Bike Fashion - need opinions

[ivorygorgon]

What do you think of this frame:

With this saddle ?

http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/unsprung-saddles/b17-standard

Hopefully the link is showing the saddle in Antique Brown.

I may decide to go for this saddle in honey, instead:

http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/unsprung-saddles/b17-champion-special

and this bar tape?

http://www.wallbike.com/soma/handlebars-stems-seatposts/soma-almost-honey-handlebar-tape

[Biciclista]

the red and honey would be awesome. i have the bar tape. It's expensive, but it is holding up very well after 4 years and about 10,000 miles. I look forward to seeing this ike all set up!

[roguedog]

Since the title of this is Bike Fashion and seems to indicate requesting an opinion on the overall looks of this build...

I think that the frame is a pretty modern, sculpted look and I'm not sure it'll go with the classic Brooks so well. It might look kinda odd. To deemphasize the classicness of the Brooks I might just go all black seat and tape..

But this is based on the looks alone. If Brooks 17 is the saddle your body likes and honey is the one that catches your eye..then go for it.

[ivorygorgon]

Roguedog: Yeah, I thought of that. I have to have the Brooks though! I am just dithering about colors :) I really like the idea of the honey with the red though.

[roguedog]

I hear ya. I've been trying to replace my B17 with a more looking modern saddle and so far it's just not quite the same.

[Biciclista]

to some of us, a Brooks on a good road bike frame is the ultimate in fashion.

[Velocivixen]

Honey w/red will look great, but as someone else said, IMHO, the modernness of the frame with the "vintage" nature of the saddle would be incongruous. Just my thoughts.

[jyyanks]

I kind of like the look of the modern frame with a vintage looking saddle. Very eclectic :)

Definitely go for the honey brown. I love the combo of red and tan.

[DarcyInOregon]

I have the Brooks Team Pro in honey on my Madone and it looks great. How the saddle looked wasn't important to me, it was needing a saddle that would be pain-free for the distant rides. However the saddle looks awesome on a modern bike, which was an added bonus for me. The honey color does darken with use and weather exposure. If you click on my user id, there is a photo of my bike with a yellow Selle An-Atomica on it, not the Brooks, but you can see how modern the bike is.

[Juliegoddess]

I have a Brooks Honey-colored Flyer S on my black and white Jamis. The handlebar tape on was a tan cork-color, so I thought the honey would at least blend well with it. And it does...and just like others have said, it's a Brooks! It's going to look good and FEEL good no matter what!!

[Sky King]

As already mentioned, after a few hundred miles both the saddle and the bar tape are going to change color so beware of trying to be to matchy, matchy. Every leather takes a dye slightly different so exact match is tough. Sometimes I suggest a contrast so It doesn't look like an attempt to match that missed. IE - a honey saddle with a black leather saddle bag or vice versa. To me, the honey is a warm color that says "come take me for a ride"

[sarahkonamojo]

The time/era conflict between the frame and the saddle just makes me believe Brooks needs to update their look. Or maybe Trek could go more retro. A Brooks on a road bike just seems so 1980's to me. Perhaps a Swobo merino retro jersey will do the trick. Whatever, it probably means there is more shopping to be done.
The colors seem like a nice idea.
Whatever makes you fast and happy!
S

[DarcyInOregon]

Ivorygorgon, I took two photos of my bike so that you can see the Brooks in the honey color, remembering that the color darkens with use and weather exposure. I think you can click on the photo for an enlarged version. Forgive the yellow handlebar tape, I put a lot of wear on it this year and will wait until Spring before replacing it.

[ivorygorgon]

Thank you all for the great discussion! I have to be honest, I wasn't really asking about how the Brooks would look on the bike, rather, the colors. It sounds like others think the honey is a thumbs up! Awesome.

If you want to take the Brooks away from me you will have to pry it out of my cold dead fingers :)

And special thanks Darcy for the time you took to post pix of your bike. I think the Brooks looks awesome on your bike!