow is a bit too narrow for my delicate posterior....

Ordered a black team pro! Screw my side projects! lol...

^Attaboy!

I had a couple issues small with the VIVA bag loops that are worth mentioning. The clamps would not tighten down on the rails or my vintage Brooks Pro. VO mentions that issue on their website and I used some cloth bar tape on the rails. The loops seem to slip periodically, despite my best efforts to tighten the hell out of them.

There is an upside to those loops. Since the loop is made of thin steel I can clip and loop just about anything with them, plus you can adjust the height if needed. I cannot do the same with my Brooks B72 with integrated loops. I have clips that I use as a DIY quick release and they won't fit on the B72.

How did I miss a Brooks discussion!?! Dang!

As many know, I have a bit of a leather saddle problem, and my latest arrived yesterday, the newly re-released Brooks Colt in violet.

http://www.brooksengland.com/en/Resa...bkColor=FFFFFF

I've ordered the violet leather bar wrap to match. Hopefully it arrives today.

I'll do a quick side by side comparison with a Pro and take some pictures and post later today.

Pictures as promised.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...fessional2.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...alsidenose.jpg

As you can see, the Colt is a bit shorter, approximately 1/8-1/4 inch. The width looks very close. The side skirt is longer on the Colt and the nose has a slightly different shape.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...ioletside2.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...rofessiona.jpg

hmm. What bike do you have that requires you to ride a purple saddle?

A 1996 Cannondale SR500 frame set which fades from black to purple. Or would be better to say it brightens from black to purple?

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...Road/bikeW.jpg
(I just bought the frameset.)

The Pro TI has the loops on it and you might also think about the Shallow for use with the extra inches on your drop down bars. The nose is shorter.

Okay, my turn to weigh in on this question.

Get the Pro, without a doubt. The thicker, nicer leather is worth the extra money. You may think it's "stiff" but what it really is, is springy. You cannot tell with your hands how springy it will be when you plop 150 pounds on top of it. It has to be stiff (to the touch) to still be springy when heavily loaded by your butt.

Brooks Pro. The titanium model just seems way overpriced for what you get (a one pound savings). The black leather model with chrome rails is GREAT! Mine is 35 years old and still going strong.