Brooks Womens B17

[bikerchick68]

I've been riding this Brooks now for several months as they say it takes time to break it in... I had about 1000 miles on it and this past weekend rode the STP... 209 miles. I ended up with a BLISTER on my left cheek and a bad rash/burn on both sides where the chamois meets the saddle as I sit. :eek: :(

Sigh... back to the drawing board. There's GOT to be a saddle out there that will work for me. I'm gonna go try the Specialized butt measuring thing tonight...:o

[mimitabby]

Sorry to hear that. They shouldn't take 1000 miles to break in!

[bikerchick68]

mimi... yeah, everyone said give it 1000 miles... I'm never doing that to my poor lil bum again tho! :eek: :o At least my legs were good for the ride... I could've done a recovery ride Monday otherwise!

[mimitabby]

I tried a B17 myself. It was like a rock. We sold it to a 250 lb man who loved it.
go figure. That's the thing about leather saddles, they are not all the same.
DH has had two B17's that he loved (one he ruined). Good luck on your quest.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I hope you can find a saddle that will remain comfortable through 209 miles in one weekend! :eek: :eek: If you find one you should write a thread on it cause' I'm sure lots of women here would want to try it! :)

[bikerchick68]

mimi... yeah I know 2 guys who LOVE their Brooks... :confused:

Lisa... trust me, if I can find it, I'll be singing it's praises! :D

[chort]

Thanks for your review.. I'm trying to decide right now what to get!

[Veronica]

Central Coast Double - 209 miles in one day on my Brooks Finesse.

I've ridden 5 double centuries, countless centuries and several 200Ks on this saddle.

I have three of them - one on each of my road bikes and one on the tandem.

V.

[suzieqtwa]

I have a men's B17 ,and I have put about 1200 miles on it ,and its not broken in yet. By broken in I mean there are no "indents". It looks new except for the scratches on it. The longest distance I've gone was 71 miles...no chafing ,no rashes ,but my crotch gets a bit sore after 50 miles or so ,but its gone the next day. I do like it ,but I'm thinking either my sits bones are more than 5 1/2 inches and I'm on the frame ,or I need to move it more forward. I don't think any saddle would be comfortable after sitting 3 hours on it. :eek: Darcy ,and I are going to do a Century in September ,so I will see how I feel after that.

[KnottedYet]

Love my Brooks B67 saddles. Wide enough for my sit bones, and SPRINGS to even out the bumps!

After a 60 mile ride, it's my legs that are tired, not my heine. First time I've ever had a saddle that truly fit me.

I've made indents, and they are not right on the frame! whooo-hoo!

[chort]

I ordered the B68 last night!!! I can't wait until it gets here!!!!!!!! I'm on my dh's 10 year old Serfas right now -- and it is more comfty than what I was using.. I forgot the brand name - but I just bought it at REI about two months ago..

[bikerchick68]

yeah, it seems like people who love them REALLY love them... sure wish it had worked for me... sigh...

my friend Bill has them on all his bikes...

[Veronica]

You know it could be THAT particular saddle. My two green Finesses seemed to conform to my butt right out of the box. The black one I have took a few rides. I also have a much cheaper Brooks on my commute bike and it still has no indentations after 18 months. Okay, so I'm only on it ten minutes at a time...

V.

[mimitabby]

I was just thinking. Maybe you are expecting too much from the saddle?
Most people that ride really long distances no matter what saddle they are on end up with sore and tortured butts. 200 miles is a rather long ride.

I don't know anyone that did it that didn't have sore sitbones, or chafing or something like that. I read a bunch of ride reports from the PBP (Paris Brest Paris 1200 k ride) and SORE BUTTS is the #1 complaint, well, and lack of sleep.

how are you after a 50 mile ride?

[bikerchick68]

it could be the saddle... but now I have to admit I am scared off Brooks.

mimi... I know some soreness is to be expected... but I had an inch long blister on one side and burn marks on both sides... THAT is why I know this one isn't for me...:( my bro has done the CA Triple Crown without anything even close to blistering... and Veronica indicates she is doing doubles without blisters too...

I'm gonna try a Specialized saddle next... fingers crossed... I probably won't be doing doubles regularly, but I DO ride centuries pretty regularly... so I need something that will be more or less pain free for those distances...

[mimitabby]

blisters! geez!
well, it WAS hot :D :D :D :eek: :eek: :p

I wish you good luck with your next saddle!

[Xrayted]

I've had my bike since last Aug and since then I've put about 15 saddles on her. Some I knew right away weren't for me (too narrow usually) and took them back. The gel ones were the worst actually. Funny thing is, my mtb saddle (Specialized) was the best one out of all of them I tried on so I kept putting that one back on in between trials. It wasn't perfect, but I wasn't tortured either, even after a metric. I tried out both of Kit's saddles. She has a Brooks B-17 and a Selle Anatomica and I hated them both from the start. I can honestly say, I think I finally found the one that is right for me. I just got a Selle San Marco from Performance in the 155 width and I love it. No discomfort in the least. I recently bought some tri shorts too (with the very thin padding) and still feel just ducky, no bruising or rub.
As these ladies said... everyone is different. Not just the width of our sit bones but how our posture is, whether we have thigh rub, if the seat is maybe a little too far front or back, etc. (I put a 0 offset seat post on and that was the final adjustment I needed. Short femurs.) Find one that fits your sit bones and that doesn't hurt you in those spots. Then pay attention to where your seat is in relation to your pedals, tipped up/down/flat and how you hold your torso.
BTW, both REI and Performance have a 100% satisfaction guarantee so you can try out as many as you want.

Good luck.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

it could be the saddle... but now I have to admit I am scared off Brooks.

mimi... I know some soreness is to be expected... but I had an inch long blister on one side and burn marks on both sides... THAT is why I know this one isn't for me...:( my bro has done the CA Triple Crown without anything even close to blistering... and Veronica indicates she is doing doubles without blisters too...

I'm gonna try a Specialized saddle next... fingers crossed... I probably won't be doing doubles regularly, but I DO ride centuries pretty regularly... so I need something that will be more or less pain free for those distances...

What about your shorts/chamois? Have you ever ridden 200 miles before on any saddle where you didn't get chafing or blisters?

[Cyclo Kitty]

I have a male friend who does the 500 mile Ride For AIDS Research, and he swears by Bodyglide on the butt and Assos cream on the chamois for saddlesore "management," which he calls "as close to nirvana as a bike ride, which includes five centuries will ever get." I know, he's a guy, but he does some 6 hour plus rides in training and the Ride FAR is five 100-mile days in a row in Sept. It might help.

My Brooks B17 Champion Special is awesome and felt like a dream right from the start; she's good for at least 10 miles in street clothes and I get to try it for 15 miles on Sunday (it's my commuter saddle). The B17S on my cross bike felt good from the start, but not as good...summer riding has helped.

[bikerchick68]

Xrayted... yeah, I think it's just a matter of finding MY saddle... I know Brooks makes a good product... it's just not good for ME.

Lisa... nope. My longest distance prior was 109. I had done 9 centuries preceding this with no issue even similar. I switched tho, because I was having thigh rub with the Terry I was on and it caused sebacious cysts that I had surgically removed. So the saddle thing has been an ongoing battle. The Brooks did NOT rub where the incision was so that was good... the blisters weren't. Shorts were Microsensors and I used Chamois Butt'r at every SAG. :o

Cyclo Kitty... thanks for those tips... heck, I'm willing to try that! I'll pick up some Body Glide. Gonna try the Bag Balm as well... all that stuff I consider a "cheap" fix and well worth trying out...:)

[Stellar1]

I'm new here. My husband and I are getting ready for the RSVP - about 200 miles from Seattle to Vancouver. I just bought a Terry butterfly and OUCH!!!
Yikes, lots of pain. I like to use aerobars and have been reading that some people lower the nose to accommodate added forward weight. I'd like info from anyone who likes to use aerobars on long rides and has had problems with squeezed girly bits.

Stellar 1

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm new here. My husband and I are getting ready for the RSVP - about 200 miles from Seattle to Vancouver. I just bought a Terry butterfly and OUCH!!!
Yikes, lots of pain. I like to use aerobars and have been reading that some people lower the nose to accommodate added forward weight. I'd like info from anyone who likes to use aerobars on long rides and has had problems with squeezed girly bits.

Stellar 1

Hi Stellar!
Welcome to TE forums. :)
You posted your aerobars question in the thread about Brooks B17 saddles.
You might want to start a new thread with your question under the "Open Topic- Cycling related" forum here at the top:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/index.php
I bet you'll get lots of answers if you do, because everyone will read as opposed to only people interested in the Brooks B17 saddle. ;) :)
Again- welcome, and we all look forward to hearing more from you!

[boy in a kilt]

A brooks should be positioned with the nose of the saddle level. I had gotten a little disenchanted with my 7-year-old brooks. As it turns out, I had been doing some playing with the saddle position and screwed it up.

Take a level and place it on the nose (ignore the back), adjust it until the nose is level.

I've learned not to play with the saddle tension or if I do, it's maybe a quarter turn every year.

[mimitabby]

boy in a kilt, not all brooks saddles should be level. mine pokes up a bit in the front. and it feels great that way.

[boy in a kilt]

Interesting piece of information, thanks.

My mindvoice was saying to start from a neutral position and adjust slowly one way or the other. What my mind hears and my fingers type are sometimes different things.

In retrospect, I probably should've just kept my mouth shut. I read things of this sort because it amazes me that women can find bicycle saddles comfortable so I'm fascinated by the sorts of problems women have and how they solve them.

[mimitabby]

I objected to the word "should"
you could have said "a good way to start would be to start with the saddle level" because I can agree with that, it's a good way to START with a fit; but by saying should, you are suggesting that all of us who don't ride level are doing something incorrectly.

[boy in a kilt]

It's always the little things that kill me.

[mimitabby]

you're not dead yet, are you?

[boy in a kilt]

you're not dead yet, are you?

I've been close to dead a few times and I'm not there yet.

Profoundly embarrassed is more like it. However, there is a valuable inter-gender communication lesson for me here. "Should" is a stronger word for women than men.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

However, there is a valuable inter-gender communication lesson for me here. "Should" is a stronger word for women than men.

No, it's just a stronger word for Mimi. ;)

[boy in a kilt]

I'm going to give up now.

[Triskeliongirl]

Actually, the best advice I got for how to start setting up a Brooks is with the NOSE level, as opposed to the entire saddle being level. That places the rear slightly higher. This works really well for keeping the nose out of my soft tissues, at least with my Brooks Finesse. But, we are all different, as Mimi rides with her nose up.

[mimitabby]

are you calling me snooty? :D :D :cool: :cool:

[Zen]

Mimi rides with her nose up.
A great mental image :D

[captenaj]

I'm gonna go try the Specialized butt measuring thing tonight...:o

What is this? I'm waiting on delivery of my Ruby Comp, my first road bike, and I'm worried about the saddle. It seemed OK for the test rides but you never know.

[Starfish]

What is this? I'm waiting on delivery of my Ruby Comp, my first road bike, and I'm worried about the saddle. It seemed OK for the test rides but you never know.

Specialized dealers just have this little gel-type pad that they put on a hard surface, and then you sit on. It indents where your sit bones are, and it makes it quick and easy to measure the width. It is free, quick and easy.