Ouch! - whatever you do let that heal before you ride a bunch more. Even if you got on a bike with the perfect saddle for you - if your skin is irritated more riding will just exacerbate the situation.

Not surprised it took 19 posts in this forum for someone to state that for some the Brooks IS a torture device.

I totally misread the title of this thread as "will raw taint improve the break in process" and thought someone wanted to know if riding naked would break in their brooks faster. Sorry, will go back to foo where I belong.

On my last tour I built up a new frame with my old, faithful, broken-in-on-multiple-previous-tours B17 a few days before I took off. Having only the time for 20-30 miles in the saddle before D-Day, I unfortunately did not have the fit fully tweaked in when I left.

The first 3 days of the tour averaged ~96 miles per day. Because I wanted to get some miles in the bank and get away from home quickly, I didn't take the time to stop and adjust things as I noticed creeping discomfort. Additionally, temps were in the upper 90's and I soaked the pad of my shorts pretty early in the day.

As a result, the slight maladjustment of the fit meant that after the 2nd day I was in really bad shape, perineally speaking. "Shredded Taint" was actually the phrase I used when communicating the problem to my friends. The next several days were much harder than necessary, as I tried to ride and heal. It was also harder to make the final fit adjustments. When everything hurts, you can't tell the fit is right. I spent a lot of time standing on the pedals to get off my sore butt, bouncing to stretch sore calves or hammering to maintain speed against the violent panhandle headwinds. This led to snapping off a pedal at the TX/NM border. It was an interesting 1st week.

Tl;dr: Even a very well broken-in saddle will hurt you if it's slightly out of trim.

I think it's wise to season professional bike fit with a large pinch of salt. I've been fitted, and then over the course of riding, did my own tinkering to get the fit I wanted (saddle forward, seatpost down, stem flipped to raise the handlbars) and the bike is much more comfortable. I ride two bikes with Brooks saddles (B17 and Champion Special) and I love them. I tried riding with the saddle tilted up a bit, and it was agony. I like them level, but that's me. If I had to guess, your discomfort may be because your saddle is a bit high, and rocking from side to side is causing chafing, or you might try slightly moving the saddle forward on its rails. You may be bearing your weight on the nose of the saddle, whereas you want your sit bones on the back end of the saddle to be handling that job.

Good luck, and keep tinkering.

In one of the early seasons of 24, Jack Bauer is seen fleetingly carrying a B17 and a Swallow into a back room. You gotta watch for it, but it was there.

Am I alone in not requiring any break-in period for my Brooks? Compared to the slightly-too-narrow gel seat I had previously, first ride on the Brooks was like God's own hand was supporting all the right places. Maybe this will change once I actually tour, but so far it's been a great month of commuting.

All of my friends hate it though, so I guess it ain't for everyone.

Until the last two B17s I got I didn't need any break in with my Brooks saddles. These two need some time, but I can cycle with them and not be in agony they just aren't comfy like my other Brooks saddles that were softer.

I liked my Brooks better with about 30 pounds of less Me sitting on it, 30 years ago.

Yes, this is an excellent point. A slight lowering of the seat might be a starting point. The OP could test this by putting a pedal at the 6 o'clock position, placing his heel on the pedal in line with the spindle, and seeing if his leg is straight, or he has to "reach" for the pedal by tilting his pelvis down on that side.

It's a natural product, so the variations can't be controlled like they can be with plastic moulds. But, yes, I have had variations with break-in periods. A B17 I bought in England in 2007 fitted well on my FG right from the start. But the latest one on the tandem has taken quite a time to get into shape. And I won't even mention the Ti Swallow...

told ya, Jack was on to something.....

I really appreciate y'all taking the time to reply. Lots of good ideas. Thanks!

A little music and rhythm might help...



Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet.

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I dunno my b/f's brooks is like a torture device to me but he likes it... it's like fire down there, just hits my sitbones wrong and bruises me. Maybe this would go away with extended riding but I am a wimp and don't like to be in pain period.

He can ride for hours with no problem at all, unpadded. Maybe some people are just not designed for tight leather

One other thing, I agree to take the "pro bike fit" or any other fit with a grain of salt. You cannot replicate riding in a shop. I remember having this professional bike fitting book and I took it seriously, using plumblines and rulers to work out the perfect fit... I ended up with even worse back pain, lol. It might be a good starting point for a beginner to get your saddle height correct and such but the only cure for pain riding is to ride and get used to it and tweak it over time, imo.

I am presuming, the way you have worded this, that you are basing your judgment on riding his bike. Or have you tried a Brooks on your bike?

The thing is, if you did just jump on his bike and ride it as is, did you go through the adjustment process?

It also should be noted that a Brooks saddle becomes quite a personal item -- it moulds to the users sitbone area on the butt, and another user might not have those dimensions.

Anyway, to each their own.

There are many models of Brooks saddle with different shapes for different applications and different butts. Even if you got one that fit your butt you need to set it up properly on your bike before you can evaluate anything.