Brooks saddles

[wavinwayne]

Have any of you guys ever ridden a Brooks saddle? The saddle on my new bike, an ultra-lightweight Velo race saddle, was someone's idea of a torturous joke. That thing HURT my arse like no other seat I'd ever ridden. As a temporary fix, I've been using the WTB Rocket V saddle off my mountain bike. It's not much better, at least to me.

I broke down & bought a Brooks B-17 saddle. It's a heavy, all leather, made in England saddle that is supposed to be very comfy once it's broken in. According to the literature, with the help of a product called "Proofide" that Brooks sells, the leather is supposed to mold to my sit bones over the course of a few hundred miles (2 weeks for me).

I just received the saddle & got it installed on the bike today. I'll be taking it for a ride this evening. I'll let you all know what I think.

So again, have any of you ever owned one of these? If so, what were/are your impressions?

 

[wavinwayne]

I did 35 miles on the Brooks this evening. Even without being broken in yet, this is the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden. Nothing else even comes close. When it's broken in, I don't think I'll ever want to get off the bike.

 

[NYEngineer]

I only know they make a quality peice. That's good information. Too bad it would look completely out of place on any of my bikes.

 

[wavinwayne]

Quote:

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...Too bad it would look completely out of place on any of my bikes.

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It looks completely out of place on my bike. Looks be ****ed; I'm never using anything else.

FWIW, Brooks sells normal looking saddles, too. They're frickin EXPENSIVE, though. They sell a few that are over $600!

I only paid $56 for mine. eBay, baby!!!

 

[Crashbox]

Yep, it definitely takes a few hundred miles before it'll even get close to comfortable (at least it did for me). When I got my R & E road bike about nine years ago I opted for the Brooks. I sped the break-in up a bit (but only at first!) with some Red Wing Boot Oil, something you definitely do not want to overdo else the saddle life will be significantly shortened. After about a week or two of Red Wing/Huberd's Shoe Grease it was notably better. Then I went to Proofide.

IMO Brooks saddles are unbeatable. But they're mighty painful at first!!

I also know that at one time they made pre-softened saddles and maybe they still do FWIW...

 

[01GTB]

I have a Jamis Coda and I absolutely hated the saddle that came on it. Didn't help that I had not been on a bicycle in years. I bought a Specialized saddle and it was worlds better than the previous one. I finally broke down and bought a Brooks B-17 after about 3 months and tried that. I put about 500 miles on it and I wasn't completely convinced it was all it was cracked up to be, so I put the Specialized back on it. It stayed on exactly 6 miles before I decided the Brooks was far more comfortable

 

[RogerKlugerAus05]

My wife and I used Brooks leather saddles extensively in the UK from 1974 to 2002 when we came to Australia when we bought 2 new full race cycles with gel racing saddles that looked like instruments of torture. However these modern racing saddles are so comfortable that we are using them on our touring cycles as well. The Brooks saddles caused us a lot of discomfort despite a good reputation and we did even try the pre softened versions.
Roger

 

[mrvfr]

I used Brooks saddles in the 80's for touring, it seems to take about a 1000 miles to break one in - used proofhide sparingly/infrequently as you do not want them to sag in the middle, just get softer in the two spots where your pelvic bones contact them -then they become all day comfort. Tried a presoftened one, but it sagged and the nose then causes numbness/irritation in the perineal region. Now use Flytes for 1-2 hour rides as much lighter and as comfortable for the shorter rides that I do now.

 

[unit5alive]

I have a Brooks saddle on a aluminum frame Schwinn Panther that I also put a nexus 8 speed hub in , I like the seat ,I can't remember the model, it's black leather with copper rivets ,it took awhile before it was comfortable though , Craig.

 

[Eiron]

I've been riding a B-17 on my road bike for the past 6 or 7 years. I already had a jar of Sno-Seal, so I've always used that rather than special protective/conditioning products. I guess I got lucky 'cuz my B-17 was comfortable after the 2nd or 3rd ride. The thing that took me several months to get used to was the wider rear frame of the saddle compared to anything else I'd ridden. It felt like it had "corners" that kept poking into the backs of my thighs! Even though it weighs as much as three of my high-end titanium railed saddles, I don't expect to use anything else again.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: Eiron
The thing that took me several months to get used to was the wider rear frame of the saddle compared to anything else I'd ridden. It felt like it had "corners" that kept poking into the backs of my thighs!


Your body weight is supposed to be carried by your sit bones and not by the meaty (!!!) parts of your behind. See this image, this image and this image.

I found the perfect saddle by using the arsemeter at my local bike shop:

 

[Eiron]

LOL, oh yeah, I'm on my sit bones all right. The saddle I'd been using (for years) prior to the B-17 was the Specialized ProLong. It was designed by WTB & was the predecessor to WTB's SST saddle. It was wider/flatter in back than just about any other saddle at that time, but it had a very round back half. The B-17's hammock-on-frame design gives the back half more of a spade/chopper shape. It was the forward ends of the rear frame that I noticed most.

But like I said, it only lasted for a few months. This year (March-Oct) I rode about 4,000 miles on my B-17. Not too bad for a low-tech leather-&-steel seat!

 

[Kestas]

I've got a Brooks saddle that's 29 years old. It still hurts. Anything over a couple miles and I feel it. Of course, I've put on 40 pounds since I bought it.