Brooks B-67 w/ drops
 

I am contemplating getting a used b-67. However, I have heard this saddle is more for an upright riding position. My handlebars are a little lower than my seat currently. Will this saddle work in the drops? I am a female, about 5'7" and 115ish. And I can't get a different style for the same as this one. Thanks!

Also I am not a super aggressive cyclist or anything. I'll only be commuting around 5 miles but it will be hilly. I don't mind about weight, only about the comfort factor.

That saddle is a dreadnought at 205mm wide, it's meant for upright riding - like a horse saddle. Frankly, I can't rotate forward correctly on a B-17, and it's sleek compared to a B-67. Of course, if you are one of those riders who slides forward and 'rides the nose' for power I suppose you can get away with virtually anything. For me, that saddle would be a nightmare...and I have a large male frame.

B67 is an excellent choice for comfort. Since comfort is your priority, have you considered replacing the drops for a more relaxed upright handlebar arrangement? That will work in conjunction with the B67 to deliver a far more comfortable riding posture than the pseudo racing position promoted by bicycling aficionados and LBS salesmen.

LOL, nicely done Grant...(forgeting the 10 million+ US riders who ride dropbars).

How about a Brooks Champion Flyer?

It's basically a B-17 with springs for added suspension/comfort, and while the B-17 is designed more for touring bikes than for road racing bikes (with drop bars at/slightly above saddle height), my (broken in) B-17 works fine on my bike with the drop bars slightly below saddle height.

Edit: sorry, I guess I skipped over the part where you mentioned the price factor. Still, whenever someone asks about using a B-67 with drop bars, I normally direct them to a Champion Flyer instead. Or I direct them to upright straight/riser/swept back bars if they're adamant about using a B-67 instead.

That high number may represent the number of bicycles equipped with drop bars. I suspect the number of cyclists who routinely ride in the drops outside of racing and perhaps occasionally when touring, is an insignificant fraction of that number. Recommending riding in the drops and other racing oriented BS for a 5 mile ride when comfort is a primary concern shows the negative influence of the racing club crowd on the conventional bicycling wisdom proffered by self proclaimed bicycling experts.

I don't think it's likely to work...if you find you don't like it, send me a message and we can do a trade. I don't like wider saddles with drops and most have felt the same way. Give it a try and see what happens is the best advice. Saddles are extremely personal, there is no good or bad, just what works for you. A lot of women also find that they don't like Brooks saddles.

As to the handlebar suggestion, this is a highly personal issue and also relates to how many miles you want to ride. For long distances, drops are better for most (not all) people because they have more hand positions and are more adjustable. Drops are almost always a better choice for going up or down hills.

The comment above about people being easily mis-lead sheep who use drops because of a racing conspiracy is ridiculous, elitist silliness. People aren't idiots - most folks know what works for them and what they want. What shops sell reflect that. There are people out there convinced that their choices are somehow better for others, and the only way to justify that logic is by assuming the other person is less knowledgeable and has been misled. Drops are popular because, for most people, they make more sense. It's also a pain to get out of your saddle and get up (or down) hills with more upright bars. In short, more upright bars are typically only better for flat, short rides. Drops usually are more versatile.

It MIGHT be that a more upright bar is better for you, but saddles are easier to change out than bars/levers. The intelligent choice is to change the saddle before changing the bars. Another potential solution is to change the stem for a higher one and using drops with a more upright position.

I enjoy my B68(the un-sprung version of the B67), but I tour in a relatively upright position with my saddle at the same height as my bars. I spend most of my time on the hoods. If you spend a lot of time in the drops, you might find a B-17 more comfortable.

My wife's bike is configured just as you describe: her drop handlebars are slightly lower than her B67 saddle. She is exactly your height, and like you, is not interested in aggressive riding. To extend the comparison, she also has a 5-mile-each-way commute. She loves her saddle. Listen to no one who tells you it will not work. It might work wonderfully, or it might not. You won't know until you try.

I currently have this seat: http://www.wtb.com/products/saddles/...tion/speedshe/ and I hate it! It really hurts right where my sit bones are. If that helps at all.

Getting a saddle that won't work is to me, not a deal. I'm definitely up for different suggestions and such. I just changed stems to a shorter one in length and I love my drops. When I say comfort is important, that's relative. I don't want a completely upright riding position as speed is important to me. Is there any way to know whether this seat would work for me before buying it? I'm a student and have pretty limited funds. I of course would be willing to wait to see a deal on a saddle that would work better for my purposes.

The thing about this saddle is that I am currently out of state and wouldn't be able to test it on my bike. That's probably why it is a lot cheaper as in my area it would get sold quickly.

If you don't think this seat would work, which ones would you recommend for seat above the handlebars?

Any info on the colt as there is one in my area.

Also where are good CHEAP places to buy online? Thanks!!!

Thirdplanet,

You could buy your Brooks from these guys http://www.wallbike.com/catalog/saddles, they have a money back guarantee.

"We guarantee you will be satisfied with your new leather saddle by giving a SIX MONTH UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE on all new saddles from Brooks and Berthoud." You cannot go wrong here. For the price of shipping you can have peace of mind.

They have a stellar reputation in the cycling community, been around for a long time.

I just purchased a B67 on Saturday and I have to say it is one comfy saddle but then again I am using an upright Nitto Albatross bar. As you will hear time and time again, saddles are such a personal thing. What works for you may not work for someone else and vice versa.

Gee, I don't race and my handlebars are the same height as my saddle yet I prefer drop bars. Have I been brainwashed by the elitist bike-racing crowd? I thought it was just a comfort, practicality and fit issue. Personally I like drops for riding into the wind and simply having another position to change to on long rides. It's amazing how some people think that works for them MUST work for everyone else.

All one has to do is look to Europe, where long-term touring/trekking/expedition-riding is more mature, and drop bars are virtually non-existent except on bikes explicitly used for racing purposes.

You won't know until you try. On my shopping bike/daily commuter the handlebar currently is lower than the B66 saddle; unlike this photo. Before that, I used the saddle on a bike with an even bigger height difference. That worked as well. But I have wide hips. And on both bike the distance between saddle and handlebars is not as big as it is on the bikes I ride with drop bars.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...februari-c.jpg

nice ride ... i always dig the strap protection on the rear wheel. some days I really miss my Monark :(

You are 100% correct and the enthusiast/competition/racing influenced orientation of this list is obvious to anyone who is not so provincial that he/she thinks that the bike pictures posted by BF enthusiasts on this list and other BF lists are in any way representative of the cycling choices/preferences of the general public. And is even less representative of the bikes likely to be practical fof most future converts to cycle commuting

I have pretty narrow hips and I am small. I think I'm just going to wait until I am home to try some out at a bike shop. However, someone told me that if you buy a used one, it will be molded to someone else's butt. Sort of like how birks mold to your feet. It seems it would be a lot better to buy new for this sort of thing. Anyone have opinions on buying a used saddle?

And I am going to stick with my drops. I like them! The arguing is sort of beside the point...

Im just down river from PDX, Wet as it is the majority of the year ,
my brooks saddles, have not been on the bikes I leave locked on the street .

short trips , a 'Pleather' saddle covering dense foam ones are just more practical.

+ now that Brooks are fashionable and expensive they are theft prone.

buying a used leather saddle is like buying a used bike..
you need to do a case by case inspection for condition, 1st hand.

I don't know. I have a B-17 on my drop bar bike, and love it to death. I have a B-68 (B-67 without springs) on my mountain bike, which is a more upright ride, and like it to. But I couldn't imagine using the B68 on a drop bar bike, unless the distance between your seat bones was EXTREMELY large.

The Colt is almost the exact opposite -- very narrow. I'll second the recommendation to buy from Wallbike, and a regular B17 is where I'd start the process.

That said, if "CHEAP" is a priority, Brooks saddles may not be for you. Used Brooks saddles can be hit-or-miss: the former owner may not have taken good care of it, or their sitbones may have been different enough that the indentations are uncomfortable for you.

- Scott

I love my drops, too -- I spend most of my commute in them. That must be the racing-culture-brainwashing talking. :lol:

I will say this, if you try the B67 and don't like the saddle, I'm sure you won't have trouble getting rid of it. But you won't really get the "full experience" without a set of North Woods style bars! :rolleyes:

I feel this is off base.
Flat bar and other "upright" handlebar styles tend to offer a single hand position, and for myself and many others riding in a single hand position for even a few miles causes severe discomfort (For me, pinched nerves causing pain to radiate from my ring fingers to shoulders while riding, which would persist for sometimes hours after riding). Drop bars with hooded brakes offer the greatest amount of hand positions, superior in this regard to even trekking bars and bullhorns.
As well, drop bars and an upright riding position are not mutually exclusive. Many people set up their drop bars with the drop position even with or above saddle level.
Obviously we all have our own opinion on what type of bar is most comfortable, but IMHO to say recommending drop bars for comfort is "Racing oriented BS" is BS in and of itself.

This sounds more like a frame geometry issue ... meaning it sounds like you need a different geometry and that you're attempting to compensate for this with drop bars. why do you think that the issue is in the hand position and radiating to the shoulders, versus being in the shoulder and radiating to the hands?