Hi,

I have looked at a few Brook saddles and am interested in purchasing one. Currently, I am using the Bontrager X Lite from the Madone, but it's very uncomfortable especially the inner area around my 'butt' bone, i have tried to break in my butt to the saddle, but it just bad. I have heard a lot of good things of the Brook, and would like to ask for some advises. I am interested in the B17 Champion special, swift, and Swallow. From the picture, Swallow seems like the closest to the modern seat shape of the road bike. Should I look for a shape that is similar to the road bike (Swallow) or should I look at B17 and swift? I am afraid since road bike require my body to lean forward, if the saddle is not narrow enough, that might causes program with my leg moment. please let me know what you think. Thanks

Consider the weight of a Brooks Saddle in your decision, too. Unless you go for the Ti rail saddles they are massively heavy. I can't comment on road bike comfort foe them though. What I would suggest is a Bontrager inForm RL or RXL. Different from the stock RXL saddle that came with your bike and there are multiple widths. See a Trek dealer to get fitted for one.

What kind of riding are you doing? Distance? Race? Casual? And how much time do you spend in the drops (vs. the hoods or tops)?

After two years of being told that I need to try a Brooks, I JUST put one on. So far so good. I'm riding the Swallow right now.

the b17 is meant for a more upright riding position, so you might want to look at the b17 narrow if you go that route.

or the swift, it's a little heavier than the swallow but doesn't cost quite as much. the swift/swallow styles are for positions with more drop.

also, you can cut up the b17 to make it look like the swift (would take away the big sidewalls that may rub you the wrong way).

and a good in between the b17 and the swift is the "professional" - that one is my favorite.

the saddles are of course a little heavier than race saddles, but for LD/ultra riding there's a reason most people end up on a brooks. those 300 extra grams will pay off in terms of comfort.

that said, my ass still hurts when i've done 400km one day, sleep two hours, then get back up to do another 200... i don't think any seat can solve that one. (luckily the pain goes away after a few minutes)

If you provide your height and weight and how aggressive your saddle to bar drop is, this would help in a recommendation as a starting point. As a general rule Clydes prefer the B.17 without too much drop and smaller riders prefer Brooks' more narrow saddles. You already touched on an important dynamic that escapes many. As one's pelvis rotates forward, distance between sit bone contact at the saddle interface becomes reduced. This is why knowing your size and position helps in the decision process.
Hope that helps.

Depends how upright you ride. All my bikes have handlebar at saddle height, because I'm an older long-distance rider.

I love my B-17 Special -- now 18 months on my Bleriot -- but I also have a 32 y/o Brooks Pro. I'd recommend that saddle as the classic road bike saddle. Can't go too far wrong there.

I am 6'0, weight about 190lbs, and i am riding a 58cm frame. The lbs sales change the performance stem from madone to a longer and tilt up version stem from bontrager X lite, because i have a longer torso. I told him i am not so much of a pro, and have a weak lower back, so he got me a stem that i can sit more upright. I think the handle bar is parallel to my saddle.

Is the difference of the weight from the steel brook saddle and ti brook saddle noticeable? is it going to affect my ride?

I have a B17 on my touring bike and it is very comfortable. I put a Brooks Swift on my road bike and after 300 miles I like it very much. Saddle to bar drop is 2.5 inches.
I have a Fizik Arione for cheap, if you want to try that, PM me.

i have a brooks b-17 narrow and a selle san marco ponza....

i swap them out regularly...love them both but the brooks is more comfortable

I have B-17's on both of my road bikes, and find them to be very comfortable. I am not an aggressive rider-rec rider who does rides from 20-60 miles. I tried a few others before buying my first Brooks, and I found the Brooks to be the most comfortable. I was expecting a long (several hundred miles) break in period, which is what I had heard on this forum. My first ride turned out to be 40 miles, and I didn't feel a trace of discomfort. Yes, it's big and heavy, but to me, more comfort equals longer rides.

The weight issue is nebulous for the non racer. Your ride will be better and not worse. For your size, I would suggest either a B.17, B.17N or Team Pro.
Only way to know is try one or all.

Massively heavy compared to what? A Selle San Marco Rolls is not light either....

I have used a B17 and a Team Pro on my road bike. I like the B17 a lot, but I found it did not suit the road position so it lives on my commuter. The Team Pro does. It is wonderful in the comfy position and not so great if you move around on it. The Swift is somewhat longer.

Thanks a lot for your offer as I might just stick to Brook. I wondered if Brook is so comfy and great, why wouldn't the pros use it in the race?

Thanks a lot for your offer as I might just stick to Brook. I wondered if Brook is so comfy and great, why wouldn't the pros use it in the race?

Two reasons. Comparing top racers or even top amateur riders to the average cyclist is like comparing a Ferrari to a Camry. A top male rider weighs the same as an average women and is much stronger than an average man and puts a lot more force into the pedals which unweights him from the saddle reducing PSI's. A top rider can ride just about any saddle so it comes down to weight at the elite level. It doesn't matter much to you or me but to a racer weight matters in a 100 mile stage if he doesn't need the support of a Brooks. If you ride with fast guys you will notice they don't put much weight on the saddle. Second reason...their @$$'s are like granite and therefore don't need the surface area of a Brooks...in fact prefer the opposite with pelvis rotated forward.
Keep in mind, the better and more fit the cyclist, the less important the saddle is. The opposite end of the scale for heavy, less fit riders is...the saddle is hugely important and a Brooks is a godsend.

Wow ...

Also consider your setback. Brooks have shorter rails than modern saddles and you may have to use a seatpost with more setback to position the saddle correctly.

So far I have three Brooks saddles -- a B17 Standard, B17 Pro, and a Swift. I just got back my old Schwinn MTB from loaning it out, and it has a cushy gel seat with a cutout and grippy suede-like surface. I rode it home, doing one of the longest rides I've done on it in years.

Boy, did it SUCK. The cushy feeling went away in about three blocks, after which I mostly felt the hard plastic undercarriage of the saddle. The textured surface gripped my jeans, which kept me from really settling into a good seating position and would have induced chafing if I rode further.

The experience was so far removed from my rides earlier in the day on my Swift and B17 bikes, it's not even funny. I want Brooks on all my bikes now.

Or less setback, but for the same reason -- the shorter rails.

Some models have longer rails than others, so a potential buyer needs to take that into consideration. Pick a saddle for your butt. If you need to switch seatposts, then that's what you do.

*add-on* There's a pic on the Swift's page at Wallingford Bicycle Parts illustrating the Swift's longer rails versus the standard Brooks rails:
https://www.wallbike.com/Swift.html

I've got 3 Brooks saddles now, a B17 one on my steel road bike, a B17 on my touring bike, and a NOS B15 on my Titanium Road bike. Sure they weigh more than the new racing seats, but few of my rides are races and I love the comfort they provide whether I'm wearing padded shorts or not, it doesn't make a difference.

I have a Brooks Swift on my C40 Colnago. There's about a 250 gram weight penalty for using the Swift but you know what, I could care less. I've tried a lot of saddles, nothing else comes close for me. I care very much about the contact points I have with my bike and no contact point is more important than the saddle. My C40 weighs 16 1/2 pounds now, for me that's light enough. There comes a point in one's life when you stop trying to impress other riders. I ride what I do because I enjoy it. No one is paying me to ride, I ride for fun, the Swift keeps it fun, not a pain in you know where.

I had a Swift for a few months and although it was much better than any saddle I had previously, I changed it out for a Selle Anatomica which I find much more comfortable and a much shorter break in period.

I use Team Pros on my road bikes and B17 on my MTB and Cross bike.. I found the break in period overblown.. Considering all the *ss hatchets I had before this it was a welcome surprise.. Don't be overly concerned about the extra weight, all day comfort when you need in a huge plus.. The brooks also seem to work better in hot weather..

I have a Brooks team pro that is not yet broken in. It is a bit of a PITA at this point but like I said it is not broken in. Even at that, it is less of a PITA than the Cinelli Unicantor on my other bike.