bockwho

nice new forum. getting to the point .. i can be a member of this one but only by a little bit. avg weight 215lbs

i noticed from the pics that brooks saddles seem to be a favortie saddle for bigger people. any reason why?



lbs mechanic racer (kid who i like) took a look at my new litespeed and said wow .. this could be a sub 14 bike if you dumped that brooks saddle and bought a pair of look peadles that didnt look like legos or were at least made in the last 10 years.

I said keep your eyes pealed for peadles but the brooks is staying.

charles vail

The Brooks is a better saddle I have 5 of them on five different bikes and you can tell your lbs mechanic that comfort matters more than weight any day of the week and that includes the pedals. When you figure the actual weight percentage difference of shaving a pound off your bike, its really very small when you add your weight to the equation. Something in the order of less than 1/2 of a percent. Heck I've visited the john and lost more! Riding in comfort is waaayyy more important as far as riding long and hard is concerned.

kensuf

I put a Specialized Alias on the bike about a month ago. It's reasonably light and once I had it dialed it in it's been comfortable. Couple that alias with a pair of Voler shorts with the Ion pad and you have an all day solution.. I imagine a toupe would probably be as comfortable, but would only weigh in around 150g.

As for the look pedals, I can only imagne he's talking about the keo looks which are pretty popular. However I believe they have a weight limit of 185lbs, so maybe they're not the right solution for you.

Oh, speaking of the voler shorts.. Hammer nutrition (www.hammernutrition.com) has the voler shorts with the ion pad for $40. Granted, they're advertising for hammer, but that's the best price I've been able to find for these shorts. Check the fit guide before going crazy and ordering a ton..

(51)

I have the B-33 Bomber
My old padded seat gave me aches and sores. The Brooks supports your sitbones and provides a bit of air circulation to prevent saddle sores.

airbrake

A friend loaned me an old Schwinn World Sport to try out. It had a well broken in B17 on it. The back of the seat felt great but the front about killed me. I couldn't find the right angle, if the front was up it hurt me, if the front was down I would keep sliding forward and it would hurt me. I road it about 35 miles altogether and ended up with a big sore where the sun don't shine. I have only found happiness on saddles with the cutout in the center.

barba

What matters more to you: a sub 14-lbs bike (though that is likely an overstatement) or a bike with a saddle you find comfortable? You made the right choice, IMO.

As for the pedals, probikekit.com has a ripping good deal on Look Keo Carbons ($125 including shipping, almost half off of Performance).

chipcom 

if weight is a big concern and cost isn't, you can always get a ti railed Brooks Swift, Swallow or Team Pro - kinda like having your cake and eating it too.

CrosseyedCrickt

do clydes really car about the weight of their bike?
all of my commuter hav weighed no less than 35lbs
I'd ratherhave the weight off my ass than my bike

Tom Stormcrowe

That well broken in Brooks was well broken in for someone else's keister though!

FarHorizon

I've used several Brooks saddles (at weights varying from 265 to 285). Within two weeks, all of them sagged to the point where they were useless with bowed-out side flaps. Tightening the tension, front-to-rear, only made a stress ridge down the center of the saddle, causing excessive pressure on the perineum. BOOOOOOOOO for Brooks from my perspective.

I prefer saddles with a perineal cutout and a slight bit of padding. Your bottom may disagree.

Brooks saddles are more popular than not, so my opinion is in the minority. My experience, however, is what it is.

bockwho

[QUOTE=barba]What matters more to you: a sub 14-lbs bike (though that is likely an overstatement) or a bike with a saddle you find comfortable? You made the right choice, IMO.QUOTE]

that was kind of my point i would be much happer not being a member of this group than spending the cash on the upgrades (yes 14lbs is a overstatemnt) .. I bought the litespeed b/c it is comparable to carbon and longer lasting with the joy of a good steel bike. (and it rides so nice its like a rocketship compaired to my trek 2300)

superslomo

More power to anyone who loves them, but I don't think I'm sold on them at the moment. I've got a Brooks B17N that I've switched on-and-off the bike for a little while... I may not have given it enough time to break in, but it bruises my sitbones after about an hour and I felt a bit like I was getting bucked off whenever I hit an unexpected bump.

Just bought a Ti railed Aliante off of ebay, and so far am loving it. Haven't taken it out for more than an hour or two at a time over the weekend, but it felt like a piece of alright to my nether regions. YMMV...

It's not worth getting rid of a comfortable saddle that fits you right simply to save a little bit of weight, but they may not work for everyone either. I'm not giving up on mine yet, but I'm also not going to ride on it today

charles vail

Alot of short, five to ten mile rides and not too much proofhide will break in the leather properly. A leather saddle is simular to a pair of quality work boots......once they are broken in to your body, there is nothing quite as comfortable. Just don't rush the break in process and ruin the leather and don't ride it wet or leave it out in the rain, unprotected.

superslomo

Right now I'm going to have a hard time taking the aliante off the bike, to be honest... but the plan was effectively to alternate until the brooks broke in.

I proofided it a couple of times when I got it, and have now left it completely alone. If I find the Fizik starts feeling lousy on long rides I'll commit myself more to breaking in the brooks but for the time being it's the happiest I've been with any saddle.

Wurm

My Swift weighs 337g actual. What's that, 60-100g more than some of the others mentioned here? Keep in mind that a full 500ml water bottle weighs 1.5 lbs (about 680g).

If it doesn't work on the long road, it ain't worth diddly.

jcbryan

Might want to drop the people at Selle-Anatomica a email. They asked my "riding" weight before I ordered and my saddle is excellent! They put some extra support under the sides and the cutout is great. Mind you the leather saddle is going to be way cooler than a plastic saddle anyway. I know they have grown quite abit, but were very good to help with my needs. My butt is finally happy!

Best, John

FarHorizon

Thanks for the info, John! ANY company that will custom-build is worth checking out (especially for such an important part as the saddle!).

slotibartfast

You can take my Brooks B17 when you pry it out of my cold dead....um.....cheeks.

STewmeister

I'm a huge fan of the Serfas Rx Saddles - first and only saddle that I didn't get numb on. Roughly $50 at my LBS.

The Brooks (obviously) has a huge following, reminds me of Apple.

FlatFender

Im not picky w/ saddles. Ive been able to ride on anything thats been on a bike w/o numbness or being uncomfortable, but I really REALLY want a brooks $wift

B.S.

I've got a b17 narrow and love it.... Still not broken in, but I was wondering about chopping it.

Is chopping an option for 250+ riders?

Any clydes with a chopped brooks have feedback?

Wurm

I'm around 195-200 lbs., and I once trimmed a Pro that turned out pretty nice. I didn't have any sagging probs with it, but I think this one happened to have thicker leather than most and when I first bought it, it was very dried out and hard apparently from sitting on the shelf for so long. (Had the older "BROOKS England" badge on the back instead of the newer "BROOKS")

Anyway, it was a great saddle and I should never have sold it. I also owned a B17N for a while but that didn't work out b/c it did sag quite a bit, and in the center the skirts would flare out. Probably the "Laced" version would have been good, or I could have laced it myself.

I wouldn't chop a B17N like I did the Pro unless I left enough room to lace it with.

B.S.

that was one sweet chop job...
I too have noticed a little flare in the skirts... I may end up lacing it regardless... but I don't see enough material to chop and lace without going through the logo. either way.



Thanks for your advice.

Wurm

Good luck!

jcbryan

Hey, hang on! I've got both a Brooks and an Apple!!