ok, so I decided I want to try a Brooks on my new Portland.

Problem is I'm not sure the best place to get one. Is it best to order from Brooks England themselves or is there a better place here in the US to get one from?

(I just want to make sure that I don't get a "fake" Brooks.)

B17 Narrow Brown is what I'm looking for.

Ebay is best. You can buy a lightly used one for a good discount or a new one at less than list cost.

I have been very happy with the service at Rivendell Bicycles. Some people scoff at the way they espouse their philosophy (traditional steel bicycles). But they do sell Brooks (I bought mine from them), and are known for quality bicycles and products.

The link for their saddle site is:
Rivendell Seat products

In addition to what has already been recommended, Wall Bike has a 6 month unconditional return policy:

https://www.wallbike.com/Brookssaddles.html

+1

If you're going to buy online you should buy from a place that has a 6 month return policy: Wallbike.com

For any reason, you don't want the seat, return it and Wallbike will refund your money or exchange it for another Brooks. You can't beat that with a bat.

If you need the return policy, consider wallbike.

If you don't, buy from one of the UK sellers - wiggle, chainreaction, etc.

Just get it from Nashbar. They usually have the best price. They put Brooks on sale all the time, and there are plenty of online coupons to cut your price more. If you need the return policy then buy from Wallbike. They're good people.

wallbikes.....good prices and 6 month return policy....

+2

+1 on wallbike.com. My B17 felt perfect the first time I sat on it, but it was nice to know that I had the 6-month return period.

I bought a Brooks Flyer pre-aged from Chainreaction cycles. I think I paid a little more than half (including shipping) for what it retails for at other places. Off hand I don't remember the price though.

+1 on wallbike

See if your LBS can get you one. Buy local.

My LBS has them in stock, but I can't imagine that too many people are shelling out the inflated prices they're asking. Buying local is a good strategy for some items; like a bike, where you'll often get the benefit of service and repair at a discount. It's not always so hot for accessories.

DT RR1.1 32h rim - LBS cost = $109, before tax. Online $79 with free shipping.
Carradice Pendle - PWC/Wallbike cost = doesn't matter because they're always out of stock. Wiggle (UK) cost $54 (added a couple items and got free shipping; it arrived faster by international post than a jersey I ordered from a company in Georgia. Not Georgia, the former Soviet Republic. Georgia, in the USA.)

Make sure you really, really want the Narrow. I had one I tried to break in for several months but finally had to give up when it became obvious that my discomfort was well beyond "normal" and I was risking serious deep tissue damage. I broke down and installed a regular B 17 and it was fine. Just a little saddle sore over the first 100-200 miles and now it's great and getting better all the time! Good luck.

I'm scared of Nashbar. Just like others that I've read about on the 'net, I've had the same trouble with them.... seems they had (have?) their doors open (security wise) for third parties. After buying from them, my card number was stolen and I had to go through the crappy process to get it changed (which also meant changing it all over the place because it was my "shopping" card).

Here's an article:
https://bikeportland.org/2009/07/22/p...mers-affected/

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/563121-nashbar-customers-beware.html


There's many other articles also.

Nashbar is where I had planned on getting mine, but after finding all that out... I just can't.

Wallbike. My Swift came quickly and that return policy just can't be beat.

No matter where you buy it, if you don't like it, Craigslist or eBay (or Bikeforums) can serve as your "return policy". You'd be able to sell it within a week, probably within ten bucks of what you paid for it.

Just do the secure online credit card number offered by Discover and other credit card companies and then you don't have to worry. If you do that, the number that you use will only be good at Nashbar -- and the people who are stealing cc numbers are not looking to buy bike parts.

+1
Bank of America also offers the service.
After having some slimeball getting my AmEx info and racking up >$1000 of bogus charges before AmEx caught on and stopped them, I now use *only* temporary CC numbers online.