Just finished building a lugged Trek 930 as a townie/wet weather bike and bought a brand new Brooks flyer saddle.

I have no experience with Brooks or other leather saddles. I was under the impression this thing was going to be nice and springy. It's just horrendously uncomfortable though, and not springy at all.

I understand these things need to break in but it's so horrible that it's pretty unlikely I'm going to sit on it long enough to do so.

So...if there is a question in here somehwere...What saddle am I looking for?

I want something wide-ish and springy. Do I need to go full silly wide like a Brooks B67 or whatever the big one is? Do I need the new un dyed comes out of the box soft one?

It also occurs to me that putting a leather saddle on a wet weather bike is stupid, but I can't seem to find a wide saddle that isn't a huge gel thing.

Any help much appreciated.

I'm an authorize brooks dealer... in my opinion the spring do not add comfort to the saddle but comfort to the ride... absorbing the bumps in the road as you ride.

Brooks saddle take time and effort to break in... get some proof hide and work it into the saddle ever day for a month or so and ride as much as possible.

The saddle needs to be broken in... also make sure you have the saddle adjusted correctly... try different angles and rail positions till you find one that is tolerable enough to ride. Give the brooks saddle a chance...

If you want to stick with brooks you could try the aged flyer or aged b67... the aged saddle break in little quicker. You may also want to look at the b17 imperial which has a cutout to relieve renal pressure... also breaks in a bit quicker.

Other wise... just get a cheap mountain bike saddle

The Brooks flyers are not springy but they do take the harsh jolts out of sudden impacts as they were designed. What is uncomfortable about it though? What is your position on the bike? Back straight up (wider, b67ish saddle), bent over at a 45 deg angle or so (flyer is good) or bent further over (racer saddle)? Depending on your position you might need a wider saddle or you might try to change the angle of the flyer. They work fine in wet weather but do need to be protected from the wet with a cover. Don't ride them wet. If you can't or don't want to watch your saddle that much then you should get a different one.

Wide and springy isn't all that comfortable either. They important thing with any saddle is that you are riding on your sit bones and not on your soft tissue.

Give your Brooks time. There is nothing like the comfort of the Brooks B 17 I have on my commuter bike. Make sure that you keep the leather happy with Proofide, especially the underside which takes the brunt of sloppy weather riding.

Post a photo of your build. If your sitting bolt upright a Flyer might not be the best choice, something wider might be more in order.

As far as position on the bike it's pretty upright but not straight backed. Bars pretty much exactly level with the saddle.

Right now it feels like if I actually slide back on it so it supports my sit bones they rest right on the metal frame. That's what it feels like anyway, could the unbroken in leather really feel that harsh if I'm not putting my weight on the frame?

I'm starting to think I have really wide sit bones...

As far as the springs go they don't seem to be worth the weight penalty. I can see them helping if you totally clip a huge pothole or something. Normal riding around they don't seem to move at all.

Thanks for the help so far. Just bummed at the moment because I pretty much have to sell this saddle to afford another one if it doesn't work out.

It is true that leather saddles start out really hard and soften up with use and the application of moisture (i.e. Proofide). People often say this makes them more comfortable, but not everyone shares that opinion. I don't. I prefer them before they soften up.

Whether you will like a Flyer, or any leather saddle, will depend on a lot of factors specific to the rider, mainly how you ride. What I like about a leather saddle is that it breathes; it wicks moisture away, so you don't get all sweaty. Also, the lack of padding is much better for circulation. Padding cuts off circulation, and on long rides this gets to be a real pain in the saddle.

I had a Flyer for a while; didn't like it, traded it to another forum member, and he didn't like it either. I usually see bumps coming, and lift myself off the saddle as necessary. That's what knees are for.

That..... and I suppose to bend your leg. I do agree with you though, I stand up a little bit if I see some nasty pavement ahead.

OP, if you decide that saddle is not what you want you should attempt a trade in the trade thread. I've seen people swap Brooks saddles before, even just for a different color.

Really???

Woah, check that out! I can't believe I never tried that before! Thanks, man!

Which way should I bend it or bend them? Got any photo's of this technique?

I don't find sit bone width all that important. How much do you weigh? If you think your riding on the metal frame then chances are good your sit bones are fairly normal and not all that wide.

My bars are level with the saddle and I usually ride on the hoods so... If your even a little bent over a B67 probably won't be that comfortable for you. Think English three speed or Schwinn cruiser and they are heaven, otherwise not so much in my opinion. I wouldn't worry about the weight of the flyer or any saddle for that matter, especially on a Trek 930, that's a non-starter IMO.

New leather is nice, firm and slick, i personally like that in a saddle but the slickness wears off after a coupe of hundred miles and the leather will eventually form to your bones. Are you riding with cycling shorts or are you just using regular walking shorts? Breaking in a brooks sans cycling shorts should only be left to those that are young and crazy.

What position is your saddle in? Level? nose up? nose down? I find I need most all of my saddles to be nose up, with the sit bones usually riding about 1/4 to 1/2 inch ahead of the rear frame. If your nose down your probably constantly pushing back (because your sliding forward) with your arms causing you to go further back in the saddle than you normally would. Or maybe your tilted to far back and you are like you say, sliding back. Hard to tell without more input from you. Have you tried positioning the saddle any?

I think you broke my sarcasm meter.

worst advice ever.

if you are sitting on the frame, your sitbones are too wide for the saddle. flyer is not very wide. a b67 or a VO model 8 is what you want.

i tried my share of saddles before finally coming to the conclusion i have really wide sitbones. im 6'4" and 175lbs.

edit: or a b68 which is a springless b67.

Haha! I noticed the needle was stuck in mine too, that had a large blast radius.

The bike shop near me has this really simple, clever in-store gadget used to essentially make an imprint of your sit bones, which you can then measure to match to a saddle with the same dimensions. Maybe you already know this. The gadget is just a plastic envelope that looks to be filled with something kind of like the stuff in a lava lamp. Seems to be accurate and works well.

Something about that seems a little embarrassing. I can see it now... "Hey guys.... do you have that tool that accurately measures my butt?"

illwafer: The good news is that if anyone ever calls you a fat a** you can claim that you are in fact just big boned. Although I doubt anyone is saying that at 6'4 and 175 lbs.

You have to ask for the "A$$-o-meter" ...almost rhymes with thermometer.

I'm 6'4" and 275 and I wasn't sure about that brooks when I first got it. With the new bars I installed on my bike, it is in a very upright position and the brooks flyer is awesome. It took some work to get it dialed in, just tilted a little nose up, and had to raise the saddle height so I was sitting in the right spot and not back on the saddle frame. It now feels like riding in a hammock.

Brooks saddles are hard as a rock until you break them in, then there is nothing better. As far as the springs go, I was surprised myself when I got my B67 yesterday that the springs were very stiff. I had been riding a mattress saddle that bounced around and bottomed out on big bumps (of course I'm 6'1" 230 lbs on a 40 lbs bike) and the Brooks springs, at least new, barely bounce at all. However, yesterday I rode on cobblestones with my unsprung B17 and there was some pain involved. Today I rode the same stretch on the same bike with my B66 and it was a lot better.