Brooks Saddles

[Rebeccah]

Add me to the list of satisfied Brooks saddle users.

The gel saddle that came with the used Trek 7100 I bought off Craig's list was too narrow, so I got a Brooks B.67S. I've ridden about 40 miles on it so far, and have had to raise the seat a couple of times, so I think it's breaking in. It was immediately more comfortable than what it replaced, and MUCH more comfortable than my 25-year-old Avocet Racing W-II (which is on my other bike), and has gotten more so. I've had to do some tinkering with the seat position -- I have it tipped up slightly, as otherwise I tended to slide forward, and I can't put it quite as far back as I think I'd like, because the springs impinge on the rear rack.

I do wish Brooks made an unspring saddle this wide! My sit bones are quite close to the rivets as is, and I'd really like to replace the W-II (which is almost as wide) on my road bike.

Rebeccah

[khgulledge]

yeap, gonna call bill and talk to him or someone at wallbike about getting a brooks saddle.

the more i've read about them and looked at all the pictures, iv'e decided to give one a try. if it doesn't work, it's returnable.

i did some more measuring this morning:

sit bone stuff:
outside edge-outside edge (of indentions)=6"=152mm
center-to-center (of indentions)=5"=127mm
indentions are 1.5" in width and are 2.75"+/- apart from the inside edges.

i'm really thinking that i need something that has the abrupt change from the saddle to the nose and the b17N might be the trick. my terry butterfly ti is 155mm total width, but i think it's still to gradual of a transition from the saddle to the nose.

if the saddle itself is the same width as my outside-outside measurements, does anyone think it would be supportive enough?

does anyone know how heavy the b17N is?

the swift looks nice too, but i just don't know about plunking 250.00 down for a saddle

team pro might be another choice, but again, 269.00

i'll let you know which one i order; i'm gonna order today too, so that i can get it as soon as possible!

[massbikebabe]

O.K. Ladies...

Are you ready for the Brooks Bar tape??? It's out there but too rich for my blood right now.


karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

O.K. Ladies...

Are you ready for the Brooks Bar tape??? It's out there but too rich for my blood right now.


karen

I checked it out on a bike installed. I love the look and the color and the feel. Except for one thing though- it does not lie as flat as cork tape or fabric tape. Because it is thicker, it forms a slightly raised ridge where its edges overlap, spiralling along the whole bar length. Some people might not mind that uneven ridged feel, others might want their bars real smooth.

[Veronica]

O.K. Ladies...

Are you ready for the Brooks Bar tape??? It's out there but too rich for my blood right now.


karen

I have it and love it. It holds up well in the rain too. Mine is black. It doesn't look dirty the way my green cloth tape did.

V.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

if the saddle itself is the same width as my outside-outside measurements, does anyone think it would be supportive enough?

Hmm...I would think that you don't want your sit bones to be sitting right on the outer edges of the saddle. That outer edge is where the support frame in under the leather. You want your sitbones on the leather within that frame, so it can form to your bone contours, like a stiff hammock. Have you considered the Brooks "S" models, made for ladies and slightly wider?
In any case, I would call Brooks and describe your measurements and see what they recommend for you- they KNOW.

[KnottedYet]

if the saddle itself is the same width as my outside-outside measurements, does anyone think it would be supportive enough?

Nope. What LisaSH said. There is a metal support running along the rear curve to which the leather is bound. Sitting on that metal isn't going to be the best choice. A B17N is gonna be NARROW. A B17 or B17S might work better as far as getting the full benefit of a leather saddle. Tell Bill or Diane at Wallingford your measurements and talk to them to get a good saddle choice.

[khgulledge]

well, i talked with bill, but he pretty much said i wasted my time by taking my measurements and flat out suggested only the women's models. he said they didn't go by measurements, but by riding style and the kind of bike you had.

i wasn't very impressed with his help...maybe i called at the wrong time or something. i told him of my troubles on the longer rides, the soreness and chafing on the left side and he just wasn't as helpful as all ya'll made him out to be.....

anyway, i took the plunge and ordered the b17s. guess i'll find out in a couple of days whether i got the right one. and i know it will take a lot of riding to figure out whether it's the ONE or not, but i just mean width wise right now.

177mm (7") seems like it might be too wide, but what do i know.....

[mimitabby]

7" barely covers the span of my hand.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have the B17S, and it doesn't seem that wide at all (at least compared to my bottom! ), so don't worry too much about that, I would say. The extra width of the "S" is really not very much.

[khgulledge]

well, today, i also exchanged my butterfly for a liberator x (gellisimo) at perf.

put that on the bike this evening, and all i can say is WOW! it is shorter than the butterfly and i immediately noticed that girly parts are not being mashed nor is there any pressure on them. i rode in the drops for a short while and no pain/pressure. my butt actually felt ok and i hardly noticed i was sitting on the saddle!

i should be getting the b17s in a couple of days and will try that one out as well. seems like you can return to perf just about anytime and the b17s is 6 months, so, i should be able to figure out what works in that time period.

all i can say right now is i'm in saddle nirvana