BA Commuter

My two B-17 Standards are very comfortable. Once I tried switching back to the saddles I removed, and I realized how much better the Brooks fit and felt.

In addition, there's something that screams out - get your butt over here and ride me when you see one!

fietsbob

that's 2 more colors than were offered 20 and 30 years ago, I have 2 Brooks pros
I bought way back then ..blackish brown was the only dye color.

Sixty Fiver

Up until the mid seventies most decent bicycles were fitted with a leather saddle... most high end bikes were fitted with a Brooks while the French really preferred their Ideale which was every bit as nice as their English made counterparts.

Mid level bicycles may have been fitted with a Wright's, Lycette, or others and it is suspected that the AGDA saddle fitted to thousands of bike boom Peugeots brought about the decline of the leather saddle as these were truly horrible instruments of torture.

Wrights, as well as Lycette were taken over by Brooks to produce second tier saddles although I have been very pleased with the Wrights and Lycette saddles I own and do love my Ideale saddles as well.

I ride saddles that are comfortable and not because they are fashionable... use some non leather saddles and passed along many saddles of both types that I did not find comfortable.

If you find a leather saddle that is comfortable, well made, and take care of it, it may outlast your butt.

dynodonn 

Brooks are not mainstream in my area either, and the many cyclists that I've encountered locally, most know the brand name, but none owning one. At my request, my LBS brought in three Brooks saddles, in which I purchased a black one and the LBS put in stock two others, another black and a brown.

I later bought the second black Brooks from the LBS, and someone else buying the brown, but the LBS has yet to put anymore Brooks back in stock, making it again one more "out of sight, out of mind" item.

dynodonn 

Even my lowly Varsity had a leather saddle, though I did chance upon a vinyl covered metal seat from an early Varsity, it's a true work of utter horror and now lives in the rafters of my shop with it only being brought down to remind myself that not all was good in the "good 'ol days".

cat

Well, the biggest thing for me, is once I got it set up on my MTB (a couple of rides), I no longer think about it.

I guess, now that I think about it , I should probably add some more protectant...it's been a couple of years.

The reason I bought mine in the first place:

I was camping in Northern AZ and ran into a guy at the campground who had a nice Surly 1x1 (possibly Karate Monkey) with a Brooks on it. He mentioned just wearing his normal shorts, being extremely comfortable and and that the saddle was breathable. It also looked great on his bike, so I went out and bought one to try.

I haven't noticed any others on the road around here, but I admit, I don't usually check out other guys saddles...

I'm thinking about changing the frame on my road bike from a very stiff AL Allez to a Pake C'Mute. I haven't tried the Brooks on Allez, but will definitely do so on the C'Mute.

EDIT - Should have mentioned - Mine is a B17.

modernjess

Why does it matter? if you don't like them don't ride them. Just because many people really do like them doesn't mean you will. It's not big deal, ride what makes you and your arse happy!

zoltani

Seriously, what's the point of starting this thread when the topic has been discussed to death on here?


Just a few, some even have almost the exact same thread title!
https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-198575.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-405950.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-556905.html

Shimagnolo

You must be new here.

Sixty Fiver

Short attention spans ?

Inability to use the search function ?

Masochism ?

zoltani

I personally like the "brooks a BF practical joke?" thread!

gerv 

I don't have a Brooks, but I do have an old Ideale and an even older Belt saddle. Both are leather -- similar to the Brooks -- and I really like them... although you do need to carry a shower cap to make sure it doesn't rain on them.

I was told it took a brief period of adjustment before your butt adjusted to the saddle, but I can honestly say that break-in period was no longer than the length of my driveway.

Plus leather saddles look so elegant.

AdamDZ

A Brooks saddle is better than a piece of 2x4 as a torture device for your **** although a lot more expensive. My WTB is also a leather saddle and much more comfortable from the beginning. Although, I'm sure it won't last as long as a Brooks saddle or a piece of 2x4.

Me: "My butt is on fire after 300 miles, I can't ride, can't walk, can't sleep, can't ****!!!!"
Brooks Support: "Yes, it might take 1,000 miles to wear your saddle in...."
Me: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Brooks Support: "Bloody **** is it that bad?"
Me: "You guessed?"

Adam

LeeG

oy vey Capn. Even a wood kayak benefits from a plastic seat.

bbeasley

For my road bike: Serfas Vistoso $55 ish. No break in, no drama, all day rides no problem

xray1978

I have one bike with a Brooks saddle and it is my daily rider. Nothing else will do for me. I thought it to be comfortable out of the box. It has only gotten better over time.

azesty

I have two Brooks.

One is a B17 on my daily ride, a Giant Lava. It was comfortable out of the box when I got the angle adjusted correctly. It has about 4000 km on it, and feels and looks great.

The other is a sprung version of a B17, but with the nice copper bits. It is on my touring bike, a Surly LHT. It has nearly 2000 km on it, but the area where my sit bones go has sagged a lot. I am thinking that I will try lacing it, and if that doesnt work I will replace it. I am guessing the difference is the leather? Maybe that the wear in on this one was longer rides? Not sure.

z

newkie

A hammock for me bollocks? Brilliant!

I didn't realize that was how it works. It does seem like a lot of money compared with other saddles. But I suppose if you equate the cost to a pair of good shoes it doesn't sound so bad (especially as it will last a lifetime). My current seat feels like I'm sitting on a plank and I'd believe whoever said you could try 2 or 3 inexpensive saddles before finding one that's suitable or just get a Brooks and be done with it. I ordered a black B17 STD and will soon find out for myself.

earth2pete

yes, it is, isn't it?

actually, it's not quite that soft, mate...

happy riding!

AdamDZ

Yeah, Brooks saddles and shoe soles have something in common

On the saddle I had the point your perineum sits on was the highest point on the saddle and hard like wood. Even when I was on my seatbones, my perineum was rubbing hard. If I angled it down I would slide forwards. Brooks rep was really like "Well, it works for some people, it doesn't work for everyone", and they seriously said it would take up to 1000 miles to break B17N in. According to them it's the hardest saddle they make to break in. After 300+ miles my perineum was on fire and the saddle was like new, I couldn't take it any more. I sold it to a forum member. He hasn't been posting for a while... hm...

Leather is great, it's just the B17N felt like chunk of wood and I wasn't willing to spend months in pain breaking it in. I got all the help I could get from forum members and Brooks, and adjusted the saddle many times to no avail. Perhaps if I tried the wider one with a cutout my story would have been different.

Good luck!

mconlonx

I wish I could find either a cheaper or lighter saddle that worked as well as a Brooks for me. Preferably both. I still try other saddles that come my way; I'd be thrilled to find one that worked as well or better.

Not local cool; interwebz fora bike geek cool.

Duh

BarracksSi

Or, if he bumped one of those old threads, someone would give him **** for "resurrecting a zombie thread."

What do I think is so great about Brooks saddles? Well, to be honest, it was the high resale value that got me interested enough to try one. I found a B17 at a shop, looked at the price, and thought, hey, if I don't like it, I can sell it on CL in less than a week, and for practically the same price.

I still haven't sold it, though. Although I now have an extra Swift that doesn't have a home (got it when I had more bikes).

ItsJustMe

I bought mine after reading much about it, but particularly after reading a comment from a guy who had inherited his Brooks from his father who finally gave it up after 50 years in his 90s. I like the idea of stuff that lasts many decades.

I like mine, though I really don't have much trouble with saddles in general, my body seems very forgiving of whatever I happen to be using. I do have less trouble with the Brooks on longer rides (metric centuries and more) than I do with the other saddles I've used.

daveF

I have my Bike Friday set up with a very aggressive riding position and a B-17. It's very comfortable. I find it works great. I also find them comfortable out of the box.

exile

It's because he is out riding Adam ;-)

I like my Brooks Flyer, unfortunately it was stolen. I will replace it once I get a job.