Brooks saddle
 

I saw a guy with one of the old Brooks saddles and he swears its the most comfortable saddle he has ever ridden, now I don't know but it looks like it might not be comfortable to me, I could be wrong what would be new there anyway any of you guys have one out there and how do you like it?

I have ridden a brooks B17 for about 3 weeks. It gets more comfortable every ride. It is hard, but my butt bones seem to be settling in on it and I have absolutely NO numbness or discomfort around the soft tissue.

I'm not sure what your question is. I have Brooks saddles on all my bikes and love them. That said; everyone is different and you need to figure out what will work for you.

I bought my first Brooks after 30 years of riding. Now I have both old and brand new Brooks saddles and I'll probably never buy another brand of saddle. They are the best.

A lot of folks are intimidated or swayed because of Brooks hard leather. Apparently you are too, but dont let that influence any decision you make. Brooks has a cult following for good reason. I've had my Brooks 'Pro' on my Tommasini for over a year, and is clearly the most comfortable saddle I've ever used. It effectively ended my saddle sore problems on long rides, and thats coming from the Selle Italia 'Turbomatic 3' I had.

I have a B-17 and I love it. It's comfortable enough where I can ride with no padded shorts. The only problem I encountered was this week when I fiddled with the adjustment and ended up sitting on one of the rivets (on the right side closest to the narrow part of the saddle). I tilted the nose up a notch and voila, no more sitting on the rivet. Ended up getting a small saddle sore because of it though. Eh.

If you do want to try out a Brooks I would suggest ordering from wallbike.com. They have a 6 month return policy so if you don't like it or want to try a different saddle you can get a refund/exchange.

I'm going to order a b17 for my new cross check -- when I rode horses my English saddle was nothing more than thick leather stretched over a frame so no worries about comfort there. The main question I have is whether I should get the b17 or the b17 narrow. How did current Brooks owners choose?

Im having some trouble with my current seat. Ill have to look into a brooks as well. I keep hearing all this good press. Now, to figure out which one to get.

The B-17 is usually more comfortable for those of us who ride in a more upright position and for larger riders. I'm 5'11" and 182-190 lbs so the wide B-17 was the best choice for me. For more aggressive riding or skinnier riders or those with narrow sit bones, the B-17 narrow might be a better choice.

I love the leather saddles. I have both Brooks and Wrights. My all around preference on the Brooks is the Champion Flyer. It is the B17 with springs:D I am 6'-2" and weigh around 190# to me it has been the perfect saddle. I use in on my MTB, touring bike and folder. I also have one on order for my Redline 9.2.5, It provides some extra cushioning on rough roads, but doesn't absorb pedalling motion like some of the softer suspension saddles do. The Wright is currently on hold for my soon to be built up club racer. It has been on a coast to coast tour, my old road bike, and my MTB. I sold the bikes but kept the saddle;)

Aaron:)

I've had my B-17 for a few months and I wouldn't think of ever using anything else ever again.

Very cool thanks for the info. I love the look of leather when its broken in so I might just order one and try it for a while. Whats the general consensus on break in time if ridden say 14 miles per day? Thats my commute

I've got a new Champion Flyer, which is pretty much a B-17 with springs. It's breaking in pretty well after about 150 miles. My first ride went pretty well, by the way. The stock was getting uncomfortable; the Brooks was also uncomfortable, but in a different way. In any case, I prefered the Brooks, right out of the box.

Can't tell you how to get the right fit, but wallbike.com says they have fewer returns on the B-17 than any other saddle. Also, Sheldon Brown says that if you ride more upright than otherwise, a model with springs may be the better choice.

I have B17s & a Team Pro, nothing better for long rides & just put an old B72 on my touring bike. The B72 is a 4 rail saddle & I thought I would need a straight seatpost but my LBS sold me a "Saddle Sandwich" adapter (made by Breezer) that let me use the stock SR LaPrade seat post.

so a b-17 would be better on a mtn bike that isnt used for a ton of hard trails, but more distance riding? I did 70 on my mtb and my butt was not happy. sorry for jacking anyones thread, but no point in making two threads with the same title. also, what is the difference with all the different spring models? I am 5'10" 198 lbs, but in decent shape as a lot of my weight is from lifting.

If you research early Mt Bikes you will see a lot of them with Brooks Flyer, B66 or B72 saddles. Flyer is a B17 with springs, B66 & B72 have a wider seat area than B17, B66 has coil springs, B72 has 4 rails with just a single coil on each rail. The B66/B72 wider saddles work better with a more upright riding posture: wallbikes has lots of good info on Brooks saddles on their web site. Don

200 miles is generally given as the break in period, but don't even worry about it. They are perfectly comfortable from the start, they just improve with time.

I have a B17 and a B72. And yes, get it at wallbike. With 6 months to try it out, you can't lose.

How springy are the sprung brooks saddles? Like, do you bounce? Or are they very rigid and you only bounce once when you hit something hard?

Depends on the saddle model. My B66 Champion is sprung and very stiff, my B33 is bouncy. The town bike saddles tend to be soft, the touring saddles tend to be stiff.

--A

Agree with AllenG. I haven't noticed any bouncing with the Champion Flyer. If I get another bike, I'll get another Champion Flyer - unless it's a straight road bike, in which case I might go with the B-17.

I've had a B-17 for 2 years now and have logged about 25,000 kms on it.

I've tried a lot of different saddles, but that B-17 is the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned!! And it seems to keep on getting more comfortable the more I ride it. :)


BTW - it took me about 3 weeks (800 kms) to break it in ... and it broke in rather suddenly in the middle of a 1000K brevet. :D

Brook saddle-mixed review
 

I had mixed results with Brooks saddles. The first B17, on my Lemond Zurich, was great. It was broken in comfortably and I wouldn't trade it for another saddle. I had the saddle for 12,000 miles and loved it. The second Brooks B17 saddle on my next bike was awful. It was hardly broken in after 4,000 and I could sell it for almost new. I treated the second one just like the first one and was surprised when it hardly broke in. Also, it never had the same comfort level as the first one, yet other riders of my bike model swear by it.

Go ahead and try the Brooks B17 and see what happens. I hope it works for you better than my second one worked for me.

Good luck

The belief that you waste energy bouncing around on a sprung Brooks is a myth. Well, except for maybe the very largest models. The springs on a B66/67 measure .092" and are quite stiff. There is no noticeable rocking. You have it right - they only really react when needed.

The Champin Flyer (a sprung B17) springs are also .092" and will be firm. I don't know what the thickness is on the B72. I have never been able to figure out what that spring design does. It appears to be a type of torsion bar setup.

The rear two springs on the B73 measure .084 and are alot more supple. I have switched out the springs on my two B67's for the lighter one off B73's. Much nicer ride, and still no bounce or rocking.

B17's are not sprung. They have alot of adherents. My first B17 was not working for me, but I persevered and got another one for my new bike and it has been great.

Breaking them in is an over-rated experience for me. The B67's were perfect the first day and only get better. The B17 is still, after 850, not giving in. One tough mold. I have to deduce that it's the road bike position that keeps my weight off it. Comfortable, though.

My next Brooks will be a Champion Flyer for my tour bike.

I'm thinking about the 'conquest' for a mtn/commuter bike.