I can't disagree with any of that.

There is one advantage the Brooks has that I don't think people think about much. People buy them with the expectation that it will need to break it in for 500 miles or so before it is truly comfortable. So they give it more time to become comfortable.

In my experience we tend to break in to saddles about as much as saddles break in to us, so if folks had that same expectation of a 300-500 mile getting acquainted period for all saddles they would have success with a wider range of saddles. I am not fussy about saddle choice, but have found that I really can't tell how well a saddle will work out without giving it a decent chance. I hated the saddle that came with my Windsor Touring at first. I left it on anyway and after a few hundred miles started to like it. I then used it for 73 days on the Trans America and was pretty happy with it.

Truth be told I would happily use any of the saddles that came with my bikes for a coast to coast length ride. Part of the reason for that is that I pay attention to the items in Machka's previous post and also that I ride with my bars fairly low. I find that a strong core, a relaxed upper body (no shoulder hunching, finger draped loosely over the bars...), lowish bars, and some time in the saddle go a long way towards giving good comfort on a long tour.

Sitting bolt upright would be torture for me and I wonder if decent comfort would even be attainable for me if I did that. It is a recipe for back pain and saddle discomfort IMO. A more aggressive posture may seem less comfortable at first but I found that easing into it starting with bars as low as I could be comfortable and gradually lowering them was a good move for me. That and working on core strength got me to where my back problems that at one time I thought might stop me from riding, camping, backpacking, or doing other outdoor activities, became mostly a non issue. Not that some targeted stretches and staying well hydrated are not factors in maintaining back health as well.

I guess you don't know too many hipsters then. Brooks saddles all over San Francisco, b/c they are cool, just like flannel shirts, beards, and skinny jeans.

A little of topic but are these Vetta suede saddles comparable to the Brooks (in terms of comfort)?

http://i.imgur.com/yOr95AU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/wTkyqv4.jpg

That is just a leather covered foam saddle . the thick leather will change shape , to your butt-bones , that will not.
(I think its a 'Velo' of Taiwan made copy of a selle Italia 'Turbo' Shape)

Comfort is not a Group Outsourced Opinion , sit on it, ride for a Month of 6 hour riding Days and Find Out For Yourself. :rolleyes:


A Brooks Team professional is in the general shape category with the Turbo . San Marco Rolls and maybe the new Brooks C 15..

I have 2 of those Brooks models , From Before the Italian Corporate Buy Out, there was only 1 color they made them in, a Black -brown.

Its why traditional Bike Racing Shorts were Always Black ..

Not really, actually it's because in the early days, you had to manually change your chain onto a different gear and of course changing out your own tires meant that the black wool shorts would hide oil and grease stains.
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