Quote Originally Posted by kenyonchris View Post
After some floundering about, I did find the prior discussions on Brooks saddles...(way to utilize that search bar...hey) but, of course, remain in my perpetual state of confusion and information overload.

There is the b-17 champion..which has titanium rails...is the only advantage in the weight? I think you are right about the men's...the women's widths (as apparent on the web site) seem to be too wide for me, just mathmatically.
I have to get on the stick here...I have a century coming up in three weeks...love the bike, hate the seat.
If you want to pay extra for titanium rails then that's totally cool. Yeah, the weight is the thing for the titanium. Well maybe the rails are stronger but I think it's the weight thing people buy it for.

The women's "S" models are not much wider at all- maybe just a bit- but are much shorter in length....both the top and the under rails are shorter.
In any case, the B67(springs) and B68(same but no springs) are the WIDEST in the back. I need that width as I have very wide hip bones. I doubt you do, at your height and weight.

The B17 is a nice medium all around model to try for a woman who doesn't have extremely wide hips. Get titanium if you want to spend the extra for slightly less weight.
You can always exchange it after a few weeks of riding it- as long as you don't put any goop or oil on it other than ONLY the recommended Pruf-hyde that Brooks sells.
You might experience some significant sitbone soreness during the first few rides. I did. Your sitbones have to get used to being sat directly upon, without a bunch of cushy padding. If your two sitbones are sore, then you know your weight is coming down where it should. You might have to experiment with the tip of the saddle nose up and down too. Read the various threads on adjusting Brooks saddles. I suggest you start with the saddle all the way back on its rails (furthest from the handlebars) as a starting point.

There is also a possibility that your bike puts you in a very forward/down racing position and that this position will put your weight more in front on your tender girly areas rather than back on your sitbones. This can be a problem and can make it hard to feel comfortable even on a Brooks saddle. The more extreme the racing position, the more tricky it can be to find a comfortable saddle that won't hurt your female parts in front. But there's no way of knowing until you try out a few different saddles. At least Wallingford offers a great return policy, so what's to lose?