A non-leather Brooks B68 workalike?

[bean fidhleir]

I like all that I've read about the B68 except for the fact that it's leather. I'm not a vegan (only a veg) but the idea of a leather saddle bothers me.

Does anyone know of a saddle that's similar in all important respects except not leather?

Thanks, gyns.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Being leather is a major (if not THE major) part of what Brooks saddles are all about.
If it's not the leather aspect you like about the B68, then please tell us exactly what else it is that you DO like about the B68 that you are trying to find in a non-leather saddle?
On the other hand, if the biggest thing you like about the Brooks saddles is that they are leather, but you don't want leather, then there's not much we can suggest.

[SadieKate]

Real leather is part of the reason quality saddles are comfortable.

[sgtiger]

I agree with BSG. I do not believe there is a substitute for the thick leather in a Brooks. It's what gives the saddle stiffness, yet the pliability to mold to the users contours overtime.

However, if the width and the springs are what appeal to you, then there might be some other options out there for you. Most of them will be cruiser-type saddles, though. These, for me, tend to be overly padded and uncomfortable for more than casual rides on bikes that let the rider sit fully upright.

FWIW DH's friend, who is staunchly vegan and a LBS owner, rides a Brooks. If there was a substitute, he would know about it.

[rij73]

Just wanted to say that I'm a strict vegan, and I have saddle-shopping issues too. I'm thinking about a new saddle, and I'm going to try the non-leather Specialized saddles first. There's a new Selle Italia that I'm really intrigued by, but I just don't think I can bring myself to get it. I would have to be absolutely convinced that none of the synthetic saddles were going to work for me.

Just commiserating and wishing you luck!

[bean fidhleir]

Thanks, Rachel - I wish you luck, too!

As to what I like about it, Lisa - the width(!), the lack of big heavy springs, the promise of comfort, and to some extent the overall look of it. And I ride upright - my type of cycling aims for comfort over distance (think Palin's "Cycling Tour of North Cornwall" sketch, or European utility cycling in general).

The saddles I'm using right now are wide enough, but as Tiger points out they're gel, very heavy, and I find them uncomfortable over any distance of more than a few km.

Most popular, lighter saddles are so narrow that they feel unpleasantly intimate to me. Someone in another thread that I can't find now likened using them to getting a proctology exam. I'd have said a persistent wedgie, but it comes to the same thing in the end (pi).

[Andrea]

The San Marco Glamour Aspide is brooks-like in shape, however it's not as wide (it's 155mm). It's flat across the back & has a very abrupt transition in width to the nose.

[bean fidhleir]

To me that's too narrow - I definitely need 200mm width or better. It's very frustrating to see so many saddles that look just right except for the numbers :(

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have not found any saddle besides the B68 that are wide eonugh for my sit bones- except for perhaps some gigantic puffy foam monstrosities... like one I borrowed once for 2 hours and had the most painful ride of my life on.

[divingbiker]

As a fellow vegan, and a B-68 owner, I know what you're going through. I agonized for a long time, and in the end I decided that we all just do the best that we can do, and I ended up buying the leather saddle.

I sometimes have to buy leather shoes since I have very hard-to-fit feet, and I decided the saddle was no different--I have a very hard-to-fit butt. I'd never eat animal products or buy a leather purse or a leather coat, but I love my wide saddle and I don't beat myself up for it.

[KnottedYet]

I go through red-meat-angst every so often. Though I am pretty staunchly omnivore, I feel like there is too much red meat raised too cruelly in my corner of the universe. (Loved the book "Omnivore's Dilemna", btw!)

Like BSG, I have very wide sit bones, and the only saddle that seems to fit me properly is the B66-67-68-72.

I kind of figure that since I eat red meat very rarely and only have leather where it is truly necessary, that I'm minimizing my mammalian-consumption impact.

But if you are leaning toward vegan, and omnivory just doesn't cut it, maybe you could look at some of the Fizik saddles? I had one that was not too bad. Kind of wide-ish (but not enough for me) and very minimal padding. I lent it to a friend, so I can't tell you which saddle it was.

(and maybe it's dorky, but I always thank the animal I eat or whose hide I use... which is a lot easier when I've watched the critter grow up in the meadow next to my mom's house and know its name!)

[bean fidhleir]

Does anyone have any experience - even secondhand - with the Sportourer Kaalam saddle, or know what it's covered with ("skin FTG" doesn't tell me anything - I'm sure in this case FTG doesn't mean Full Thickness Graft!) ? The width (210) and weight (410g) both look very good.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=SA3513

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Does anyone have any experience - even secondhand - with the Sportourer Kaalam saddle, or know what it's covered with ("skin FTG" doesn't tell me anything - I'm sure in this case FTG doesn't mean Full Thickness Graft!) ? The width (210) and weight (410g) both look very good.

After looking at this saddle on quite a few sites, it looks like there is no mention of actual leather anywhere. "Skin FTG" could just be their brand name for a leather-like vinyl. If it was real leather you can bet they would brag about it. Besides, it looks like genuine vinyl. ;)

[bean fidhleir]

It looks a quite high-quality vinyl (or as we call it: "vegan leather" :D) if it is vinyl. I tend to agree with you that if it were leather, they'd probably say so.

Apparently it's made by Selle Italia, fwtw.

I'm a little unsure about the shape, since I'm quite knock-knee'd. I'd prefer a more definitely T-shaped one. And one that provided perineal pressure relief. But it seems to be the best one I've found so far that's (probably) not leather.