No it's not quite that simple, but almost. Which Brooks is best depends on the geometry of the bike, once you have the best saddle for your particular type of bike then if Brooks offers 2 or so models for your type of bike then it could be all about which butt, that stuff is true with all saddles, Brooks or not.

C17 cutout over here. The no maintenance piece sold me on it

I think you and I agree more than you realize.

I'm surprised no one mentioned getting the Selle Anatomica leather saddles, I haven't tried one yet, but I've read that a lot of people liked them better than Brooks, with most saying it felt good right out of the box.

The problem with leather dabbled is SA only has on style, and Berthoud are more expensive, so most circle back to Brooks.

Style? they look similar to the Brooks cutouts, and a lot of people buy Brooks for the same style points. I have read nothing but good reviews on the SA, especially the newest models, the older ones some stretched too much but that was remedied if the person moved up to the next level saddle up for a persons weight, but like I said SA supposedly corrected that issue.

Current manufacturers of tensioned-leather bicycle saddles:
Berthoud - France
Brooks - UK
Gyes (Cardiff, Dia Compe, Fenix, Fyxation, Lekker, Origin8, Papillionaire, Shinola, Sobdeall, Spa, Torelli, Velo Orange, Zimbale, etc.) - Taiwan
Ideale - France
Lepper - Netherlands
Nasiruddin (Persons) - India
Rivet - AFAIK manufactured in Taiwan by Gyes but to their own proprietary designs
Sella Italia - Italy
Selle Anatomica - USA
Selle Monte Grappa - Italy
Tabor - Portugal


Rumor had it Lepper quit manufacturing leather saddles ("Again" - Forest Gump), but, and it's a big but, I still see plenty of 'em offered retail. Shrug.

there is one style of SA saddles, you can buy everything from a wide saddle w/springs to a saddle for a race bike from Brooks. I agree the SA saddle looks good and it would probably look good on the OP’s bike but he specified Brooks.

I've been using a Books B17 since around 2016-ish. I've heard of people saying they're comfortable out of the box alas mine was not. It's comfortable now yet during the break in period I'm not really sure if the saddle broke into my butt or my butt broke into the saddle!

May I ask why you're thinking of springs? If you're getting too much road chatter, wider more supple tires would help a lot.

Wide tires AND sprung leather saddles help even more.
2 bicycles used for commuting and around town with 47 - 622mm tires and Brooks B-66 saddles
Schwinn for around town fun with 26 x 2.125 tires and Brooks B-73 saddles.







BTW - What exactly is a "supple" bicycle tire and how does one measure suppleness in a mounted or an unmounted bicycle tire?

Why Springs? I had Cancer and it tore up my Back. I'm using wide tires (700+28C- the widest I can fit on my bike.)

With a supplometer! Made exclusively for Reneé Hearse by Miyazaki

I believe it!
Makes as much sense as anything else posted about the alleged advantages of so-called "supple" tires.

Brooks saddles also have far more than their fair share of woo

Sure do, check out their wooness with a genuine BF expert approved WhOOpie Cushion Meter; also useful as a backup measuring device for tire suppleness.

I found an Imayappi knockoff on ebay. $14.95 instead of $1495 for the overpriced Miyazaki.

A supple tire is squishy to soak up road chatter so you don't feel every single bump, but it doesn't feel like you're pedaling through peanut butter. The Maxxis DTH tire is exactly that; it rolls fast and smooths out my ride, made up largely of potholes, rocks, and tree bits. HTH.

Fair enough. If you're rolling in cash (because aren't we all?) you could buy one of each and sell off the ones that don't work.

It's too bad there isn't a Zappos equivalent for saddles. Wallingford Bike had a pretty generous return policy, but they're gone now...

Ya know...

That's what I said in 2009 when I saw people on the 'net talking about their love for Brooks saddles. I had had a B17 and maybe a Pro in the past, but I wasn't using either anymore. Then a few years later, I tried one, and I went so wild, I got one for almost every of my bikes, and I even stocked up on spares. This time, I'm not going back. I can be adequately satisfied with a few non-Brooks models, but nothing makes me as happy. And if you take care of it, the durability easily justifies the price.

But some people have hated Brooks, claiming they ride like you're sitting on a board.

I had a Brooks b17, it wasn't bad, but I'm now thinking of trying a Selle Anatomica saddle with the relief cutout, I've heard those feel like they're broken in right out of the box. I wonder if anyone else has any experiences between the two?

Sure, no saddle can be good for everyone. We’re all different shapes, sizes, types of riders, etc. But I give credit to Brooks for making saddles that many do like and that offer a lot of durability. There are a lot of “Italian style” saddles (plastic shell with padding and fabric cover) that don’t suit me and a few do. But the Brooks is more than innocuous to ride. I almost want to use the word “pleasure” to describe the experience, but I don’t want any new to get the wrong idea. Uh oh, did I say too much?

Easy there, Tom!

I too have been there and back. Not brand loyalty, it’s about comfort. Many saddles started to make me numb, going back some 20 years ago. I switched from my never-broke-in Brooks Team Pro to a Specialized Body Geometry model that treated me pretty well for a long time, until it didn’t. Tried others, and I’ve had best results with C17 carved on my go-fast road bikes, Imperial Flyers (B17 with springs and cutout) on bikes I ride in urban areas and/or take off road (including supple tires), and B66 on my upright commuter. Final truth: YBMV (Your Butt May Vary).