Brooks Saddles - anyone cut a hole in theirs?

I just got a Brooks B17 saddle two days ago, thanks in part to all the great reviews and saddle discussions on this forum! I've only ridden it about 60 miles, with 23 miles about the longest ride so far. I've got it set up pretty well now, I think. It seems comfortable, but it's the first saddle I've had for a long time that didn't have a cut-out. Shorts have a lot more padding in the chamois nowadays than they did back before the cut-out days. Now all that padding gets pushed into my girly-bits. I'm not sure how that's going to work out on a long ride (but I'll be doing one on Sunday!).

Looking at the saddle, I was wondering about cutting out the leather between two of the holes in the middle of the saddle. Have any of you ladies done something like that?

Alternatively, has anyone found good shorts with less padding in front for wearing on long rides on saddles without cut-outs?

FYI, I hear that Brooks is testing putting a cut-out in some of their saddles right now, and the products might be available this fall. Unfortunately, I need a comfortable saddle now! My husband and I are doing a week-long bike tour in July with 65 miles of riding per day.

Thanks, Jenn
(thejen12 on the Serotta forum)

I tried a Brooks on my road bike, but, even with a very thin chamois, it still gave me too much pressure up front. So, I ended up getting the Selle San Marco Glamour Aspide for that bike and putting the Brooks on my commuter, which has a much more upright positioning (the road bike has a few inches drop from the saddle to the handlebars, but the commuter's bars are a couple of inches higher than the saddle).

If you want to try different chamois, go for a triathlon short. They're usually the thinnest.

After 60 miles of riding, the leather really hasn't had a chance to soften up much on the nose of your B17. Before cutting it, I'd work the nose leather with your hand. (push on the spot that is too tough)

I did that to one of my Brooks while watching a TV show. Nice mindless work, and my saddle nose was much more comfy after. I ride with a 40 degree torso angle on the hoods, and less than that on the drops, without issues.

Padded shorts aren't on my happy list anymore, the new thick chamois just don't fit me right. Most of my riding is chamois-less, and on a Brooks that is very comfortable for my butt.

Edit to add the inevitable disclaimer: "your mileage may vary."

I would also consider setting it up with a slight down tilt, or actually so the nose is level (which makes the rear a tad higher). I would also give it a bit more time, since as Knot says, the leather on the nose will soften up as you ride it. Also, be sure it isn't set too high. Since there is no foam to compress, you may need to set it up slightly lower than your old saddle.

Women tend to have problems with too much pressure on their tender front parts when they ride road bikes with aggressive racing posture (bars way lower than saddle). Brooks saddles can be less than ideal under these circumstances.
I've had a couple of Brooks so far and have applied tons of Proofhide and ridden thousands of miles on them both, but the leather stayed as hard as ever even though they did form to my sit bones. Luckily, my riding posture is that of a touring bike not a racing bike, so I don't have the problem of too much pressure on my girly parts in front. My Brooks are very comfy for me....UNLESS I ride with too thick chamois pads- too much padding foam presses up against me too much and is uncomfortable.
My DH, a brooks fan, is trying out a Selle Anatomica right now with a cut out. It seems good, and the leather is much more flexible than the Brooks.

There was a guy on bike forums who did just what you are asking about. It worked well for him, you could search for his thread. My hubby and I have bought the selle an-atomica's and we both love them.

Brenda

actually, that's where the SellaNatomica came from. the guy started cutting up Brooks saddles and selling them. Then he started making his own so that he would profit better from the experience. (and added a few nice features like colors and WATERPROOFING)

I'll be interested to see if Brooks makes a B68 Imperial.

So far it's just the B17 Imperial they are doing. (In regular, narrow, and short)

I get a huge kick out of the fact that Brooks patented a cutout saddle 70 years ago, and is re-releasing it now during the Cut-Out Era.

Hey, East Hill, how's your B17-S Imperial test saddle going? Did you get it yet? Ridden it yet? You will tell us, right? Please? And post pictures? :p

Thanks for the hints, especially about the triathlete shorts, I've never looked at them before. And I'm glad to hear that the saddle will break in some more, even towards the front - it seems so darn hard, like my soft tissues don't stand a chance.

I saw pictures of the Brooks Imperial and don't see any reason why I couldn't make those same mods to the saddle myself, so I may try that later. First I have to make sure this really is the right saddle for me. I have an appointment with my fitter in two weeks.

This forum is great! (I just wish I could read it at work, but it is blocked.:( )

Jenn

Takes about 400 miles to get it really broken in, plus a little extra work on the nose with your hands.

That's why Wallbike gives you 6 months to return a Brooks. I love Wallbike...

anyone find a picture of one of those Brooks imperial saddleS??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

anyone find a picture of one of those Brooks imperial saddleS??

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There are some pictures and reviews on this bikeforums thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

anyone find a picture of one of those Brooks imperial saddleS??

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Check this out!

http://www.brooksengland.com/imperial/default.aspx

Jenn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

anyone find a picture of one of those Brooks imperial saddleS??

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I tried to post this yesterday, but it didn't get through the moderators, I guess. You can see the saddle at:
www dot brooksengland dot com/imperial/default.aspx

Jenn

I'm skeptical of the shape of that cutout. It looks very narrow, at its narrowest, and the decorative corners look like they could cause unwanted friction (and/or wear a funny pattern in your shorts :eek:). It also seems pretty far back...

Keep in mind, this comes from someone who doesn't find cutouts comfortable in the first place, so maybe I should stick to commenting on something I know something about :cool:. (But how much fun would that be?)

Here, I stole one of the images from the bikeforums thread for your discussion:

Attachment 5787

Well, I did my metric century on the B17 today and it went okay. It's amazing how a long ride can help show setup issues that aren't apparent on a shorter ride.

First, I had the saddle too far back. Probably because it's so slippery (new) and that makes me slide back when I push on the pedals, so I thought it needed to be farther back (wrong). I also had the saddle too high. I finally realized that I probably shouldn't be feeling such a distinct pressure on my sit bones - left side, right side, left side, right side, on every pedal stroke.

Also, I had loosened the tension screw a bit, to help break it in faster since I'm kind of a lightweight. This turned out to be *very* comfy on my sit bones, but I was not comfortable with the pressure up front. Finally it dawned on me that if my sit bones were sinking farther down, of course I would feel more pressure up front. So I tighted it a little, and the front got a lot more comfortable (but, unfortunately, that was a little hard on my sit bones).

I survived the ride and my sit bones are a bit sore, but not as bad as my previous saddle, the Specialized Jett. I certainly didn't want to ride any further on the saddle today. Hopefully, I'll feel better tomorrow. Anyway, maybe I won't feel like cutting it out at all, once it's set up properly.

Jenn

for your first metric century, you should be a little tiny bit sore. But you fixed a lot of stuff, sound great!