rich9cinti

After 13 years of riding mountain bikes and road bikes, competing in duathlons, custom building mtn, road and tribikes, I finally thought I was worthy enough to have my first Brooks saddle. I decided to outfit my 2001 Lemond Buenos Aires 853 Reynolds with a Brooks B-17 Special (Honey) and installed it yesterday. I was a lil fearful considering all of the horror stories posted regarding breaking them in or people selling them after months of trying to break them in.

I had a 20 mile ride, today, through some city and village streets with a friend of mine. Our ride had everything needed to test out the B-17 Special which included narly black top, bumps, pits, climbs, decents, railroad tracks, slicing through congested streets and of course flats. I love my Brooks I did not want to stop riding though my friend was done... I was not. I thought all of the money I have spent in the past on high tech saddles, lightweights, gels and none, I say none compared to my experience today. Someone from this forum once told me, you deserve it, get yourself a Brooks. I am extremely happy with it straight out of the box... well of course, after my treatment of proofide

Get it setup correctly and it feels like butter! Seriously, I am sitting here typing away with no bruising nor numbness... Thanks Brooks.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/3445977...n/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/3445977...n/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/3445977...n/photostream/

Matteye

You rode 20 miles dude...

gnome

That's enough for me on a new, out of the box, Brooks. I need lots of short (under 30 miles) but moderate intensity rides to break my butt in on a new Brooks. Once I've done around 300 miles it's nicely broken in and I can ride it all day.

Machka 

Congratulations ... may you have 40,000+ wonderful kilometers with yours as I have had with mine ..... and mine is still going strong. The most comfortable saddle I've ever had.

durty

were you rocking chamois or shorts? just wondering as to how close your butt actually got to the new brooks

mrvrsick

I wonder how it feels when you're in the drops... I had a wide saddle before and it was killer when you rode in the drops.

DeweyJuice

I'm thinking some leather bar tape...
Maybe the velo orange elkhide?

stapfam

Hate to say it but your butt either suits a Brooks- or it doesn't. For those with a Brooks Butt- they are perfect. Mine isn't.

UGASkiDawg

I could ride 20 miles on any saddle and barely notice.....report back in when you've put in the double century on it. I suspect you'll still love it but the saddle will still be UGLY.

frail1

Look...a saddle like that, well, it will work for those that are slow, unfit, fat, or for those that only ride when it's sunny, ie, lightweights.

Go ahead and post a pic to prove me wrong. Hey, at least you're secure enough to say you've got a 'Brooks Butt'!

Machka 

Uh-huh ... spoken like someone who doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

Check out the Centuries Bicycles thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/long-distance-competition-ultracycling-randonneuring-endurance-cycling/270172-your-century-bicycle-s.html These are all bicycles on which people have ridden centuries. Have you ridden a century yet?

Go to the Paris-Brest-Paris ... qualify first, of course ... and check out the bicycles there. Thousands of very fit randonneurs who ride in all sorts of conditions have ridden the PBP and other ultra-distance events on Brooks saddles.

We ride Brooks saddles because they work.

kayakdiver

I'm so happy that my butt loves my 135g SLR. I couldn't imagine hauling around 550g's of saddle. That being said...... I would if it was the only thing that fit me.

And yes..... I've done tons of miles. It's about fit.

Belgian Cobbles

I have never heard someone call a Brooks ugly ... I love my Brooks on my commuter/tourer, but when it comes time to race I must admit I prefer something a bit lighter. I guess my "Brooks butt" is also a "San Marco butt"

kwrides

Now you're heard two

MONGO!

You should tell that to the local Cat 2 I know who regularly wins P/1/2 crits on a Brooks.

mrvrsick

Pics or it didn't happen

MONGO!

Believe it. Don't.

coasting 

they are so expensive though. since it is not certain any saddle is the right one for your particular butt, it seems a pretty expensive gamble to get one.

Machka 

The Brooks B17 is only about $100 ... and actually when I got my first one, it was about $75 but the prices have gone up.
https://www.wallbike.com/brooks/standardsaddles.html

And if you get the saddle from Wallingford Bicycles, they've got a 6-month guarantee:
https://www.wallbike.com/OtherInfo.html

"6 Month UNCONDITIONAL SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - new BROOKS saddles. Return your new saddle at any time within six-months of the ship date for a full refund of the price of the saddle. Shipping will not be refunded unless there is a manufacturing defect that would make the return a factory warranty issue."

So what have you got to lose? Try the saddle for 6 months and if you don't like it, return it. That doesn't sound like much of a gamble to me ... in fact it sounded so good, I went with Wallingford for my first Brooks ... and did not return it.

I got my second Brooks from Nashbar on a sale.

Randochap

How can a saddle costing around $150 be considered expensive? Even the special models, ti rails, etc. in the range of $300 are in the same range as a top-end Selle Italia, Fizik, et al.

I inherited my first Brooks circa 1960. I bought my first Brooks Pro in 1978, my most recent B-17, 18 months ago.

I own other good saddles from Selle Italia, but ounce for ounce, the Brooks wins every time for comfort over the long haul.

The kids can't remember when every race was contested on Brooks, Ideale or similar saddles. All their decisions are based, not on knowledge, but what the latest style dictates.

Psimet2001 

Welcome to the 1800's.


In all seriousness saddle fit is an individual choice. Whatever works for you works for you....but don't try to tell anyone else what will or will not work for them.

frail1

Doesn't have a clue about the saddle, or the criteria I mentioned?

Well, I'm working on about 3/4 of the things I listed, so I definitely got a clue about those, and maybe a Brooks is in my future.

I haven't ridden on one for any length of time, but when I did, it wasn't pleasant.

Some of their saddles, I think are beautiful.

It's just that I think there should be a thread for the choir to sing in, when the term 'Brooks' comes up. Like Cervelo, old steel bikes, etc...( I ride mostly a steel frame)

But, hey, that's why there's BF's. It's all good, in one way, or another.

A saddle that takes 1000km or 6 months to brake in, cannot be ridden in the rair, needs fiddling with all the adjustments, is heavy, ugly, and expensive...I dunno, just seems like a better idea to get a Specialized that disappears under your but right away.

frail1

Ahh...the exception that proves the rule, and since we're not talking about a law of physics...thanks.

CrimsonKarter21

You're really dating yourself gramps.
I personally ride on a San Marco Regal, which is an older design than most on this board, including myself.

Just because you think everyone should ride the same exact saddle because you find it appealing and they [we] don't doesn't give you the right to say that we just ride "what the latest style dictates".
If all the current saddles rode like something phalic or whatever you think, trust me, we'd all be riding on a Brooks.

kwrides

+1,000