Hi, id be interested to know how many of you guys use a brooks leather saddle and if you do how you find it? and in particular how much of a pain it is to have to put a cover on it to protect it every time it rains?

im considering a brooks swallow for my winter training/touring/trail riding bike but if the saddle is going to be really sensitive in the wet it might not be worth the hassle (tho i heard they are very comfortable once broken in).

i live in the UK btw so it rains quite alot

Peter

Brooks saddles don't work for everyone.
My swallow did not.

10 wheels, what issues did u have with yours?

They are sway back the way one sits in it..
I prefer to sit on top of a saddle.

I like to move around when I ride.

Got in 500 miles on it. Can ride it for 70 miles for one day.
It remains very hard like a piece of rounded wood.

I need a saddle with a very narrow nose.
I still have it and will do more rides with it.

The swallow or swift are often chosen due to the sleekness and visual fit with modern race bikes. I used the swallow and found it pretty comfortable but short lived. The leather is thinner and easily stretches, forcing one to continue tightening the bolt until stretched out and worthless.
The Brooks Pro is what I have found to be the best saddle made, I ride year round, snow or rain and have had no problems. The saddle comes with a tough waterproof cover to protect it from rain. A great saddle that lasts forever and gets better with each passing year.

Lots of miles on a Brooks B-17. Ordered a third one for a new bike, but was shipped a Swallow instead. (Costs twice as much but they said I could keep it.) B-17 is comfy for me right out of the box. About 1000 miles on the Swallow now. Still not comfortable, but usable. The B-17 offers more support. The Swallow is narrow, and purposely less giving from their tying the aprons together underneath. My bars are almost at saddle height, so the B-17 is fine. If I had bars 3-4 " below the saddle, the Swallow might be better.

I don't treat any of them. One went 52,000 miles until the bike was stolen. If it's raining, I'm the rain cover. But, too, I don't leave them parked out in the rain, either.

B17 on my cross bike. Fantastic. Water really isn't a big issue...you have to be in a downpour for it to be a problem, and if I don't have fenders or a good sized saddle bag I tie a plastic grocery bag up underneath the saddle rails to keep the underside dry.

B17N was on my CAAD9. Loved that one too, but I decided to try a Concor Light. Loved the Concor Light even more. It seemed a lot like the B17N in seating area, without the extra width necessitated by the metal frame at the corners.

I tried a Swift once. In under a year it "broke in", which gave it a shape of two sit-dimples on the top/sides and a 1.5" ridge of leather going from nose to back. That chaud-choker ridge felt like riding on a leather wedgie. It was great BEFORE it broke in. I also only weighed 153 ish at the time.

Brooks being from England knows a thing or two about wet weather. Proofide your saddle once a month or so, never leave the bike under the rain without a cover and you should be fine. If this is going on your new Ti cyclocross/touring bike, the Brooks Team Pro or B17 Narrow should work well. The former better for CX and the latter better for touring and long distance. I believe the leather is also thicker than the Swallow's. I personally ride the regular B17 and LOVE it... The most comfortable saddle ever! I mainy care about long distance.

I have several thousand miles on both a B-17 and a Swift. I found then very comfortable and real easy to get used too and take care of. Even had one on my winter bike. Just carry a plastic grocery bag for the times you do get caught in heavy rain. Just be aware that there rails are relatively short compared to most other saddles. I could not get the Swift far enough back for a proper fit on my Madone.

Funny you mentioned that. I'm afraid I'm having the same issue w/ my B17. Did you get an offset seatpost to fix this?

Thanks for the info, so if im running fenders this thing should be ok as long as i dont leave it out in the rain? I also like the imperial with the anatomic cut out, might consider that one? I liked the swallow due to its sportier look but if it doesnt cut the mustard il leave it.

Heres a Q, the bike im building is a surly cross check frameset in black, what colour saddle and bar tape??

I have Brooks saddles on all my bicycles now ... and they are not that sensitive to rain. In fact, it is a good idea to go for a ride in the rain with your saddle soon after you get it. Put a shower cap or grocery bag in under the rails and use it to cover the saddle if you have to leave it sitting out in the rain. And yes, mudguards can be good, but are not essential.

My oldest Brooks had about 45,000 km on it (and would have had a lot more if the bicycle it was on had not been stolen). My newer Brooks are racking up the sitting time as well.

Mine are all B17s, although I have to say that my favourite now is a B17 special in green with titanium rails.

Hi Machka, do you use anything other than the recommended proofide to waterproof yours?

I don't really use proofide to waterproof my saddle. I apply a tiny bit of proofide maybe once a year, but that's about it.

I don't leave my bicycle out in the rain very often. If I do, a plastic grocery bag or shower cap goes over the saddle. And otherwise my butt (and rain jacket) cover the saddle.

Some of my bicycles have mudguards, and some don't. The bicycle which had the Brooks with 45,000 km on it had mudguards about 1/2 the time, and I rode that saddle in all sorts of weather from blazing sunshine, to bucketing torrential rain, to sleet and snow. The saddle was fine. In fact, it was, by far, the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned.


Edit: Even when I did not have mudguards, I did ride with a rack with a flat top piece so it would have sort of helped act like a mudguard to some extent.

ok im narly sure im going to get the b17 imperial now, what does everyone think about colour? to go with a black cross check frameset? would brown go ok?

You might consider the honey.

Match the saddle to the same color on the handlebar tape. Just make sure they both look good on your bike. I've seen some black bikes with honey saddle and honey brooks tape. The combination rocks! Do a search on google images for ideas before you settle on the color. If not sure, black is always a safe bet.

My saddle anyway gets wet with sweat, so rain is no issue I feel. Fenders protect the under surface, and I use proofide once a year. My wife and I both LOVE our Brooks. Only saddle that I can ride 60km plus in jeans.

I use a shower cap [which is stored under the saddle] only when leaving the bike in rain, but never when I am actually ridining in rain.

No, my Madone 5.9 uses a seat mast cap so options were limited. Had to give up on the Brooks because with bad knees proper saddle placement is more important than butt comfort. I switched to the Fizik Alliante at first which is comfortable but caused major numbness on long rides. I now have a Fizik Arione Versus on the Trek.

I did have a B17 Imperial and it was the only Brooks saddle that didn't work well for me. Thicker leather so it never really broke in as well. Cutout area a bit painful. And in the winter I had to seal off the opening to keep from literally freezing my balls off.

I ride in a fairly aggressive position and found the B-17 not as comfortable ( now on my second bike) as the Brooks Pro. The brooks pro looks sportier, better fit on my road bike. I rarely use the proofhide, like matchka, maybe once a year. Be wary of cutouts. I found that it , with the dome cut out, put all pressure on my sit bones and I ended up with more pain , not less.

LOL!!... Never thought of that!

Thanks for the other piece of info. In my case, I can fix it with an offset seatpost. For the time being, I'm experiencing no pain at all. I just feel my butt is sitting at the very rear of the saddle when I'm on the drops. Spoke to the LBS and suggested to leave as is if I have no discomfort. He said more rearward and I might experience lower back pain.

A few tips after many years of riding many Brooks saddles ...

1. When you take your Brooks out of the box, your first thought might be something along the lines of, "This thing is a rock!" Yes, your Brooks saddle is hard. It's supposed to be hard, and that's OK.

2. Your Brooks saddle should never become soft. Your Brooks saddle will remain hard for years and years and years to come. Your goal is not to strive to make it soft. If it becomes soft, it is badly damaged.

3. You may get a small spanner with your Brooks saddle. Put it in a safe place, a place you'll remember several years from now when you might need to use it. Resist the temptation to loosen it off so it will "break in" or become soft because your Brooks should never become soft, and you will regret this method of breaking in your saddle. Several years from now you may want to give it a quarter turn to tighten it a little tiny bit because it has become a little bit too loose and you're sitting on the rails.

4. You may read about various methods to "break in" or soften your Brooks. Ignore them. The best method is to ride the saddle ... lots. Your saddle will not become soft by riding it, but it will break in. (There are two other methods which will work if your saddle has not broken in by about the 1000 km point)

5. When you install the saddle, tilt the nose of the saddle up a little bit. The angle of the tilt will depend on your personal preference. Some like quite a pronounced tilt, others just a little bit of an upward tilt. The upward tilt of the nose of the saddle forces you to sit back on your sitbones, and makes the saddle more comfortable.

6. When you first get on your new Brooks and ride, you'll notice it is very slippery. You may feel like you are sliding around all over the place. That's normal and will go away after a few rides ... and that will be the first part of the break-in process.

Excellent info, so maybe i should consider the team pro instead of the imperial?

im considering myself a Brooks Saddle for my rebuild. love the look of those copper/chrome rivets on the seats..god so elegant..