Louis Le Tour

After almost 2,000 miles on my Brooks 67 I finally became convince it just was never going to be comfortable for me. I purchased a Kontact and rode it 50 miles, it looks promising.

Doohickie

So... uh.... waddya gonna do with the Brooks?

gif4445

You stuck with it far, far longer than I would of. My Brooks, (B-17 and B-17 Imperial) felt great right out of the box. I think you either love em or hate em.

goaliedad30

I switched to a Selle Anatomica X at the end of last year. Incredibly comfortable right out of the box. I think I may have finally found the one (for now!).

JohnDThompson 

What kind of bike? The B-67 is intended for an upright riding position. If you're on a road bike with dropped handlebars, a narrower, unsprung saddle would likely be more suitable.

Phil_gretz

That's a drastic switch. The B67 is sprung and wide, the Kontact is narrow and firm.

I ride a B17 on my Tourer, and a Pro on my fixed gear, but an E3 Form (predecessor of the Kontact) on my carbon road bike. Different geometries, different riding positions...so a different saddle for each.

I hope you like the Kontact. I love my E3 Form.

Phil

fietsbob

Drop bars , that may be the way to go.. Used the Pro model on my drop bar touring Bike..

67 with your sit up Straight, Opa , would be more sensible,,

John_V 

I also tried a B17 and just could not get comfortable on it. Seemed like the longer I rode on it, the more uncomfortable it was. I got rid of it when the discomfort turned into pain. Went with an ISM Adamo Prologue and haven't looked back in the nearly three years that I've had it.

avidone1

I had a cushy sprung 'comfort' saddle on my Cannondale Adventure. It was not very comfortable, causing me pain under my sit bones. I switched to the selle anatomica T series and I'm very comfortable. I ride in a slightly lean forward position. Not aggresive like a drop bar road bike, but not straight upright either. I really like the split seat concept. It allows each side to move independently. I think that is a big plus.

Louis Le Tour

I'll keep it for awhile just in case the new saddle does not work out. After that........................make an offer!

Louis Le Tour

Thank you, I was not aware of that. The Kontac should fit the bill then.

Louis Le Tour

Lots of good responses here guys, thanks for the input.

Louis Le Tour

HOWEVER, I rode it fifty miles today and it was a real pain in the gluteus maximus! It's going back.

Spoke

I have a Kontact saddle on all three of my road bikes. The trick to be comfortable is to stay properly situated on the saddle. Your sit bones need to be on the wide back portion of the saddle. If you tend to slide forward it can be uncomfortable. I am sure it may not be for everyone, but the Kontact saddle works for me. Check how you are sitting on it.

Ride On!
-Spoke

John E

I use a Pro with drop bars on the 1959 Capo and a Team Pro with mountain bike bars with extensions on the Schwinn. However, since the Schwinn has a long top tube and I use the extensions more than the main grips, my position on it is not that much more upright than on one of my road bikes. In the highly biased personal religion of saddle selection, Brooks Pro has my strong endorsement.

Louis Le Tour

UPDATE: So, after my second trip on the Kontac my arse was SO SORE I decided that saddle had to go back and I ordered a Selle Anatomica. HOWEVER, I'd already put the B67 back on my bike and so decided I'd give it one last shot. This time, however, I didn't adjust the slant the way it was before and the front of the saddle was considerably higher (kinda like it was when the shop set it up before I decided that wasn't right and lowered the nose down!) and wouldn't ya know it I was able to keep my butt back on the saddle where it was much more comfortable and NOW the B67 is starting to look a lot better. I'm going to give it another go this weekend and if see if I get the same result, and if so the SA goes back unused! HO-CHEE-MAMA this ain't as simple as it should be!

Phil_gretz

Yes. "Level" for a Brooks means that the contact area is level with the nose being elevated. It looks strange, but "nose up" is generally regarded as the correct way to set up a wider Brooks (Pro and wider). The narrower ones can have the nose more even with the canticle. PG

What did you do with the Kontact saddle?

RonH

Same here. Made the switch about a year ago.

obed7

I guess I am just not saddle sensitive....all of my bikes have the saddles that came on them...no issues...
When I first started riding, I was sore/uncomfortable for a couple of weeks, then got used to riding and have had no further problems...they are all the same width and fit my sit bones...but each is a different saddle...
The only time I have any issues is when I am riding with my wife, we go REALLY slow and I have to watch it to make sure I do not slide forward on the seat... as long as I keep my butt back on the seat where it is supposed to be, no problem.

avidone1

Interested in the follow up about the new positioning of the brooks. Selle Anatomica has a 30 day return policy, so you can give the brooks a good trial before deciding.
And yes, this saddle comfort business can get very complicated. Don't forget that what you wear will have an effect also. I discovered that gel padded shorts put pressure on my sciatic nerve causing some numbness down my leg. When I switched to chamois the numbness went away. It reminds me of that saying about when a butterfly flaps his wings in Brazil it causes a blizzard in Siberia, or whatever........my point being that any change made in one area will effect the rider in another.

Louis Le Tour

Sent it back.

Louis Le Tour

Point well made. I'm wearing padded riding shorts and perhaps some expirimenting in that regard is called for.

Nightshade

I find that a good working over with a plastic mallet breaks the leather fibers down to speed the break in process.

so........

I beat the snot outta my new Brooks when they are new. Makes'um soft real quick!

fietsbob

Gilles Berhoud is another maker of Premium Leather saddles .. 2 models.. 1 tries for a slice of the Brooks Pro market and another a bit of the B17 sector.

OldsCOOL

The longer you ride, the less your butt hurts. That is, unless you are sitting on a butt hatchet.