Hmmm, Brooks B72 or B68?

I am seriously considering a wider Brooks for my commuter since my seatbones occasionally make contact with the rivets on my B17. Have any of you tried a B72? They look really cool. I was thinking about either that or just sticking with the unsprung B68.

Thoughts? Anyone tried both? I don't necessarily need a sprung saddle, but I just love how the B72 looks.

I managed to go past the 6 month return period from Wallbike on the B17, so I'll have it up for sale here in the near future if I go wider. I've only ridden it about 400-500 miles, so it'll be perfect for someone that wants a Brooks without the break-in.

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Originally Posted by Andrea

I am seriously considering a wider Brooks for my commuter since my seatbones occasionally make contact with the rivets on my B17. Have any of you tried a B72? They look really cool. I was thinking about either that or just sticking with the unsprung B68.

Thoughts? Anyone tried both? I don't necessarily need a sprung saddle, but I just love how the B72 looks.

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Three minor cons to sprung model:
they weigh a bit more.
they sometimes make it problematic to attach a rear saddle bag.
Occasionally people have problems with the springs squeaking.

I have both a B67 and a B68 - so not the cool B72, but one sprung and unsprung. I like the springs - I have it on my folding bike which has a bit of a harsh ride and the springs really helped. The saddle is not bouncy when I ride - but the springs seem to help absorb some the the road roughness (can't think of a good way to describe it). I have not (that I notice) had a problem with noisy springs and the weight on either the folder or hybrid is a nonissue for me because both of those bikes already weigh a ton. The only reason I don't have two is because the hybrid bike has a springy seatpost instead. I also use a B17 on my road bike-
I did not like the wider seat on that bike. I encourage you to get the B72 - very interesting to look at.

SGTiger has the B72 on her bike.

Remember, the B72 will require the "seat sandwich" adapter to put it on a modern seatpost.

The springs on SGTiger's B72 are much sexier than the ones on my B67. It is one elegant looking saddle... whoooo-boy!

I have three B67 saddles with the big coil springs. One of them has creaking issues, but the noise is in the shackle (nose) and will respond to determined and assertive grease application.

Springs probably do add a bit of weight (maybe the equivalent of a handful of change?), but I weigh a whole lot more than the springs, so I don't worry about it much.

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

Occasionally people have problems with the springs squeaking.

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I've got both, a B68 on my commuter and a B72 on the Xtracycle. The B72 does squeak a bit, and I haven't noticed a whole lot of difference in comfort because of the springs. It looks cool, but if you want the advantage of a sprung saddle, I'd go with the B67, otherwise stick with the unsprung B68.

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Originally Posted by divingbiker

I've got both, a B68 on my commuter and a B72 on the Xtracycle. The B72 does squeak a bit, and I haven't noticed a whole lot of difference in comfort because of the springs. It looks cool, but if you want the advantage of a sprung saddle, I'd go with the B67, otherwise stick with the unsprung B68.

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Thanks for all the quick replies! Which one has more rail length? The B17 rails are really short, and I'd probably end up getting a seatpost with more of a setback if I stuck with it.

Andrea-

Do you have the regular B-17 or the S? The S rails on the one I have (but no longer ride) are *way* short.... The regular one doesn't seem too bad...

And yeah - depending on the color, I might be interested if it's the regular:)

CA

The "S" models (supposedly for women) have much shorter rails because they are shorter saddles. I can't stand them, and won't get any S model ever again.

Is it the B17 S that you have with 'short rails'?

Nope, I've got the B17 Champion Special. It's the same as a standard B17, except dressed up a little with bigger copper rivets and a chamfered edge. I think it's more of an issue with the geometry of the bike, because I had no problem with the rails being too short when I tried it on my road bike.

Yep. PM me if you decide to sell. I'd probably be interested.

I love my B72! I do occasionally feel some sproingy-ness with it - like going over BIG tree roots that can sometimes be hard to avoid on the trails 'round here. I'm guessing it doesn't have quite the shock absorbency of the B67, but since that's not what you're looking for it might work for you. I haven't had any problems attaching a saddle bag(when I had one - now I have a cool bike trunk!) to my bike with it. It did also squeak there for a while but the sound isn't from the springs. Knot and BIAK's LBS/mechanic friend, both advised me to oil some part underneath and it hasn't been back. Like Knot mentioned, it does require a seat sandwich for micro-adjust seat posts.