# Brooks Saddles for Touring



## dannyg100 (Feb 28, 2007)

I'm building up a Surly Cross Check for all around city cycling but when its finished I'm going to take her on a two week tour. I'm picking out more durable components over weight conscious once but am also trying to make the bike look nice. I'm trying to pick out a saddle and my mechanic suggested a Brooks. I've been looking at a lot of your pics a have seen that many of you have chosen Brooks saddles and I will admit they are very comfy. I was just wondering if they would be good for touring because of the possibility of wet weather and other elements destroying the leather? Brooks saddles look great on a bicycle but can they stand up to weeks on the road without being baby'd. And if so which model would you guys recommend?


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

Wet weather will not destroy a Brooks. Brooks are made in England and people ride around in rain with Brooks all the time. If they were that sensitive to rain they probably would no longer be in business.

I use a little proofide every few months on the saddle, and I keep a little saddle cover in my saddle bag in case I end up in a deluge. However I have yet to use the saddle cover. A little rain will not hurt as your butt will be keeping it pretty dry. If on a tour you come into multiple days of rain, just keep the saddle cover on in when you ride.


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## Shizzam (Oct 14, 2006)

Ya, pretty much what brianmcg said. I will say that I have ruined a brooks by getting it wet, but it was getting really wet all the time, and I am an absolute lazy bum when it comes to keeping my bikes in good shape. If you're a better man than I and can commit to regular proofiding and the occasional cover up in a heavy rain, you will be fine. There are people out there who have been riding the same brooks for 25+ years. You can't say that about a whole lot of other saddles (Sheldon Brown's "Real Man" saddle could probably do it).


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## Buonarroti (May 1, 2005)

B17 is the model many people ride.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _Brooks are made in England and people ride around in rain with Brooks all the time._


Quite true. But keep in mind that the majority of Brooks saddles in England are on fendered bikes. The underside of a leather saddle soaks up water relentlessly during a non-fendered rain ride. While a big old touring saddle bag gives some protection, consider adding fenders to your Surly if you think you're going to ride much in rain.

I've got a 30-year old Brooks B-15 on a fendered bike and it's still going strong.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

B-17 is good for upright positions. Swift and Narrow models are good for more aggressive positions (a.k.a. road bike).

You might want to consider fenders, which will keep the bottom of the saddle drier.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Attack!*



> _B-17 is good for upright positions. Swift and Narrow models are good for more aggressive positions (a.k.a. road bike)._


"Aggressive positions" are bends people pretzel themselves into in the belief it will make them faster, or at least look faster. In my view, there's no hard-and-fast link between these positions and a road bike. Many people ride road bikes in perfectly normal positions.




> _You might want to consider fenders, which will keep the bottom of the saddle drier._


Strange advice. :wink5:


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

I finally wore out my oldest Brooks saddle. I bet it didn't have much more than 60,000 (hard, sometimes wet, long) miles on it.

I thought they would last longer than that but it is true that I did a couple of wet tours without a saddle cover or fenders. I guess I learned my lesson!


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## handsomerob (Oct 5, 2005)

MB1 said:


> I finally wore out my oldest Brooks saddle. I bet it didn't have much more than 60,000 (hard, sometimes wet, long) miles on it.
> 
> I thought they would last longer than that but it is true that I did a couple of wet tours without a saddle cover or fenders. I guess I learned my lesson!


so 60k for you is like what... 8 or 9 months... 

what a waste, a saddle that doesn't even last a year


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## dannyg100 (Feb 28, 2007)

what do you think of wooden fenders. I just heard about them and think they are super classy. but do they work? would they offer protection to the seat?


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

wim said:


> "Aggressive positions" are bends people pretzel themselves into in the belief it will make them faster, or at least look faster. In my view, there's no hard-and-fast link between these positions and a road bike. Many people ride road bikes in perfectly normal positions.
> 
> Strange advice. :wink5:


Um, everything I said is what I learned directly from the Brooks website when I was researching the saddles a couple years ago, and later substantiated when I bought one B.17 and one Swift, and tried them on both my hybrid/comfort bike and my road bike respectively.

All due resect, think next time.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*What was I sinking about?*



> _Um, everything I said is what I learned directly from the Brooks website when I was researching the saddles a couple years ago, and later substantiated when I bought one B.17 and one Swift, and tried them on both my hybrid/comfort bike and my road bike respectively.
> 
> All due resect, think next time._


1. I'm certain Brooks didn't write or suggest "aggressive position (aka road bike)." If you substantiated that equation, you substantiated your own belief. Nothing wrong with that, of course.

2. My "strange advice" was a bit of irony, obviously ill-considered. I gave that very same but apparently unread advice about fenders in my post #5, just above your post #6. We are in total agreement.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

*Yes, but are you certain?*



wim said:


> 1. I'm certain Brooks didn't write or suggest "aggressive position (aka road bike)." If you substantiated that equation, you substantiated your own belief. Nothing wrong with that, of course.


From the Brooks catalog:

_Our catalogue is structured to make the saddle selection easier. The following pages feature 3 lines of products to address the needs of different types of cyclists.

*Road - MTB*
Exercising this pursuit the participant’s weight tends to be transferred onto the legs, and to some extent onto the forearms and wrists, with the pressure on the seat being alleviated to a corresponding amount. Leaning forward, and on occasions not actually utilising the seat, the rider adopts such position for increased speed and in some instances streamlining.

*ATB - Trekking*
A pursuit whereby the correct transfer of weight is critical for the rider to maintain balance on his machine whilst traversing and negotiating varying degrees of incline, decline and terrain. Multiple seat positions will be adopted during such activity and again the rider may leave the seat when increased speed or greater control is desired.

*City - Touring*
An altogether more leisurely pursuit, the rider adopting an upright position whilst appreciating the surroundings. With the great majority of the weight being supported by the rear quarter, such stance relieves pressure on the forearms but means that the posterior accepts up to 90% of the rider’s weight. In such circumstances the more discerning rider will utilise springs for maximum shock absorption._

As for my aforementioned personal history with Brooks: I bought a B.17 for a road bike. Within 10 minutes on my first ride, my toes and fingers were going numb and I was unbearably uncomfortable. I then bought a Swift, which became the best saddle I've ever owned. It was clearly the more appropriate design for a typical road bike, where the rider is in a lower (i.e. more aggressive) position. Meanwhile, I decided to try the B.17 on my comfort/hybrid bike, and it became the most comfortable ride ever, as the hybrid has a more upright position. My experience was exactly what Brooks predicted.




wim said:


> 2. My "strange advice" was a bit of irony, obviously ill-considered. I gave that very same but apparently unread advice about fenders in my post #5, just above your post #6. We are in total agreement.


Sorry. Missed your post. I saw the o.p., read the first few, skimmed the rest. Wanted to get that in about fenders to make sure the o.p. knew. Your irony was indeed ill-_received_.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

handsomerob said:


> so 60k for you is like what... 8 or 9 months...
> 
> what a waste, a saddle that doesn't even last a year


I ride 5 different bikes so I got about 8 years out of the thing.

To remember all of those great rides I'm thinking about having it bronzed and mounted above the fireplace (of course Miss M may have a little to say about that idea  ).


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## BikeRider (Aug 5, 2003)

I saw on Sheldon Brown's website that Lon Haldeman usually gets around 300,000 miles on his Brooks saddle!

"There are probably lots of other liquid oils that would work as well-RAAM pioneer Lon Haldeman uses SAE 30 motor oil, but his saddles tend to wear out after only 300,000 miles or so (according to Cyclist Magazine)."

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/leather.html


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

dannyg100 said:


> what do you think of wooden fenders. I just heard about them and think they are super classy. but do they work? would they offer protection to the seat?


I have a set and they are working great. They are stiff enough to not rattle and flexible enough to allow access to my track fork end rear wheel. They are drop dead gorgeous. I've had them on year-round for a couple seasons. Sometime this summer I ought to wipe them down with a bit of marine varnish - not because they look like they need it, but rather because it seems like it's time. Mine are 3 ply. Some are 5 ply. I'm sure either would work fine. I like the lighter/finer look of the three ply.

Add leather mudflaps - front for you, rear for your friends, from these guys:
http://www.wallbike.com/fenders.html


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## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

brianmcg said:


> Wet weather will not destroy a Brooks. Brooks are made in England and people ride around in rain with Brooks all the time. If they were that sensitive to rain they probably would no longer be in business.


I got my Brooks Pro used in 1982. I road the snot out of it in rain, sleet and snow on the heavily-salted roads around Boston, MA for many thousands of miles each year. It got soaked through at least twice each month. It just kept getting more and more comfortable. Yes, I did have to stretch it out with the adjuster screw, but that's what it is there for, right.

I finally broke a rail in 1992 when I was using the saddle on my mountain bike.

- FBB


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## Doggity (Mar 10, 2006)

For the more upright position, the B17 rules! You will find a place where your ischia just settle into what feels like a taut, leather trampoline (which is what it is). You will know it when you're there...accept no substitute. Some are going with the B67, which is like a B17only with sprung suspension. With my plush ride, I'm not finding springs necessary at all.


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