new B17 saddle
 

I put my new B17 on my Trek 7000 last night. Right now I have it set up so I'm sitting pretty straight up, but it has an adjustable handlebar stem, so I can lean it forward and lean forward more.

I notice if I'm leaning forward versus sitting up straighter, the saddle feels quite a bit different. The shift in how I'm sitting changes what part of my body is on the saddle. How do you know you're sitting on the saddle the "right" way?

My commute is only 2 miles, so I could ride on a piece of cardboard and not really care. I need to wait until I'm feeling better to go on my longer morning ride, and that should answer the question about whether sitting up straighter is going to be comfortable or if I should got back to leaning forward more.

You know it's right, when you stay firmly planted, don't slide fore or aft, don't rock side to side, and cant feel it anywhere but under your sit bones.

Hmm.. it felt right when I was sitting up straighter, but that seemed contrary to the style of riding that this saddle was intended for. But when one has never ridden a saddle on their sit bones, how does one know that they're on them?

Slide back as far as you can, on the saddle, without rubbing the back of your thighs on the wide part of the saddle. When sitting up, you should have your weight on your sit bones. When leaning forward, bend at the waist; try not to rock your pelvis forward. This takes some getting used to.
I'm not very flexible so it took me weeks to get comfortable in a more aggressive posture.

Well, after only a week of riding it, I was dreading getting on my bicycle in the morning. After I did my morning 17 mile ride, I couldn't imagine going on any longer trips on this saddle. To top it off, I was still having slight numbness issues (which is why I bought the saddle to being with). So I contacted wallbike and I'm exchanging it for a B67. I'm hoping the wider saddle will help my numbness issues, and the springs might soften the ride up a bit.. my old saddle gave over the bumps, I noticed after I swapped them out it has some kind of spring mechanism built into the saddle.

I sold my B17N and got a WTB Laser V SLT. The Brooks was a failed experiment for me. It was way too much torture to endure to wear it in. The lack of cutout/channel in the middle was a huge issue for me: chafing along the perineum and numbness, plus I was sliding either backward or forward, just couldn't get it right. The WTB saddle has leather on top, some padding, etc. but its shape suits me much better. I did an overnight tour on it, 65 miles each way and I had zero problems. I even rode back home all day wearing unpadded tights and I didn't have to worry about my butt, no chafing, no numbness, no discomfort during and after the ride. I got on my commuter bike on Monday without feeling anything from the weekend ride. I can't imagine what it would take to wear the Brooks in and why would I want to put up with it.

I like my B17. At first, it was very slippery and rock hard, but the slipperiness soon wore away and eventually the leather softened. Now it's my most comfortable saddle.

In my case, it took about 100 miles for the slipperiness to wear off, and about 1000 miles to break in the leather. In terms of time, that translates into about 2 days for the slipperiness and a month for the break-in.

Yikes. With my lousy 15 mile commute R/T that would take all summer....

Well, to be fair, it was in March when it was still cold. Apparently, they break in much faster when it's warmer. Plus, I only weigh 140lbs. A heavier rider might be able to break it in faster too.

My B17 is the most comfortable saddle I own. It took awhile to break in but it was worth the torture. I know riders who just never felt right on a Brooks yet they ride on things that make my taint hurt after less than a mile.

Regarding the 'break in' period on leather saddles:

They will get more comfortable over time, but should not be uncomfortable when brand new and properly adjusted.
The best explanation I can give against anyone who says it takes hundreds of miles to break in a Brooks saddle before it gets comfortable is this...
Would you buy a pair of shoes that you had to suffer 100 miles of blisters and hotspots before they became comfortable for daily wear? Hell no. Then why should your saddle be any different?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I did about 400 miles and gave up. 1000 miles? No way I could do that!

Adam

Amen brother! I'm on my second B-17 in a year, and I love it. I got my first one last March, put about 2000 miles on it, and then moved it to my hybrid and got a new one for the commuter. 20-40 miles later, the new one is just as comfortable as the old one. I now have about 150 miles on the new one, and was riding it without padded shorts for 10-15 miles at a shot with only 50 miles on it.
So, if a Brooks isn't at least relatively comfortable as soon as you put it on your bike, it isn't the saddle for you. The idea that it takes 500-1000 miles to break a saddle in is just crazy.

D

If you favor sitting bolt upright the B67 will feel phenominal. Not a cushion mind you, but it is superbly comfortable and bounces solidly thrice when going over bumps. It'll feel great for the right riding scenario.

That said, I have a B17 and the first couple of times I rode it, it was killer on my fun bits but it seems that I was in the wrong orientation (trying to sit bolt upright), once placed on my fixed w/ bullhorns the forward cant of body and reach to the bars made the saddle feel pretty great.

That said, Adam is right about what can happen without the cutout for many folks but there is a B17 Imperial model that has that cut out. I have no firsthand experience with that but I suspect it will be a godsend for many.

If it is leaned too far forward, your hands & wrists will hurt.

If it is too far backward, your nuggers or prostate area will hurt. The key is to find the happy medium. For me and one other guy at least, it takes an adjustment now & then during break-in to find just the right spot.

I have a Flyer, which is a sprung B17.

On two bikes I have the B17 standard, which I have loved from the first mile. On my "road" bike that I use for group rides, I have a B17 Champion Special, which took a few miles to be completely comfortable, but it felt pretty good to start. It also took me about 5 saddles to figure out that the Brooks B17 was my saddle. The second B17 standard I bought from a friend that hated it, and I have another friend that has one and took it off after 200 miles or so - he also hated it.

Saddles are very personal - one saddle is not for everyone. Unfortunately you have to try a few before you find one that you love.

Saying 'saddles are very personal' is well & fine, but around here, I'd say over 85% of us like Brooks.

Yea, that's pretty much how I ride on my bike. If I had a road bike, I believe the B17 would be for me. It was 10 mm narrower than my stock saddle, and based on how I was on it, my sit bones were at such a point that I think I had pressure where I didn't want it.

Well yea, but Brooks is a brand with a large variety of saddles. If my B67 does what I hope it will, I'll be a Brooks fan. I won't be a B17 fan.

But I'm not willing to spend $100+ again to give another Brooks a try if I have a saddle that is perfectly comfortable. A saddle shouldn't take 1000 miles to wear in, that's just not reasonable.

When I look back on my first Brooks thread this was how I felt, after I first installed it.

It took less than 200 miles to get basically "comfortable" with the B-17 I bought (basically comfortable meaning I felt as good on the Brooks as i felt on my old saddle). Everything after that is just gravy, right?

Now I have the original B-17 I bought and an Imperial. The Imperial felt awesome the first time I put my butt on it and I liked it so much, I laced and cut-out my original B-17, also.

Just curious Adam: How much do you weigh? Did you treat it with Proofide during break-in, as recommended? How much weight, percentage-wise goes on your butt on your bike?

On my Flyer, it was completely uncomfortable for the first 20-50 miles or so. I could only ride short rides for that period. Now, it is at around 170 miles and is already more comfortable than stock, and as comfortable as any other "high end" saddle I've had. (usually gel models) Since it is sprung, I figure it will take twice as long to fully break in compared to a standard model, since the springs are absorbing some energy that the leather would otherwise absorb. So when folks say it will take 1000 miles, I think that is to be fully broken in. But it should be usable for longer rides after 50 miles or so.

Is it possible you didn't have it angled right? They are different compared to padded saddles. Too far forward, and you'll be sliding off and having huge weight on your hands & wrists. Too far back, and you'll get perineal pressure that hurts the prostate area. It's got to be perfect for a Brooks.

Sorry to hear it didn't work for you. Forgive us Brooks fans who are so pushy. It is just that we are so happy with them, it is hard for us to imagine they wouldn't work for everyone.

I'm 190lbs and yes, I applied the proofhide to both sides. After nearly 400 miles the saddle still felt like a piece of wood and my perineum was in pain. I spent lots of time tweaking the position and the angle to no avail. The problem for me was mainly the lack of cutout/channel in the middle. Although my sitbones did hurt more than I'd like. Maybe I'd be happier with a different Brooks model, but like I said the new WTB saddle works fine for me so I'm not looking forward to another saddle experiment. I believe that I works for you :D I emailed Brooks and they said it would take closer to 1000 miles to wear it in and I gave up, I was ready for that.

I am a clyde and an occasional commuter with my first B17 on a vintage road bike. The first time I rode on my saddle, I swore that eventually all of my bikes will have a Brooks of the appropriate model. I loved it out of the box. It was the most comfortable saddle I have ever owned. It may not be for everyone, but it is surely for me. Next I think will come a B67 for my hybrid. Keep us updated on how the wider saddle works for you in a more upright position.

Yes, that's what I meant when I said it took 1000 miles to break in mine. At first, the saddle felt hard but not terribly uncomfortable. Kind of like a bad road bike seat. After a couple hundred miles, it was a little better. After 500 miles, it was better still. By 1000 miles, I could see the dimples in the leather from my "sit bones" and, more importantly, could feel that the saddle had really conformed to my shape. TBH, I didn't think the break-in period was that bad. I'm considering doing it again for my other bike.