Hi, I am to buy my first Brooks saddle and need your advice. I weigh 155 lbs., I have small and narrow butts. I need the saddle for longer distances on a short cut road geometry bike with bullhorn bars. I would much appreciate any insights as to which Brooks model I should choose.

B17 N. N is for narrow.

If you have a large budget there are other options too.

the swallow model is narrower, but more expensive too. (or is the swift? i always get those confused.. one cost about $200 more than the other tho)

Rule of thumb is then that narrower cut Brooks for smaller buttocks?

The Swift and the Swallow are probably what you're looking for.

Pretty much if you believe there is a correlation between buttock girth and sit bone spacing.
I have ridden all of them a prefer the B.17 because of its width. The other Brooks saddle to consider is the popular Team Pro...a bit more narrow then the
B.17 std.

Hmm, I'm 155#, but since my sit bones are 110mm I need a B17. The narrower models had my sit bones on or too close to the metal support of the saddle. BTW, my sit bones were in the same place when I weighed 205, so there is no direct correlation.

Until you measure your sit bones it's all just guessing.

How high are your bars in relation to the saddle? This is key in choosing a Brooks. B-17 is for bars slightly below saddle to higher. The narrower ones like Swift, Pro, etc. are for more aggressive low bar positions.

Contact Andrea he works for Brooks and is a memebr of BF.

His BF name is Andrea Men.

Posts on C&V from time to time.

Andrea
Marketing Manager BROOKS ENGLAND LTD.

Thanks very much all members. The bike is not fully built yet, so I do not know the correlation between seat and bar height. It is a Bianchi Pista with Syntace 4o mm drop bullhorn bar. I just wanted to be sure before buying a Brooks saddle and finish the job. First thing then is to measure my sit bone width. Is there a foolproof method for that?

"Which Brooks for small butted?"

Isn't that kind of like asking what caravan is for performance enthusiasts?

Damn, flat and fat arsed Brooks users
















Kidding, I'll try a Brooks someday.

Funny...never heard of you.
You must be slow.

Not really foolproof. All kinds of proposed methods. There is a nuance however.
The reason that saddle to bar drop matters and why the B.17 for example is suggested only for bikes with modest saddle to bar drop is...the lower the handlebars relative to seat height, generally the more narrow saddle you want.
This is because as handlebars lower relative to the saddle, one's pelvis rotates forward and actual sit bone spacing decreases. This is why Brook's racier seats are more narrow...but a general truth applied to all seats. Weight distribution plays in as well over and above thigh clearance to the saddle for pedaling. By contrast, on a beach cruiser style bike with high handlebars all one's weight is located on the saddle...and as a result the seat platform is quite wide...versus weight distribution on a racing bike with a percent of weight on the hands offset by pedal stroke intensity. You call yourself small butted...butt size doesn't necessarily correlate...hip width generally does however...so if you have narrow hips likely you have narrow to average sit bone spacing. As I suggested earlier...try a Team Pro which is the sweet spot for value and comfort for bikes set up with 2-3 inches of saddle to bar drop. Lastly there is no absolute science to saddles in terms of what works best. Trial and error is the best teacher for bike fit in general and at some point you have to jump in the pool and establish a baseline.
HTH.

I like my swift a lot. Swallow is narrower, though, and about the same weight but $200 more because it's a limited edition product.

Hi all, thanks very much for the replies and the wise pieces of advice, Campag4life! I finally decided at the B-17 Narrow. Now, what are your tricks for braking the saddle in (Proofide, other tricks...)?

I have a b17 narrow, it still rubbed my inner thighs raw on the skirts. I cut them off, and it is now exceptionally comfortable. I will pop for a swallow next time.

My advice, is don't try to accelerate the break in as is suggested by the late and great Sheldon Brown. Use profide only and "sparingly". Repeated applications of Profide or another oil will break down the hide. Yes it will speed up break in but the saddle will break down faster from personal experience. The saddle may feel pretty good right away or may take a few hundred miles. I am breaking in a new Champion Special right now and it felt pretty good out of the box.