Brooks b17 narrow or not - please help!

[annabanana2]

Hi everyone,

I have been trailing through the many posts here about brooks saddles and would love some advice. I currently use my drop bar bike as mainly my commuter (to uni and work etc) and the handlebars are about even with the seat. I have had a specialized oura in the past (155mm) but it was chaffing badly on my inner thighs and causing blisters. I tried a loaner Selle Italia SLR Lady from the bike shop and width wise it is much better (from memory my stiffness are around 130-135mm on specialized test) but it still is not quite right - still very sore despite constant tweaking to the height, angle etc. I have heard so many good things about the Brooks saddles but am at a loss as to which one would be right - I am not a big person by any means and am around 90lbs - and petite. Would a brooks b17 be too wide in the nose and cause thigh chaffing again? Should i go with the B17 narrow or a different model all together? There is no where in my state (Queensland australia) that has them to try :( I typically ride without proper cycling shorts as I have to quickly get to lectures etc, no more than an hour on the saddle at a time. PLEASE HELP A LITTLE AUSSIE!

[Sky King]

Going to assume, as you say you've been reading all the posts that you did your sit bone measurement. If you fight inner thigh chafing the design of the B17 (or most brooks) may be an issue, the sides o fthe saddle sometimes bother people and over time, the sides tend to flare out as well - that can be fixed by punching holes and using leather strips like the B17 Imperial. Those who know me here, are now smiling, but I do love Deb Banks, Rivet Saddles - the Rivet Independence may work well for you. Not sure who, in your world stocks them. Shipping saddles to Australia can be pricey. Here is what it looks like (http://store.biketouringnews.com/categories/bicycle-saddles/rivet-saddles.html).


Hi everyone,

I have been trailing through the many posts here about brooks saddles and would love some advice. I currently use my drop bar bike as mainly my commuter (to uni and work etc) and the handlebars are about even with the seat. I have had a specialized oura in the past (155mm) but it was chaffing badly on my inner thighs and causing blisters. I tried a loaner Selle Italia SLR Lady from the bike shop and width wise it is much better (from memory my stiffness are around 130-135mm on specialized test) but it still is not quite right - still very sore despite constant tweaking to the height, angle etc. I have heard so many good things about the Brooks saddles but am at a loss as to which one would be right - I am not a big person by any means and am around 90lbs - and petite. Would a brooks b17 be too wide in the nose and cause thigh chaffing again? Should i go with the B17 narrow or a different model all together? There is no where in my state (Queensland australia) that has them to try :( I typically ride without proper cycling shorts as I have to quickly get to lectures etc, no more than an hour on the saddle at a time. PLEASE HELP A LITTLE AUSSIE!

[thekarens]

As much as I love my Brooks, the other issue is it doesn't leave much room in the cockpit when you are off the saddle. When I have to stop at lights etc of course I'm off the saddle and my stomach is pretty close to the stem since the nose on my Brooks is so long.

I'd also recommend the Rivet.

[salsabike]

Going to assume, as you say you've been reading all the posts that you did your sit bone measurement. If you fight inner thigh chafing the design of the B17 (or most brooks) may be an issue, the sides o fthe saddle sometimes bother people and over time, the sides tend to flare out as well - that can be fixed by punching holes and using leather strips like the B17 Imperial. Those who know me here, are now smiling, but I do love Deb Banks, Rivet Saddles - the Rivet Independence may work well for you. Not sure who, in your world stocks them. Shipping saddles to Australia can be pricey. Here is what it looks like (http://store.biketouringnews.com/categories/bicycle-saddles/rivet-saddles.html).

I was just going to mention Deb Banks' Rivet saddles. My husband, who is a rando and rides about 5000-6000 miles a year including 1200ks, has switched from Brooks to Rivets in the last year and says NO CHAFING is why. You might want to give it a try.

[Trek420]

Going to assume, as you say you've been reading all the posts that you did your sit bone measurement. If you fight inner thigh chafing the design of the B17 (or most brooks) may be an issue, the sides o fthe saddle sometimes bother people and over time, the sides tend to flare out as well - that can be fixed by punching holes and using leather strips like the B17 Imperial. Those who know me here, are now smiling, but I do love Deb Banks, Rivet Saddles - the Rivet Independence may work well for you. Not sure who, in your world stocks them. Shipping saddles to Australia can be pricey. Here is what it looks like (http://store.biketouringnews.com/categories/bicycle-saddles/rivet-saddles.html).

Also going to assume you've read http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/ask-the-engineers/the-four-and-a-half-rules-of-road-saddles-.html

This article pretty much orriginally written by this forum. So it's not your height or weight but you must measure your sit bones, determine if you need a cut out or not. And of course we also assume no underlying issues with bike fit.

A hale and hearty welcome to TE!

[annabanana2]

Thanks everyone - I have not tried a brooks yet to know whether or not they will rub, so that is why I was wondering whether to just go with a brooks narrow b17 as I am used to quite a narrow saddle anyway - also been looking at rido saddles but cannot find that much feedback on them. Are there any brooks saddles that have a more t shape? Do the swift and swallow with the shorter sides eliminate thigh rubbing at all? And on the specialized test my outer sit bones were 138mm (well that is the only measurement they gave me - distance between my sit bones so guessing outer larger ones that make the impression on the seat) does this help?

[annabanana2]

Yes just double checked - approx 135mm using the do it yourself sit bone test (alfoil on carpet and measured the distance between the two dents my skinny bum made ) :) My bike has a pretty upright seating position and i mainly ride on the hoods - the specialized oura is definitely too wide for my thighs

[annabanana2]

I checked at my local specialized bike store again - 138mm approx. Sky, with those Rivet saddles you recommend, would the pearl or independence be better? I do have a very relaxed riding style and don't normally wear knicks unless going for a longer ride - would the independence still work? Do prefer narrow I must admit :)

[Sky King]

I checked at my local specialized bike store again - 138mm approx. Sky, with those Rivet saddles you recommend, would the pearl or independence be better? I do have a very relaxed riding style and don't normally wear knicks unless going for a longer ride - would the independence still work? Do prefer narrow I must admit :)The Independence is narrower than the pearl. They also come w/ or w/o the slot. I haven't ridden the no slot yet. The Bike Hermit has a no slot Selle Anatomica on his Desert Bike and it may be worth looking at. We stopped offering Selle Anatomica because they kept dropping their prices to below the wholesale prices they charged us. The nose seems extremely long though.

[annabanana2]

I have managed to find an australian stockist for the Rivet Independence - it should be arriving in the next few days so wish me luck! Thanks for all of your help everyone much appreciated :)

[thekarens]

Let us know what you think once you've had a chance to try it out.

[annabanana2]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delayed reply - three months or so later and it turns out the 'stockist' I found was basically a $200 shop that went bankrupt and never had the rivet saddle :( so I am back to square one, and still in pain daily from my too-wide saddle. Any help please? Anna :)

[Jolt]

How about the Brooks C17? This is their non-leather saddle, made of rubber covered with canvas, and is available with or without a cutout (I needed the cutout, you may or may not). It is fairly T-shaped; I had some slight inner thigh chafing with a Selle Anatomica and have had none with the C17. It is quite firm, so be aware that it may make your butt sore at first if you are used to a softer saddle.

[annabanana2]

Thanks everyone,

Oh Shelia that is annoying! Seeing as I wasn't able to get my $200 back from the shop before it went bankrupt I have even less to spend now on a new saddle :( The turbomatic does look promising, I am just worried it would be too small like you say - if my sit bones are 135mm wide then would the turbo still be too small? Especially if my handlebars are pretty much level with my seat (I'm too nervous to go lower!). The c17 you mention Jolt looks good too, but the thing is I am very small (86lbs and not very tall, very petite) so the thought of having to break in a brooks saddle as they say i am concerned I would never be able to do, simply because I do not have enough weight on me! Can anyone weigh in (excuse the pun) on this aspect to brooks saddles? Thanks everyone :)

[annabanana2]

If the outside distance is 135, it will probably be perfect.

Brooks saddles are available in pre-aged leathers, and sweat helps things break in. I think the main concern would be a saddle that is too long front to bac since the bike would be so small, it might feel like you were getting stabbed from behind while standing. Plus, it would take up a lot of the cockpit space. Unfortunately, the shorter saddles tend to be women's, and they tend to be wider.

How do I determine whether the 135mm I was told at the bike shop (using the specialized system) was the inner sit bone distance or the outside sit bone distance? And if my position on the bike is more upright and I ride mainly on the hoods, would that impact at all? :)

[annabanana2]

Actually, I'm going to say hold off on the leather saddle. For now.

The Selle Italia Monolink is 131 mm, which might work, and is designed to be 'friction free' in the area you need. Competitive Cyclist has a white version for 89.00, and they always take returns.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/selle-italia-slr-monolink-team-edition-saddle

It looks like they have a 'special' where you can get a carbon seat post, high-end mono link saddle with carbon rails for about 300 dollars. Yuck. Ignore those! You can purchase the saddle on sale with no seat post. (heh, I've never recommended anyone on TE use this saddle, most of use can't fit on it. Too bad, cause it's a great saddle otherwise).

Future reference. A Selle Italia Turbomatic might work, even though it's 153 mm, because it's so domed that there is much less seating area than expected. And it's very T-shaped and friction free. It's available both with and without a cutout.

Just to verify: you are measuring the outside distance of your bones, and not the center to center, correct? If it is c to c, then you need something much wider.

I'm just a bit confused; the saddle looks great but wouldn't I need the special mono link post to use it on my bike if I just have a standard two rail version?

[annabanana2]

You should contact Selle Italia and ask. I think there was an older version that did not come with a seat post. Regardless, you need to buy from somewhere that you can return it. I forgot about that when I mentioned it.

Between the two I mentioned, I'd try the Turbomatic, first. It's available with and without a cutout. Do you know if you need one? And Ribble Cycles and Wiggle both have it at a good price. You are in Queensland, correct?

The Turbo is firm. Promise.

Yes in Queensland :) I've seen that Selle Italia now have a friction free range of their slr and flite saddles; would the flite friction free be better than the turbo in regards to the flatter back profile? I was measured again the other day at the bike shop who do specialized saddles and after much humming and harring he put me on a jett 130mm saddle which was okay - slightly narrow in the back but thin enough to get rid of the chafing, except my lady bits were a bit squished. Worried the turbo might be slightly too narrow with the curved back so would the flite friction free be a good alternative? The slr friction free might be a bit firm if I use my bike for commuting to uni a lot and can't wear shorts? Thanks Muireen - and yes you do need the special seat post :(