JimiJams

Hey guys I was just wondering if anyone out there uses a brooks saddle for mt biking. I still have the same seat on my bike from when I bought it and it's not the most comfortable in the world. I noticed a lot of people really like the brooks saddles but when I check the reviews most people are using them on road bikes. Are these things strong enough to handle all the bumps of mt biking? Any of you mt bikers out there use them? I'd hate to have the thing come off when I'm riding. OWWW thanks a lot!

Andrew

Siu Blue Wind

They are pretty tough. The thing about the slung leather is getting them wet. It will mess them up if you sit on it and it's not completely dried.

A lot of mtb riding is out of the saddle too. Brooks are known for comfort.

Connell

The reason so many road cyclists like Brook's saddles is the comfort factor. Over time, the saddle conforms to the shape of your sit bones, thus leading to a very comfy ride. On a mountain bike, the saddle is less for sitting on, more for guiding with the inner thigh. Even when sitting, your position on the saddle is constantly changing so in my opinion, the benefits would be eliminated.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who does use one on a mountain bike though.

Scratcher33

I think D Minor rocks them on all his bikes...

JimiJams

doesn't look like too many people use this saddle for mt biking I might try it though, as long as it can withstand all the bumps. I just don't want to throw away 120 bucks if it's not gonna hold up. I'd still be interested in hearing what anybody has to say who's used it mt biking.

Hot Rod Lincoln

I have one on my IndyFab 29er SS. It is wonderful. Today, I put one on my Motolite. Different look, that's for sure. I'll know Sunday if I like it. But on the IF, it is perfect

JimiJams

I'll have to PM you after sunday HRL and see how it worked out.

Hot Rod Lincoln

Keep in mind, what I put on the Moto-lite was an already broken in Team Pro so it will feel much better off the bat than yours (assuming you are getting a brand new one)

zerocool33

I was wondering the same thing about my San Marco Regal Ti. I have it on my cyclocross and absolutely love it. I am probably trading my CX back in for a MTB though and would really like to use that Regal.

BFW

There are 2 reasons why I personally don't use brooks saddles on my mountain bikes, even though I love them on my other bikes.

First, they tend to be a bit wider in the back. It makes it harder for me to slide back behind the saddle when I'm on a steep descent. I can do it, but it's not as smooth a transition. I don't carry much body fat at all, but a wider brooks catches on the insides of my thighs.

The second reason is the lack of padding over the metal support in the nose of the saddle and the lack of "give" in that area. If you were to slip off a pedal or just land wrong off of a small drop-off or jump it could be very painful to catch the nose of a brooks in the nether regions. Most other saddles have a little padding and some flex in the nose.

Also, the sweet spot once you get a Brooks broken in is pretty much one fixed position on the saddle. If you're spinning on pavement, it's easy to stay in the groove. On my mountain bikes, when I'm sitting on the saddle, I tend to move around on it quite a bit more. (Guess that's 3 reasons...)

Walt

JimiJams

Thanks a lot Walt, that pretty much answers my question. So is there an exceptionally comfortable saddle for mt biking? I don't really care how much it weighs either. Maybe some type of gel seat or something?

BFW

JimiJams,

That's a question that's almost impossible to answer for you. Saddle fit is such a varied and subjective thing. What works for me might not work at all for you. At the shop, or advising friends, I try to steer them towards the least amount of padding they feel comfortable with, and take into account what type of riding they'll be doing. Too much padding in a saddle seems to sort of bunch up and it can put pressure on areas you wouldn't think it would on a long ride. Big plush saddles are ok for short jaunts but my personal experience is that over longer periods of time that comfort disappears.

I guess my butt is battle hardened. Like I mentioned earlier, I like a little padding on my MTB saddles, but for my road rides a Brooks right out of the box is comfy.

I bought a beer cruiser from a friend not long ago. It's one of my main rides for commuting and grocery getting. It had a thickly padded Selle San Marco and I had to ditch it in a couple of days for a brooks. I never looked back.

I get a lot of saddle time on different seats test riding new bike builds and customer repairs. I have personally found some of the new specialized body geometry stuff to be fairly comfortable. Usually I sport WTB saddles on my Mtn. bikes. You may hate them though. Go hit the LBS and put in a few test rides to see what you like. It's often not possible to put a saddle on your bike to try out, but you can take a new bike with a different saddle out for a spin at a lot of shops with some sort of deposit, often just an I.D. for them to hold. Just be considerate and careful not to wear out your welcome.

Look for a saddle that provides a good platform for your "sit bones". Even distribution of weight between the two hard points that you sit on. Also, keep in mind that a quick jaunt around the block might not tell you right away what will work for you on a two hour ride.

Good luck, I know guys that have spent 20 years in search of the perfect throne, with not a lot of success yet.

Walt

r0ckh0und 

I've been using a Brooks B-17 on my hardtail for about 3 years now and the only issue I really have with it are extended aggressive riding. After 1 1/2 to 2 hours things begin to get uncomfortable. Probably so with other saddles, but more so with this one I think. I have done a couple of 24hr team races on the B-17 and after 2 or 3 laps those rivets feel like they're burning a hole in your ass. I previously used a WTB Rocket V which is an exceptionally good saddle even for longer rides.