First ride on my Brooks B17, ouch.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Marina,
Be sure to read this thread:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=14358
I think SuzieQ had much the same issues as you are having, and I believe she is more comfortable now- perhaps you should consult with her as to how she adjusted things on her new B17.

[FreshNewbie]

Thank you Lisa, I played with the saddle yesterday. Sort of moved it a little forward and tried to make the nose part level. Couldn't try to ride it outside since it was freezing cold in NY this weekend. Looks like I need to lower the saddle a little bit too, since I notices that I was rocking from side to side when pedalling, that could also contribute to my problem. I feel like it's worth for me to leave it on the bike at least till it stops being so slippery. Maybe if I wasn't sliding forward so much and stay in one sweet spot it would be a good saddle. I was surprised because even though it's so hard it didnt bother my sit bones at all. Could it be because it's a perfect width and other saddles hurt because I was sitting on the edges ?

[mimitabby]

have you put proofhide on your Brooks? I used to feel like I was going to slip off mine too, early on. The proofhide will make the leather surface "sticky"
so it might help. Suddenly, you're going to feel quite good up there.
If you've ever ridden a horse, on an english saddle, it's the same sort of thing.
You feel like you're just perched up there and could go flying off at any time.
but then you "get it" and you don't feel that way any more.
Glad that you are making little adjustments and noticing the difference.
I rode 100 miles this weekend on two different brooks, and I have no saddle pain at all.

[FreshNewbie]

Well I put it on and buffed it with this cloth that they provide with proofide and it seemed to make it more slippery. Should I proofide it again and just leave it on without buffing it? The back side of the saddle is definately comfortable because it feels like it's supporting everything (and there is enought to be supported there ). Since I can't ride outside during weekdays, I am going to put the bike on the trainer to minimize slipperness before this weekend ride outside

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Ideally you should Proofhide it quite a few times, buffing it after it dries each time like the instructions say. Yes it will SEEM to make it smoother but it will actually be LESS slippery after being proofh'ed a few times, believe me. During the first few weeks, the more you proofhide the better.

Assuming you have the saddle leveled well at this point...

For me, I felt more comfortable with the saddle BACK in it's rails all the way, becasue it pulled my center of gravity back more and took some weight off my hands. I was able to feel better balanced all over with my saddle back on the rails, not pushed forward. It also brought my weight centered BACK onto my sitbones more (and OFF the saddle nose). Gave me more pedaling power too.

[FreshNewbie]

Thank you so much Mimi and Lisa for helping me through my brooks adjustment period.
Lisa, when I took my brooks for that first ride, my KOP position was off. Looked like the saddle need to be moved forward a bit to bring the knew over the paddle, otherwise it seemed like if I was sitting on the wider part I constantly had to was sliding forward. Right now I placed my saddle level only in the nose part because I read that back part supposed to be flarred up a bit. Not really sure that tipping nose up would relief my front pain. Will proofide again today. Slipperness makes me scared because it makes bike handling just impossible.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa, when I took my brooks for that first ride, my KOP position was off. Looked like the saddle need to be moved forward a bit to bring the knew over the paddle, otherwise it seemed like if I was sitting on the wider part I constantly had to was sliding forward. Right now I placed my saddle level only in the nose part because I read that back part supposed to be flarred up a bit. Not really sure that tipping nose up would relief my front pain. Will proofide again today. Slipperness makes me scared because it makes bike handling just impossible.

I go more by how balanced I feel on my bike than KOP position. I've read that KOP position is great to use as a starting point to fit your bike to you, but I don't feel it's the end-all-be-all of bike fit. You need to feel your weight balanced. Contrary to what might seem "logical", setting your saddle back will put your center of gravity back further from the crank axle, and even though technically it might place you a cm or two further from your handlebars, it might take weight OFF your front end and keep you from feeling you are falling forward too much. It did for me. Keep an open mind about trying different and various approaches. You want your weight to be on your sitbones, not up front on your saddle nose area and girly parts.
Brooks B17 rails are pretty short and so the difference between all-forward and all-back is not "too" great. Yes you have it right about leveling the nose and main seat- the back edge does flare up right at the end and shouldn't be part of the leveling thing.
Each time you make an adjustment, try it for at least a couple of rides before making another change.
Yes if your hips are rocking you might want to lower your saddle by 1/4" increments. Every small change makes a big difference in bike fit.