I <3 my brooks saddle.

BTW anyone used the B17 Short? They are going for pretty cheap on the IRO website and I been thinking of picking one up so I dont have to keep swapping the saddle from my road bike to the other things I ride.

http://www.irofixedgear.com/index.as...PROD&ProdID=37

If your saddle is pushed pretty far back on your seatpost, don't get a B17. You can't scoot them far back enough. I am a tall freak though, so to each his own.

Tomorrow I'm removing my B17 and slowly nursing the rivet shaped sores on my butt back to health.

It's incredibly comfortable for me.

4 hours in the saddle w/out cycling shorts, and nothing goes numb or sore.

Screw "trendiness" - if you can say that about your saddle... ride the hell out of it.

love them or hate them. i love them. i always have. they look great on almost any bike. the b17 is my least favorite. the b17 narrow is better. i'm currently waiting for my brooks pro to arrive for my townie build. brooks always gets compliments from strangers. only here it seems they are hated by some...

BROOKS makes great things.... alot of attention to detail and very sturdy and quality stuff... cant wait to get a matching saddle bag to my saddle!

ya, i guess its a love/hate thing. my brooks is the ****. im nice to it, its nice to me. we get along real good.

h00rai let's start another vegan debate thread!

how are they in the rain ?
do you have to be cautious about getting them wet?

Black cowboy boots only
 

So thats almost as classy as biking with cowboy boots?

Brooks B17/Swallow
 

Well I've got an old B17 on a commuter that cannot be beat. Super comfy, but the leather suffers being on a commuter bike sitting out in the rain n' such. The swallow is also a good bet but it seems like more $$ for nothing more than a cutaway on the sides to make it a bit lighter...

You should get the Aardvark saddle cover from Velo Orange. Unlike the useless official brooks cover it's waterproof. While my bike is on winter commuter duty the aardvark stays on it all the time and protects it nicely. It also makes the brooks look considerably less classy which is a good idea for locking up.

TommyL do you have a seatpost with some setback?

FYI Asher the B17s is a womens' saddle.

I have drenched mine on several occasions(didn't bring the dern fender!). i just let em dry and proofhide them after. they say you cut the lifespan of the saddle but since they can already last 30+ yrs, you cut the life by 5....big deal

Get a seatpost with more offset.

wow. so as long as you're not doing any real riding, a brooks is where it's at...
whew, glad it's such a "comfy" saddle! those rides to wholefoods can be treacherous!

Unless you have a Brooks :D


Not from Texas? :D

Yes, be cautious. I got caught in a DOWNPOUR... crazy limited sight storm. Bagged it ASAP... but was too late. It rode like a hammock for the next 25 miles... sagging more and more. There was no support... and I only weigh 125lbs. It hardened back up... not QUITE back to original shape. Would've been fine, but I laced it to tighten it up, and prevent sagging if it gets a little wet again. In hindsight, I would've given up on the recreational ride if I'd known it was going to take a chance on ruining the saddle.

Oh yeah, mines a B17N... now laced, and trimmed a little.


As for riding in shorts... I get used to it... seems a little slippery at first... especially before it's broken in.

Q: about how many holes did you make on each side for your lacing? And what did you use to make the holes? I've seen Brooks' laced and I want to do it, too. But I'm not sure how to punch perfect tiny holes in the saddle. I dont want to wreck it.

This is going on my bike:
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photo...P-BK-ANGLE.jpg
Its the Team Pro and you can get it on ebay for $105.

BTW Thanks for this info. I'm getting one now too.

NP, in my opinion the aardvark is essential gear for brooks enthusiasts who are also hardcore commuters. It makes your saddle as low maintenance as a plastic one in bad weather, but you have the option to pull it off and get that breathability back as soon as things dry up.

Hooters, get a leather punch to make the holes. You can do it with a drill but it doesn't work anywhere near as well---the drill tends to rip out a hole and the punch neatly cuts one out. There are no rules on how to do it, but I used vernier calipers to score a light line about 12mm from the edge of my saddle, following the edge. Then I marked out holes on one side about 12mm apart, again scratching with the calipers, and punched em out. The calipers made it easy to match the holes I had punched on the opposite side of the saddle.

http://www.sfu.ca/~ahartlin/saddle.jpg

For giggles and ****s I laced up my well ridden B17 on the Cross-Check, wanted to see what the effect of it would be. Poked four holes along each side with a drill (I'd have used a punch but didn't have one handy), just below the Brooks emblem. Lashed it up with lace. Result was quite dramatic, really improved the feel.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/...c68a73.jpg?v=0

As for wet weather riding, I just use plastic shopping bags. I usually stuff a couple up into the space between the rails and the saddle to keep the underside dry.

Brooks? Best saddle ever. ;)

My seat post has a fair amount of offset already. Maybe I just need a different style. Maybe brooks just won't work for me. My butt hurts.

that's because it was designed before things like comfort or electricity were invented.

leap forward to at least the 1980s and try a saddle that was made by actual product engineers from materials that aren't the skin of dead 1700 pound three year old animals.

My wife, who does not really care about all things bike, but has heard about my saddle woes, just looked over at the computer screen and burst into laughter!

if you're thinking about trying one - buy from here

http://wallbike.com

6 MONTH UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE OR RETURN if you don't like it.

You can't go wrong.

boohoo his butt hurts. awwww...