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What is your opinion of the Brooks B17?

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What is your opinion of the Brooks B17?

Old 01-18-13, 07:12 AM
  #26  
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People tend to either love or hate Brooks saddles, I think I'm one of the few in between users. I will say its the best saddle I've ever used, but it still hurts after hours of riding. The recovery time however is short, after an overnight I can ride again without discomfort the next morning. Also as someone else has mentioned the front to back adjustment is somewhat limited.
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Old 01-18-13, 07:43 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by sstorkel
I tried a B17 on my touring bike and hated it. The worst saddle I've ever ridden is the Specialized Toupe. The B17 was the second worst.
And those are my two most comfortable saddles.

Which brings up the real point; that it's folly for anyone to rely on polling when it comes to their saddle comfort.
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Old 01-18-13, 10:06 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by TheSergeant
The real deciding factor for me is handlebar height in relation to saddle height. In my experience if your saddle is above you handlebars pass on Brooks -- period. If it's level or your handlebars are higher, go for it. I did a 750+ mile tour 2 years ago on a Brooks B17 Special on a Salsa Fargo and never wore a chamois once. I ended up shipping my bike shorts home 4 days into the trip.

The other issue with the saddle is that you'll have a tendency to slide forward if your bars are too low. The solution for most people is to angle the saddle nose up so that it "cradles you" in the the saddles sweet spot. That's all well and good but after some time you'll notice some perennial pressure. You will start to unconsciously rotate your pelvis so it's more upright and place more pressure on your hands. Obviously no good.

My recommendation is go for it but get a seat post with 25mm+ setback and be aware of h-bar/seatpost issue and watch what your body is doing.

My B17s (chopped & tied -- which imo is a must)

I've swapped my Brooks from bike to bike but this latest swap just doesn't seem to work at all. This seems like it might help with the issues I've been having.
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Old 01-18-13, 10:33 AM
  #29  
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Best investment I ever made was my B17. Used with very little break-in on a week-long tour averaging a little more than 100 miles a day - and never had any real discomfort from the saddle.
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Old 01-18-13, 10:47 AM
  #30  
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Love 'em. I have 2 B17's, a Team Pro and a Colt. I'll be putting one of the B17's on the road bike which presently has the Team Pro (It matches the bike better and I want to see whether it is more comfortable on that bike than the Pro).
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Old 01-18-13, 10:49 AM
  #31  
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the most comfortable saddle I've ever used
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Old 01-18-13, 11:48 AM
  #32  
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Big fan of Brooks saddles I have one on my 29er my single speed and my touring bike the only bike that I don't have a Brooks on is my road bike that one has an ISM saddle. Here is a picture of my LHT with the brooks.
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Old 01-18-13, 12:07 PM
  #33  
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Here is a pic of my bike, My seat is basically in this position...


So the question is, with this seat position do u think a BROOKS B17 is the right saddle for me or something like a selle italia flite gel or a specialized toupe

I ride MOSTLY in the hoods
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Old 01-18-13, 12:40 PM
  #34  
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I vote Flite over B17 for the above pictured bike.

B17 works for very upright posture (bars above saddle) only.
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Old 01-18-13, 12:41 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by JS1965
So the question is, with this seat position do u think a BROOKS B17 is the right saddle for me or something like a selle italia flite gel or a specialized toupe

I ride MOSTLY in the hoods
Would probably do just fine. Some might suggest a narrower Brooks with the bars that low, but only your butt can tell you. I'll probably be putting my honey B17 on the road bike tonight (it currently has the Team Pro) and trying it out over the weekend. I keep the bars on that bike perhaps an inch below the saddle level. I'll try to remember to update you on how well it works for me.
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Old 01-18-13, 01:30 PM
  #36  
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Very pretty, but I'm not sure about all that weight on the steering! A friend of mine had what could have been a major spill on her Gunnar last summer. She was saved by her helmet taking most of the damage (it split), and all she got was road rash, a couple of broken ribs and collar-bone and a very bruised hip and a few cuts. I did a 20 mile ride on her un-damaged Gunnar a couple of weeks after, and thought what a nice ride, but I think it would have been very unstable with a bag on the handlebars (which is how it was normally configured! Bar-Bags are a bloody death trap! especially on a "twitchy" bike set up for racing! I would have been hard put to ride her bike "no hands" with the bloody bag on the bars. How stable is yours with all that weight up front?

- Wil
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Old 01-18-13, 02:59 PM
  #37  
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Well as far as size, we measured my butt using the specialized butt meter and I am a 145MM saddle
Again I know its preference but looking at my bike and the position of the bars do u guys this a B17 NARROW or a FLITE would be better

Again I am in the hoods most of the time
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Old 01-18-13, 03:53 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by seeker333
B17 works for very upright posture (bars above saddle) only.
This is not a rule. My bars are probably 2-3 inches below the saddle and the b17 is great, the nose is not angled up, and I don't experience discomfort ever. Its a preference thing. Clearly a ton of people prefer the saddle, and some don't. I'd suggest trying it, and then selling it if you don't like it. The probability of liking it is in your favor.
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Old 01-18-13, 04:27 PM
  #39  
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They are very popular for a reason. I have 2 B17s and absolutely love them!
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Old 01-18-13, 05:30 PM
  #40  
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to reiterate, noone but you can decide if a given seat works for you, but always remember than small adjustments make a big diff in terms of comfort for any saddle, perhaps more with a Brooks.

re resale etc, look into the store, Wallbikes, or Wallingford or sometihng like that, supposedly with an excellent return policy for the Brooks they sell. (in Louisiana I believe) so it can be a no brainer to try one (I have two and really like them, but its completely personal)
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Old 01-18-13, 07:52 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by djb
remember that small adjustments make a big diff in terms of comfort for any saddle, perhaps more with a Brooks.
Couldn't agree more.
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Old 01-18-13, 07:58 PM
  #42  
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Overrated, heavy and requires a lot of care.



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Old 01-18-13, 08:51 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by DVC45
Overrated, heavy and requires a lot of care.


and possibly expensive
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Old 01-18-13, 09:02 PM
  #44  
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I think B-17 are just amazing.
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Old 01-18-13, 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by robow
and possibly expensive
That too.
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Old 01-18-13, 09:57 PM
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Like many/most, I cannot use the B17 with my bars below the saddle. In fact, I prefer the bars 1-2 cm. above the saddle with a B17.

And I am another one who finds that the angle is critical. As others have noted, the "hammock" shape tends to slide your bits onto the nose if the rear of the saddle is not relatively level - which means that the nose must be up in the air. But if the nose is too far up, it'll jab into your bits too. I have to have a two-bolt micro-adjust seatpost to get it right. On the first ride I'll be on and off the bike half a dozen times getting the adjustment exactly right.

Lacing the saddle (or buying one already laced) reduces the amount of "hammock" while riding and helps me quite a bit.

The cutouts available on the the B17 "Imperial" are very helpful for me too. On older versions I have done the cutting myself.

So for me, the B17 is a heavy, difficult saddle with a big price tag - and I use them almost exclusively, because nothing else is as comfortable for me.
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Old 01-18-13, 10:59 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by JS1965
Here is a pic of my bike, My seat is basically in this position...


So the question is, with this seat position do u think a BROOKS B17 is the right saddle for me or something like a selle italia flite gel or a specialized toupe

I ride MOSTLY in the hoods
No! "Most" people find the B17 comfortable with the caveat of being equal to or lower than the bars.
Perhaps a Swift or Professional might suit your positioning better.
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Old 01-19-13, 01:13 AM
  #48  
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I have a B17 Imperial on my Centurion Ironman, with bars ever so slightly below the saddle. The picky side of me gets annoyed at the fact that the cutout on my saddle wasn't perfectly centered, which possibly led to minor annoyances down there for a short period. Otherwise, it got me across America, coast to coast, just fine this past summer!
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Old 01-19-13, 08:58 AM
  #49  
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I am not a fan. In the distant past, I owned one and found it just OK comfort-wise when new and for me it went downhill from there. Long before I was into going very light on tours, I had already given up on Brooks saddles. Now that I care about weight it is even more of a slam dunk to avoid them.
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Old 01-19-13, 08:59 AM
  #50  
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Put the B17 on my Bianchi last night, heading out in a just a few minutes. Bars are at least an inch below the saddle. I'll let you know this afternoon if it works out, or if the Pro is going back on it.
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