Brooks B17 "N" or Selle An-atomica

Kitsune06 · 05-19-2007, 10:15 AM

The tops of my bars are perhaps an inch or 2 lower than my seat. It's not, by any means, a 'relaxed touring position'... but I've seen a *lot* of bikes with much more of a difference in seat height in relation to handlebar height...

**FreshNewbie** · 05-19-2007, 10:18 AM

Kitsune sounds like you are having exactly the same problem I was having with my Brooks

Hope it works out for you, saddle search is such a PITA

**KnottedYet** · 05-19-2007, 10:32 AM

I guess you are faced with giving the Brooks back to Miz Cakes (it didn't bother you in the upright position, right?) and seeking out a cut-out saddle for Merqueri.

Trek420 has a Selle Italia on Menace that she really likes. Her 3 year old saddle is only now starting to wear out, even after all those ALC rides. It's not too padded/not too firm. Of course, it is WAAAAAAAY too small for me, but it seemed like a nice saddle.

I have a Serfas Niva (the one I was riding on the TE to Redhook ride) that I'd be happy to send you when my 2nd Brooks arrives.

And Quillfred has my old Fizik. She's not using it. Maybe she could send it to you? Or maybe I could get it back from her and send it with the Serfas. It doesn't have a cut-out, so I don't know if it would be an improvement, but it might help.

I've also got the Velo Plush that came on my Kona Smoke. It's a surprisingly decent saddle. Long narrow nose with a groove. No cut out, but also no support under the groove. (like the nose has a cut out, but the cushion and cover are over it) The plastic undercarriage is cut away. Decent width at the sit-bones. It's a bit more pear-shaped. I could send that, too.

Kitsune06 · 05-19-2007, 12:00 PM

The reason I was thinking of the An-Atomica was because I love the feel of leather- the very firm feel but 'give'... I've never felt anything like it in any 'synthetic' saddle I've tried. Even if I went with the ED cut... I dunno. just need the pressure of the 'bits. the orchid is rather generously petaled if ya kwim. it goes well beyond the semi-retired piercing... =(

**Eden** · 05-19-2007, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Kitsune06

The reason I was thinking of the An-Atomica was because I love the feel of leather- the very firm feel but 'give'... I've never felt anything like it in any 'synthetic' saddle I've tried. Even if I went with the ED cut... I dunno. just need the pressure of the 'bits. the orchid is rather generously petaled if ya kwim. it goes well beyond the semi-retired piercing... =(

You might just really like a Specialized Jett - very firm - almost zero padding, but is built so that each side of it can flex independently - so its not like riding a leather and or plastic wrapped brick, nice sized cut out - no girly bit rub or pressure and comes in several different widths

**Andrea** · 05-20-2007, 12:11 PM

After reading a lot of positive things on here and other places, I ordered an An-atomica. It should be in this week, and I'm hoping that it's the magic fix I've been looking for. It seems like it may be kind of wide, but when I talked to Tod, he insisted that the Titanico would be better than any of the other models. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Kitsune- I understand what you mean about the "well-petaled" orchid... which is part of my issue with finding a comfortable saddle!

**BleeckerSt_Girl** · 05-20-2007, 02:07 PM

Hey, don't assume that those of us with no comfort problems on our saddles are not "well petaled"!

The bloom ain't off the rose yet!
We all have different bike sizes, bike geometry, angles, body positions and proportions, and saddle positions...the variations are almost endless, as are the solutions.
The mashing of frontal bits does tend to occur more with bikes that have high saddles and low handlebars, however. After all, that position tends to tilt one's whole body forward off the sitbones and onto the pubic bone area. There is a price to pay for an extreme racing bike position, which seems to be more and more what is sold these days. Hopefully everyone can find their own combination of elements that can help alleviate the problem a bit. Perhaps a combination of two or three factors....

**bikerz** · 05-21-2007, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by Kitsune06

The slit doesn't pinch your bits?

(Sorry Kit, just saw this question...)

No, not now. The first ride it did a little, and I think it was because I didn't have the tilt right. I don't notice the cut-out at all now.

You can take an exacto knife and trim the leather edges of the cut out so it isn't sharp, and also buff the edges, but I haven't done that.

I have had to retension it a few times - I'm almost certain that the saddle got too slack, causing the sides to flare out too much, and this caused the side-chaffing issue I experienced on the Wine Country Century ride. It's possible that I'll max out the tension screw, but I read somewhere that if that happens, they will fix it somehow.

On yesterday's ride I was plagued by a creaking with every pedal stroke, so I think I need to add some dry lube to the contact points and the tension screw.

But, I think this may well be the saddle for me, if the tensioning works out.

I am curious about the idea of lacing the An-Atomnica - I know people have done that with their Brooks to adjust the width and stiffness.

Andrea - I hope you like your saddle!

Kitsune06 · 05-21-2007, 10:40 AM

I want to know why some people are so anti-an-atomica...

BikerZ I was thinking of butchering my Brooks anyway (the one where you "swallow-ize" it to make a slimmer profile like the Swallow has) I'd imagine that would cut down on 'flaring' but I'd imagine lacing would be possible, too. I'd limit how tight you lace, though, and be careful to waterproof/grease your laces fairly regularly. Leather held tight like that can "dry rot".

This should probably go on a different thread, but very quickly, how would I go about raising my handlebars? I already have a decent degree of 'lift' in my stem as it is. I'm concerned that I won't have enough room on the steerer tube to add spacers etc...

**Andrea** · 05-21-2007, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by Kitsune06

This should probably go on a different thread, but very quickly, how would I go about raising my handlebars? I already have a decent degree of 'lift' in my stem as it is. I'm concerned that I won't have enough room on the steerer tube to add spacers etc...

If you don't have room for spacers, you can get a stem that has an angle to it. If you already have that, then I'm not really sure

**bikerz** · 05-21-2007, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by Kitsune06

BikerZ I was thinking of butchering my Brooks anyway (the one where you "swallow-ize" it to make a slimmer profile like the Swallow has) I'd imagine that would cut down on 'flaring' but I'd imagine lacing would be possible, too. I'd limit how tight you lace, though, and be careful to waterproof/grease your laces fairly regularly. Leather held tight like that can "dry rot".

Since I would be lacing it to make the sides narrower, I'm a little worried that the laces themsleves would be what I rubbed against. Thanks for the tip about protecting the laces - I'm considering that butchering as a last resort!

I like the look of those "swallow-ized" saddles quite a bit!

Kitsune06 · 05-21-2007, 03:15 PM

That's the beauty of leather. If you keep oiling the laces on the outside (where you'd get thigh rub) they'll soften and flatten against the side. HOWEVER they would still be raised just a bit and thus not quite as smooth as the regular sides o' the brooks. That and don't get that softening oil on the rest of the saddle or you'll get sag... =P oh the delicate balance...

**bikerz** · 05-21-2007, 03:23 PM

The sides of my selle anatomica are not as vertical as the brooks, and looking at the anatonica website, in some of the photos the saddle sides look much more vertical than mine do. Maybe it's just a matter of time before they mold that way.

It seems like if I could lace it in tightly, to make more of a "T" shape, it would be perfect, but I'm nervous about messing with it!

Kitsune06 · 05-21-2007, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by bikerz

The sides of my selle anatomica are not as vertical as the brooks, and looking at the anatonica website, in some of the photos the saddle sides look much more vertical than mine do. Maybe it's just a matter of time before they mold that way.

It seems like if I could lace it in tightly, to make more of a "T" shape, it would be perfect, but I'm nervous about messing with it!

My thought - to be taken with a grain of salt and maybe a margarita- would be to put 4-5 holes ~1/4-1/2" apart along the flared part, 1/2" up from the edge and lace that way. It allows the safeguard that if the lacing is not what you'd hoped and dreamed it would be you can remove it, and if the removal leaves it very rough, you can still trim that 1/2" at the tops of the punches, 'swallowizing' it minimally. Also having it only 1/2" up means that you'll have enough leather *beneath* the laces to brace the lacing properly and support the structural integrity of the saddle itself.

I'm not sure how it's tied, tho. You'd have to look at that again to see. Another thing you could try is smoother (i.e. flat) shoe/boot laces. They'd be strong and yet lay flat against your leather seat. As the saddle attempts to flare around the stitching it would pull the lacing into it and effectively (eventually) inlay the lacing just a bit, reducing rubbing. ...just a thought.

**mimitabby** · 05-21-2007, 03:36 PM

kit
what's scary about cutting the sella anatomica is that since it has a slit in the middle, iff you pull it tight with laces, that slit is going to change. On a brooks
the saddle is a whole entity and your laces aren't going to mess with the integrity of the saddle.
Bottom line, it's hard to cut something up that you just paid over $100 for.

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