Brooks break-in question
03-14-12, 01:50 PM
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Brooks break-in question
First of all, it's an actual Brooks-brand Brooks 
I bought it off craigslist slightly used. The original owner said he couldn't break it in. He suspects he was sitting to far back.
It's breaking in fine as far as my sits bones are concerned. But I am still having pressing/chaffing in the "taint" and scrotum. This was my problem with padded saddles.I know this is a softer area so break-in for this might take longer. Or will it? Should I have gotten a Brooks with a cut-out? If so, I've read of people who cut out their saddle with a sharp knife. Anyone done this?
I bought it off craigslist slightly used. The original owner said he couldn't break it in. He suspects he was sitting to far back.
It's breaking in fine as far as my sits bones are concerned. But I am still having pressing/chaffing in the "taint" and scrotum. This was my problem with padded saddles.I know this is a softer area so break-in for this might take longer. Or will it? Should I have gotten a Brooks with a cut-out? If so, I've read of people who cut out their saddle with a sharp knife. Anyone done this?
03-14-12, 01:53 PM
#2
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Brooks saddles do not work for everyone.
Mine has not.. I can only ride it for 70 miles.
Mine has not.. I can only ride it for 70 miles.
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03-14-12, 02:03 PM
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First of all, it's an actual Brooks-brand Brooks
I bought it off craigslist slightly used. The original owner said he couldn't break it in. He suspects he was sitting to far back.
It's breaking in fine as far as my sits bones are concerned. But I am still having pressing/chaffing in the "taint" and scrotum. This was my problem with padded saddles.I know this is a softer area so break-in for this might take longer. Or will it? Should I have gotten a Brooks with a cut-out? If so, I've read of people who cut out their saddle with a sharp knife. Anyone done this?
I bought it off craigslist slightly used. The original owner said he couldn't break it in. He suspects he was sitting to far back.
It's breaking in fine as far as my sits bones are concerned. But I am still having pressing/chaffing in the "taint" and scrotum. This was my problem with padded saddles.I know this is a softer area so break-in for this might take longer. Or will it? Should I have gotten a Brooks with a cut-out? If so, I've read of people who cut out their saddle with a sharp knife. Anyone done this?
You can carve up Brooks saddles as much as you like...they are called 'Butchered Brooks'...but I'd suggest lowing the saddle first.
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Stuart Black
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Days of Wineless Roads. Bed and Breakfasting along the KATY
Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
03-14-12, 02:09 PM
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You can also try tilting the nose of the saddle down very slightly. You'll be surprised at how minute adjustments will make a huge difference.
If you tilt the nose down too much, you may end up finding yourself sliding down the front of the saddle while riding.
If you tilt the nose down too much, you may end up finding yourself sliding down the front of the saddle while riding.
03-14-12, 02:14 PM
#5
Banned
Selle anatomica do that , the saddle becomes 2 strips of leather that act
independently, with each leg.
of USA cows rather than UK, EU cowhide.
independently, with each leg.
of USA cows rather than UK, EU cowhide.
Last edited by fietsbob; 03-14-12 at 02:18 PM.
03-14-12, 02:41 PM
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I have a Team Pro and I've found I am happiest when it is adjusted as close as possible to dead level.
03-14-12, 02:50 PM
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Brooks can be surprisingly sensitive to saddle angle. A two-bolt seatpost will let you set and hold infinitessimal adjustments, which make micro-adjustments seem gargantuan.
03-14-12, 05:22 PM
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Agreed. I know there are a lot of people who advise tilting the saddle up, but mine are all dead level and I have no discomfort. OP sounds like he might have his angled upwards.
03-14-12, 05:26 PM
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My first Brooks B17 after 400+ miles was still like a brick, sold it. Then I got the Imperial with the cutout and this one is sweet. It only took a few rides to adjust it and no real braking in to speak of, pretty comfortable from the beginning. I did some 40 mile rides on it and I wasn't even once thinking about my butt during those rides. And yeah, I had to tilt the nose up, it took tweaking to get it right.
03-14-12, 06:20 PM
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Did you lower the saddle when you installed it? Brooks tend to be taller than other kinds of saddles and thus need to be lowered a little when first installed.
You can carve up Brooks saddles as much as you like...they are called 'Butchered Brooks'...but I'd suggest lowing the saddle first.
You can carve up Brooks saddles as much as you like...they are called 'Butchered Brooks'...but I'd suggest lowing the saddle first.
i've found that lowering the seatpost by as much as and inch and a half was necessary when switching from my Brooks to a newer carbon saddle. YMMV.
03-14-12, 08:46 PM
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My seat post doesn't have angle adjustment. I'll try lowering it. I do tend to keep it fairly high. That may be the trick. Then, if that doesn't work, I'll look into a better seat post.
No, chefisaac, I don't wear bike shorts.
Thanks for the tips! And, I'll definitely NOT go cutting on my saddle without doing some major research first.
No, chefisaac, I don't wear bike shorts.
Thanks for the tips! And, I'll definitely NOT go cutting on my saddle without doing some major research first.
03-14-12, 10:03 PM
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I would seriously consider getting a new seatpost that allows angle adjustment. I've also found that tiny angle adjustments make a huge difference in comfort with Brooks. Very counterintuitively it's often a slight angle up. For me that allows you to not slide forward and put pressure where you don't want it.
I ended up picking up a salsa seat post https://salsacycles.com/components/shaft_seatpost/ that allows you to adjust angle separately because it was such a pain getting it just right with my old one.
I ended up picking up a salsa seat post https://salsacycles.com/components/shaft_seatpost/ that allows you to adjust angle separately because it was such a pain getting it just right with my old one.
03-15-12, 07:54 AM
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My seat post doesn't have angle adjustment. I'll try lowering it. I do tend to keep it fairly high. That may be the trick. Then, if that doesn't work, I'll look into a better seat post.
No, chefisaac, I don't wear bike shorts.
Thanks for the tips! And, I'll definitely NOT go cutting on my saddle without doing some major research first.
No, chefisaac, I don't wear bike shorts.
Thanks for the tips! And, I'll definitely NOT go cutting on my saddle without doing some major research first.
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
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Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Days of Wineless Roads. Bed and Breakfasting along the KATY
Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
Stuart Black
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Days of Wineless Roads. Bed and Breakfasting along the KATY
Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
03-15-12, 08:50 AM
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True. It's hard to believe there is no angle adjustment. It may be awkward and crude, but it ought to be there.
03-15-12, 08:58 AM
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Paradoxically, you can also try tilting it up a bit, as that tends to slide you back onto the fat part. Often if you see pictures of people's Brooks on BF, they are tilted slightly up.
03-15-12, 09:00 AM
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Oops, third!
03-15-12, 10:51 AM
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I've actually got an old SunTour seatpost that doesn't have angle adjustment on it. It keeps the saddle totally level.
03-15-12, 10:56 AM
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Bottom line, they take a long time to break in. You can try loosening the bolt on the saddle. Sheldon Brown has a suggestion for basically soaking the entire saddle in oil to help with the break in period.
If you didn't get a Brooks with a cutout, you can perform some 'minor surgery' and do the cutout yourself. This should be a last resort as the procedure is obviously non-reversible.
If your seat post has zero angle adjustment, I suggest buying another one. Velo Orange has a pretty nice 'no frills' seat post for $25.
If you didn't get a Brooks with a cutout, you can perform some 'minor surgery' and do the cutout yourself. This should be a last resort as the procedure is obviously non-reversible.
If your seat post has zero angle adjustment, I suggest buying another one. Velo Orange has a pretty nice 'no frills' seat post for $25.
03-15-12, 11:36 AM
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Prefers Cicero
03-15-12, 01:14 PM
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Which model of Brooks did you get? Both my B17 and B17S have a flat-ish spot where I can put my sit-bones without any perineal pressure. The saddles are still both low-miles, so I actually hope they don't "break in" much more! 
03-15-12, 01:35 PM
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I was having a similar issue with my B17S, I had followed the traditional advice of putting mine nose up a little bit, which was tantamount to ball destruction for me. A little tweaking the angle down and perfecto. Oh and I also can't believe that seatpost truly has no angle adjustment..
03-15-12, 04:32 PM
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A Brooks is very sensitive to the overall fit of the bike as others have said. Small adjustments make a big difference. I fine tuned mine over the Winter while I had it on a trainer. I found that I had my seat too high causing me pain in the taintal region. I also made sure the seat was positioned properly for me as far as setback and angle was concerned. Mine is very slightly tilted up. I road outside today and it felt absolutely amazing. I was also wearing Levis. My seat has around 900 miles on it now and feels great.
Check your seat height as someone else mentioned. I was shocked at how much too high I actually was. I was rocking and didn't realize it.
Check your seat height as someone else mentioned. I was shocked at how much too high I actually was. I was rocking and didn't realize it.
03-16-12, 01:12 PM
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Did I say my seat post doesn't have angle adjustment? You must have misunderstood me. What I meant to say was... "DUHHH!"
I found the angle adjustment! Thanks guys, that's gonna do it, i think. Took a good ride last night and it felt much better.
I found the angle adjustment! Thanks guys, that's gonna do it, i think. Took a good ride last night and it felt much better.
