With everything else on the bike, it is personal preference. I have found my Brooks saddles (B-17 and B-67) to be the most comfortable for the bikes I ride.

Some people don't find them to be very comfortable, and that's fine.

I have a Brooks B67. I ride 100 miles a week, year round, and I was wearing out saddles every few years. I bought my Brooks for durability, not particularly caring about comfort - I hate having to buy things, and I wanted something that would last.

To my surprise, it has been the most comfortable saddle I have owned. I got the pre-aged version, so no need for obscure sorcery with Proofhide and stuff. Also, the honey-color one is compatible with white pants.

Paul

the REAL problem, though is finding white patent leather shoes that accept cleats.
;)

+1,000. :D

I could write about mine (kinda mixed so far, actually), but I gotta go back to work. Maybe later.

It is expensive and tedious to search for a good saddle, so when I tried a Brooks B-17 and discovered how well it suited me, I stopped looking. I am sure that somewhere there is a lightweight saddle that fits me just as fine, but I can't be bothered to spend the money or endure the pain to find it.

But there is more to a saddle than a good fit: One thing I really like about my Brooks B-17 saddles are the fact that I in all likelihood can buy the exact same B-17 model ten years from now. For marketing reasons saddle makers replace their models with regular intervals, and historically that have often meant that the new saddle versions differed so much that it didn't fit many who liked its predecessor. (Turbomatic series comes to mind), or the model is simply scrapped. In both cases one has to start an entire new search for a replacement saddle, or really stock up of the model you like before it is too late.

Several years ago at while I was at my LBS, a Euro Pro rider from Team CSC came into the shop with a huge bag of sponsor saddles; it turned out that that years new saddle models didn't suit him at all, so he wanted to exchange them for old models. My LBS happily obliged since they had the old model in stock. He was lucky that there still was old stock to be had.

I also find that my Brook B-17 saddles are cheap over the long run, since they are so durable: My Selle Italia Turbomatic and my San Marco Rolls saddle didn't last that long: When the foam gets too compressed the saddle is done for. A thin "leather" cover also gets worn to pieces at some point. I also like that they have no chafing stitches or painted on logos that gets worn and looks ugly after a while.

Here in the EU, a Brooks B-17 is also priced competitively compared to many entry level brand name saddles from Fizik, Selle Italia etc. All in all the B-17 is good value, long lasting, very comfortable, good looking even when used a lot, and the model has been in production a long time, and probably will be in the future too.

There are also things I don't like with my Brooks B-17's; they start to creak sometimes, their rails are very short, so I need seat posts with lots of setback to sit correctly. You can destroy one by riding in heavy downpour for many hours (the water, pressure and heat can cause it to become an "ass hatchet" as Jobst Brandt so poetically described it.), they stained my khaki shorts (a new black B-17, I don't know if it is something they stop doing when used), they are somewhat heavy.

OTHO, I never had any problems with "breaking it in" They fitted me from the start, and only improved by use.

--
Regards

If I was doing a long distance tour ,then I would consider Brooks saddle.. but for everyday commuting ? No way. I have been using WTB Speed V and I like it for up to 100 miles rides. Bike thieves /crackheads love Brooks saddles...I hope all you people that have Brooks saddles secure them really well.

That's a good point. I commute on a Brooks but I get to keep my bike inside...

My commute has zero pain cave mud sprints.

Does your brevet bike set up for all-day comfort have the contact points (bars, saddle, pedals) in a very different position?

This.

For me, it's a combination of comfort, quality, and style. I have an OLD B72 on my Trek and a brand spanking new B67 on my Breezer. The Breezer got a new Brooks before it even left the shop. I find them incredibly comfy to ride on and couldn't imagine riding without it.

Six saddles, same bike, OW, OW, OW, OW, Almoooost, Brooks=aaaaahh.

I have a Brooks B68 on one bike, and a bunch of plastic saddles on my other bikes. Whenever I'll be doing a very long ride, I invariably choose the bike with the Brooks. I can do 80 miles on a Brooks, and be none the worse for wear. I can't say that for any of my other saddles. My best plastic and foam saddle is barely comfortable enough for my 30-mile round trip commute. When that saddle wears out, it'll be replaced with a Brooks.

Durability is also a big selling point of the Brooks. When you buy a foam stuffed saddle, it's the best it's ever going to feel. It's all downhill from there, as the foam breaks down. My Brooks started off feeling very good, and it's only gotten better with use. Years from now, my Brooks will be even more comfortable.

A Brooks is more comfortable and a better value in the long run. It's kind of a no-brainer for people who do a lot of bike riding.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...9-19-56_56.jpg

There's something to be said about friction, too. You'll get sores and blisters if you are rubbing "things" together constantly... with a leather saddle, it is smooth and slippery so your shorts are free to move around, no more abrasion on your skin.

True. No butt pimples when I ride on my Brooks. And I can wear pretty much anything I want. No cycling specific shorts required for anything but long distance rides.

It took a few days to get used to riding on a slippery seat, but once I became willing to ride with the nose up a tad, everything kind of came together.

Yup. This is important on a brooks. Make sure the part where your sit bones actually are, are level with the ground... It's a few degrees of "nose up"

I found a few conventional saddles that I was very happy with (racing), but could not ride them more than a few miles without chamois.

I've done 60 milers on my Brooks B-17N and Swift in complete comfort in mid-thigh running shorts with no chamois.

YMMV.

There's something about a leather saddle that it gives just the right amount of hardness for comfortable riding. A softer saddle cuts off circulation over a larger part of the body, which leads to discomfort. A harder saddle localizes the pressure too much, creating discomfort at two spots.

Aside from that, leather breathes. I think that's more important than the hardness issue. Since the leather breathes, it keeps you relatively cool and not particularly sweaty.

But the biggest payoff is on long rides. I can ride a few miles on any saddle, and it really doesn't matter much. For fifty or a hundred miles, leather is much better.

I really didn't believe the hype about leather saddles, but my friend gave me an old Brooks Professional, and after breaking the nose on a cheapo plastic saddle (ow my ass), I went ahead and put it on, after some reconditioning, since it was paid for. Wow what a difference. Now I'm trying to figure out how to afford to put a B66 on my touring bike. They really add smoothness without absorbing too much momentum.

I love my brooks swift. It is very comfortable and looks great on my bike. I don't think they are the be all, end all saddle for everyone. I think they are best for a more upright position which is where you really should be on a really long ride. I find when I'm in the drops, it can be a bit hard on the middle soft tissue. I've adjusted the angle. Nose up too much and its uncomfortable in the drops, nose down too much and you're sliding forward. The anatomica and other saddles with more of a "relief channel" might be better suited from some uses, but its hard to go really wrong with a Brooks for most use.

Oddly, it was a WTB Speed V I couldn't *wait* to get off my hybridized MTB and get a proper B-17 on it. They fit me (after careful adjustments) perfectly from the get go. When I recently got my Brompton ML6 folder, I wanted to try their well thought of seat with the built in underseat handle for transport. Miserable saddle for me (though lots of Brommies seem to like them fine. I installed a new B-17 and it was good to go out of the box.

These plastic framed, gel-padded, vinyl covered saddles are a joke. You can get a Brooks in whatever configuration you need. Added bonus, no silly pants or cream slathered around your bum. You can ride in well fitted undies and shorts. Get your fedora on and you can go total hipster doofus. ;)

I put a brand new honey Brooks Professional on a bike at the start of a year long bicycle tour. Some comedian at Brooks had stamped "Pre-softened" into the leather. What a joker - the thing was like iron. For two weeks it was as painful as a painful thing. Riding down the west coast of the S. Island of New Zealand I came across a bushman's store that sold lots of furry items made from possum skin - including a possum skin bicycle seat cover. Before anyone gets all sniffy about wildlife conservation - I should add that possums in NZ are a real menace and are widely considered a real environmental pest. They have no natural predators and breed worse than rabbits, chomping their way through thousands of tons of forest every night. The government pays people to control them. So, I bought a two inch thick possum skin seat cover and used it for the next few weeks. On occasion I would ride into a town, stop outside a cafe where there were attractive young ladies eating, get off my bike and say "Sshhh" and then point at the saddle and whisper "he's sleeping". Great icebreaker and always got a laugh.

The dead possum was a wonderful cushion and within a few hundred miles the Brooks was as comfortable as an old sofa. Now that it's properly softened up I wouldn't trade it for the world and it will easily outlast me. I wax the top surface with tan boot polish and feed the underside with boiled linseed oil from time to time. Very few products in this world are still made in exactly the same way as they were 100 years ago. Persevere with a Brooks and you'll never want another saddle.

Good Post..Thanks

Leather saddles provide you with crank points that you can exchange for hipster points at a local privately owned coffee shop.... lol

I finally started riding Brooks saddles about 2 1/2 years ago and they were comfortable right away. And, since I am a cyclist without porn star proportions, I have never had a problem with the numbing of the nether regions.

Both of my 79 Raleigh Competition GS sport Brooks.. and IMO, they are super cool ;)
No, I don't ride with the seat that high. I was in adjusting mode when I took these pics.. ;)

http://www.cehoward.net/newral131.jpg

http://www.cehoward.net/newral132.jpg