Brooks Saddles

Hi All:

I just finally broke down and bought myself a new Brooks Saddle. I got the B-17 standard. My question for all of you who use Brooks is did you adjust the seat bolt at all before you first used the saddle?? Some say you should give it a half turn. Also,
how often do you proofhide your saddles? For years I have been
using a Brooks and did virtually nothing to it and it is still in great shape. I changed because my form on the bike has changed because of a back injury. I really love these saddles. I also think the breaking in period horror stories are exagarrated!

karen

We have 4 Brooks saddles (2 each) Never turned the seat bolts at all. Thom thinks maybe he put proofhide on his once. We don't live in a very wet environment. What breaking in period? Ours have been wonderful from day 1.

Veronica

Veronica:

Thanks for the reply! I have to agree with you when you say there is NO breaking in period. For my butt and this saddle it was love at first sitting!! I called the dealer this a.m. and he recommended I proofhide every six months. I never ride in the rain but often ride along the New England coast and the night air is often misty...matter of fact I am leaving on Thursday to ride the Maine coast with my hubby and son. I will be tapping into you and Thom's brains this fall as we are saving up for a tandem. We have such different idea's about riding I am not sure this will work:D

Anywho, thanks again...I really appreciate the information!

karen

ps- Anybody seen Annie???

Karen -

I'm really glad your Brooks is working out well for you.

I had originally purchased a 'womens' version (it was a Champion Flyer S, which is basically a women's B17 but with springs). The women's version (denoted by the "S") is shorter and wider, but I found it to be very uncomfortable. The B17 (and the Champion Flyer, which is the B17 with springs) is much more comfortable for me.

I think a lot of the break-in woes are because people might have the wrong style of Brooks saddle for their particular body type. Although Brooks makes "womens" saddles, some women are better off with the longer, narrower "mens" saddles (like the B17), and vice versa.

That's the great thing about buying a Brooks from Wallingford (www.wallbike.com), they have a very good return policy so if one style of Brooks doesn't work out for you, you can easily return it and try another.

I recently purchased a new B17 (up til then I was riding on a Champion Flyer I had borrowed from my husband). I found the new saddle very slippery, but proofhiding made the surface a bit less so. I found it very comfy right out of the box, and I didn't need to adjust the seatbolt.

I'll probably proofhide mine once a year or so, if I remember to do it.

- Jo.

JO:


So far so good with my new saddle. I did proofhide it because I was going on a coastal ride and was afraid of what the salt mist air may do to my new saddle. After proofhiding I did have my most favorite and simply gorgeous mechanic, (hubby) turn the nose of the saddle up just a mm because I felt like I was going to go flying off :eek: I am very impressed with the quality of the saddle for the price I paid...I have spent a lot more money to have a sore a$$, on saddles that don't fit well or are poorly made.
Since my back injury I am much more tuned into the importance of fit in all aspects of life and not just on my bike(s). I also am thinking of buying the new pink Terry saddle for the ole Terry. I have used the same style before and I think it will be ok...if not I won't return it because of the cause it is trying to help...I'll just have it hang around my workshop until I find someone who may like it, and use it.
Thanks to you and Veronica for all the help with my new Brooks...I'll keep ya posted on our journey!!

karen

I've recently been on the search for a new saddle for my bike. I've read a lot of reviews and have come to the conclusion that I'd like a Brooks saddle. The durablility, style, elegance and comfort all attract me. My biggest question though is how do I find out which model to get. I have never bought a saddle before and money for my is very tight so I'm researching everything a lot.....probably too much. Does anyone have a suggestion on how I could find out which model will be the "best fit" for my body. I noticed that Brooks makes a women's saddle, but is that necessarily a better fit? I've also ready that women have a wider apart sit bone than men do so a wider seat in the back is better for female anatomy and all that. As you probably can tell I'm completely clueless and lost on this topic so absolutely any help on this will be very much appreciated! Thanks!

April :D

Wallingford Bicycle has a six month return policy so if you don't like it, you can return it. I have the Finesse on my single and tandem and love it.

Thom has a B17 on his single, which is the bike in the trainer. The B17 hits my sit bones okay, but the nose is a bit longer and that bothers me a bit.

Good luck,

Veronica

I know it sounds funny, but just last Friday I was riding along and all the sudden my Brooks B17 was just so comfortable -- not that it was uncomfortable before, it was just like some teeny little adjustment took place and I found the sweet spot.

I'm going to buy another for my hubby. If he doesn't like it, then I'll put it on a different bike.

;)

edit: Oh, and as far as treatment, I just followed the directions that came with the seat.

I'm FINALLY loving my B-17 too. I'd like to have one on my road bike but I don't know if I can face the long (for me) break-in. When my seatpost broke last week, my greatest grief was the scuff marks on the nose of my Brooks because it went tumbling down the road! Poor old Wallingford - I wonder if they got flooded during Katrina?

Nope. Wallingford did not get flooded. They are not taking orders right now. But they will be up and running again in a few weeks.

V.

I also l-urve my B-17. I had a slight break-in period, and it is nicely conformed to my butt now, and even during a century it doesn't bother me, and I seldom have to 'grease up' for a ride. I do live in a rainy and coastals salt climate, and yesterday I ended up riding about 12 miles in the rain with no rain gear (my socks were squishing each time I stood up to pedal by the end), and today the saddle looks fine. I Proofhide it just a little every few months and it has held up fine. Some of my riding group members never proofhide theirs and they hold up fine also.

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Originally Posted by wabisabi

I also l-urve my B-17. I had a slight break-in period, and it is nicely conformed to my butt now, and even during a century it doesn't bother me, and I seldom have to 'grease up' for a ride. I do live in a rainy and coastals salt climate, and yesterday I ended up riding about 12 miles in the rain with no rain gear (my socks were squishing each time I stood up to pedal by the end), and today the saddle looks fine. I Proofhide it just a little every few months and it has held up fine. Some of my riding group members never proofhide theirs and they hold up fine also.

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Did you try any of the other models before the B-17? Im pretty happy with my selle san marco but dont do that many kms yet so its hard to tell how it will feel on longer rides. I though this might be my next option if my current saddle is no good.

I tried the B-17S (women's shorter version) and didn't like it - not enough real estate in the seat area to move fore and aft for my sized hiney!

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Originally Posted by Veronica

Nope. Wallingford did not get flooded. They are not taking orders right now. But they will be up and running again in a few weeks.

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I'm very happy to report that Wallingford is BACK :D

at least on a small scale. At the moment they're carrying Brooks saddles and Ortlieb bags.

http://www.wallbike.com/index.php

Life is good.

One day long ago I took the opportunity of the last hour of the last day of Interbike to ride my MTB around inside the exhibition hall (last day, what are they gonna do, throw me out? ;) ). I stopped by the Brooks booth, since I was riding on a Finesse. The chaps at the booth asked if I used Proofhide. The bike was only 2 months old, so no I hadn't. They recommended an annual treatment. They then asked if I was tensioning the saddle with the spanner. Erm, no. They were careful to caution me to tension very infrequently, and then only 1/8 to 1/4 turn at a time. Stressing the fibres and all that rot. They then gave me large tin of Proofhide (about 2 lifetimes' supply) and a spanner. Such nice chaps, those Brooks reps.

It's been six years, and I think I've tensioned the saddle twice, Proofhided twice, both usually needing to be done after a good bit of dry riding followed by getting caught in a thunderstorm and spending an hour or more in the saddle on the way home.

I got a brooks countess. It has springs. Yesterday was my longest ride in it. I rode 30 miles with no ill effects. I have only had it for 2 weeks. It did at first seem like the adjustment nut underneath was in EXACTLT the wrong spot. I thought, it would never break in right, with so much metal under the nose. It seems fine though. Now that I know I am for sure keeping it. I plan to oil the underside with hydrophane. That's the oil I always used to break in my horse saddles. Warning, if you oil the top side, the dye will come off on your clothes.

To anyone/everyone on this thread. My problem is never sit bones, it's girly bits. I was wondering if anyone had similar problems and found the brooks to be the solution?

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Originally Posted by doc

To anyone/everyone on this thread. My problem is never sit bones, it's girly bits. I was wondering if anyone had similar problems and found the brooks to be the solution?

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I definitely have the girly bits problem too. Since the brooks (b66, b67) supports a bigger/wider part of your rear end, it actually holds the other stuff up higher too.
What I noticed about my great old wonderful brooks that i don't like, is on a long long ride, when i try to flex my back and rotate my pelvis, the pointy
part of the seat bangs my girly bits. BUT while riding, it does a fairly good job of supporting the rest so i only know about the girly bits when I stop abruptly
and slip forward.
I wish i could share that article that I posted about in my other post, but it's copyrighted and it's not legal to do that. But the article and the book (that someone has lent me ) talk a lot about these problems.

Hi I'm Lauren a newby from Australia, MTB and Old Ladies BSA with chain and skirt guard still fitted :o) I love it to bits.

I have been reading all the posts regarding saddles and I guess that they just prove one thing; no matter how we feel or what we think, it all boils down to personal preference! I have a man's saddle on my MTB and it works for me just fine, of course, the BSA has a British Lion leather saddle with springs and stays, thank goodness it's not on my MTB :o(

Good Cheers, Lauren

i am a new brooks user. any of you ever use neatsfoot oil to "soften" the leather? I am thinking about it, but am not sure. I don't want to ruin it, I have the team pro S.

thanks!

The only thing I've ever put on my Brooks is the stuff they sell with it, I think it's called Proofhide. I'd check with them before adding anything different.


karen

Uh-oh, now you have me busy pecking away at the keyboard researching the Brooks and the Selle SMP models. I wonder if larger thighs (like mine) would rub on the wider-nosed women's saddles.

It is a funny thing, too, given that they represent two extremes in saddle design. I just realized that on 30+ mile rides, I have to limit riding in the drops due to bits-squish on my stock Bontrager.

Quillfred, I first ordered the men's B17 Champion because I was concerned about my thigh rubbing. The B17 hurt my soft tissue. I ended up with the Team Pro S, same width as the B17 men's but wider in the soft tissue area. I set the saddle up the way that Brooks recommends and I have minimal soft tissue pain (compared to all the other saddles I tried!).

The team pro was recommended for riders that spend time in the drops. My handlebar is about 2 inches below my saddle height.

I ended up ordering from Bill at wallingford bicycles. I don't know the web address. They have a 6 mos return policy. I returned the B17 and was refunded pretty quickly. Plus, Bill answered every question I had. excellant customer service, clearly he has a passion for cycling and wants you to ride whatever saddle works for you.

I hope this helps!

massbike--thanks for the advice, I think I will just stick with the proofhide and be safe and sure.

I ordered one... wish me luck and thanks for the links! The 6 month return policy is awesome... makes it really safe for me to try this and not worry that I'm gonna be stuck with a $100 saddle that I can't ride! :)

I am trying to decide between the B17 and B17S - The B17 seems very long - but the B17S seems way too short. DId the length take anyone time to get used to? I am concerned about my soft bits - not sit bones. ALso Team PRo S and B17S have the same dimensions - I can't figure out the difference in the two. I have my handlebars a little above my seat (getting used to roadbike slowly). I plan on ordering from Wallingford so I can return it if it doesn't work.

I started with the B17S and it was too short for me. There didn't seem to be enough variety in where I could perch because of that quicker narrowing of the saddle. I traded (good old Wallingford!) to the B17 after about three weeks and the nose doesn't seem too long at all.

The Team Pro (I have the B17 on my commuter and the Team Pro on my weekend bike now) is the same size as the B17S but it's made of thicker leather. It works fine for a more horizontal position on drop handlebars. But I've got to say, I wish it had a longer sitting area because I like to move around. The girly bits are still a bit of a problem on very long rides. Your sit bones can force the leather to shape to them but you have to get just the right position to protect those softer parts.

Be prepared to work at making this type of saddle personalize itself to your shape. Some folks love them immediately and others, like me, have had to work for miles and miles to get the leather to shape into a more comfortable form. Once, they are at that point, you don't think about the saddle anymore, no matter how long the ride is!

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Originally Posted by farrellcollie

I am trying to decide between the B17 and B17S - The B17 seems very long - but the B17S seems way too short. DId the length take anyone time to get used to? I am concerned about my soft bits - not sit bones. ALso Team PRo S and B17S have the same dimensions - I can't figure out the difference in the two. I have my handlebars a little above my seat (getting used to roadbike slowly). I plan on ordering from Wallingford so I can return it if it doesn't work.

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I am a new brooks user, here's my experience (for what it is worth):
interestingly enough, I discovered that the mens B17 and the Team Pro S have the same width (170). I returned the B17 b/c of soft tissue pain. I am currently riding the Team Pro S and have not found the shorter length to be an issue for me. I set the saddle up according to the instructions. Monday I rode 25 miles and had no soft tissue problems.

My handlebars are about 2 inches below the saddle. From what I understand the B17 is for more upright, less time in the drops and the team pro is for folks that spend time in the drops.

I'll keep you posted on my experience too... mine came in yesterday... will ride it this weekend for the first time...

nuthatch... I'm hoping my weight will help break it in faster! LOL... hey, it's gotta be good for SOMETHING! :D

as to the length, I'm already on the Butterfly and it's not real long either so... here's hoping for less soft bits pain!!! My butt is fine... but oh... those soft bits :eek:

I rode my new b17 for 6 miles today - great except for the soft parts which are sore. The saddle was comfortable - I am going to try it for another week or so and see - if no improvement in the soft tissue I will try the S model. I thought it was very comfortable while riding -albeit slippery.

Just remember that a very slight adjustment of the tilt of the saddle can make a huge difference.

So if your "bits" are feeling squashed, you might want to try to tilt the nose of the saddle downward just a smidge. (Or would that be a skosh?)

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Originally Posted by jobob

just a smidge. (Or would that be a skosh?)

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Or perhaps it's nooge.

I will keep playing with it - I had it too pointed down at first and slid forward. If the soft bits get worked out - it is great. I shall move it down a tittle.

farrellcollie,

had to set my team pro s the same as you have set up the b17 (with the nose slightly tilted down).

do you spend time in the drops?

I don't really spend time in the drops - I am new to roadbikes in general and am still getting used to bike - I am waiting for a stem riser to come in because I want handebars up just a bit and lbs was out of them. I haven't figured out how to ride in the drops and still see ahead. I am going to fiddle with tilt before today's ride - for last night - after I adjusted it from being too tilted down - it was pretty level for the majority of ride. This may sound odd - but it was amazing at how I didn't really feel saddle beneath me with the brooks - only when I got off I noticed soft tissue was sore. Today - some soreness still. It may also be some of my adjustment to road bike from very upright hybrid commuter bike and my little downtube folding bike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by farrellcollie

This may sound odd - but it was amazing at how I didn't really feel saddle beneath me with the brooks - only when I got off I noticed soft tissue was sore. Today - some soreness still. It may also be some of my adjustment to road bike from very upright hybrid commuter bike and my little downtube folding bike

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not odd at all...I have the same experience with the brooks. It disappears when I am riding. I've never experienced that before on any type of bike. some soft tissue pain--that is disappearing, now, too. I rode 30 miles today and was pretty comfortable. (exams are done--I can just relax, now).

After trying the MTB women's saddle and then the butterfly
I finally went and got a B67.
I had already tried a more "sporty" looking brooks, maybe it was the b17, but after 35 miles, there was pain.
With the butterfly, bit and butt pains became the defining moments of the ride at about 12 miles in, so I knew I was NOT making progress.

I rode 16 miles on TUesday on my new (not broken in) brooks b67 and it was SO GREAT. there is still a little of the bits stuff from bumping so i am trying to adjust the seat so that this is minimized (and I'm going to slather on that stuff
that my husband uses to cut back on friction) and I wil be ready to go.
Bigger rides this weekend and next.
Will let you all know. What a relief!

Today I received my team pro s - I put it on road bike and moved b17 over to hybrid commuter where I sit more upright. the team pro s felt better on soft tissue - I think for me the shorter saddle will be better on that bike. I rode b17 last night for 6 or so miles and soft tissue was not as sore when I got off so I am thinking it will be good - particularly on hybrid. I put proof hide on b17 - and it seemed to make it less slippery. hmmm-now for the downtube folder...


First longer ride of the season coming up this weekend - will post after that about saddle progress (at this point I am a lot more worried about clipless pedals than brooks saddle)

Farrell
I have the slippery problem too. I fantasize about having chamois on the outside of the bike shorts so i won't be so slippery!

mimi and farrell:

a friend of mine has been riding brooks saddles for many years and told me the slippery feeling goes away. For him, he said it took anywhere in between 100-200 miles.

I am at about 100 w/my team pro s--it is less slippery.

I rode scott contessa roadster and brooks team pro s (pre-softened - I realized that today - it is stamped on saddle - I could not tell pre-softened or not from comparing it with b17) today for the first real ride - 20 miles (I know not much compared to most riders on this forum - but I like to slowly build up - middle age is hell) it took (according to bike computer) 1 hour and 40 minutes - some rolling hills in southern illinois - no major hills but not flat as a pancake either. During the ride the saddle felt great ( mostly not noticed at all - slippery still - thanks Stella for the hope of less slipperiness soon) - The shorter saddle is definitely better for me. A little soreness - but not bad and I mostly attribute it to not biking for more than 5 miles at a time commute to work or coupled of 9 or so mile rides on new bike just to get used to feel of it- just being on bike for that long is going to cause me some soreness at this point. I am tempted to try the champion flyer s sprung saddle - the only discomfort on saddle today was going over a few potholes - then I felt the hardness pretty strongly on backside.