Hi,
I am looking at getting a saddle for my hardtail MTB - Brooks B17 or Flyer ( B17 with springs). I am on the slightly heavier side - 203 lbs for 177cm . I have looked at some of the threads on Brooks saddles in here. They are focused on touring cycles.

I am currently riding on road and plan to ride on off-road trails and hills. I ride almost upright and bend very slightly forward (mildly). My handlebars are placed bit above the saddle.

Considering the handlebar position (in relation to the saddle), riding position and my being on the heavier side, is the flyer a better choice ? Will the springs pose any problem on off-road trails or hills?

Thanks

You must be one of those 50+ codgers. Go look at some real Mtn saddles.

Brooks leather...mmmm, high maintenance. Brooks leather loves creek crossings. Brooks leather loves mud. Brooks leather loves surprise downpours.

Brooks leather...throw up the horns and throw down yer drawers.

Brooks leather...pre-chewed by only the hottest Native Americans.

Brooks leather...if it were buffalo scrotum...it would just be weird.


As you can see...there really is no positive here.

Get the one with the springs for the extra cushiony ride!

+1

Disregard the smart a....s, the b-17 will be fine from your description of position. A brooks pro might be another good choice IMO

Are you another denizen of the 50+ Forum?

Do a search. Brooks has come up from time to time and the feedback from the mountain bikers is to avoid using them mountain biking. If you want to use it on your local MUP then the Brooks should be more than enough.

That's why dozens of Brooks saddles appear in photos of vintage bikes on MTBR and Retrobikeuk. Of course everybody knows vintage collectors never ride their vintage bikes , so disregard.

If you are building a klunker, B-17 is the only saddle to consider. If not, you have better choices for high-performance use.

Here is a video with a lot of those old saddles.

A Brooks Swift would be a better good choice if "high-performance use" is what you are after IMO. Functionally similar to my WTB SST, albeit 100- 150 grams heavier.

I'd argue that collectors put them on vintage bikes because they have the right aesthetics to match their bike, not because they're the best performing saddle out there. For comparison's sake, what kind of forks do they put on their bikes? I'm assuming you never see a vintage bike with a 2010 Vanilla on there, even if the steerer would fit their frame, but I bet that fork would give the bike a much plusher ride than what they do have on there. But the Vanilla doesn't fit in the whole vintage theme, so it doesn't go on. That argument doesn't quite work.

The Op rides with his hands above the saddle and almost upright, do you really think it matters what saddle he uses, this is not a "performance " application.

I ride the flyer on my MTB (which is more of a Hybrid now after all my mods). I absolutely love it for when I'm commuting, because the roads suck on that route. However, I do get slightly annoyed when I'm training on good roads, because I tend to bounce a lot at very high cadences (95+). So for now I'm keeping the flyer, but in the future when I get more bikes, I'll keep the flyer on my commuter, but go with a B17 on whatever I use recreationally.

"High" maintenance is a misnomer IMO. Proofide it twice a season. Takes less time than cleaning and regreasing a chain, which I do every week. You never hear anyone complaining that bike chains are high maintenance.

As for surprise downpours. That only matters if you're off the saddle. If you're on it, you get wet, not the saddle. Just put a bag on it when you lock it up somewhere. Takes 2 seconds.

Naw, but I've been thinkin' how rad it would be to give the 303R that 'board tracker' look - - anybody know where I can get me a 11/8"springer fork in, say, a 572mm axle-to-crown?

As much as I abhor any Brooks saddle on a mountain bike...

OP - it's your bike. If the Brooks saddle agrees with your tush, by all means rock it. Who cares what the mtb fashionistas say. This also goes if you wanna rock bar ends on your riser bars. Haters be damned!

My bars are above my saddle on every one of my mountain bikes. What does that have to do with anything?

FWIW, I get wet and my saddle gets wet if it's raining and I'm riding. Even my road bike saddle gets wet if it's raining, and I spend a lot more time seated on my road bike than my mountain bike, and I feel like my road bike shorts have less material to get soaked and get the saddle soaked too. Next time you're on a wet ride, check your saddle after the ride for mud. Either there will be a bunch of mud splatters on the sides and back of the saddle, or I'm a complete anomaly.


OP, if you like Brooks saddles, think they're comfortable, and want one on your bike, by all means, put it on your bike. But there's a reason most of the Brooks saddle threads are focused on touring bikes, and you don't see much about them in the mountain bike forum.

Yea I would never want a Brooks saddle without good fenders. The whole seat staying dry in a downpour is also very questionable. Without even raining when riding on wet trails the bottom and back of my saddle are totally covered in mud. WTB offers some pretty good MTB saddles that are also very well priced, so if you scuff it and tear it to hell buying a new one isn't a big deal.

Saddles and chain lube , always interesting conversations.

OP, some strange replies here but I ride a B-17 on my hard tail MTB. I've changed the bike over the years and have added a riser so that, like you, my bars are just a bit above the saddle. I don't like mud so I avoid it and I don't ride in the rain or through wet stuff. My saddle is fine and I find Brooks to be very comfortable for the amount of riding I do. When I was in college a few decades back I had a Brooks on my road bike and liked it just fine then too. Never tried the sprung version so can't comment there.

FWIW, I replaced a WTB Speed V saddle that I never liked and was never comfortable for me.

The thing about Brooks saddles is that you love 'em or hate 'em. Wall Bikes has a pretty good policy where if the saddle doesn't work for you, you can send it back (will cost you a few bucks though).

Thanks for all the feedback. I have not added any risers(frankly I don't know what this means), it's just that the grips are above the saddle. I am new to mountain bikes. I had a firefox cycle - ATB (made in china, designed in UK) and then picked up Trek 4500 D.

I finally found a person with brooks saddle after searching for quite sometime. I will go to his place and check it out. I am based in India and bianchis (and roadbikes) seem to be preferred more in my city apart from Indian makes. I found the stock saddle of Trek 4500 D - Bontrager Evoke R a bit narrow. I will have to order the saddles you mentioned from UK / US as we dont get them here and it takes 10 -14 days to get them.



I had a sitbone injury ( wildlife safari and being thrown off my cycle with rear wheelie) and had sitbone pain along with hip pain. The swift saddle width is at 152 mm and B-17 at 170mm. My sitbone width is 150mm. I am wondering if the B-17 will be too wide and the swift too narrow? Will performance saddle let you adopt a posture which will let you drive faster?

I think the narrow saddle and having my stem attached upside down apart from the sudden jerk off cycle might have caused the injury. It's been 4 months and I hope to start riding soon. Thanks everyone.

I stated a fact. The topic of Brooks saddles DOES come up from time to time and the feedback from the mountain bikers is to avoid using them mountain biking (the reasons are given throughout the thread such as rain, mud, etc.).

If I were to use your line of logic I could write that in every mountain bike magazine I've opened I've never seen a single Brooks saddle shown on any mountain bike shown and that's proof enough why one shouldn't use a Brooks.

This is the mountain biking forum. If you are not off the saddle the majority of the time, you're probably riding on a fire road on your way to a trail.