# Brooks Saddles



## Sz20DF (Oct 23, 2008)

Brooks saddles, just for commuters and touring cyclists? I never see them on other road and MTB bikes.


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## Ledipus (Apr 17, 2007)

IMO opinion you see them more on bikes that are designed for style and less on bikes that are set up for function. They are very pricey, and the main reason people like them is for the style of them. That being said I know several riders that swear by them and always order one up for any bike they own.


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## Trevor Ash (May 19, 2005)

I originally bought my first (and only) Brooks saddle for the style and claimed comfort after breaking it in, I probably have 15,000 miles on it and I honestly can't tell that it ever broke itself in. 

That said, it is actually my most comfortable saddle for 4+ hours of actual sitting. I have it on a fixed commuter that's been through many centuries. I mention that it's fixed only so that you know that my butt spends a lot of time in contact with the saddle (no standing up and coasting down a hill to rest my butt).

I've seen some on road bikes occasionally, and they usually match it with brown or leather bar tape (which reinforces the style comment). But I usually only see these on touring bikes.

Bad quality cell phone pic...


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

I have not ridden anything but a Brooks in years. It may just be a style but my arse likes the style. 

They are great saddles.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

I have 4 bikes and 4 brooks (from steel to all carbon)......been riding them for 47 years now and will do so for the rest of my life I assume. They are NOT expensive, None of mine (3 B17-N and 1 Swift) were over a 100 bucks and considering Fizik are almost all $150 and up...and UP.....

Besides how could you put a price on COMFORT.......I did 470 miles the week before last and never even THOUGHT about my saddle!


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

Ledipus said:


> IMO opinion you see them more on bikes that are designed for style and less on bikes that are set up for function. They are very pricey, and the main reason people like them is for the style of them. That being said I know several riders that swear by them and always order one up for any bike they own.



This statement is completely wrong. Brooks saddles have been around for over 100 years. They haven't lasted that long because they are stylish. They are no more expensive than any other brand of saddle. 

Brooks saddles simply work and they work well. You see lots of them on bikes that belong to people that have been riding for a while.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

all that said, Brooks saddles are not for everyone, saddle fit is as individual as a$$es

There are 2 drawbacks to Brooks, one, they have reasonably short rails compared to a lot of other saddles, the second is that they are pretty heavy....neither of which i particularly care about


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## BlueGrassBlazer (Aug 4, 2009)

After going through about 4 saddles I got a B17. It's got to have 800 miles on it and it's STILL not broken in. I just finished a 40 miler in brand new bibs and my tail still got sore. I would love to rant about how comfortable it is but I just can't do it. 
When I first start out it feels great and even up to about 20 miles its not so bad but over that and it starts to go south. I'm going to give it another 800 miles out of sheer orneriness and in the hopes that it will break in at some point and give me that ride that everyone raves about. 
The weight doesn't bother me. I've dropped about 50 lbs over the last few years so those few extra grams are not a big deal. I'm into it for the comfort...if that ever comes.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Ledipus said:


> IMO opinion you see them more on bikes that are designed for style and less on bikes that are set up for function. They are very pricey, and the main reason people like them is for the style of them. That being said I know several riders that swear by them and always order one up for any bike they own.


Nothing is further from the truth...sure some people might by them for style but the vast majority of riders use them because the work


I have 7 bikes with Brooks saddle..I wouldn't even consider any other saddle...

8+ hours on a bike and I never even think about the saddle....


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## walter2007 (Nov 22, 2007)

Ledipus said:


> IMO opinion you see them more on bikes that are designed for style and less on bikes that are set up for function. They are very pricey, and the main reason people like them is for the style of them.



Total BS


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

BlueGrassBlazer said:


> After going through about 4 saddles I got a B17. It's got to have 800 miles on it and it's STILL not broken in. I just finished a 40 miler in brand new bibs and my tail still got sore.


What shorts are you using with that saddle? I have some shorts that kill me after more than 20 miles, and others I can be comfortable in after 100 miles. And that's with the same saddle.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

BlueGrassBlazer said:


> After going through about 4 saddles I got a B17. It's got to have 800 miles on it and it's STILL not broken in. I just finished a 40 miler in brand new bibs and my tail still got sore. I would love to rant about how comfortable it is but I just can't do it.
> When I first start out it feels great and even up to about 20 miles its not so bad but over that and it starts to go south. I'm going to give it another 800 miles out of sheer orneriness and in the hopes that it will break in at some point and give me that ride that everyone raves about.
> The weight doesn't bother me. I've dropped about 50 lbs over the last few years so those few extra grams are not a big deal. I'm into it for the comfort...if that ever comes.


Put a wet towel over it for a hour or so before a ride. I have never had to do that on any but the team pro and it did help.

B17's and the such don't need that treatment.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

I am liking the looks of the "Select" offerings they have this year.


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## smokey422 (Feb 22, 2004)

I've ridden a B-17 for years and wouldn't consider swapping it for any other saddle, no matter what it cost. There are a lot of saddles these days that are more expensive than a Brooks. I never had any problem with break-in but I did treat it with Proofhide before I used it. Some shorts can be very uncomfortable and if you are experiencing pain with your Brooks, I would try another pair.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

smokey422 said:


> I've ridden a B-17 for years and wouldn't consider swapping it for any other saddle, no matter what it cost. There are a lot of saddles these days that are more expensive than a Brooks. I never had any problem with break-in but I did treat it with Proofhide before I used it. Some shorts can be very uncomfortable and if you are experiencing pain with your Brooks, I would try another pair.


wet it........see thread in the Lounge "still hard"


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## PBike (Jul 6, 2007)

BlueGrassBlazer said:


> After going through about 4 saddles I got a B17. It's got to have 800 miles on it and it's STILL not broken in. I just finished a 40 miler in brand new bibs and my tail still got sore. I would love to rant about how comfortable it is but I just


I have actually come to the conclusion that I prefer riding my Brooks without any padding in my shorts. I have some padding that works okay, but most tend to put too much pressure on the soft parts causing discomfort. I usually ride without padding.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

tihsepa said:


> I am liking the looks of the "Select" offerings they have this year.


although.....looks is not the first on the list of priorities when it comes to saddles....

when it comes to bikes, a COMFORTABLE saddle is one of the most important components you can buy, after all, it is the direct interface between you and the bike!

I don't care how nice/expensive/beautiful/well fit the bike is....It damn well better be comfortable on a LONG ride unless you don't plan on doing that!


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Horses for courses.

Won't see them at the start line of your local races but you will see them on the bikes of many randonneurs.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

ewitz said:


> Horses for courses.
> 
> Won't see them at the start line of your local races but you will see them on the bikes of many randonneurs.


I see them all the time.


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## BlueGrassBlazer (Aug 4, 2009)

Peanya said:


> What shorts are you using with that saddle? I have some shorts that kill me after more than 20 miles, and others I can be comfortable in after 100 miles. And that's with the same saddle.


I have a pair of Louis Garneau shorts that are getting pretty thin and a pair of Descente Prologue bibs I just bought. The Descente have much stiffer padding but into about 35 miles, the old pain-in-the-butt started up again. 
I read where after the break-in, the saddle will have some indentations where the sits bones go but mine looks like new.


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## BlueGrassBlazer (Aug 4, 2009)

Touch0Gray said:


> wet it........see thread in the Lounge "still hard"


Wasn't sure what to expect in that thread...a little afraid to go in there.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

I hate Brooks saddles passionately. The only Brooks saddle I've been able to sit on for more than five minutes was the B17..a saddle which I endured for 250 painful miles before throwing in the towel. Yes, everybody says that it takes 500 miles to properly break the saddle (or your a$$) in , but I feared I was doing permanent damage to myself with that @#$% torture device. 

To me a Brooks does everything a saddle should not do. The Brooks cuts off circulation and gets my plumbing numb within fifteen minutes. Meantime, they bruise my sit bones and set fire to my epidermal layers. They are as slippery as they are hard. This makes it more difficult to get leverage on the pedals. It means that any bump in the road will send you this way and that, causing both banging and chafing. If you adjust the saddle so that you don't slip around, you are stuck in a single position...thus making it impossible to shift around and equalize the pain.

I've never had a saddle I've been completely comfortable with, but when it comes to the Brooks -- Hate 'em! Hate 'em! Hate 'em!


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Touch0Gray said:


> all that said, Brooks saddles are not for everyone, saddle fit is as individual as a$$es
> 
> There are 2 drawbacks to Brooks, one, they have reasonably short rails compared to a lot of other saddles, the second is that they are pretty heavy....neither of which i particularly care about





Mapei said:


> I hate Brooks saddles passionately. The only Brooks saddle I've been able to sit on for more than five minutes was the B17..a saddle which I endured for 250 painful miles before throwing in the towel. Yes, everybody says that it takes 500 miles to properly break the saddle (or your a$$) in , but I feared I was doing permanent damage to myself with that @#$% torture device.
> 
> To me a Brooks does everything a saddle should not do. The Brooks cuts off circulation and gets my plumbing numb within fifteen minutes. Meantime, they bruise my sit bones and set fire to my epidermal layers. They are as slippery as they are hard. This makes it more difficult to get leverage on the pedals. It means that any bump in the road will send you this way and that, causing both banging and chafing. If you adjust the saddle so that you don't slip around, you are stuck in a single position...thus making it impossible to shift around and equalize the pain.
> 
> I've never had a saddle I've been completely comfortable with, but when it comes to the Brooks -- Hate 'em! Hate 'em! Hate 'em!


I have a friend here who has the same opinion and can't find a comfortable saddle....what do you use?


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## bmwrt (Aug 19, 2006)

Another Brooks lover here. (B17) Won't ride on anything else.
Brooks are on all three of my road bikes. and the saddle that came with the bikes have never been mounted and are still in the plastic.
No matter how long the ride is I never think about the saddle. I don't believe they are that expensive considering others are way more in price. I do treat the leather as I would treat any fine leather product. Probably wont ride anything else for the rest of my life.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Touch0Gray said:


> I have a friend here who has the same opinion and can't find a comfortable saddle....what do you use?


I have an old Fizik Vitesse on one bike, and a new Fizik Antares on the other. They are roughly equally tolerable, but in different ways. The Vitesse distributes my weight better but eventually causes numbness. The Antares eventually gives my sit bones a drubbing, but only rarely makes me numb. Both do a remarkable job of cushioning road shock, with the Antares being a little better at it. The Antares also gives me more positions to play with. When the legs get tired, I can shift my position, letting other parts of my leg muscles into play., and giving my shoulders and hands fresh spots, as well.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

gee whiz......maybe you just need a new BUTT...........lol


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