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Brooks B17 worth the weight?
The lbs had a Brooks B17 on sale for about $60. I've been looking at these for some time online and excitedly picked it off the rack. Yikes! This thing feels heavy! I'm not looking to be a total weight weenie with my gaspipe Grand Prix, but it felt noticeably heavier than my free Kashima vinyl saddle. Is there anything that looks remotely as cool and offers comparable quality/comfort to the Brooks with slightly less ballast? Or should I just suck it up and drop a half pound somewhere else? Maybe if I shaved my head...
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It's only worth the weight in gold, but that's my opinion.
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if you're unwilling to pay the weight tax, go with another vinyl saddle. maybe a turbo, or the charge bucket.
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If weight is the OP's concern, get ride of the bike and forget the Brooks. If enjoying the ride is the goal, keep the Raleigh and get the Brooks. Personally, I love almost every Brooks saddle I have ever tried, with a single exception, the Brooks B15 which was, for me, the saddle from Hades.
In fact, I have had a Brooks B17 honey kicking around for about three years. The saddle is almost brand new and looks just great on my recently built up Motobécane Grand Jubileé. No picutes of that yet and it looks as though I will be hanging onto my Motobé for a while. I love that bicycle! |
The weight difference may be obvious in your hands but I really doubt you will notice that weight while you are on the bike. Some people like Brooks saddles and some don't, it's one of those things that you have to try for yourself. I do like the shape of a B17, they are nice and wide.
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A happy rear end will make you go faster, thereby making up for the extra weight. :p
Honestly, I've been riding B-17s since the early 70s, and have tried many others, but always come back to it. Yes, it's worth the weight. |
The Titanium railed Berthoud leather suspension saddle is supposed to weigh about the same as a typical Turbo saddle at around 300 grams. Maybe you should check that out.
Chombi |
If you ride in an aggressive position the B17 may not be the optimal saddle... the B17 Imperial is a much better saddle for this due to the ergonomic cut out which allows for a more forward position.
As always YMMV. |
Hard to beat thick leather stretched over a steel frame in a good shape. But quality construction with steel and leather isn't light. Should become more comfortable than your vinyl saddle.
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The only saddle I've ridden that's more comfortable than a B17 is a B66 - now THAT'S heavy. Comfort is far more important than a few grams. Also it's not like you're riding an ultra-light bike now anyways, so style and comfort are the way to go. Any Raleigh Grand Prix (I actually really like them) would look way better with a Brooks than any other saddle I can imagine. I can say honestly going from 16lb bikes to 30lb bikes, weight has very little to do with ride quality or speed so don't obsess over it.
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For me it is, but everyone is different. The B-17 is my favorite saddle, closely followed by the Professional. Sixty fiver is right on...it's not the best saddle for the drops.
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The stock saddle on a lot of older Grand Prix models was a Wrights W35 which is a little narrower and better suited for a road bike.
Brooks saddles come in so many configurations that there is pretty much one for every kind of bike... a B66 is a great saddle but on a road bike it may not feel as wonderful as it would on a roadster where the sitting position is more upright. |
Originally Posted by KonAaron Snake
(Post 13129390)
For me it is, but everyone is different. The B-17 is my favorite saddle, closely followed by the Professional. Sixty fiver is right on...it's not the best saddle for the drops.
My B17 Imperial is pure awesomeness and I have been pretty happy with my Ideale Professional which is a wider saddle than the Brooks... also ride on a Wright's W35N and an older wrights W3N which is not as narrow and very comfortable on my drop bar bikes with fairly level saddle to bar relationships. If one has a more upright position on a road bike with a level saddle to bar drop a B17 can work well. |
I do have some drop to the bars and feel fine on a B-17...it's only when I'm on the drops that it becomes an issue. I don't really feel THAT much difference between the pro and B-17 in terms of width, most of the difference I feel is in the leather. I like Pros, but the B-17 is my favorite.
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Originally Posted by Dav305z
(Post 13129022)
Is there anything that looks remotely as cool and offers comparable quality/comfort to the Brooks with slightly less ballast?
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"Brooks B17 worth the weight?"
Yes. |
Comfort is more important than weight. The Brooks B.17 is a very comfortable saddle. The titanium railed version will save you weight but will never be as light as the latest light weight saddle offerings.
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The Brooks B17 is really worth the weight, both for the comfort, and more importantly, you can not get a better look than a Brooks on a classic Raleigh!
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...h/IMG_2039.jpg |
How about spending $60 to find out for yourself?
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That's a pretty good deal on a B-17.
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A really good deal. When you're actually riding, you won't notice the weight, but you'll notice the comfort (unless you end up not liking the way it feels, which is, at least theoretically, possible).
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Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Yes, of course. |
b17 imperial was my favorite saddle until it sagged really bad and is not ridable.
a regular b17 is really comfy for me out of the box i have a swallow that is very comfortable out of the box i have a pro that ranks last out of the box, however i'll still ride it over any non leather saddle and its getting better with age. I've done centuries on used pro's. is it worth the weight? Depends. Are you so light and in shape and racing that it really matters? most people arent and if you were, you probably would know enough that you would be in c&v and asking about leather saddles. |
Originally Posted by -holiday76
(Post 13130086)
b17 imperial was my favorite saddle until it sagged really bad and it not unridable.
a regular b17 is really comfy for me out of the box i have a swallow that is very comfortable out of the box i have a pro that ranks last out of the box, however i'll still ride it over any non leather saddle and its getting better with age. I've done centuries on used pro's. is it worth the weight? Depends. Are you so light and in shape and racing that it really matters? most people arent and if you were, you probably would know enough that you would be in c&v and asking about leather saddles. My swallow is not good for longer rides, but I only have a few hundred on it...I'm hoping it breaks in. The B-17s are, for me, perfect from the moment they go on a post. |
I love my b17. I spend my time about 50/50 on the hoods/in the drops and notice no discomfort in either position.
That said, my second-favorite saddle was my nasty old black vinyl Kashima. For whatever reason, it just felt good. If it's comfortable, maybe don't be so quick to discard it (or sell it to me if you really hate it!) |
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