brooks saddle on my Specialized Ruby

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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?

[KnottedYet]

If you're worried about the weight of a Brooks, just be sure to go pee before you ride.

Seriously. That's about all the difference a Brooks adds.
(like BSG said, about the weight of a glass of water)

Now, I ride on Brooks B67 saddles, which have springs and a bit more metal to the frame. They are heavier, but I ride so much faster and farther with them that they are WELL worth it!! (the springs are miraculous for adjusting to my lopsided pelvis, I am not giving those puppies up!)

[mimitabby]

I had sit bones well seasoned by horseback riding, so going to a Brooks was a natural transition. did anyone tell you to try Wallbike? they have a generous return policy!!

oh, and i have an expensive custom road bike with a brooks saddle on it.

[KnottedYet]

Wallingford Bicycle Parts, affectionately known as "Wallbike"
www.wallbike.com

6 months return policy on Brooks saddles.

They used to be in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle (about 10 blocks from where I lived) but now they are in New Orleans.

Oh, and after you measure your sit bones, be sure to "ignore" the outer cm on each side of the Brooks saddles when you choose which width of saddle you want. Those outer 1 cm edges are right over the metal cantle plate, so you don't want your sitbones to be perched on them. Your bones would be on leather-over-metal at that point, rather than suspended leather.

Hypothetical Example: Sarah Sitbone has ischial tuberosities that measure 170mm. She buys a B17 which is 170mm wide. She is miserable, because her tuberosities are on the outer 1 cm (where the rivets and cantle plate are) and are getting the everlovin' cr*p beaten out of them. She switches to a B68 which is 210mm wide. 20mm of that is cantle plate, so she has 190mm of suspended leather and her tuberosities are happy again.
(that outer 1 cm at the cantle plate on each side is vitally important "wiggle room" which will get used as you switch positions and shift around with different levels of effort. it's all good.)

[xeney]

Those are not your only two options, though. There are a lot of non-Brooks saddles you could try. I ride Brooks saddles on several of my bikes but I use a Fizik Vitesse on my road bike, and I love it. I ride a Selle Royale (? I think) Viper on my mountain bike and love it, too.

I think a Brooks would look a little ridiculous on a Ruby, and it's not necessarily the best option for that bike for the reasons you suggest, plus I think there are better options for any bike where you are not in a very upright position when you ride. So why not let your LBS give you some other options to try? You can always try a Brooks later if nothing else works out.

[KnottedYet]

yeah, those are certainly not the only two Brooks options!!!!! I was just using them as my hypothetical example cuz they have very different widths, and I was trying to point out the dangers of the cantle plate and how it changes the available real estate on a Brooks vs a regular saddle of similar dimensions.

[xeney]

I did not mean that those were the only two Brooks options -- I meant that a Ruby saddle vs. a Brooks is not her only option. There are hundreds of saddles out there -- TE sells a bunch specifically for women! -- and I'd try some of the others before putting a Brooks on that particular bike.

It's just about impossible to recommend a saddle for somebody else, but based on your description of your physique, I think you might like the Vitesse. There is a thread about it here.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Those are not your only two options, though. There are a lot of non-Brooks saddles you could try. I ride Brooks saddles on several of my bikes but I use a Fizik Vitesse on my road bike, and I love it. I ride a Selle Royale (? I think) Viper on my mountain bike and love it, too.

I think a Brooks would look a little ridiculous on a Ruby, and it's not necessarily the best option for that bike for the reasons you suggest, plus I think there are better options for any bike where you are not in a very upright position when you ride. So why not let your LBS give you some other options to try? You can always try a Brooks later if nothing else works out.

Well the original poster was asking specifically about Brooks saddles. But you're right, no harm in trying out some non-Brooks saddles too! One thing I would suggest though is to first try to make sure you can return the saddles you try out if they don't feel good....as opposed to just buying one after another. I read about lots of women who are stuck with whole collections of uncomfortable saddles they have 'tried out'.

[twin]

My twin sister has a Brooks saddle on her Roubaix and it looks good! Hers happens to be a Maroon with titanium rails. She loves it. I also have Brooks on all my bikes. It took my sister awhile to realize it was worth every penny.

[bmccasland]

Wallingford Bicycle Parts, affectionately known as "Wallbike"
www.wallbike.com They used to be in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle (about 10 blocks from where I lived) but now they are in New Orleans.

REALLY??? I'm the last to know anything fun...
Me and my bike is going to have to pay them a visit! My office is in the Carrollton neighborhood. I'm not entirely happy with the saddle that came on my Specialized Allez Sport, but need some guidance on what to try to replace it.

Got to have some fun with the OT pay I've been earning.

[KnottedYet]

REALLY??? I'm the last to know anything fun...
Me and my bike is going to have to pay them a visit! My office is in the Carrollton neighborhood. I'm not entirely happy with the saddle that came on my Specialized Allez Sport, but need some guidance on what to try to replace it.

Got to have some fun with the OT pay I've been earning.

Bill is great! He's got some new chickie working with him now, but dang, Bill knows everything about every product he sells! Be sure to post us a LBS Report after you go there! (and tell him "Hi" from the Seattlites!)

[KnottedYet]

Fizik thoughts:

I had one briefly, and I really liked it. Don't remember which one it was. Not much padding, good narrow nose, and fairly "T" shaped top. Just slightly too narrow for my big honkin' heinie.

If Brooks suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, I'd probably go after a Fizik, if I could find one just a bit wider than the one I had.