Hi!

I have a touring bike, on which I mounted a Brooks Flyer saddle (w/ springs).

I prefer harder saddles so loved it from Day1 but after breaking init got even better and it is the most comfortable thing my ass has ever sat on on a bicycle.

I just purchased a racing bike for other purposes. This came with a random gel saddle which is fine for the first 50km os so but starts to get painful beyond.

Is it worth it getting a leather saddle as well? the good thing about the gel one is its 230g and its being waterproof.

I know I won't get as comfortable as on the touring bike (although, the carbon fork does wonders!!), but still, is the Brooks B15 Swallow Chrome (https://www.brooksengland.com/catalog...wallow+Chrome/) a good idea? will its 490g be a big handicap? I know the titanium version is "only" 370g but it is also bloody expensive....

Slightly out of the subject, but how about the seat post? would getting a carbon seatpost instead of my current one both make up for the weight of the leather saddle and make up for the lack of springs on the saddle.

Finally, I admit I got sucked in quickly in the world of leather saddles, believing the any non-leather saddles, albeit good won't get much better than *this* experience of mine, but is that true? aren't there some nice non-leather lightweight saddle that also get comfortable on long rides?

A carbon post will not have near the effect of springs. Most people can't tell them from aluminum. But if your looking to save some weight they will do that. But again, few ounces of static weight is not something most people can notice.I would go with whatever keeps you comfortable for the rides that you are doing regardless of weight. You may find a modern plastic saddle that works, but it will be mostly trial and error. We've all been there. There is also no guarantee that the Swallow will break in like the Flyer did and be as comfy.

I happen to think that leather saddles are slightly overrated.

If you must have one, Brooks is most likely your only option. They have a few race-specific models. They are also working on a new saddle which is rubber covered with some type of fabric, and it looks somewhat promising.

I wouldn't bother with titanium rails. The weight savings are minimal, the cost premium is not.

One point I'd make is that wide leather saddles are usually found on bikes without a lot of drop from set to handlebar, and for many people don't work well in an agressive position on a road bike.

Some people use a narrower Brooks Swift in that application. YMMV.

You might alos consider a Fizik Kurve. The flex shell of the Kurve is kind of a modern take on how a lether saddle works.

Go leather if it feels right. As has been said, you may need a narrower design for being on the drops.


As for weight saving, it's more important to be comfy. If you are not your overall performance will suffer.

The Brooks "Professional" is my personal choice for long rides. I have four of them on various bikes. If you take care of them, they last forever. One of mine is from 1967 and still going strong. Yes, they're heavier, but modern saddles achieve a significant part of their weight savings by transferring padding/shock absorption/anatomic accommodation to your bike shorts where it doesn't get weighed for the saddle's marketing brochure. There's a reason why old-school riders could get away with just a thin leather chamois in their shorts.

If leather is what you prefer try Selle Itilia Flite Classic. I know they don't make them any more, and are hard to find. It's the only saddle I ride. The Brooks are just too dang heavy for modern race bikes.
Cheers

...makin the rocking world go round

I have a leather Selle Anatomica on my road bike and it's been a great saddle for me. I don't have much saddle to bar drop though. It is heavy like the Brooks though. It also has a lot of room on the rails for setback adjustment, much more than Brooks I've been told.

I have two bikes with Brooks B17's, and one with Selle Anatomica Titanico. The Selle is more comfortable.

I tried a Brooks B17 for a while and while it was very comfortable for relaxed slowish riding, it retained a lot of heat and caused discomfort during high intensity rides. Recently switched to a SLR team edition saddle and finding it much better.

I've used a Brooks Swift Ti and a B17 that I cut down to mimic a swallow. They broke in awesome and worked for about six months. I used snow-seal (beeswax based) to treat them, but I destroyed both fairly quickly. Leather saddles are for recreational, occasional high mileage use, like on a bike tour. They won't hold up to a racer's training regimen, being bathed in salt sweat, rain, road salt, etc. and then ridden hard the next day.

I tried a lot of the tricks, waxing the underside of the saddle, covering it in storage to prevent forced drying, but it didn't change the fact that the leather was nearly always saturated while in use.

I also hate how short the rails were. I almost always run saddles slammed back, and I could not get either Brooks in the right position. I ended up sitting too far back on them, often feeling the metal frame. And when you're "on the rivet," you're really ON THE RIVET.

I'm a big fan of the San Marco Concor Light. Its not too padded, has minimal cheeks, and ramps up at the back to give you good platform while climbing. It also has a rounded nose which won't catch on your shorts. I've got 2.5 years on mine (in white) and its just now starting to show some wear, but I'll ride on it for another year probably before putting it on my commuter/cross.

Also, +1 on looking for a used flite classic. I also liked some of the older ritchey vector saddles. I have an awesome older one with world champion stripes on the back. If you like your Brooks with springs, you might want to try the Selle Italia Turbomatic; it has elastomer bushings supporting the back end.

The Anatomica solves some of the problems with Brooks saddles. The leather is treated so that you do not need to apply any maintenance goops to keep it in good shape, and according to the manufacturers, are fine to ride in the rain. Sure you don't want to soak it lest you ruin the saddle, but they are more durable than Brooks with respect to water, or so I have heard.
The rail issue was what I disliked about Brooks too. Never could get the saddle in the right position because you have maybe an inch of fore/aft to move, and that ain't enough. The Anatomica's rails are comparable to an average modern saddle, I'd say. I can get the saddle in place no problem. I have about 6cm of drop (hard to measure with an Anatomica because of the hammock effect).

The Rivet is a lightweight saddle. The cantle plate is plastic, not metal, and you can get it with titanium rails. I rode it, and found it to be a cruel torture device because the leather was rock hard, making the edges of the saddle cut, literally. The Anatomica is definitely more of a hammock saddle, and since the nose rotates around its longitudinal axis, the anatomica is not as straight on and solid in cornering, and it tends to squeak (they have a gasket for that that i have yet to install). Nevertheless, despite its weight, the anatomica is a very comfortable saddle for me, and I care not that it weighs so much.

I find them pretty resistant. I have three (one tourer, one 60's road bike and a fixed wheel). The Tourer (it was the 3rd saddle on that bike ) Brooks B17 has probably 50000+ miles on it, mainly down to a 25-30 mile each day commute in all (Scottish) weathers, and several 80-100 mile a day tours in Europe. I use Proofide and, while it has become darker and stained, is extremely comfortable and supportive

You are exactly right. I'm pretty far back on the rails on mine, they don't have as much movement as others and if I needed more reach (I don't) would need to have a setback post.

I have Brooks saddles on all my bicycles ... why would I want to sit on something uncomfortable when I can sit on my comfortable Brooks saddles?

Incorrect.

Just because YOU destroyed your Brooks saddles doesn't mean that if they are treated properly they won't hold up to a variety of conditions.

If they'll hold up for a randonneur, they'll hold up for a racer.

I use a Team Pro on my CAAD9. Works well for me.

Also a big fan of the Concor Lite.

B17 on my other bikes.

And really, the whole saddle-to-bar drop issue with the Brooks is interpreted incorrectly by most people. It's not that a B17 will abuse your taint more with a steeper drop, it's that the width presents a thigh clearance problem as your body angle changes.

But if that's not a problem, then by all means run a B17. Or go narrower. I personally think narrower than a Team Pro is too narrow though...a Brooks has a useable "sitting area" that does not include the metal frame at the corners. Therefore the sitting profile of a B17 is like a 145mm saddle, with an extra 1+ cm on either side that is required to suspend the leather, and potentially restrict thigh movement. The 160mm Team Pro has a sitting profile like a 135mm saddle (think Concor Lite) but again with the frame space on it.

The B17 Flyer is a great saddle for more upright positioning, the standard B17 is a good touring saddle for bikes with a fairly level saddle to bar drop... and the B17 Imperial is better when you have more saddle to bar drop as the cut out can reduce perineal pressure.

I would agree with this. My Brooks Swift is very comfy on my bike that is more upright, but I had some numbness issues when I lowered the bars and started riding with my hips rotated more forward. I now have a Fizik Anteres Versus now. Its not as comfy as the Brooks, but I don't get numbness on long rides as much.

I have never had a problem with my B17 models; pretty much my go to saddle right now. Just purchased another select model for my Riv roadeo.

And I have a Fizik Vesta, which, along with the Vitesse are basically the slightly-wider slightly-shorter women's version of the Aliante and Antares Versus saddles. Nice saddles, if they fit you. The longest ride I've taken it on was 200km, and I didn't notice a thing. No soreness, no chafing, no numbness, nothing; and I'm not really fond of bulky chamois so I wear tri shorts with just a layer of fleece even on long rides. It's waterproof, pretty light (though not as light as your current saddle) and it's not rock-hard, just firm. Don't know how durable it is long-term as I've only had it for about 8 months. About the only thing I can't do with it is easily grab the nose with my thighs to ride no-hands, but any saddle with a wide enough nose to do that would chafe my inner thighs on long rides.