My husband has a B17 saddle and loves it. We really bought his based on rave reviews of other cyclists. Anyone have the ladies version? If so, is it comfy?

I have the Brooks Champion Flyer S (S for "short" or ladies' model, not "special"), which is just like the B17 S but with springs in the frame. I've been riding it for about a year on my daily commuting and touring bike.

When I first got my Flyer, I liked the shape, but the leather was rock-hard -- so hard it bruised my sit-bones after a long ride. I rubbed it with lots of Obenauf's saddle treatment (similar to Brooks Proofide) on both sides of the leather, and warmed it with a hair dryer to get the Obenauf's to sink in. After a few such treatments, the saddle did become more supple and conform a bit to my sit-bones.

Now I am quite comfortable on it. I rode it on a week-long tour last summer with regular shorts (not padded bike shorts) and never had to think about my saddle.

If I were buying a saddle now, I would probably get a B17 S instead of a Flyer S. And I would try to get it someplace that turns over their inventory regularly. I think my very hard Flyer S had hardened and dried out from sitting in the stockroom for many years in the small shop that sold it to me.

Brooks saddles are hard for sure until you get them broke in.But once you do you have a great saddle to use.There should be little different;s if any the s is for the lady,s but there is a few guy,s that will use them too.Just get it and start breaking it in it want take as long as you think it will about two hundred miles and it should be done.Just take short trip,s a little at a time is better that one long ride.My butt could not do it that way either.Goo Luck to you too.

Bruised sit bones? Ouch! My current saddle is not perfect, but it's pretty comfy. I only start to notice it at about 40 miles or so. I think I will think about it some more.

Last question: what about the rain? I heard you have to keep them out of the rain. Being as we live in Dublin and I use that bike for commuting, would I have to pedal with a plastic bag over it all the time?

yes you will need to keep it cover up when it does rain while you are riding it.But it does come with a rain hat for it or mine did any way.You need not to worry about it just get it and go for a ride some people I know tells me it felt good from day one but mine took a while to break it in not a big deal for me and I am a small guy if I can break one in any one should be able to do it lol.

If you have fenders/mudguards on your bike so that the underside doesn't get sprayed, that goes a long way. A cover or plastic bag is an OK idea too.

From the way that some people talk, you'd think that Brooks saddles melt when you get them wet. Just give them reasonable care and an occasional treatment when needed and you'll be fine.

there are some women on this forum who use Brooks, and I know that at least one uses a "mens" B17--the diff is only the length of the saddle, and it works well for them.

as always, with bike seat recommendations, its so so individual.

the only thing I can suggest andthink of is, given that your husband has one, I would try it at least to see how it feels. I bought a 2nd B17 in the winter, a used one, and used it over the winter on my bike on a bike trainer. It "broke in" quite similarly to my newly bought one (in others words, your husbands seat will not be perfect for you, but not any different than a new one)

as for rain, if you want to not worry about rain on your bike seat, or do not ride that much, I suspect a non leather saddle could be fine for you, without the rain worry factor etc. That said, I love my Brooks now, but would not suggest one for my wife, who doesnt like to fuss over things and is rough with her bike. There are lots of good womens saddles out there (but as I said, everyone has their own suggestions and individual tastes and bum shapes etc.)

Yes, try your husband's. I prefer the regular B-17, mainly because it has longer rails so I can place it back further on the seat post (I have super long legs). I also feel like the B-17s is just too short. I like the nose.