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Decisions decisions. I finally decided to try a brooks. Now I can't decide which one. The woman's b17 was my first choice, then I saw the sprung version. This is for my Bianchi that I will tour on (yes girls, long slow and happy!!!). The sprung saddles are supposed to be most comfy for touring, but gosh they look humungus! Do the springs make that big a difference? Any opinions out there?
The B17 is supposed to be _the_ randonneuring model. I wonder what the WSD difference is. Probably wider than the men's, and the men's B17 is already wide enough that people talk about cutting it down. I was just looking at these in the Nashbar catalog yesterday. There is some sort of narrow version. Then there are the titanium versions, which are ungodly expensive ($375 and up).
I was riding with a guy, during my 400k, who had a fairly new one (men's B17). He said not only did it get more comfortable from ride to ride, but actually during the ride it got better.
Nanci
I have the Finesse. It's narrower than B17, which Thom has. I've ridden his and prefer mine. The Finesse is one of those wicked expensive ones, but I never had butt issues on Saturday, so it's worth it. I have the cheaper, similar model (forget the name) on my commuter. It has taken longer to break in. Both of my Finesses (tandem and single) seemed broken in from the start. If you order from Wallingford, you can return it if it doesn't work out.
V.
My local shop has them in stock. I prefer to support them. Besides, it's there 10th anniversary and that means 10% off! I know the wems is slightly shorter and a bit wider. I really want to know more about the springs!
BTW__Nanci- I had to look up my new word for the day...randonneuring. ok I get it!
Sprung saddles have generally been intended for upright bikes (like the classic English 3-speed) and casual riders. While the shock absorption of springs might seem like a good idea, as you develop riding style and strength, they should become unnecessary. If you are on a well-fitting road bike, you won't have that much weight on the back of the saddle, where the springs are. And your legs become your shock absorbers. So I would say they weight penalty is definitely not worth it. Unless maybe you intend to tour on really bad roads.
I used to know people who soaked their Brooks saddles in boiled linseed oil and beat them with baseball bats to soften them up. Now they come presoftened. Cool.
I've got the regular B-17 on my hybrid commuter and the women's Team Pro on my touring bike (but I haven't done any touring yet). Like you, I'm really wondering if I should have gotten a Champion flyer sprung saddle, even with that extra weight, for long days over rough roads. Actually, I've got the B-17 on a Thudbuster seatpost (thanks to Veronica's recommendation!) and that provides plenty of sproing over bumps (with probably even more weight than a sprung saddle, but my commute isn't that long).
I personally find the true road bike position hard on the Brooks that I have. They are a bit slippery and I need the nose tilted up to stay "in the groove" so to speak. That makes it hard on the girly bits if you get into that tucked down position. Maybe this is just me. And maybe this will resolve itself as the saddle ages. My saddles absolutely did NOT feel broken in from the start. That B-17 was a true labor of love to break in (about 5 months and many, many sweaty miles). The Pro, which I didn't slather with Proofide right away, seems to be breaking in faster even though it's made of thicker leather.