Brooks Saddles

Rode 39 miles on my B67 today. that critter is definitely breaking in. Didn't even notice my butt the whole ride. Got some nice dimples in the seat now that just fit my sitz bones.

Still having creaking/cracking/snapping/death-throes issues from the frame of the seat. I just keep tightening the adjustment thingy. It doesn't seem to throw the leather off. If it keeps recurring, I'll trade it in for a B72. Could be my riding style, but on the ride today the ride leader said I looked good.

But if I do that I'll have to break it in all over again!

Love Brooks! happy happy joy joy! (even with the sloppy frame)

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Also, I put a Bianchi Veloce on layaway a couple of weeks ago and it's that same gorgeous celeste color as yours, Dachshund. Nice to see how the Brooks looks on it--lovely! Wondering how the honey color might look with the celeste, with maybe handlebar tape in a color similar to the saddle.

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I am wondering the same thing. I have a celeste Veloce, and right now it has a navy blue Butterfly on it that is perfectly fine. But my neighbor sold me a brand new honey Team Pro for $40, and now I'm thinking I might try it on the Bianchi. (I had planned to put it on an old Allez that I'm having painted.)

Someone asked about the honey color ... I have a honey colored B67 on my commute bike, and it's just kind of darkening in some places. It's a very subtle aging and as long as I don't think, "Ew, that's butt sweat," I like it. It took me about six months to develop the butt dimples, but it was comfortable right out of the box.

That's a steal on the Team Pro. :eek: I like mine alot except that it is a little less wide than my preference.

The Finesse I ordered is essentially a women's Team Pro with a ti rail. I thought the green would look alot better than the other options except black.

The honey or even maroon would look great with celeste IMHO. Matching leather wraps would be rather sporting--but not here in soggy Seattle.

OK - I posted somewhere else (maybe the meaurement post) about some issues I was having with my stock saddle.

I have a Trek Pilot 5.0wsd and have been having problems with pressure and some pain on/in the soft tissue of the crotch area. I bought a Terry Butterfly and this weekend, rode it 53 miles. I really don't know if the seat is set up correctly; I need to check the KOPS to make sure it's correct fore/aft and also check seat height. But, that still may not help.

I found that while riding, I don't feel as if I'm actually sitting on my sit bones. If you are sitting correctly, you should not feel any pressure anywhere else, right? So, if the Butterfly is postioned correctly on the bike, am I not sitting correctly? How do you figure out this? Gosh, I just want a saddle that feels good so I can do longer rides.

I've got either a metric or english century coming up this Saturday and I would really like to ride without pressure/discomfort on girly parts!

I did measure and I think my sit bones are 5-5.25", which is around 130mm. That's kind of narrow isn't it? From the Brooks web site, it seems that the narrowest seats are in the 152mm range (6"). Wouldn't this be too wide?

I'm just so confused on this sitting issue....

Karen.

The saddle you choose needs to be WIDER than your sit bone measurement. In an ideal world, your sit bones would each land in the center of the "cheek" of each side of the saddle.

If you call Wallingford Bicycle Parts 1-888-731-3537 Bill or Diane will answer the phone (unless they are crazy busy)

Tell them what your measurements are, what bike you ride, and how you feel on your current saddle. They will be able to steer you toward a couple Brooks saddles that might work for you.

They are full of knowlege, and don't be afraid to "girl talk" with Bill. He is VERY cool, and understands women's saddle issues. He also won't mind a bit if you ask that Diane call you to discuss girl issues.

They are both great. Call them.

(and no, you shouldn't be weightbearing on anything but your sit bones. Is your seat to high or your handlebars too low, or your posture goofy? Or is it the saddle?)

Just confirming what Knotted said. My sitbones are 155-160ish and I'm going for the B17S, just because it's closer to 170 and should be more accomodating to my wider base. ;) What was hard for me was learning that though I have a skinny butt, my bone measurements could be a little wider than expected- AND that I was sitting on my seat ALL WRONG. I had all my pressure on that little bridge inside one's thighs and very little on my actual sitbones. No wonder I was getting chafing issues, etc...

So... I hear ya. =) I'm sure the more seasoned Brooks pros will be able to confirm/deny my assumptions.

Also... I'm getting my 1st brooks this weekend!!! YEE!

Thanks...I'm still not sure whether I'm actually sitting correctly on the saddle. I did the paper towel measurement last night and my bones are narrower! I put the paper towel on the carpet, sat on it and wiggled just a little to make sure I made an impression - then measured and got 4.5"! That's close to 115mm! Can this be wrong??

Anyway, I adjusted the Butterfly so that it's ever so slightly tilted UP and went for a test ride. I also, tried to hold my abs in a little more and concentrated on making sure I sat more on the bones (I think). Riding like that, I didn't have much discomfort in the girly parts area, but I don't think I could ride for a long time like that (abs held in). Could be that my posture on the bike is not correct...

Guess I will try the Butterfly out at Bikefest and go from there.

How do you get your SO/husband to understand the issues you have and that you may need to try SEVERAL saddles before you find the one that's right??

Karen.

Can't help you on the husband issue; mine got terrible saddle sores on his first ride when he got his Giant, and he has a collection of about a dozen discarded saddles (not including the ones he's given away), so he understands. Although he hates Brooks saddles and doesn't believe that I really like them.

But my sit bones are also about 4.5 inches apart. I should probably try some men's saddles. (The B-67 works great for me, but I use it on a very upright bike -- I don't think it would work on a road bike.)

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Originally Posted by Bad JuJu

Also, I put a Bianchi Veloce on layaway a couple of weeks ago and it's that same gorgeous celeste color as yours, Dachshund. Nice to see how the Brooks looks on it--lovely! Wondering how the honey color might look with the celeste, with maybe handlebar tape in a color similar to the saddle. Hmmmm, so many accessories to check out. :D

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Congratulations on the bike purchase! I thought about the other Brooks colors, too. The matching handlebar tape might work. The brown honey and brown colors are classic. It was almost a coin-toss for me, but I decided to stick with the black & celeste color combo.

W00t! DGF (not DPITA for now!) just bought me the B17S! *paces staring at the mailbox and repeatedly checks her watch*

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Originally Posted by dachshund

Congratulations on the bike purchase! I thought about the other Brooks colors, too. The matching handlebar tape might work. The brown honey and brown colors are classic. It was almost a coin-toss for me, but I decided to stick with the black & celeste color combo.

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You know Brooks does leather bar tape. I have the black. It's very comfortable and holds up well in the rain.

V.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

W00t! DGF (not DPITA for now!) just bought me the B17S! *paces staring at the mailbox and repeatedly checks her watch*

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If that's not love, I don't know what is...

well... I haven't been able to thank her properly yet, but hey, the weekend's coming up! :D

Wait wait Kitsune I am confused, the husband you mentioned is DGF or they are two different people :D ;)

:D um... DGF=Dear Girlfriend. DPITA=Dear Pain In The A$$.

They're both names for the same girl I'm lucky to have supporting me. :D

...my husband and his girlfriend are another matter entirely, and no, I won't go into it.

sorry I tend to be very very noise sometimes :D

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

W00t! DGF (not DPITA for now!) just bought me the B17S! *paces staring at the mailbox and repeatedly checks her watch*

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Let us know how you like it. I have that one and love it. It was nice to begin with, now it is absolutely wonderful. It feels as though nothing is under me. :)

I just ordered a B67 and am sending my B17 back to Wallingford - I can't wait to try the wider saddle on my hybrid.

It's too warm out and I'm a little sickish, so I won't be able to take a trial ride, but my impressions of my B17S are thus:
"Thank god I got the shorter nose! This feels just right!"
"... Is it SUPPOSED to sound like wood when I knock on it?"
"Geez, this thing's slippery on jeans. Gonna be WORSE on lycra!"
"This kinda hurts!" (I lowered the seat half an inch as is suggested on lots of sites and it actually made all the difference, oddly enough!)
"Oh, it didn't come with proofhide?" (I thought they did... hmm. I have boot dressing made of only pine tar and beeswax, the main ingredients in proofhide, so I'll be using that... It worked quite well on my doc martins, which didn't break down until I accidently got actual patroleum on them.. =P)
*knocks on it* "woah. yeah, still sounds like wood." ... (I'll probably do that for awhile... just for the novelty of it.
It didn't seem a whole lot heavier than the old saddle... actually 'bout the same. Seeing the little tabbies on the back, though, made me want to get one of the little leather seat bags.

After adjusting as much as I could without a real trial ride (and in jeans no less, but I usu. ride in cargos unless riding long/hard or with a group) it did feel really comfortable. Not sure how it's going to work with my pierce... might end up taking it out unless something changes or I tip the nose down to put all the weight on my sit bones, but that'd put more weight on my hands (so I don't slide off!) and legs. so... not sure yet.
It looks hot, though. :D

Kitsune

I would resist the urge to put anything but Proofhide on the saddle as it could either over soften it, or otherwise make it difficult to exchange should you decide to later.

I had my Team Pro for 3 months and after getting another saddle (Finesse), I realized I want to exchange the old one for the women's version.

I think this is covered earlier in this Brooks Saga.

Quill

I know... and I will be getting the proofhide, but in the meantime, since the saddle itself is black and there's no darkening in the forseeable future, I think I'll just occasionally (i.e. only after getting wet, etc) use this until I can get some.

It's not viscuous like neatsfoot oil or other oils that even Sheldon Brown recommended 'soaking' saddles in... There are very few things from Sheldon's site that I'll disregard, and the 'oil soak' for leather saddles is one. still, lightly dressing the saddle so the summer dryness/dampness doesn't harm it can't hurt too much. Trust me, if the dressing contained tallows or patroleum products, they wouldn't touch it. I know my leathers. :D

Yep, sounds about right. The first few times I kept thinking I would slip off :eek: , but I never did. :) I have had mine for maybe 3 weeks and it already has formed to my body and I love it. Very, very comfortable and soft (compared to when I first got it and thought it was quite hard). I have used proofhide twice. I bought the cover for it should I get caught out in the rain. All in all, I am thrilled with my B17S and hope you find a similar fondness for your saddle. Enjoy!

In fact, I love it so much that I finally decided that I needed a Brooks saddle for my mountain bike, which I use for riding on a very flat, non-technical trail after work.

I tried the B17S on my mountain bike, and after I got it positioned correctly, except...it's pretty wide. If I ever do any more technical trails, I'm not sure I could get behind the B17S.

I called Wallbike, and talked to Diana. I ordered the B17 (standard, guys model.) Since my seat bones aren't that far apart, we figured I could use the B17. The longer nose could be an advantage as well for mountain biking. I got the B17 yesterday, and applied the proofhide.

Today was the maiden voyage. I think it's a keeper! I can tell it's not as broken in as the B17S, but time will take of that. It's more slippery than I ever remember the B17S being, but time should take care of that too. The longer nose didn't bother me, but I'm still not sure if I could get behind the seat for those tricky descents.

Good luck with the break-in period, Kitsune! According to the Brooks pamphlet, some people back off the tension 1/2 turn during the initial break in period. I wonder if that would help with the pierce?

-- Melissa

I don't have the 'accessory' kit with my saddle (knowing my propensity to fidget with things and my light weight, I decided against actually getting the tensioning tool) but I'm not sure that backing down the tension would help much as it's all in the 'soft' tissue. I'll see how things work out tomorrow...
Thanks for the idea, though... I'll ruminate on it. =D

Hey Kitsune,
don't worry about the tensioner yet you need to break in the saddle first.
I've never touched that adjustment and i'm on my 3rd brooks (for 3 bikes!)
have fun

I've tensioned my B67 8 or 9 times already. Diane at Wallbike said that was the only way to get it to stop creaking and groaning and snapping and twanging. My B67 might be the 5% that just won't stop being noisy.

Pretty sure that after the tri I'll be sending it back. Most comfortable saddle i've EVER used, but I can't stand the noise and feeling like it's gonna fall apart under me.

I'll talk to Bill and Diane, but I think I'll skip the springs which allow the frame to torque and replace it with a B72. I don't want another noisy beastie.

I'm sticking with Brooks.

Have you ever noticed how many people want to pet your Brooks? Friends, bike mechanics....might make for a good candid camera episode.

Do other saddles get their share of attention as well? :cool:

I'm just all giddy waiting for my buttdents to form! After I've taken my 6 months, and have it all broken in, I'm so curious to see if I'll still be interested in doing what the guys have done under the "Butchered and Tied" section... I think it'd look nice with the skirts trimmed, but maybe that's just me. My bike sorta goes for the 'rough and minimalist' look... so I'd be interested in doing that so one could see all the naked, empty air under the thick hide.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

I'm just all giddy waiting for my buttdents to form! After I've taken my 6 months, and have it all broken in, I'm so curious to see if I'll still be interested in doing what the guys have done under the "Butchered and Tied" section... I think it'd look nice with the skirts trimmed, but maybe that's just me. My bike sorta goes for the 'rough and minimalist' look... so I'd be interested in doing that so one could see all the naked, empty air under the thick hide.

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Yes, some of those saddles looked really cool like that!
Shouldn't take long for something to change on your saddle that sounds like wood (I have to go check that today!)

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Originally Posted by Quillfred

Have you ever noticed how many people want to pet your Brooks? Friends, bike mechanics....might make for a good candid camera episode.

Do other saddles get their share of attention as well? :cool:

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Several years ago people made fun of my saddle when they noticed it. Very few people think it's funny looking now; instead I get a sort of reverence. it's a kick.
:)

1st ride- about 10 miles before an asthma attack and nausea caused me to call it a day... (really gotta look into getting prilosec or something again.. :( )

Observations: You really DO notice it a lot more on the sitbones than anywhere else. Didn't do a whole lot of adjustment, but one thing I've noticed that's irritating me... The seat part is just wide enough, but the skirts seem to flare out a little and it's rubbing on the back of my left thigh. Not the right. I adjusted the l-r swing of the saddle to the left. No dice. Any ideas what this might be?

To spare myself unnecessary agony, I took the pierce out, but after realizing I'm feeling no chafing/rubbing/grinding on anything, I actually don't think it'll be a problem- and I rode with just regular undies and my cargos... no chamois to smooth things over. I like this saddle. I was getting pretty tired of the chafing on the bits. Also, probably related to the slipperiness of the saddle, I had no problems with sliding around on the saddle, even though what I did was all hilly... I just found that sweet spot where my butt 'fit' and there was no sliding from there. Schweet.

... one question, though. If one's weight *shouldn't* be on the nose of the saddle, why do so many mtb'ers prefer long-nosed saddles?

Kitsune,
Sorry about the asthma/nausea. I went out earlier to ride and hit a wall of humidity and promprty turned around and went back into my A/C.

Saddle-no clue about the preferenced of MTBs.

My saddle has the sitbone indentations-not really visable, but when my bum is properly on the seat it is as if they become one-weird, but sweet for riding and never a soft tissue issue. As for the flare rubbing your leg-I do not recall that ever being an issue-but when I first rode I wore my capris. Now when I look at my saddle it has formed to my body shape (which is sweet since it has been less than a month), so the sides no longer "flare", but look more contoured to my leg/bum shape, if that makes any sense?

As for your tummy-ask your doc about prevacid-I take it once daily and it works wonders. I did Prilosec and all the others until we stumbled unto this one and no side effects.

the flare on my Brooks skirts also softened and smoothed down. Don't worry. If yours keeps bugging you, call Wallbike. And if after 6 months its still bugging you, send it back.

(I HATE that I'm gonna have to send mine back, when it's really starting to soften up and really form to me! Dang! Next one, B72 probably.)

I'm just going to grin and bear it because all the functionally important parts seem to fit just right. If it's still actually an issue after the 6 mo return date, I might just butcher it... er... 'swallowize' as they call it. Those modded saddles look sooo nice.

I've had my B17S for a few weeks now, and I love it. I rode it without treating it at all for two weeks, then Proof-Hide'ed it twice. It makes no noises (no springs), no flaring problem, doesn't seem too wide (I have "average" woman's hips, not narrow hips), and doesn't seem too slippery. I wear either very thin chamois or none at all, and am having no discomfort on the Brooks. The first few days my sit bones were a little sore but that went away.

I tried tipping the nose down just a bit from the perfect horizontal because I had read somewhere how women's saddle noses should tip down a bit from the horizontal, but I immediately felt like I was sliding forward way too much all the time. Sliding forward so my girly bits were on the hard saddle nose, and my weight thrown onto my hands. Horrible feeling! Tipped it back so the seat is perfectly level. Problem instantly gone, no more sliding forward, girly parts happy again. :) Love my B17S.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

Seeing the little tabbies on the back, though, made me want to get one of the little leather seat bags.

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I got this nice waxed canvas bag from Velo-Orange:
http://www.velo-orange.com/saddlebag.html
Fits even better on my Brooks because I have the two rear tab loops right on the saddle to put the straps through. I LOVE this bag. Holds all my tools and tube and my lock-cable and a bit extra room for something else like maybe a sandwich and cell phone (but NOT as much stuff as they imply on the website!) Snugs right up under the saddle, and not wide so that my thighs might rub it. Even better, there was no waiting or back-ordering!

Did you guys wear padded shorts while breaking in your brooks? I'm asking b/c I thought bare sitbones would be quicker to make an impression on the saddle, so to speak, but my little sitbones are crying for mercy and the brooks is still unfazed...

I wear padded shorts for long rides and street clothes for short (under 10 miles) rides.
the further i go, the paddeder i am.

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Originally Posted by Kitsune06

Did you guys wear padded shorts while breaking in your brooks? I'm asking b/c I thought bare sitbones would be quicker to make an impression on the saddle, so to speak, but my little sitbones are crying for mercy and the brooks is still unfazed...

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I'm using padded shorts for breaking in the Brooks.

My road bike has the B17S, and it's feeling pretty darned good! It has 9 rides and 140 miles on it. I haven't tried using non-padded shorts on it, but I have a feeling that I could.

My mountain bike just got a B17 of its very own. It has 3 rides and 40 miles on it, and is getting there. It's not uncomfortable, but it doesn't feel as broken in as the one on my road bike. If it's still not comfy at the 100 mile mark, I'll consider trading it in for a B17S. Nevertheless, at this point I wouldn't want to ride it without my padded shorts.

-- Melissa

*dumb look* oh. I was under the impression you didn't really *need* or *use* padded shorts with Brooks. *smites forehead* well there ya go. BTW, I found out something strange from the 'skirt' issue. It's actually the back of the saddle, and only rubs on the left side, not the right, so I turned the nose of the saddle 1/4" to the left, and though it's still 'noticeable' it's nowhere near what it was. I guess I'm crooked or something... :rolleyes: