Favorite saddle for FG riding?
 

For the past 4 years or so, I've been using a Brooks B17 to rest my ass on while biking. It has served me well, didn't bother me at all, and I never really gave it much thought.
Now it's starting to bug me for some reason. The only big thing I've changed lately is the fact that I went from riding SS to FG.

As far as riding position, I have some significant drop from saddle to bars (although I do sit upright sometimes just to stretch out and keep loose). The Brooks B17 that has served me well over the past few years is starting to feel uncomfortable, maybe too substantial? I can't pinpoint it but maybe it's that fact that I am always pedalling now, never coasting, so a lot more motion/friction - perhaps something more narrow is needed? Or maybe I just need to tighten the hide a bit? (I've never messed with the tensioner)

I'm thinking about trying a NARROW model B17 or maybe a Team Pro. Any advice? Whatchyall sittin' on?

Fizik Arione Wingflex. Amazing. I had a Brooks B15 (granted, it was beat to ****) and hated it. I love my Fizik.

Looks pretty sweet Jimmy. I like the idea of not having to worry about babying the leather.

I guess saddles are very personal - so it may be difficult for me to gain any help with this. I guess no one is going to be able to tell me what will work best for my bone structure and bike, etc.

Just curious if anyone else had similar issues using a B17 with a FG roadbike, or if anyone else prefers the narrow B17 over the standard, etc.
I weigh 160 and I'm 6'4" - skinny as a rail. Trying to find something that suites me. Really annoying because I thought I had this piece of the puzzle all figured out. :(

I really like the Specialized Romin. I'd like to try the Romin Evo though.

Do you wear padded shorts when you ride or no?

Nope. Jeans or jean shorts or slacks.

Gotcha. Might be worth going to a Specialized dealer and trying out the Romin. I've gone on like 2 mile rides not wearing bike shorts with it and I was fine, but I can't comment on distance.

Yeah, anything over ten miles and I want pads. Under that, I'm fine. Also, call me Bryan.

I just recently put my b17 on my fixed. It had been on my racing bike before I purchased a Swallow Ti. I had to play with the tilt & angle more on the fixed. Less hand positions and constant pedaling did have some effect on comfort set up as it had before. Not that 70's frame geometry vs '03 probably had much to do with it either;)
I haven't gotten a ton of miles in it on the fixed yet, but so far I like it. I have seen some conversion net pages on cut b17s. You could try that but you're still looking at a new saddle plus a ruined one if you mess it up.

@jimmytango- sorry Bryan, will do

@nakedbabytoes - thanks for the info, yeah I thought about cutting it but I'll probably just try a small adjustment or two (tension the leather, then mess with angle) and if that fails then I guess I'll probably start saddle shopping

Specialized Toupé for me.

The thing is soooooooo nice.

I've done 50mile rides in jeans on my fizik arione and brooks swift, both are great. But then again, everyone is different. I really want to try a Selle Italia Flite...

Measure your sit bones. (Can be done by sitting on a piece of paper on a curb or stairs and see where the indents are. As skinny as you are, it should be easier than it was for me and my well-padded ass, LOL.) That should at least help you narrow down what saddle might work for you.

That said, my husband is thin, though not quite as skinny as you, and has the B17 Narrow. Commutes, races CX, rides long distance on it, though he needs padded shorts and chamois cream to really be comfy for distance. I'm not sure he loves it, but likes it well enough to not want to buy something else.

Sella Italia "Turbo" or Brooks Pro FTW.

SDG Belair RL for me. Charge Spoon a close second, but my favorite ATM cuz they're cheaper, $26 vs $40ish.

Classic ("1990") Selle Italia Flite Ti. If someone could convince me the modern version feels the same as the classic, I might buy one but there are enough NOS and reissues around that it's not necessary.

FWIW, Bicycle Times Magazine did a piece on how to modify a B17 like this and Brooks responded in the following issue with a pretty comprehensive explanation as to why this is a bad idea. Basically, the B17 Swallow was designed with cut aways for a reason.

-Just the messenger, not the source.

Not shooting the messenger, but it's curious that Brooks has a separate page devoted to user mods like this: http://www.brooksengland.com/curiosi...utchered-tied/ ;)

I'm using a regular B17 on my FG, but I'm considering lacing it to get the skirts out of the way.

- Scott

Wow, alright, lots to think about now. Seems like finding a saddle involves some educated "guess & check"...
I'm pretty sure I like Brooks, in fact I was very pleased until as of late. I think maybe the leather is too loose since I haven't tensioned it in basically 4 years, so it must have broke-in some by now and maybe even a little too much so?
The narrow B17 is sounding more and more like the way for me to go, just because I don't want to stray too far from what I know.

But you guys have offered a BUNCH of good options I didn't even know existed. The Specialized Romin, the Fizik Arione, and the Sella Italia Turbo all definitely have me interested. But I'm a bit of a traditional/classic kind of guy (I grind my coffee manually, I drive a manual transmission automobile, I still listen to vinyl, I shave with an old school style "safety razor", ride a FG bike, etc) and the Brooks saddles appeal to that side of me.

I'll probably take a sit bone measurement and check some things but I'm leaning towards trying the B17 narrow and if that fails me, I'll branch out into trying some more exotic saddles like you've all listed. Plus the Brooks has decent resale value if I decide it's not for me.

@ThermionicScott - that is curious. my opinion is that I'd rather not heavily modify a Brooks saddle because it kills the resale value. but if I had one that was already too busted up to resell, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at some surgery/mods.

As far as that section of the Brooks site, maybe they are trying to show off how long those suckers can last, and/or how attached the users are to their Brooks saddle that they are willing to go through all that to keep the same one. who knows.

Mine get scratched/dinged/worn-in soon enough that I don't worry too much about resale value. If you spin it right, a buyer may appreciate the mods, but it's definitely up to you. ;)

That would be my guess -- trying to keep everybody in the fold. BTW, if you're into old stuff, you should take a step up from your safety razor. :thumb:

http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ken80/dovo.jpg

a B17.

@ThermionicScott - yeah but I'm also into keeping the blood inside my body so yeah, conflict of interest :p

but seriously that's awesome man, I'd love to grown the cahones to learn how to wield a straight razor. bravo man, that thing is sweet!

My favorite saddle for FG riding is san marco's concor supercorsa in chamois black whose suede finish is boss.

I also have to mention my road saddle considering I do many more miles with gears than FG and that happens to be my brooks swallow ti in black. You should consider leather, sure it's a pain in the rear to break in but once it does it easily toppled the fabled fizik arione from my top list as far as comfort went. And no I was not riding the k1 variant torture hatchet.

specialized toupe expert here, i love it but i hate it. when im riding its great but it seems when im commuting and have a 15+ pack on me its not so great. it feels once i go over my body weight the saddle just isnt comfy anymore, it irritates me.

the supercorsa looks legit. i read a review which said that wearing jeans a lot while riding wears the suede down pretty quick, not sure how true that is but I ride in jeans an awful lot.
and yeah a spendy Brooks with big sexy rivets would be great but in Chicago we have a bit of a problem with bicycle theft, and seat theft in particular really worries me. it's just so easy to loosen an allen bolt and walk off with a saddle. i use a krypto cable if i'm going to be locking up someplace at night or for a longer period of time, but if I'm just running some quick errands I don't bother and just use my mini krypto u-lock, which leaves me wondering if my Brooks will still be there when I return.
long story short, i want a brooks that doesn't scream STEAL ME. sadly, we're forced to consider these things when choosing a seat for our bicycles. :(