A non-leather Brooks B68 workalike?

[bean fidhleir]

I like all that I've read about the B68 except for the fact that it's leather. I'm not a vegan (only a veg) but the idea of a leather saddle bothers me.

Does anyone know of a saddle that's similar in all important respects except not leather?

Thanks, gyns.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Being leather is a major (if not THE major) part of what Brooks saddles are all about.
If it's not the leather aspect you like about the B68, then please tell us exactly what else it is that you DO like about the B68 that you are trying to find in a non-leather saddle?
On the other hand, if the biggest thing you like about the Brooks saddles is that they are leather, but you don't want leather, then there's not much we can suggest.

[SadieKate]

Real leather is part of the reason quality saddles are comfortable.

[sgtiger]

I agree with BSG. I do not believe there is a substitute for the thick leather in a Brooks. It's what gives the saddle stiffness, yet the pliability to mold to the users contours overtime.

However, if the width and the springs are what appeal to you, then there might be some other options out there for you. Most of them will be cruiser-type saddles, though. These, for me, tend to be overly padded and uncomfortable for more than casual rides on bikes that let the rider sit fully upright.

FWIW DH's friend, who is staunchly vegan and a LBS owner, rides a Brooks. If there was a substitute, he would know about it.

[rij73]

Just wanted to say that I'm a strict vegan, and I have saddle-shopping issues too. I'm thinking about a new saddle, and I'm going to try the non-leather Specialized saddles first. There's a new Selle Italia that I'm really intrigued by, but I just don't think I can bring myself to get it. I would have to be absolutely convinced that none of the synthetic saddles were going to work for me.

Just commiserating and wishing you luck!

[bean fidhleir]

Thanks, Rachel - I wish you luck, too!

As to what I like about it, Lisa - the width(!), the lack of big heavy springs, the promise of comfort, and to some extent the overall look of it. And I ride upright - my type of cycling aims for comfort over distance (think Palin's "Cycling Tour of North Cornwall" sketch, or European utility cycling in general).

The saddles I'm using right now are wide enough, but as Tiger points out they're gel, very heavy, and I find them uncomfortable over any distance of more than a few km.

Most popular, lighter saddles are so narrow that they feel unpleasantly intimate to me. Someone in another thread that I can't find now likened using them to getting a proctology exam. I'd have said a persistent wedgie, but it comes to the same thing in the end (pi).

[Andrea]

The San Marco Glamour Aspide is brooks-like in shape, however it's not as wide (it's 155mm). It's flat across the back & has a very abrupt transition in width to the nose.