bikebadooba

Looking for some general advice/feedback.

I recently bought the Brooks B17 standard. I've heard mixed reviews as far as how comfortable it is initially. The general consensus seemed to be: if it's going to work out for you, you'll know right away and likewise if it's not.

After mounting the saddle and taking a ride, I feel like my entire body is working to keep my rump on the saddle. Left unsupported I slide painfully off the front. My saddle angle is currently not adjustable. I can see where, with some breaking in, my sit bones will gently settle into some depressions and be more likely to stay put. However, right now I find myself not riding, because I feel too unstable.

1) Is this a typical first time Brooks response?
2) Is there a Brooks that sits more level so I don't slide off the front?
3) Does changing the texture of the leather help with this? (ie pre-aged, etc)

It should be noted that my current reach is too long, and my body angle will be corrected with a new stem within the week. However, even positioning myself at a proper angle and propping my hands up, the result is the same.

Any recommendations or advice is welcome. Thanks!

kayakdiver

Tomson or other quality post for starters. Until this gets solved(tilt) it will suck without regard to what brand of saddle you have under your posterior.

NoReg

If you have another saddle to ride, I would do that rather than break in your Brooks in places you may not wish to break it in. As far as the saddle slide is concerned you don't want to change it at all it is one of the key good things about a Brooks, you don't get stuck to the surface. It is a waxed leather surface so it is going to be slippery.

As far as how long it takes, there is no mystery, well probably. It is exactly like a pair of leather shoes. They may be comfortable from the begining. They may need braking in, by some part of the foot that is strong. They may pinch the toes, which are no match for stretching out the toe box. So you need to suffer for a very long time, or have the shoe streched on a machine. Same thing with the saddle. If it doesn't break in fast, then you can wait an age for it, or you can assist the surface under the sit bones with a pressure from a golf ball or a hammer.

MichaelW

A new Brooks has a shiny convex surface so you slide around. After a week or two of regular riding, two dimples start to form and you stop sliding around.
The best way of breaking in a Brooks is little and often. I wouldnt bother with any of the potions people use to soften the leather, you don't want it soft, just shaped.

chipcom 

+1 you need to be able to adjust the saddle tilt to get any saddle positioned properly....and position is the key to comfort.

coldfeet

Personally, I end up with what looks like a ridiculous nose up tilt on my Brooks. It works for me.

northboundtrain

Get an adjustable seat post as others have said. Any seat post that does not offer tilt adjustment is utterly worthless. Make sure you get the correct diameter -- they are not all the same.

Next get some neatsfoot oil. It's the stuff used to break in baseball gloves, so any sporting goods store ought to have it. Turn the saddle upside down on a sheet of tin foil and wrap the foil up around the saddle to make a vessle. Set this on some newspaper in case of spillage, and then pour in the neatsfoot oil. Allow the saddle to soak in the oil bath for about an hour. Then pour the oil back into the container for future use, wipe the saddle dry with rags and put it in the sun to dry.

The saddle is now water/weather proofed and will break in much easier.

Just make sure you wear black chamiox/cycling pants (there's a good reason cycling shorts are traditionally black).

This initial application of oil will last a long time, but you should rub oil into the saddle occasionally as needed to keep it well conditioned.

making

I had a brooks B17 put on my new Cross Check. I have 250 miles on it and those two dimple things are on the saddle. But from the first day the saddle as been the most comfortable one I ever used. I loved it from day 1.

bikebadooba

Thanks guys. Upgrading my ghetto seatpost has now been bumped to the top of my priority list. My former seat worked well at the current settings, so I think I was just too tempted to blame it on the Brooks. Hopefully after correcting my angle my saddle experience will be as comfortable as yours, John. As far as giving my saddle an oil bath, that's probably not going to happen. This is my touring bike, but it is also my all around town hauler. I'll be riding it wearing more than just black lycra. I'll give it a good rub-down of Proofride, but that's probably about it.

Thanks especially for the advice on riding it often for short periods. That's kind of what I'd been reduced to anyway, but it's good reinforcement and gives me hope for happy buns in the future.

BigBlueToe

I echo the others: get a seatpost on which you can adjust the saddle angle.

My brown Brooks Champion Flyer, which I purchased 2 years ago, started out really slippery, but is much less so now. It's no longer a noticable annoyance.

My black Brooks B-17, which I put on my other bike 5 rides ago, is still slippery, but a bit less so with each ride. It's not an annoyance. I don't have a whacky saddle angle either - it's pretty much horizontal.

positron

You need to tilt the front up.

BUT MAKE SURE you do it on the full moon, when Vega crosses Alpha Centauri and the dewpoint is above 45, or else the break in magic might not happen for you! you might want to have some Eye of Newt and leper's skin on hand too- simply make a poultice with sands from the beaches of the dead sea and rub it into the hide of the saddle when the seven sisters of Biketouria appear in front of you.

geez, breaking in a brooks is so simple....must we repeat this thread ad nauseum

m_yates

I just bought a B-17 and initially set the saddle dead level, and it didn't work at all. I kept sliding to the front as you describe. I was getting numbness in my hands because I was using my arms to keep myself pushed back. I raised the nose of the saddle only a few millimeters and it made a world of difference. I was surprised at what a big effect such a small adjustment made. As others have said, tilt the nose up, but try it only a little at a time. You might not need much adjustment to fix the problem.