UKC

I'm looking at getting a Brooks seat for my bike. I have looked at the B17 online which looks nice

Do they come in different sizes?

In reply to lee birtwistle:

No and you'll pay an outragious premium for one meaning you'll need to have MUG stamped on your forehead after buying one.

In reply to Indy:

Actually they do still come in standard and narrow and if the OP gets one it will probably outlive him.
Mine is only 35 years old and looks like new, whilst my dad's is 70+ and look nicely worn in.
It is also very comfortable, which might just be the most important point...

In reply to lee birtwistle:

I had a B17 for a few years of lightish mileage and it never really broke in. Don't really understand the legend, I've sat on plenty of Steve-shaped saddles since that didn't need an extended courtship!

In reply to lee birtwistle:

Don't forget with any leather Brooks there is a breaking in period - which generally involved breaking your arse in to the shape of the saddle. Back in the day I used to use a B17 narrow, before upgrading to a B17 Professional with the large copper rivets, and there were all sorts of dark arts used to make the leather more pliable. The process generally took about 6 months!

Some of my mates who are in to long distance Audax events now swear by the Brooks Cambium saddles for comfort.

In reply to More-On:
I have had a bike in my shed (since 1975) that my wife wants me to throw away, I only recently realised that it's leather Brooks saddle , might be worth much more than the bike.

In reply to Lord of Starkness:


Thanks for that , now that you mention it, from that description it is the Brooks Professional with the copper rivits that I have got on my very old racing bike in the back of my shed I must try and get to the back of the (overfull) shed this summer and rescue that saddle.

In reply to Jim C:

If its a professional as you say then a quick scan of gumtree etc suggests you should make a 'few' quid.
Either that or use it - I really like my B17, but it has had a good few years to break in!
Not that I remember it being particularly painful at any point...

In reply to lee birtwistle:

Spa cycles make saddles pretty much the same as the brooks.

In reply to John Rowlands:

A mate of mine....old school tourer, reckons the spa saddles are marginally lower quality than the Brooke's but much better value...

In reply to John Rowlands:

why the hell has this got a dislike, come on own up you weirdo

In reply to More-On:



I might use it, although by backside when I was 15 and was riding it regularly, was rather differently shaped to what I have now.

In reply to Jim C:

A bit of Proofhide and some perseverance should see you right

In reply to lee birtwistle:

One of my bikes has one - and it's very comfy, although it took a while.

They do say that the best thing to do is to put it in a bucket of warm water with a rock. Leave it for a few days then take the saddle out, throw it away and sit on the rock. But that's just being mean.

In reply to lee birtwistle:
I bought a B17 once and was so shocked at the weight, the discomfort and the crudeness of construction that I sent it straight back. They really are beaten together in a dirty old factory in Brum on a production line that made chastity belts in medieval times.

You don't break your bum in to the saddle, the saddle sags to fit your sit bones, which is why moistening agents will help or just getting it wet, in the same way as leather walking boots used to. After a few years the leather will stretch too far, which is why your Brooks saddle has a tightening bolt under the nose to re-stretch the leather on the frame.

Save your money and buy a Charge Spoon in brown vinyl, a fraction of the cost and weight, super comfortable, looks great and doesn't mind getting wet.

Here: http://road.cc/content/review/4230-charge-spoon-ti-saddle

In reply to lee birtwistle:

Brooks leather saddles are great to ride. I use a narrow version with the cut out (now being called imperial for some reason) on my tourer. If you are worried about the breaking in period you may want to try the Cambium line (latex plus cotton, not leather). I have one on my commuter bike, and like it a lot.

Unlike others I did have an issue with the B17 I used before. I like my saddles rather stiff, so have to tension the screw that pulls the saddle nose forward quite regularly. As I am rather heavy, the long lever generated this way was enough to bend the screw upwards, making the saddle soft and banana shaped. Since I cannot be arsed to replace the screws every few months or get one custom made from titanium, the saddle is now on my daughter´s race bike, an I use the above mentioned maintenance free cambium saddle.

CB

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Tried that one and did not like it, just did not fit my arse.... Otherwise they look like they are well made. My favourite non Brooks saddle still is the Selle San Marco Rolls which I use on my 1980s Moser race bike (yes I know about the D - 1 rule, where D is the number of bikes causing divorce....).

CB

In reply to lee birtwistle:

try the spa cycle's leather alternatives, very well mad an about £40

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b0s204p0/Parts-and-Accessories/Saddles-Leather

Davey

In reply to cb294:

Selle San Marco Rolls for me, too. Look at the San Marco Regal if you want something a bit more sporty but still classic.

In reply to lee birtwistle:

Anyone who dismisses a Brooks either has given up too easily or is weakened fundamentally in the bum dept. The B17 doesn't come in different sizes afaik but they do other saddles. I've got a Team Pro on my touring bike which is much narrower. I've done multi-week tours at the end of which my derriere is the only part of me that doesn't hurt. They aren't all that expensive either if you compare them to other top-end saddles, which is what they are.

In reply to Pesda potato:

I wasn't the disliker but many people have had bad experiences with Spa, me included. Either that or it's a mistaken dislike on a phone.

A friend of mine has a Spa saddle, he seems quite happy with it though it looks a bit Lidl compared to a Brooks, the leather seems softer and thinner.

In reply to Jim C:
I bought a Brooks Pro (big copper rivets) just before a trip from home to Italy and back in 1992, and yes, it took some breaking in and I was half way down the Apennines before the hurt subsided (and soon after the development of 'early onset' of an enlarged prostrate - and despite Proofide, tensioner screw and weather, I blame the Brooks) but after three months away it was reasonably comfy. I used it for a few more years after that but when building a few more bikes I developed a liking for Selle Italia gel saddles for instant and all day comfort without faff! However, recently I retrieved my Brooks Pro from the shed with a view to selling it or giving it away. The leather was okay but was dismayed to discover that the rails were so severely rusted as to have been at the bottom of the sea on the Mary Rose and a relic in its museum. I would suggest, therefore, that if so smitten by the idea of a Brooks get the version with Titanium rails.

In reply to lee birtwistle:
It's prostate.

Three months to get comfortable? Flippin' 'eck, a modern vinyl saddle like a Charge Spoon or Knife will be comfortable from day one. Why do people think it's necessary to go through pain to be a genuine cyclist?

My best bike came with a Fizik Arione saddle, which looks vicious but is actually amazingly comfortable because it's the right shape for my bum, from the first ride.

In reply to lee birtwistle:

I was going to say I have an unused Camium C17 for sale, but I just stumbled across this, which is a stonking deal: http://www.swinnertoncycles.co.uk/components-c169/saddles-c262/brooks-cambi...

In reply to lee birtwistle:
Different models come in different widths. The number indicates the width, so 17 is 170mm across the widest part. They are comfortable from the start and just get comfier. You'll find yourself moving it from bike to bike long after the sweaty cling film saddles have been binned.