I'm curious...are they comfortable? I have no problem using leather, wearing leather, eating lether...I mean meat (but I totally have respect for people who are restrained enough not to...more power to ya...I'd flip out if I couldn't have a nice steak every once in a while, and I am so not giving up sushi!) Anyway...more on point. So, are they comfortable? I have pain in my sit bones because I sit so far back to avoid sitting on my, um girlie parts. It's only after a long ride (long for me is 35 or more) that it hurts, but it's a good two or so days before I feel well enough to climb on the bike again. Which sucks because eventually I'd like to do one of the MS 150 gigs (looking at Red River next year). Opinions? You can post them here too... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=66735

cycleprincess...

Like I posted up a ways... I've ridden mine around 1200 miles or so (I forget exactly, but I've had it for nearly 6 months), and once it gets broken in a bit, it is extra comfy. I just did my first century, and although my legs hurt at the end, but butt was all good.

You have to think of it as a pair of nice leather shoes... you may hate them at first, they are stiff, and maybe give you blisterrs, but once the leather on the shoes breaks in, they can be your most comfortable shoes you own... same goes for the Brooks... well everything but the blister part... if that happens, yer doing something wrong...

I did notice on mine, compared to my old saddle, The nose is tilted a lot further up. My last saddle was nearly level... on the Brooks, if I kept it level, I felt like I was sliding forward all the time.. it took about 10 or 12 rides to really dial it in

jeff

fixer.. i like your seat. btw.. what kinda seat post is that? never seen like it with holes in them. also, what's the average price for the brooks?

that looks a little fruity

The titanium rails saddle is running around $170. Steel is $83 and the "black" rails is $65. BTW the B.17 Standard saddle has the lowest return rate of any of the other Brooks models (at least according to this site) and it's only $65. http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/standardsaddles.html

If you go back to your original post asking about non-leather saddles, and read some of the things you said, you should definitely have expected someone to "call" you on purchasing a leather saddle. I believe you'll also find that I stayed out of that. If remarks you don't like are "getting old", try not painting a giant target in bright neon colors on yourself. I DO sympathize with you for people tearing away at your chosen lifestyle, after all, most of us get ragged on for riding bicycles.
When I first read this thread last night, you got me so intrigued that I was on the Wallingford Bicycles website checking out the Team Professional and B.17 saddles. I just might have to check out one of those, but I'm still awaiting the chance to bring up the subject of a recumbent bicycle with my wife! ;)

OH, if we ever meet, and you don't want to see me eating meat, please come up with something better than beets. :eek:

Its all about fizik ariones

Fixer you sure did a nice job on that saddle, it looks professionally done!! I have the Swift so there was no need to cut it, but if I had it would of have looked like a jigsaw puzzle! By the way, on the subject of leather; you know I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian!!!

I used to ride a leather saddle 25 years ago, if fact, I did RAGBRAI wearing cutoffs on a leather saddle!

I have a question though, doesn't a leather saddle allow your sit bones to sink in allowing pressure to be distributed to more "sensitive" areas? This would be detrimental according to everything I've read and experienced lately.

-murray

Good point Murry; while true the saddle does show indents where your sit bones are but it also breaks into your anatomy of your undercarriage. It works the same way with leather shoes; when you first wear a pair of brand new leather shoes your feat hurt for a short while untill your FOOT breaks in the leather then they fell like your wearing glove. If you instead bought a pair of plastic or carbon fiber shoes this break in would never occur, thus your foot would have to do the breaking in which will take a very long time if ever to get real comfortable. When the Brooks leather breaks in with indents made your actually putting less stress on your sensitive areas but because it has also broken into that area as well by distrubuting the weight better over more saddle area. This is why the majority of long distance bicycle touring people use Brooks (especially the B17) over any other saddle on the market.

As with any saddle (or chair for that matter) you can't just sit on if for hours on end, you need to get up off the saddle about every 10 minutes or so for about a minute or two to get the blood flowing again. But over all the Brooks is the best for the sensitive area.

Today was my last day at my job, and as a going away present I got a $100 gift certificate to a LBS. (WooHoo! It's burnin a hole in my pocket already!) You've convinced me on the brooks saddle, but are they available in LBSs or strictly mail order? Thanks to all for their input, and sorry to vegan for the abuse she's taking. While I agree some of it's invited criticism, it sucks just the same. It is , after all, a cycling forum...

Hey Fixer,

Those are sweet looking saddles. I'm wondering what color they are: the honey color, that has now darkened with use and perhaps Proofide, or were they that brown color out of the box? I don't like the honey because it's too light for my taste but if it will darken down to that nice brown then I can live with it until it has aged.

Anybody want to comment on how they hold up in wet conditions?
They sure sound like a great saddle, and I need something to top my new Heckler (yea!)
Living in Oregon, I'm concerned about what the rain might do to them.
Right now, I've got a WTB (2000 model) saddle on my commuter bike, sometimes by the time I get to my destination, everything is soaked completely through.

With all this talk about leather and vegan and all this stuff, I had an absolutely crazy brainstorm (or someone might say "brainfart"!). Would it be possible to make a non-leather Brooks-type saddle? In other words, a saddle constructed like a Brooks that can be tensioned, but instead of leather it would be made out of a very thick waxed cotton duck or canvas?

Henry Ford, I heard, had a car body made out of soybeans in 1938. He took a sledgehammer to it and it didn't break! So a non-leather Brooks could certainly be possible.

Thanks. Actually, I ended up dying a couple of honey colored saddles since they didn't quite go with my bikes. I simply brushed on some Miss Clairol hair color......medium brown, if I remember.... Color is permanent, does not rub off....

George

Excuse my ignorance, never having seen one like that before, but what is that interesting seat post?

I don't know if this saddle does that but it looks interesting:

http://www.saddleco.com/why.html

I have never ridden one but would like to try one.

I've checked all the dealers and can't find any weights for these saddles. Anyone know of a source? I'm also struggling between black and dark brown for my Giant TCR silver and blue. Any votes? The dark brown looks rich but maybe it will draw too much attention to it's geekieness on a lightweight road bike?

The Brooks web site list all the weights. Just browse to the saddle you want to know about. Then hover you mouse above the picture of that saddle and it will give you the weight.

Duh...I was looking at all the dealer sites. Thanks Tree. Sure wish these saddles weren't so darn heavy 'cuz all the raves about the comfort are very enticing.
Steve

How about an *original* Swallow? A true beauty.

Very nice......

.....but for $325 LESS, how about a fake Swallow?.... :D

By *original* I meant not one of the new ones, and yes considerably less than the new Swallows. Mine was built in 1990.