My next bike doesn't matter about the weight but I want comfort and as I've always fancied a Brooks saddle nows the time to invest.
So, which of these beauties should I look at getting? and why?
http://www.brooksengland.com/en/Shop_CategoryPage.aspx?cat=saddles+-+road+%26+mtb
Ta
Well it's all going to depend on what the bike is and what position you are on the bike,
You could look at the swallow and swift for a head down race type bike but bear in mind they are quite narrow and you may find the rivets intrusive.
If it is a tourer, or mtb or similarly relaxed position then look no further than a B17. It's the most popular for good reason. I bought one a few months back and instantly found it comfy - so comfy that i barely use a chamois with it. If i do (like yesterday) it is like a sofa - supportive but super plush.
Keep whatever one you buy well proofide'd and it will return in excess of 26k> miles. That's the oldest one i have seen on my pal Tom's bike. He went round the world on one for a few years and when he got home he stupidly added too much tension to the bolt and it broke.
Anyway, up right position, go wide. If head down and narrow sitbones apply to you then look at the Swallow and Swift.
(I went for B17 Special in Honey - the copper has now got an amazing look to it)
They don't work for everyone and can take ages to wear in. They are held in high esteem and are a very fashionable accessory so some people will suffer a very heavy uncomfortable saddle for the sake of the look.
That said I'm fitting a standard B17 to my heavy old steel winter bike. I used them in the seventies and eighties and got on alright. I might 'butcher' mine to speed up the process though.
If you fit a B17 to a bike without mudguards be prepared to get a wet bum, as the B17s are still perforated (I think)
The only other thing that gets me is that these were a tenner back then.
team pro.
i have one that's done well over 40k*. the b17 was too wide and the swift remained too hard even after 5k miles of breaking in.
* i don't have it anymore it's been given back to the original owner who couriered in london on it for 2 years, i used it on my fixed for commuting and general riding, did a couple of dunwich dynamos on it. was very comfortable.
it's got 2 different pairs of sitbone dents in in now, will easily do another 20-30k if looked after.
I have a b17 narrow and its been comfy from new
It's more of the relaxed, sit up mtb comfort I'm after, so possibly the B17.
Is the team pro Classic or Ti as wide?
They're overpriced, overweight, over here, Niche and your grandma had one on her bike!
drop the nose more than you think
i have a honey b17 on my road bike - at about 10k miles and a black one on my TT bike at about 50 miles - always get slagged off at TTs for it but it doesnt seem to slow me down "that" much .... both are comfy , the brown seemed to be comfier from the off , seemed less stiff from the offset !
putting a brown swallow TI on my new bike - quite worried i wont find it comfy like my B17s
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Watched a programme on telly just the other night and the guy was building his dream bike - he fitted a brooks , and visited the factory and saw them bieng made and the prog gave all the details about them - you might still be able to catch it on I player or catchup TV - it was shown around about 15/09/2010 - sorry I cant be more specific - hope this helps.
Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Choose two.
Really comfy bit of kit straight out of the box and it only gets comfier as you break it in. I have a B17 on my road bike and have done a couple of thousand miles on it. Compared to more modern saddles it wipes the floor with them on long rides.
everyone will tell you they are the best most comfortable saddles you can buy. Try one, it might be for you, but mine caused me pain and wouldnt break in (i did do plenty of miles on it - it was the rock hard nose that caused me trouble)
They look good though, and that counts for a lot 😆
Which one do you have Matt?
I went for a San Marco Regal in brown suede instead for my ti roadbike. Looks the nuts with the suede and rivets, comfy as you like and not at all heavy.
Must look a bit like a Brooks, as i had some old boy leaning out of a car window as we were heading around a busy roundabout shouting at me for my feedback on my Brooks.
They are flavour of the month.
Just bought a Swift Ti Honey off Ebay for £88, bargin.
Anybody used the Brooks grips?
I used them in the seventies and eighties.....The only other thing that gets me is that these were a tenner back then
And a house was £4k then too. What the hell are Brooks thinking 🙂
I've got the cheapest (black B17?) and use it every day for commuting on my cargo bike. I found it comfy from the first ride.
It was too wide for proper off-road use, but it did service on my Solitude on easier off-road and road rides, up to century rides.
i had a b17 in honey brown with nice copper rivets. it looked ace. the shape was great but it didnt work well on the bike i wanted it for.
I suspect for something with a fairly upright position it would be good though.
Have SDG bel airs on all my bikes now. But that took years of trying out lots of different saddles.
i had a b17 in honey brown with nice copper rivets. it looked ace. the shape was great but it didnt work well on the bike i wanted it for.
Ditto.. I've got a b17 on my tourer and it is very comfortable (had it 4 yeas). I then put it on my road bike for 1 day when i was did london to barcelona back in august and it felt horrible. Much more suited when the saddle and handlebar are nearly level.
just angle the nose down lots more than you think guys ....
really - try it
my TT bike there looks extreme nose down but you dont slide off it as youd think you do
Brooks grips. Yep I use on my Xtracycle and Brompton. Find them very comfy, but wouldn't use them on and mtb as they are pretty solid and not squiggly at all. They take a long time to 'wear in', but once they do they are fine. Some people will tell you that they go soggy and expand in the rain, well that's cobblers!
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheesyfeet/4299746843/ ]DSC_2475[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/cheesyfeet/ ]gary_foulger[/url], on Flickr
B17 on my singlespeed. Has always been comfortable on every bike, even in jeans. Team Pro is much stiffer and was never comfy on any road bike but perfect on my brompton. Countess with springs for my wife, but I rode 3K miles on that to bed it in, was also comfy from the start.
like many others, a B17 often needs no extra padding. Choose a brown one with big rivets.
My other saddle is a Flite and I have two, in fact I just polished up my 1987 version with finest black show polish this very evening.