I've been trying to break in a Brooks B17 for 850 miles and it's killing me. I just picked up a Terry Liberator and I took it out for a short ride ( 10 miles ) and it didn't feel to bad. Has anybody here toured with a Terry? I just can't believe the Brooks is the only saddle for touring.Thanks for any replys, George

Manufacturer or stated purpose is no guarantee of comfort. If you like the Terry, go for it. If not, keep looking. But I'd sure return the saddle that isn't working for you, if your LBS has a policy about returning equipment.

Good luck -- hope you find your perfect fit soon!

To answer your question: No, I haven't toured with a Terry. I've heard good things about Terry, however.

I've put in a couple thousand miles on a Specialzed saddle with no discomfort.

I haven't toured with it, but used the Terry Liberator for many years and really liked it. I just recently switched to a Koobi Enduro and really like that one too. You really need to go with whatever you find the most comfortable for you.

Get your butt back on that leather and be a Real Cyclist!

Seriously, as posted in our other threads on saddles, Brooks is popular and well-liked, but my no means it is the only saddle used by long-distance cyclists. Nor do they even have a majority of that market.

I believe Terry outsells Brooks by a pretty large margin here in the States. Many LBS don't even carry Brooks.

Now a lot of the anti-Brooks feelings are due to the weight of their saddles. I noticed that you specifically said touring folks, which I believe is the segment that most favors Brooks. Surveys show extremely high satisfaction rates with Brooks. But there is still a lot of variety in preferences. You may have a non-Brooks butt.

Did you see this poll?
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...=lt&poll_id=13

Lots & lots of Brooks fans. But definitely not the only option.

Besides weight, which I find not important, the other drawback to the Brooks line is that even with a set-back seat post, it's sometimes hard to get the saddle far enough back for me...and I've heard that from others.

I have the Liberator on my road bike and love it. I've done several 50+ mile rides on it. I also did the century on it last summer. I've been toying with the idea of switching to the Terry Firefly or Butterfly but why mess with something that works

I also have other Terry saddles on the old hybrids but they were designed for more upright riding.

I have a Brooks Pro, a Brooks b-17 and a Terry Fly. The Pro is far and away the most comfortable, followed by the B-17 then the FLY. I think I am too narrow in the hips for the B-17 and the Terry. THe Terry get numbing after about 30 miles.

I just came back for a short spin with the Brooks and my butt is killing me. I'm trying real hard to make it work, I stopped every few blocks to do minute adjustments and it just wont work. I'm going to put the Terry back on and keep my fingers crossed. Thanks for all the replys, George

George,

What about hiring a masseuse to ride with you? Every few miles, she could give you a massage. Might even be cheaper than buying new saddles all the time.

George, so you've put in 850+ agonizing miles on your Brooks saddle?

That's dedication.

Did you try it the "Will" way? With your bare butt slathered in baby oil?

I have used Terry liberators for the past 5 yrs as my preferred saddle.
They are occasionally on sale at Performance for as low as $30 but
usually more like $45 to 55 depending on version. Although they are
comfortable out to 70-90mi for me, they tend to soften over 3-5 kmi
in the center on either side of the slot and finally are so saggy in
there they have to be replaced. So they have a relatively short
lifespan, for a saddle. I have gone through 3-4 of them over the last
5yrs on three road bikes. Recently tried an E3 (about $60 or so) and
find it acceptable out to 65mi.

What about hiring a masseuse to ride with you? Every few miles, she could give you a massage. Might even be cheaper than buying new saddles all the time.

I like DGs idea the best so far.

I used a Terry saddle for a bit, and found the top to be a bit too rounded for my comfort on long days. I rather like a top that is a bit more flat wide enough for my sit bones to rest on top. Hence, I've also found the padding on the Terry to be a bit too much. My sit bones tend to sink down into the saddle. This is quite nice for about an hour, but after that, it get's uncomfortable. The longer the ride, the more the discomfort grows.

https://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...o/HPIM0214.jpg Looks better in black

https://i19.tinypic.com/33uaogn.jpg

Used a Terry "Fly" for a while, and as I got above 50mi rides on a regular basis, it became more uncomfortable. Switched to a Specialized Toupe, and after several metric centuries, feel like it's more comfortable by far. But as has been mentioned, saddle fit & comfort is VERY subjective. If it feels good and doesn't numb your n***, then that's the right one.

While many people are dedicated to their Brooks, others find them painful, limiting, unworkable. Like me. Yet Brooks have become almost an icon for sensible riding, for being authenticated by generations of riders for their timeless perfection, etc. etc. So, when George or somebody finds they don't fit his particular needs, they keep plugging on through pain or a bad position to unlock the secret of the immaculate Brooks Saddle.

People...There is no one piece of bike gear that is appropriate for Everyone. You are not inadequate if your Brooks is, dare I say it, a pain in your a**. I traded my Brooks, after a year on it, to another BF'er who, I believe, passed it off to his girlfriend. She later dumped him and used the Brooks as a door prop. Or something.

George, what are you toting around in all of those bags?

Have you been doing some serious touring?

If I could find the link to the saddle post that said start with $500 and keep trying saddles until you find one that works.

Hey Tom, it's kind of a test ride. I don't need a lot of bags, I'm just going on overnighters and wanted to see how it would handle. The week after next I'm headed for the Hill Country, driving, and then when I get there I'll do light touring again. I'm going to try and dampen the Brooks where the sit bones are suppose to be and ride it until it drys and see if that does the trick, if not, I need another lamp.

Yeah, but the divorce could possibly cost more than the saddles.

George, I have watched your attempts for months to get comfortable on a Brooks saddle and I must say that it sure seems that they are not going to work for you. People are different. Nobody could say that you haven't given Brooks a fair shot.
I happen to have a Brooks butt, I guess. My first B17 felt good from the very first ride and got better with every mile. Other people, you, Crosschain, Cheeseflavor to name a few, just don't ever get comfortable on them. I believe you. But as uncomfortable as they are to those of you for whom they don't work, believe it when Brooks riders tell you how comfortable they are for us. They really are. We haven't drank the kool-aide, they really are that comfortable for us.

I forgot to add, I use a Terry Fly saddle on my MTB and have used it as a rainy day saddle on my road bikes. I find it fairly comfortable for short to medium rides, but on longer rides, the padding seems too soft and it starts to hurt. I have not tried the Liberator. It looks to be more thickly padded, so I would not expect it to work for me.

George, I just changed to a Terry on my MTB. I've only had two short rides, so the verdict is not in yet, but it certainly has performed well so far. I'm not sure of the model, I think its a fly. One thing is for sure, it's a big saddle that weighs next to nothing.