Brooks Saddles

enoonan

Lo All,
Just looking for a bit of advice on Brooks saddles.

I am going to buy a Brooks saddle for my hybrid/touring bike, either the Flyer or the B17.
I was looking at the dimensions of the saddles and the standard width for the Brooks is 175mm. However the saddles on my two bikes at the moment are 145mm in width and both are comfortable. From what I can gather 145mm is the 'average' width of most saddles.
So what I am wondering is should I be looking at a narrow version of the Brooks saddles or is the standard width the one to go for? What are other peoples experiences?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Eoin

feck sake lads

i have the b17 on my tourer super comfy, right enough it's wider than my other bikes saddle fizik alanti but to be totally i never notice the difference.
one thing abot the brooks dont get it wet.

enoonan

Thanks for that FSL.
Not getting it wet in Ireland is going to be tough. I have mudguards on the bike though. Am I looking at trouble if it does get wet?

feck sake lads

enoonan wrote: »

Thanks for that FSL.
Not getting it wet in Ireland is going to be tough. I have mudguards on the bike though. Am I looking at trouble if it does get wet?

i always carry a plastic bag under the saddle. when i was in france i left the bike outside in monsoon rain for about 6 hours enden up the saddle was as hard as timber itook me a fair while to get it back in shape .lesson learned.
but i don't think you'll be disappointed with the b17 i went for the champion flyer with copper rivets .well thats the type of guy i am:P:)

enoonan

Thanks again FSL.
I just spotted a rain cover on the Brooks site but I reckon a plastic bag might be cheaper!!
Am very tempted by the B17 Aged. I love the look of it but how it will look on a mondern hybrid is another guess!! I have a brown Charge Spoon saddle on my MTB and I think it looks great.

LeftBlank

I have never put proofride on my B17 and it's got wet plenty of times and it's still very comfortable.

Radial

I have a Brooks professional. Great saddle. I used proofride a few times when breaking it in. Don't worry too much about it getting wet. Doesn't seem to cause any problems. I've done 8-10 hours on a long day in the saddle in the rain, not a bother.

Think they look great too. Classic looks but still great on a modern road bike.

theotherone

My 2c Is stay away from Brooks Saddles. I would get a normal Saddle and a decent pair of cycling shorts.

I had one on my Touring bike, lots of folks admired it and seemed to have positive experiences but mine was anything but. My personal experience was in damp climates it requires constant maintenance via a Brooks key to keep tension on the leather. I had a major fail in a remote area and Its tricky to patch
up to get you to the next bike shop.

LastGasp

enoonan wrote: »

Lo All,
Just looking for a bit of advice on Brooks saddles.

I was looking at the dimensions of the saddles and the standard width for the Brooks is 175mm. However the saddles on my two bikes at the moment are 145mm in width and both are comfortable. From what I can gather 145mm is the 'average' width of most saddles.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Eoin

Hi Eoin,
I have a B17 that I never quite got broken in to suit me. I've just put it on my turbo trainer bike to see how it feels again for a few spins. The thing most people forget about Brooks is that there is a metal frame all around the back of the saddle which is not far off 1" wide. This reduces the pratical "useable" width quite a lot (unless you like sitting on a metal rail), probably to not far off your 145mm. On the other hand with a modern padded plastic saddle the "seating" area can go right to the edges. I would say that a standard B17 would be fine for a tourer, but it all depends whether you turn out to have a Brooks shaped behind, and there's really only one way to find out. Cheers, LG.

enoonan

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Theotherone - What type of Brooks did you have? I have good bike shorts but am looking for a decent saddle for all day use.

Lastgasp - If that B17 doesn't suit you would you consider selling it? I didn't know about the metal frame being that large in the Brooks saddles. I know its a bit of a chance to take to buy one when I don't know if they suit but there is no place in Limerick or close by to try them out(that I know of). I know the Charge Spoon Ti saddle I have on the MTB is comfy as hell and I can go all day on it but the saddle on my Hybrid is a 4ZA Stratos and even though its comfortable enough, I am getting a bit of pressure where pressure is not nice, if you know what I mean. I've tried adjusting and re-positioning but no joy. Hence the post.

Eoin

Mcofferon

Hi

I have a B17 on my hybrid/clunker and love it to bits. I was planning on using it on my road bike, but got on surprisingly well with the Selle Italia that came with it.

I would expect the Brooks would be idea for a tourer. The width gives you a bit of flexibility with your seating position and the leather does mould to your own anatomy. For that reason you might find a second hand Brooks takes a bit of settling in, but the B17 from new felt great for me straight out of the box.

With regards to getting wet, it's a leather saddle. Avoid letting it get soaked, the occasional light shower shouldn't trouble it. Proofride or similar leather treatment can help keeping the elements at bay.

Good luck

Planet X

Brooks Swift on my Disc Trucker. Perfect. Comes with a rain cover in the box. Used a Charge Spoon on my Charge Mixer for a couple of years prior to this. You wont have a problem.
Been on Specialized Toupes on my racer for years. A Brooks is like "room temperature butter" It moulds well.

cdaly_

LeftBlank wrote: »

I have never put proofride on my B17 and it's got wet plenty of times and it's still very comfortable.

Mcofferon wrote: »

With regards to getting wet, it's a leather saddle. Avoid letting it get soaked, the occasional light shower shouldn't trouble it. Proofride or similar leather treatment can help keeping the elements at bay.

Mine seems to be quite happy even on the wettest of days with no treatment whatsoever. It does live indoors when not in use though (even at work) so it's not left out soaking in the rain and my ass protects it from the rain when riding.

enoonan

Thanks for all of the replies lads. I reckon Brooks is the way to go.
The question now is do I go B17 Standard/Aged or Imperial.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Eoin

feck sake lads

enoonan wrote: »

Thanks for all of the replies lads. I reckon Brooks is the way to go.
The question now is do I go B17 Standard/Aged or Imperial.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Eoin

the choice is yours all the saddles are top quality hand made so worry not, when you get it apply the proof hide by hand rub well in leave it for as long as you can (hours ) then polish it off make sure you do under the saddle as well. light rain wont affect it but leaving it out all day in heavy rain will feck it up so look after it how hard is it to have a plastic bag with you under the saddle

enoonan

Thanks again FSL.

Will let ye know how I get on!!

Mycroft H

enoonan wrote: »

Thanks for all of the replies lads. I reckon Brooks is the way to go.
The question now is do I go B17 Standard/Aged or Imperial.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Eoin

Regarding the aged, here is the answer I got from Brooks when making that decision.

Hello,


The life expectancy of an aged Brooks saddle will be less than a regular Brooks if used with the same frequency as a regular saddle.

The Aged saddles are really, in my humble opinion, only intended for use by the casual, infrequent, cyclist.

Regards


Steve Green

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mr Steve Green
Office Manager
Brooks England Limited
Downing Street, Smethwick
West Midlands. B66 2PA
Tel:- 0121 565 2992 Fax:- 0121 565 1630
www.brooksengland.com

So I hope that clears that up.


Also, for what it's worth, I've a B17 narrow and it's fantastic on my touring bike. Even the narrow models are a bit wider than your normal racing saddles. I'd go with the B17 though.

I use pure beeswax to protect my saddle. It's designed for hiking boots so it's good enough. Proofide, brooks own protector is a bit expensive and it mainly made of beeswax anyways.

They are top notch saddles aswell. Most comfy out there imo.

enoonan

Thanks for that BX19.
Some very useful info there. Def helps narrow it down!!

Eoin

smacl

Regards flyer or b17, I've the flyer on my hybrid, and b17 standard on the road bike. Both good saddles, but I'd recommend the b17 over the flyer, particularly for a road bike. I found the standard b17 took a couple of long spins to really fit well, but was comfy enough from day one.

tomasrojo

I'm another satisfied user of the B17. Had it a few years now, been getting a lot of use in the last year and a half, never done any treatment or maintenance of it, bar keeping a plastic bag under the saddle. Very comfortable.

enoonan

Smacl - I prob will go with the B17 over the Flyer. Its a hybrid I will have it on but there will be no off roading on it(forest tracks not Irish back roads!!)

Tomasrojo - Thanks for the info. Reckon the B17 is the way to go!!

Eoin

GreyEagle

enoonan,
I have a Brooks B-17 Touring saddle, 18cm wide. It never really suited me, as LastGasp put it so well: “it all depends whether you turn out to have a Brooks shaped behind”. It’s used but not broken-in if you get my meaning. You can try it, and if it suits, we won’t haggle too much over the price. You can always PM if you are interested.
GE

feck sake lads

did you mention where you were buying it.chainreactions sell them .

enoonan

Prob going to get from Bike24. Have never had problems with them and they are only €65 for the standard B17.

enoonan

Anyone know does the Proofide and the little spanner come with the Saddle??

Planet X

Just the spanner. No need for Proofide or the likes. Sales gimmick.

enoonan

Thanks PlanetX

Planet X

.......and as I mentioned previously, a waterproof saddle cover. Good quality.

enoonan

Thanks once again PlanetX

Mycroft H

enoonan wrote: »

Anyone know does the Proofide and the little spanner come with the Saddle??

No, they don't.

However, any normal spanner works, I use a small adjustable.



Proofide doesn't either. It's good stuff, but there is a huge mark up on it.

I use this, it's pure beeswax and it's 6 quid a tin in any decent camp shop.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001GYPG9Y/ref=asc_df_B001GYPG9Y11562788?smid=A33U035E66UV1P&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B001GYPG9Y


Some people will baulk at using something other than proofide on a Brooks saddle but it makes no difference if you use beeswax in my experience. The water just beads off the saddle. Do the underside aswell if you've no mudguards.

enoonan

BX19 - Thats for those tips.

Delighted to get some great advice on here from everyone.

Cheers

Eoin