Brooks Saddle
 

I was checking out the Brooks saddles in the LBS and have a question. Those holes in the B17 look like they might be a point of friction for that tender area we are all trying to comfort. It seems the more expensive Brooks don't have those holes in the seat. Any comments? what do you all think?

You won't be aware of them.

I had to get up and go look at mine to see what holes you were referring to. They don't seem to be a problem for me.

Nope, not a problem at all.

I can't feel them.

Thanks for the responses, Anybody want to recomend other than the basic B17?

The Brooks Champion Flyer is another that I own. Feels just like the B17 to me except with a bit of squish in the rear end of the saddle (as opposed to just the middle like on the B17, owing to the slight "sling" effect). I can choose either saddle depending on what kind of riding I know I'm going to be doing. For road-riding, I go with the B-17 but for the longer and rougher rides, I use the Flyer. The only drawback is that the Flyer looks a tad strange on my hardtail mountain bike: black frame, big fat knobby black tires, silver/black Marzocchi suspension fork... "grandpa" seat with springs.

Go for the B17 Special...it has large copper rivets and looks the business. I've now lost count of the number I've bought for myself and others. A great saddle.

Here's what the B17 Special looks like.


[http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/onbike/buck.jpg ]

Ehem...Team Pro!. I know, it takes longer to brake in (twice as much, I guess) and it isn't comfy just out of the box, but after a couple of years it has become more like a sofa to me, even more than my two other B-17's.

Team Pro, for me, comfy right out of the box.
Swallow - almost comfy out of the box. (probably not ideal for touring, but I'm using it on my long distance bike...)

B67!

big, fat, sprung...uhh...

yeah. i like mine. even my b17 feels like an ass hatchet in comparison.

although, the springs won't win you fashion points, unless you have the same twisted sense of fashion as me...

20,000+ kms with my Brooks saddle ... and I've never noticed those little holes.

The springs look cool.

Did you ever see the brooks with springs in front AND back...no one ever talks about them..seems like they'd ride nice.

I got a pre-conditioned B17 last week from the Santa Fe NM bike shop that's on a thread here. After about 3 mink oil treatments and folding in the wings, it looks like a saddle that's ready for action. There's a lot of spring in it and that leather is thick. :)

The one with the 3 coil springs is the B-73. I have one that's 42 years old. Gotta be careful or I could fall asleep on that thing! Until I get a Honey B-67 (2 springs)for my Trek 520, it is The One. Got some nice comments today on it at the Internat'l Bike Expo in Seattle. Rode it down there and back, 62 miles rt. Over 300 miles on it in the past 8 days. Plenty skinny for riding the drops, which I usually don't do, but wide and comfy for the more upright position.

There's something else about sprung saddles that a mechanic at Expo brought up: for heavier riders, especially aggressive ones like me, he believes a sprung saddle saves wear and tear on the frame???

Comments on that? Or, should it be a thread?

It starts out feeling more like a leather-covered brick, but it's pretty comfortable after a few thousand Km. I prefer it on my road bike to my other Brooks, a B17

I insert my allen wrench through the holes on my B-17 Champion Special to adjust the front "tilt/leveling" seatpost screw.
BCNU
Gary

It in fact does. Have been riding a B-17 Champion Special (lg.rivets) for about a 1000 miles now and although my ass loves it, the 3 holes are IMO, a source of friction.

Richard

They are for farting, right?

I just always assumed that is what they are for.

Those holes are to locate the leather accurately during manufacture.

Then why not on the Team pro?

Because the name says it all. The team that builds those ones is a professional team!

For Touring I am with the B67 spend all day on it without a problem, my rail that clips on to the seat post broke, I phoned Brooks and explaind this to them and they seemed really shocked and 2 days later I had a new B67 with all the extras. Nice of them I thought.