Brooks adjustment?

[elk]

I just got my Brooks B67s and put it on and rode around for a while...and its a wee bit hard on the whole story...but what concerns me is the pressure on the soft part....

My Specialized stock saddle is really pretty invisible (no pain) and it has a cut out....but damn I want function AND beauty...and that Brooks is gorgeous.

My question is...if there is pressure there now, will it remain even when the Brooks breaks in? I can't quite see how it wouldn't be. I'd be willing to suffer for beauty if an end to suffering was in sight. :)

I'm not sure I have it adjusted right. I started off with the saddle level, then ended up pushing it back on the rails and tipping the nose down a bit...but it doesn't feel right. How do you proceed with adjustments?

ANd I'm having the same Selle AN Atom vs Brooks question.....because I really think it is the cut out on the stock saddle that makes it so promising.

any input?
elizabeth
p.s. I am utterly in love with my new bicycle...:D // Its hard to get off!

[KnottedYet]

On a Brooks: at the start level the nose, not the whole saddle

Generally, the placement of the rails is such that you will need to push it back. Brooks are somewhat well known for this.

Yes. The leather is hard to start with. Sturdy leather is why Brooks can last more than 30 years, like MimiTabby's B66.

Proofhide is your friend. Apply liberally.

Break it in like a sturdy pair of leather hiking boots.

Last but not least: figure out where it's pushing on your soft bits, and push back! (with your hand) Lean on that spot during commercials while you're watching TV. (assuming your bike lives in the house, like mine.) You custom form the leather to your anatomy over time. For anatomical bits that can't push back, you gotta give it a try by pushing with your hand. Get that spot of leather softer and see what happens.

And remember, Wallingford gives you 6 months to make a decision.

[elk]

thanks, Knot; I was hoping you would respond..;)

It is a magnificent looking saddle...reminds me of when I was a kid and I rode my bike pretending it was a horse....took a few speed bumps today and I was Velvet Brown all over again....:)

[skyhand]

fwiw, i leveled the nose at the start and it was not comfy for my riding position. kept sliding forward and putting too much pressure on my wrists/hands, among other problems. so i tweaked my brooks slightly by raising the nose and "bam" it was PERFECT. now i'm completely a happy camper. er, make that biker. :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Elk-
You have the "S" model, which is (supposedly) for women and is shorter. It also has correspondingly shorter rails. This means that "S" Brooks saddles will not push back very far on their rails. If you feel like you need to keep skootching back over the back edge of your saddle, you might want to trade it for the NON-"S" model- that will give you approximately an additional 1 1/2" further that you can shove the seat back. This worked well for me- i felt way better balanced with the saddle way further back than my old B17S.

As to girly bit pressure- make sure you are not wearing overly thick chamois padding- that can create too much pressure up front pushing back at you. Try a thinner pad and see how it feels.

[elk]

Lisa --no chamois here...but I did wonder about the s model...I don't think short rails are a problem...but it's all still new!!

sky---that seems so odd....tilt the nose up and you'd sit back, but you'll get off your front too?

I just love the beauty of it...hope its function will support its occular claim...:eek:

[Triskeliongirl]

I had the problem you mention, and found a few things are key:

1) Level the nose, not whole saddle, (and I also need it all the way back onr rails).

2) good chamois.

3) be sure its not set too high. set height from height of rear where your sit bones sit, and try slighly lowering to see if pressure resolves (since there isn't any gel to sink into sometimes you may need to slightly decrease the overall saddle height.

[skyhand]

hey elk — the nose is only tilted up a hair and i've gotta really look at it to notice — i sit farther back on the saddle, so contact with the nose anyway is minimal. with the nose level, the sit area was slanted upward too much and caused me to slide forward and put pressure on my hands / wrists. the way it is now, the sit isn't so severely slanted and everything feels great. i stay put, my hands / wrists have minimal, if any, pressure, and there's no pushin' on my bits. the whole adjustment was so minor too — it's crazy how the most minute tweak makes a world of difference! down to the freakin' millimeter. i was worried it'd put pressure on my soft stuff, but the result was instead exactly what i needed.

fwiw, my bike isn't a perfect fit for me, so these adjustments i do to make it all work the best i can 'til i get something custom. someday! :)

[elk]

I took the saddle back to zero...leveled it by the nose and have it pushed almost all the way back. It feels...well...it feels pretty good!! I can feel it with my --- really need a new name here--- but its not PUSHING on me, nor am I pushing on it. And I can feel that I'm on the right bones. I had a real glimpse of our future together!!!:D

But my wrists are a little sore. I want to sit up straighter.....Should I bring the saddle forward a little? (For some reason I think I can't raise my handlebars any more...they're those almost stick straight jobs...not crazy about them.)

ANd what about those wonderful pebble craters filled with proofhide?!?!?!?! Gotta rub that some more!!!

I'll be so happy if this works out!! And yes, I am a shameless worshipper of the beautiful...whereever I find it...

p.s. skyhand...what kind of birds are you slave to??

[skyhand]

p.s. skyhand...what kind of birds are you slave to??

:) i'm a slave to a cockatiel, black-capped conure, spice finch, black hooded nun finch, and three canaries. might be adding a society finch this weekend. my friend has one available for adoption — so cute with a Beatles-style "hairdo."

[elk]

I am not the slave...DH is....but we have 2 greys and a Senegal.....insane!
e
canaries and finches sound nice!!!

[elk]

I just read 25 pages of an older Brooks thread (summer 06) and boy o boyo, you are SO patient to answer the same questions over and over!!!

I'm wondering if those of you who found relief from the pressure by, among other things, leveling the saddle by the nose still stand by that. Or have more of you tipped the nose up a ratchet since then.

ta


elk

[sgtiger]

Elk, nose level didn't work for me. I had to work to stay in the correct position on the saddle (abs got a workout, so not all bad:rolleyes: ;) ). Now it's adjusted with the nose slightly up.

~Soo

[skyhand]

yup to what sgtiger said. tremendously comfy now. i can ride 15-20 miles without chamois and not feel an ounce of owies. more miles than that, i've not dared. ;)

i love when friends see my Brooks and immediately exclaim "that's gotta hurt! it's so hard!!" (all the while tapping the leather with their finger) — that's when i make 'em "sit on it, potsy." they shut right up. :cool:

[elk]

thank ye...:)

so what about the wrist pressure? Lower seat post or slide saddle forward?
or rather, which should I try first....

I have lost this great page that told you how to adjust your bike in response to the body's "questions."

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I know this sounds odd, but I got lots of pressure off my hands when I shoved my saddle BACK. I then got the non-S Brooks and could shove it another 1 1/2" FURTHER back, and that alleviated even more hand pressure. Why? Because it put my center of gravity further back, behind the crank, and I wasn't weighted to fall forward as much. I could then use my core muscles to hold myself up, not my hands.

[elk]

I think I got it right...almost. I may be a little low on the seat post, but not uncomfortably ....wrists are better and booty is happy. Again, I feel the seat under my pooty parts but not painfully: no pressure or rubbing or anything. Is that what you other Brooks lovers experience?

On my ride today I was going hmmmm this saddle is Niiiiiiiiiiice..

So ---jumping up and down and waving hands----I think I can join the B67 Yum club!!! No way is it comin off my bike!! (at least for no reason i can forsee...)

I can't believe I'm a right out of the box with a little tweaking girl...:D :D Me, the original Princess Pea...!!!

[KnottedYet]

Elk - sounds fabulous!!:D

[kayandallie]

I'm having Brooks problems. I've got a Pro S; I love the hardness of the seat but the nose is hurting. I've tried putting it down a tad and then my seatbones seem to slide off the supportive part of the seat, giving me the choice of really resting the soft bits on the nose (no way!) or keeping to the back by bracing, which bothers my neck. If I put the nose up, then it is in a bad place. I do like to try to sit back further to keep on the seat and off the nose, but I don't want to put the seat back any further as then I will be to stretched out for my neck (neck problems). If I put it forward, I may fall off the back.
I really want a very flat seat. I think the Brooks isn't flat enough (a concrete seat would be fine, just get rid of the daggone elevated nose). I really like the firmness of the Brooks and don't particularly want much padding (my Brooks isn't broken in yet); the Selle An-Atomica sounded tempting until I read the "sling" part. I want nothing to do with cushy/mushy.
Any suggestions?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Just some thoughts....
A Brooks B68 or B67 would both be substancially wider- thus providing you with a flatter surface. Then your sitbones would take all the weight and your soft parts would be less likely to ride on the nose of the saddle.
And again- the S models are shorter and can't be adjusted forward/backward as much since their rails are about 1 1/2" shorter as well.
If you order your saddle directly from Wallingford there is a great return policy if you don't like the saddle.

[Triskeliongirl]

On my brooks finesse, I found the sweet spot by leveling the nose (so the back is higher but I don't slip) and lowering it a tad. I think saddle height is higher on squishy saddles since, well, they squish!

[elk]

On my brooks finesse, I found the sweet spot by leveling the nose (so the back is higher but I don't slip) and lowering it a tad. I think saddle height is higher on squishy saddles since, well, they squish!

sweet spot? same here....level then 1/8" nose down. I have the B67 kiss kiss.
I also traded in my S for a regular so I could push it back further....

[KnottedYet]

B67 regular here. (not "S" for "short")

Levelled the noses on both of mine. The cantle plate ends up looking a bit higher, but don't let that fool you. Brooks are meant to start with a level nose rather than levelling the whole saddle.

I agree with the other posts, if your current saddle is so narrow that you only have one perch and tend to come off it and it feels very hard; it kinda sounds like you might be perching on the cantle plate rather than putting your sit bones onto the suspended leather forward and medial of the cantle plate. (where the saddle is narrower)

Maybe see if you can try a wider Brooks borrowed from a friend or bike shop, so you can compare?

(whether you want a "short" or not is up to you. I prefer long noses just because I like to control the bike with my legs and have room to scoot around during long rides.)

[xeney]

Well, kayandallie's loss is my gain ... I bought her Pro S to replace the B-17S on my new mixte, and wow, is it a beauty. It's the same size as the B-17S but seems to have a touch more adjustability so I am hoping it will improve the fit. I'm still not sure I'm sold on the need for a shorter saddle for women, but I have the men's version of this saddle and it frankly looks ridiculous on the mixte -- it is huge and out of proportion to the size of the bike. It didn't work for me on my road bike (I need more setback than it allows me) so I have given it to my husband and ordered him to build a bike around it so he'll have one as cute as my mixte.

(What? It's as good a reason as any other to build a new bike. Someday remind me to tell you about the time I bought him a bunch of upgraded Shimano parts for his old road bike, and that led to a domino effect that resulted in two entirely new bikes, both of which are all Campy and apparently my fault for buying the Shimano stuff.)