brooks fan seeks non-brooks alternative for urban riding

[_kim_]

Hi,
I'm in the process of fixing up an old hybrid for around town/commuting purposes. Originally the plan was to use the bike only for short rides (say, 20 min. or less at a time), but I eventually realized I might want to use it on the ~1.5 hr ride to my job's future office (job is moving), partly as I want to bring my fancypants (at least comparatively speaking) touring bike downtown as little as possible. I have a Brooks B67 on my touring bike, and I love it. But for the commuter bike, which I would plan on locking up in urban areas (although when it comes to riding to work I'm planning on locking it up/bringing it inside somewhere whether they like it or not!), I'd really like to have a saddle that I don't have to constantly worry about being stolen or getting damaged by fog/rain.

Do you think I will regret getting a crappy foam saddle for ~1.5 hour rides? And I think my main question is, is there a lesser evil when it comes to foam saddles? I'm thinking/hoping that maybe as long as it's wide enough to support my sit bones, it won't be TOO bad...?

thanks in advance for any input.

[soprano]

I put a Specialized Windie (http://www.specialized.com/pt/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=57497&gold_ses=) on my commuter bike last year. It was fine for my commute (20 mins) and errand running. My experience is that as long as my soft tissues are happy, other saddle fit issues don't crop up until I'm at 35-40 miles for the day. That bike was stolen last September, so I'm glad I didn't drop major $$$ on the saddle.

Is your commute going to be 90 minutes each way? That's a long way to go on less-than-great equipment. After my commuter was stolen off my back patio (and not the crime-ridden university area where I lock up each day) I decided to just ride my nice touring bike and get in the habit of locking it up textbook-perfect with two locks every time. I additionally invested in a saddle lock and a cover and haven't had any trouble. Brooks saddles seem to be in fashion around here and there are usually several parked with 100 feet of my bike that look nice and new (as opposed to mine, which looks like it went through a war but is nice and comfy).

[Biciclista]

get a lock for your saddle and keep your Brooks. You will have quite a time trying to find a substitute that works. Far easier to lock your saddle!

[Biciclista]

I just use a cable lock. but here's a link to a fancy one
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=LK2081

[soprano]

I use a short, thin cable lock and a little padlock. Not enough to stop anyone who's determined, but good enough when there are better pickings nearby. I lock the saddle to the bike frame, not the seatpost - locking to the seatpost won't do any good because you can just take the saddle+seatpost with 5 seconds and an allen wrench.

[_kim_]

I think I forgot to check the box on my original post to tell me when replies were posted (or else they all went to my spam folder?), so i sort of forgot about this thread! anyway, thanks for the suggestions. and yeah, i kinda decided 90 minutes (each way) is too long for a sub-par saddle. now my plan is, if i do ride the bike the entire way in, i'm just going to ride the bike that has the brooks on it and lock the entire thing up somewhere as secure as possible (either inside a building or inside a bike locker). i know about locking the saddle up separately, but yeah, find the thin cables not very reassuring. i think i would only feel comfortable relying on a thin cable lock for the saddle if locking the bike up for a short period of time.

unless i somehow manage to have a change of heart re: foam saddles, i think i will also continue to go with my plan of only using one of those for trips of ~20 min. or less on the around-town bike.