Brooks Saddles

[xeney]

I read this whole thread a while ago, and a similar Brooks thread on another site, and one thing that struck me is that some people find the Brooks to be completely comfortable right out of the box, and other people say it has a long break-in period requiring lots of conditioning and adjustment, and that the saddle isn't really comfortable until it has formed to your sit bones. And it seems like the first group are ultimately happier with their saddles.

From that, I am thinking that if the saddle doesn't work for me right away with a few adjustments, then it is not the saddle for me. I just put my Team Pro on my road bike last night and it was not love at first ride. It wasn't terrible, but I think it is too narrow for me; I am not feeling like I have a good platform for my sit bones so the saddle is pressing on my genitals, and I don't care about break-in periods, that's bad. I am going to give it a couple more trys with the saddle moved slightly forward, tipped up slightly, etc., but I am not going to ride around with numb genitals hoping that eventually the saddle will get better.

[KnottedYet]

The Team Pro is only 160 mm wide! Is that the saddle Bill recommended when you told him your sit bone measurements?

My bones are wider than that saddle. (170-180mm) I'd be on soft tissue only.

I'm tempted by the B17S for my new bike because it's sexy, but it's only 177mm wide. At best I'd be balancing the points of my sit-bones on the metal frame under the leather, rather than on the suspended leather itself.

My B67 is 210mm. Bones are on suspended leather. It is good.

If the Team Pro is that uncomfortable, don't bother keeping it. It'll get softer, but it ain't getting wider!!!! Call Bill, tell him how the narrow Team Pro feels, and ask him to recommend another saddle. 1-888-731-3537

[KnottedYet]

P.S. I have the extra-wide version of sit-bones.

[xeney]

I didn't buy it from Bill, I bought it from my neighbor for $40. I wanted a B17, and that is how he'd advertised it on Craigslist, but it is brand new so it was too good a deal to pass up. My sit bones are only 4.5 inches apart ... about 115 mm, I think? So wider saddles on a road bike make my butt hurt. That was why I thought maybe I just didn't have this one set right on the seat post, especially since I also had some knee pain on the first try.

I thought my husband might like the Team Pro if I didn't, but he thinks it would look stupid on his carbon fiber road bike, and he doesn't want to put it on his commuter because he's afraid it would get stolen. I will probably Craigslist it if it doesn't work out. Poor unloved Team Pro ... it is the most beautiful saddle I have ever seen.

[pooks]

Does it have copper rails?

[Triskeliongirl]

So, I am doing really well with my Finesse. I started today with her level according to the carpenters level, but after ~10 miles the pressure on my soft tissues was bothering me so I decided to tip it down the slightest it could be moved on my seatpost. Instant relief. I could also instantly feel that my sitbones are now carrying my weight, wheras before it was a bit of both sitbone and soft tissue. I am not sliding forward either, like when I tried to tip it down a lot. By the end of the ride I wasn't even thinking about the saddle. I'm still not in the 'gliding on air can't feel a thing' place.

[mimitabby]

EXCELLENT TRISK!!

have fun, no more pain!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I read this whole thread a while ago, and a similar Brooks thread on another site, and one thing that struck me is that some people find the Brooks to be completely comfortable right out of the box, and other people say it has a long break-in period requiring lots of conditioning and adjustment, and that the saddle isn't really comfortable until it has formed to your sit bones. And it seems like the first group are ultimately happier with their saddles.

From that, I am thinking that if the saddle doesn't work for me right away with a few adjustments, then it is not the saddle for me.

I can't say I agree with that assessment about the two types of Brooks users.
I had some sitbone soreness in the first few days, but that went away pretty quickly to where I was pretty comfortable within a few days of using the new saddle. In the 2 months since then, it just gets more comfortable as the saddle is forming to me. Thus, I don't fall strictly into either group, and my experince would not indicate at all that one can tell "right away" if the Brooks is right for you.

[xeney]

Well, I think people have different ideas of what is acceptable. You said in an earlier post that the saddle mashed your genitals a little but that after a few hours it didn't bother you. For me, that's not acceptable in any saddle and I consider that outside the idea of a "break in" period.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, I think people have different ideas of what is acceptable. You said in an earlier post that the saddle mashed your genitals a little but that after a few hours it didn't bother you. For me, that's not acceptable in any saddle and I consider that outside the idea of a "break in" period.

It's not that the mashing didn't bother me after a while, it's that it DIDN'T feel like it was mashing me anymore after a while- big difference!
What I was trying to say was that the position I had the saddle tilted to initially felt like it was mashing me (a little) for an hour or two, but that feeling went away and I was then comfortable all the time, even on a 40 mile ride this week. Like you, I certainly wouldn't put up with feeling "mashed" all the time!
But if i had returned that saddle after a half hour of feeling squished, I would not be riding in total comfort today- I'd probably be frustratedly trying out saddle after saddle.

[melissam]

Hey xeney,

I hear that the Team Pro has thicker leather than the B17, so it takes a little longer for people to get comfortable on it.

If I were you, I'd try adjusting the position and giving it a little longer.

Good luck!

-- Melissa

[Triskeliongirl]

Well, I think people have different ideas of what is acceptable. You said in an earlier post that the saddle mashed your genitals a little but that after a few hours it didn't bother you. For me, that's not acceptable in any saddle and I consider that outside the idea of a "break in" period.

Xeney, I felt that way too on my first ride, and it certainly wasn't acceptable. But, once I tilted the saddle down just a tad, it went away. On the other hand, my butterfly was leaving me blistered and bruised, and that certainly was not acceptable. The shape conforms perfectly to my body.

[Triskeliongirl]

Well, I think people have different ideas of what is acceptable. You said in an earlier post that the saddle mashed your genitals a little but that after a few hours it didn't bother you. For me, that's not acceptable in any saddle and I consider that outside the idea of a "break in" period.

Xeney, I felt that way too on my first ride, and it certainly wasn't acceptable. But, once I tilted the saddle down just a tad, it went away. On the other hand, my butterfly was leaving me blistered and bruised, and that certainly was not acceptable. The shape conforms perfectly to my body.

[xeney]

Nah, no matter how I adjust it, my sit bones are sitting right on the rivets. It doesn't hurt but that is not going to be comfortable over the long haul. It's not a good fit for me. My husband is going to use it after all, I think, but he's going to buy a locking seat post bolt.

I have another leather saddle, which I think is a Wright (Brooks competitor, from the 70s?) that is almost perfect. It's about a centimeter wider than the Team Pro, and it's only problem is that it has a huge fat nose on it. (Much bigger than any Brooks I've seen.) The nose rubs my thighs, but the seat platform is perfect and it's the same width as a B17. That was what made me think a B17 would work for me, so I'm going to go with one of them once I can afford bike parts again. (And a Champion Flyer for my around-town road bike might be a higher priority.)

Pooks, I missed your question: it does have copper rails. Which is why I am so sad that it did not work for me.

[Triskeliongirl]

FYI, what is great about the finesse is that it is wide in back but has a narrow nose.