Brooks 17 vs Flyer
 

I'm torn between the Brooks 17 and Flyer. Pretty much the same thing, except for the springs. I really don't care about the weight, or cost, I'm more concerned about the performance of the two. Are there any disadvantages to the sprung saddle? I've read some other threads that seemed to indicate that the springs mostly took the bite out of larger bumps. What about rough roads, vibration and such?

AFAIK, the springs won't contribute much unless you're using a very upright position or are a heavy rider.

If you sit upright, I assume you could go either way and do just fine.

After riding with it for a couple of weeks, I exchanged my Flyer for a B17. I never noticed whether the Flyer was taking the edge off any hits I was taking. If it isn't doing anything, there's no reason to lug around the extra hardware.

I like sprung saddles. Its a personal preference.

What do you like about them? What kind of riding do you do?

I have a B-17 on one of my bikes and a Flyer on another one. They're both lovely saddles, but I've become partial to the latter. It makes for a smoother ride.

I have sprung and unsprung Brooks on most of my bikes. If you are not concerned about the cost or weight, I would suggest a Thudbuster seat post and whatever saddle you are comfortable on. The Thud soaks up the big bumps, and smooths out many road irregularities. Its design allows it to move more in-line with the motion of the bike (when a bump is hit), and the long-travel model allows you to fine-tune the cushioning for your weight or softness prefference.:thumb:

I like the suspension of a Flyer when riding on my upright townies. It smooths out the bumps and irregularities of pitted roads.

Quite good in the countryside where I live.

Ok, so not concerned about cost between the two saddles lol. A thudbuster is a bit much for me. I currently have a Specialized something or other without suspension, but I do get a lot of bumps in the butt from the road. Is there any loss of power on hills with the springs? I had a suspension post with a really cushy sprung saddle at one point (scary, I know, and yes, it hurt) and I lost a lot of power, I could feel it rocking under me. Have you experienced anything like that with the Flyer?

Unless you're a Clydesdale, you won't experience any particular bounciness with a sprung saddle. The late Sheldon Brown recommended them because there are no moving parts to wear out and no stiction. The springs just smoothen out the road vibrations making for a smoother ride.

I'm on the slender side so I haven't experienced a loss of power climbing hills with a sprung saddle.

I prefer the springs, they smooth out vibration and small bumps. I weight about 210 pounds. If you weight less than 150, you might not notice the springs because they might be too stiff for your weight.

I find that the springs are not much benefit on my bike with 26 X 2.0 tires, as the tires soak up a lot of the rough road. But the springs are really nice on my bike with 700 X 28mm tires when they are pumped up to 120 psig because at that tire pressure I feel every bit of the rough road.

It only smooths out the vibration and small bumps in the road. You still have to put your weight on the pedals (take the weight off of the seat) for the big bumps, so don't expect it to turn into a Cadilac type of soft ride where you feel like you are riding on air.

I don't have the Flyer, I have the Conquest which is a discontinued model with the shape of a Brooks Pro. I assume the springs on the Conquest are the same springiness as the Flyer. Several months ago I tried to measure how much spring deflection there was when I was in the saddle. I do not recall the exact numbers with certainty because I did not write the numbers down, but I think it was about 3 or 4 mm. It was enough that I have my saddle nose adjusted slightly lower than it would be if there were no springs.

They can develop a squeak, I use Proofide to lubricate the places where metal rubs on metal to get rid of the squeak.

I prefer the Flyer, have it on my touring bike, I weigh 270 lbs and find it gives me a nicer ride.

I'm a bit on the skinny side, ~125 lbs, sounds like I may not notice much of a difference. Ah, decisions! The 17 looks sexier though...hmmm...perhaps I can find someone who has one, and is willing to let me take their bike for a spin.

I have both saddles. I am around 200lbs. I find that even at my weight I have no bounce on the flyer unless I hit something major. I like them both. The flyer is on a longtail bike I have with a very upright riding position. The b17 is on a bike with bars right at my saddle height. It would use the flyer if you have bars above the saddle a good distance. b17 if you don't. The frame of the flyer is major and yes, heavy. I appreciate what it offers. It isn't a cheap flexible spring that you see on many recreational saddles. It will give when you need it to give. Otherwise it will feel solid and won't bounce you around as you pedal. I have a friend who was choosing btwn the 2 and he is around 140lbs. He said he couldn't feel the difference btwn the 2 at all when he tested them. I think rider weight and riding position have a major effect when choosing btwn these two saddles.

If you're 125, I think you are going to end up on the b17.... save the weight and bring more food!

I have a Flyer on my LHT. I like it, but my butt still gets sore on tours. I have a B17 on my Specialized Allez. My butt never gets sore on it, but I never do long rides on successive days. I guess I'm going to have to mount the B17 on my LHT and take it on a long tour to really make a valid comparison.

The Flyer has added hours (miles) to my ride. There's a difference, I feel it instantly. Of course the roads in New Mexico are rougher than cob anyway.

I have both (on different bikes of course ;) ), and the only big difference is that flyer will not let me use a saddle rail mounted water bottle holder, such as the one by Minoura. Guess, I'll just have to keep the spare bottles in my rack bag or panniers, for now.:twitchy:

Oh dear, I think that just made the case for me. I'd give up a bit of spring for having the bottles. It's nice to be able to ride ~4 hours without trying to find some place in the middle of nowhere to refill, and break out the camelbak or panniers. Thanks everyone.

Sounds like a B17 should be fine for you. I have a Flier on my touring bike, and only feel the springs give on a bigger bump (I'm 220). Just got the B17 for my road bike, so not broken in yet. But still feels good. And only gets better!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=175316I have the B-67 on my Fuji Touring bike and love it.:):)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=175315

I have a B17 on my LHT.

I'm around 140lbs and find it pretty comfortable. Having said that it still gets a bit uncomfortable if I have the majority of my weight on the saddle for extended periods of time. When I'm pedalling normally the saddle is a non-issue as a lot of the weight is on my feet. So maybe the Flyer is better for a sit-up bike.

Remember that even the base B17 'flexes' when you push down on it, so there is already some suspension on the standard saddle.

I just put the B17 and Thudbuster ST on my new Fargo. It is a great combination.

http://www.diddephoto.com/Nature/Far...54_sWNYj-M.jpg

Not everybody finds bliss and comfort on a Brooks saddle (of any model). So my suggestion is to get the less expensive B17, ride it for a few months, and see how you (and your derriere) feel. Sore? Adjust the fit, and try again. Still sore? Maybe you are not a Brooks kind of person. It's comfy? Then ask yourself how you doing on those rough patches. Too bumpy? Upgrade to the Flyer, and try for awhile. Keep your B17 in case you ever need a replacement saddle. (I have gone through five or six saddles during the past twenty-five years.) After awhile, reassess. Do you notice a difference between the two? If yes, pick the one you like the most.

The received wisdom is that to take weeks (or months) to break-in a Brooks saddle. I would like to report that it took me just a few days with two different B17s on two different bikes. And even during the break-in period, it wasn't uncomfortable.

That sounds like a great idea. There was a site, I can't remember, I'll have to find it on the forums again, that had return policy allowing you to return it within 3 months. I'm not sure if they appreciate wear, I haven't looked into it, but that sounds like a good plan.

as a 140 pounder, I find my B17 works perfectly well, and I can feel the diff between it and other bike seats I have used and have on my other bikes (in terms of "flex" and taking the edge of bumps) It is on an alu framed cross bike with 28s at min. 100psi and all in all , the seat does help.
**as mentioned, seat position is perhaps more finicky in getting it right vs other seats i have had. I have made mistakes in position that caused problems, but when figured out, it works very well.

as for breaking in, do searches for it, and you will see experiences such as mine where after 6 or 7 one-hour rides, my bum bones were no longer sore after about an hour in the saddle. So for me, it wasnt a horrible experience at all. I just limited my rides to about an hour for a while and then it was fine, and improved as this summer went on and the hours on it increased.