Brooks Saddles

[mimitabby]

I have ordered a B17S from Bill at www.wallbike.com.
"burning questions":
1. Will it be comfortable? I realize that some break in time may be necessary.
2. Will it look out of place on my road bike (Trek 5200 WSD)? (If it's comfortable, who really cares?)
3. Will I like it better on one bike than the other?
4. How hard will it be to find the seat post settings with the new saddle?
5. Is the uniquely conforming leather saddle thing all it's cracked up to be?
6. How does this work if your seat bones are kind of narrow?

I know, I probably over think these things.

Do you think it looks out of place on my Bianchi? (see about 8 posts up)

it took me about 3 tries to get the post set up just right.

at first you will be surprised because it is HARD. be sure to treat the saddle with the leather treatment.
then you will notice 10-20 miles down the road that it's still hard but you're not sore.
then you will notice 30-50 miles down the road that this is the best saddle you've ever sat on.
I have one on each of my bikes.

[melissam]

Mimitabby,

Actually, it looks quite good on your Bianchi! Your pic was one of the factors in my deciding to give the Brooks a try, so thanks for posting it!

The thing is, though, that I associate Bianchis with traditional cycling, and I also associate Brooks with traditional cycling. Treks in carbon fiber, not so much. (I know, I'm weird.)

Yep, I'm definitely overthinking all this.

Oh, and thanks for the mileage guideance. I'll reserve my opinion until I've put about 50 or so good miles on her.

-- Melissa

PS I have a very traditional 20+ year old Bianchi: steel framed with friction shifters on the downtube and a double chainring. I love it! I'd probably still be riding it if I could have figured out a way to convert to a triple chainring without spending a gazillion dollars.

[dachshund]

PS I have a very traditional 20+ year old Bianchi: steel framed with friction shifters on the downtube and a double chainring. I love it! I'd probably still be riding it if I could have figured out a way to convert to a triple chainring without spending a gazillion dollars.

Melissa - can you tell me more about your older Bianchi? Do you know what model it is (if the lettering is still there), and does it still have the original saddle? I had an entry-level racing bike in 1980, but I sold it years ago. I was trying to find out what saddle it may have had.

thanks, Amy.

[melissam]

Ahem, slight thread hijack follows, but it would be rude to not answer Amy's question.

Amy,

It's a Bianchi Limited. Mine has an 18" frame, which was one of the few bikes that fit me @ 5' 1" in the mid-80's. I don't remember what saddle it came with from Bianchi, because the bike shop put an Avocet Women's saddle on it when they built it.

I found an ad for a used Bianchi Limited which is spec'd like mine (tubing & components), and he says it has an original Kashimax saddle.
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t132020.html

Edit: Oops, I found another web page with a Bianchi Limited from that era, and it mentions a Selle Italia "Bianchi" saddle. That sounds more correct than the Kashimax saddle.
http://www.geocities.com/tristar350/Bianchi2.html

Thanks for the excuse to walk down memory lane!

-- Melissa

And now, back to your regularly scheduled Brooks saddle discussion...

[dachshund]

Thank you!

[KnottedYet]

Here is my Brooks B67 on my Kona. It is the same saddle as Mimi's except I have the black springs instead of the chrome springs.

(cross your fingers. this is the first time I've used my camera and the first time I've tried to post a pic)

[WrensMom]

Ooh, I like the way the black springs are more subtle! On the Wallingford site, the only B67 they have with black springs says it is the "pre aged" leather (as opposed to the pre-softened), and they have a photo of a pre-aged brown one, but not a black. Is yours pre-aged? The brown one they show looks kind of sandblasted, and I was concerned about how it would look on a black one. Probably I am just being petty

[farrellcollie]

I think they are so good that I put a brooks on all three of my bikes. I want a 4th bike so I can try the B67.

[melissam]

I have gone on two (count 'em, 2!) test rides with my new Brooks B17S saddle on my Trek 5200 road bike. Somewhere it said to keep the initial rides kind of short, so I've only gone a grand total of 34 miles. This has been enough to answer some of the questions I had in a prevous post.

1. Will it be comfortable? I realize that some break in time may be necessary.
Answer: Oh, it's pretty comfy! I notice a little pressure in the girly bit area, but nothing terrible, and sometimes I even hit saddle nirvana which I hope is a promise of things to come.

2. Will it look out of place on my road bike (Trek 5200 WSD)? (If it's comfortable, who really cares?)
Answer: It looks great. And it's comfortable. I think I'm in love.

3. Will I like it better on one bike than the other?
Answer: Dunno, because I've only tried it on my road bike. But I can certainly see getting one of these for the mountain bike, which I use for riding trails rather than hardcore technical adventures.

4. How hard will it be to find the seat post settings with the new saddle?
Answer: It was so easy that I was able to do it after having a beer. Or was it two beers? I had measured my old seat height from the ground to the spot above the seat post. When I put the Brooks on, I made sure the measurements were the same, made the saddle tilt be level, and eye-balled the fore-aft. So far, so good. If I get curious, I can probably have my LBS take a look at the seat settings.

5. Is the uniquely conforming leather saddle thing all it's cracked up to be?
Answer: 34 miles is not long enough to tell, but at this point, it's looking pretty good.

6. How does this work if your seat bones are kind of narrow?
Answer: It's fine. Lots of support in the back, and due to the shape of the saddle, I don't notice any chafing on my inner thighs.

To sum it up, so far, so good! I think I may end up trying different seat height settings to see if it helps with the pressure up front. Or I might try loosening the leather tension. Or I might leave it alone and see if it improves after a couple more rides.

Will I be taking advantage of Wallingford Bikes 6 month return policy? Hmmm, at this point, I don't think so. Las Vegas odds are at 300 to 1.

-- Melissa

[Kitsune06]

oh-kay...

I used to think my saddles were great... but now that I'm doing more than just commuting, my sit bones are arguing the point.

You ladies make a good argument for leather saddles, and I'm a huge fan of leather goods. (Note my old and well-broken in doc martins, work/combat boots, etc etc) ...

I have a couple questions though...

My bike is very mountain-bikeish. She's got the rugged, self-decorated but modern and urban-chic look to her- would the black leather with big copper rivets look funny?

I'm looking for a saddle that would be narrow enough for me to be able to 'get back' for descents, etc- would this do the trick? I have narrow hips and it might be harder to get my little rear out o're the knobbies on a downhill, so I want to be sure.

I've been riding cut-outs since forever, and I'm afraid my hood pierce will argue with suddenly 'not' having a cut-out... do any of you have any thoughts?

I won't have to feel that hot 'n numb feeling in my girlie bits, will I?

... I guess that's it. I have to be sure of these things, because I don't want H killing me for 'needlessly spending MORE MONEY ON THAT **** BIKE!!!!" unless it really helps.

[mimitabby]

IT's kind of funny that you are asking if the brooks looks good on a Mtn Bike because earlier people were asking if it was racy enough for a road bike.
I always considered Mtn Biking to be a little closer to old fashioned bikes... therefore the retro saddle would look great on one. ON the other hand,
some Mtn bikes don't even look like what i think of as bikes anymore....

You don't have to get one with copper rivets.. The leather look is gorgeous, kind of like Bentley cars with leather interiors..
You will start noticing the little "brooks" insignia on the back of random bikes. THere is no "type" of bike for the Brooks, it's simple a type of person. Someone who takes care of their undercarriage.

As for your other q's I will let someone else answer. My husband is getting a B67 for the front of our tandem so we will soon match!

[melissam]

Kitsune06,

Dang, girl, if you can handle a hood pierce, I'm thinkin' the hot-n-numb feeling in the girlie bits will not be a problem for you!

OTOH, for mountain biking, you might consider one of the men's saddles. They're narrower (for getting back on those descents) and longer (which can be a good thing).

Wallingford Bikes offers a 6 month, no questions asked refund policy, so the most you'd lose out on would be the return shipping, which is about $8.

-- Melissa

[KnottedYet]

I'd be mighty careful with the hood pierce, especially when the leather is still slippery and your position may change. (good lord, that sounded like a line from BLE 20/01!)

If you really needed the cut-out, your ring would've been catching on the edges of the cut-out every time you shifted back or forward, eh?

Depending on the saddle you choose, it might be black leather with silver rivets. (mine has silver) Black leather is always sexy, whatever rivets you end up with.

There are narrower Brooks saddles you could get back on. I'm thinking "Swift", but I'd have to go back to www.wallbike.com to check. Maybe it was "Swallow". (oh, jeez, another ad for Cleis Press...)

Edit: for the price difference, you might just be happier with a B17-Narrow rather than the other two I mentioned. Same dimensions. http://www.wallbike.com/B17.html

[Kitsune06]

Yeah, I was thinking of the B-17 narrow, just for virtue of the price. Weight really isn't a huge concern of mine, but the black and silver look hot.
I tend to like the 'sporty' look with my mtb... the current saddle looks a lot like a roadie uber-slim, huge-cutout Specialized WSD... which isn't specific to this woman, b/c my sit bones almost touch the edge of the cutout on the inside. oO; Very narrow.

I actually *do* have some problems with my pierce and the cut-out, most notable being when the barbell slides out of the normal, 'even' position and one end sticks out more than the other, it gets caught (chamois or not) and yanked (if I'm lucky, torn if I'm not). But the cutout relieves a lot of the pressure, so I'm between a rock and a hard place. The jewelry is at 8g, so it's hard to tear, thankfully.

I'm reluctant to remove it, because when it *does* stay in place... well... the punchline "I know... it's the cobblestones!" says it all... ..and H wonders why I like biking for hours!

Ordinarily I'd be all shy about the topic, but this is TE, and nothing is sacred here. or should I just chalk it up to "We're all ladies here!"?

btw, the pierce was done years ago, now, and not at 8g but believe it or not, the hot'nnumb feeling is worse... think tattoo v. piercing.

[melissam]

Kitsune,

Wow, you're made of stronger stuff than I am. Yanking or tearing ... Well, hopefully the cobblestones make it all worthwhile.

Ahem, anyway, I'd forgotten to mention that mtbr has several reviews of the Brooks saddles, many by mountain bikers, some by roadies on the mtbr site (gasp!).

I have a couple of pics, but unfortunately they're a little too big for the TE site, so I need to do some editing.

-- Melissa