# Brooks Saddle experiences



## Blowers (21 May 2015)

Several weeks ago my wife and I were on our way back from a short break and she was bored silly by my frequent references to me thinking of buying a Brampton. As she was in .a reasonable mood I suggested a short detour to a Bike shop just for a look of course not having told her I had already had a test ride. 20 mins later the plastic had been activated whilst she read the paper back in the.car
What has that got to do with Brooks saddles?
Well as it was a spur of the moment purchase and as I was going through the Brompton build info with the dealer I impulsively decided on the Brooks over the standard saddle and am now wondering if that was a good call

My questions are:
Does the Brooks B17 really take a long time to break in? I may not be using bike daily
Is it very uncomfortable for some time?
Does applying Proofide really help the break in period?
As this is a commuter type bike does the applied wax not leave marks on trousers?
Any other tips or advice on living with a Brooks saddle?
Thanks


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## CopperBrompton (21 May 2015)

About 50 miles before you stop regretting the purchase, and 200 miles before you appreciate you made the right choice. Proofide often and liberally while breaking in.


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## Profpointy (21 May 2015)

my experience of brooks saddles is pretty good comfort from the start. I've presumably got a brooks compatible arse. I'm not a believer in special potions to break in the thing to be honest.

The corollary is that if you don't have a brooksian arse it may not be such a good choice


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## roundthebendbromcycle (21 May 2015)

I used to work with a guy that did lands end to john o'groats 3 times, he did it with an expensive gel saddle then with a brooks B17 (broken in) he said the brooks was by far the better ride, my B17 is now 11 years old and sooo comfy, I'll never go back


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## Fab Foodie (21 May 2015)

Profpointy said:


> my experience of brooks saddles is pretty good comfort from the start. I've presumably got a brooks compatible arse. I'm not a believer in special potions to break in the thing to be honest.
> 
> The corollary is that if you don't have a brooksian arse it may not be such a good choice


This Really.
I like them from day one and they just get better. I don't proof hide mine very often and they seem to last donkeys years. Leave the nose bolt alone!


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## shouldbeinbed (21 May 2015)

Aa above mine was ok, you can make the effort with proofide and sore bum cream and it'll come right. If you do decide its really not for you tho, you'll be ok selling the brooks on and TBH Bromptons stock saddle is pretty decent and comfy


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## raleighnut (21 May 2015)

I get on better with the narrower versions, my B17 special (the one with copper rivets) is the least comfy yet my B17n is my favourite followed by the Swallow (2005 Ltd Edition), Swift, B5n then the B17 special in order.
1 tip, when they get wet wrap a luggage strap (a flat one) or a wide cable tie around the middle of the saddle to help them retain their shape when drying, this helps to stop them 'flaring' out. I've got a cable tie that I just slide over the nose of mine. This isn't needed on the Swallow cos that has a steel plate on the underside but helps with the others, a lot of people try fiddling with the tension bolt but that wrecks em.


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## byegad (21 May 2015)

The most painful 1000 miles of my cycling life were suffered on a B17. It was no better for the last mile than the first. I sold it and bought a specialised Body Geometry saddle that was comfortable from mile 3 (After I'd fiddled with angle and fore/aft positioning.) and still comfortable when I sold the bike after approximately 10 000 miles.


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## threebikesmcginty (21 May 2015)

I've got a Brooks Swallow, comfy from day one, and a Team Pro Classic, still hard as **** after several years and many miles although I still find it comfy. Go figure!


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## Blowers (21 May 2015)

Thanks for comments ... I shall just have to see whether I have a Brooks Bum or not. So the proofhide is applied underneath the saddle? I had some unpleasant visions of suited gentry arriving at work after their daily commute trying to explain why they had greasy marks around their nether regions having slipped around through overdosing the proofhide on the top side of the saddle.


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## Soltydog (21 May 2015)

Blowers said:


> My questions are:
> Does the Brooks B17 really take a long time to break in? I may not be using bike daily
> Is it very uncomfortable for some time?
> Does applying Proofide really help the break in period?
> As this is a commuter type bike does the applied wax not leave marks on trousers?



I have a B17 (currently no bike for it though ) comfy from day 1, a B17 imperial which took a bit of breaking in & a Spa copy which has been good from the start. As others have said think you need a Brooks compatable @rse 
There may be a small residue of proofhide left after applying & I was recommended to wear old kit for the first ride after applying it to the saddle


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## srw (21 May 2015)

I've never proofided the underneath of a Brooks, and never felt the loss. I've also never suffered from slippery bum. Use it sparingly, and polish well at the end.


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## Profpointy (21 May 2015)

p'rhaps I should distinguish my experience of different Brooks saddles. Having had crippling arse pain many years ago after a 40 mile ride I was advised to buy a brooks leather saddle. Not knowing there were different models, it happened to be a B17 - problem instantly solved. They need careful looking after though as it did go mouldy at one point when the bike lived outside for only 6 months and only 15 years later one of the metal parts fell off. Next bike went for B17 again in blingtastic titanium rails. My experience of a subsequent brooks swift was not as good - a bit narrow though did improve somewhat over time. In the end swapped out for a team pro - this is even better than the b17 for me - no breaking in, just perfect, and still close to new condition after 10 or 15 thousand miles. Anecdotally I reconn half to 2/3 of touring or long distance bikes have b17 or team pros - which has got to suggest something


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## raleighnut (21 May 2015)

Blowers said:


> Thanks for comments ... I shall just have to see whether I have a Brooks Bum or not. So the proofhide is applied underneath the saddle? I had some unpleasant visions of suited gentry arriving at work after their daily commute trying to explain why they had greasy marks around their nether regions having slipped around through overdosing the proofhide on the top side of the saddle.


Apply Proofide once to the bottom of the saddle with a brush when new (quite liberally and don't wipe it off) the top should be treated sparingly 2 or 3 times over the first month (cover the whole saddle and leave to dry, preferably overnight, then polish it off) after that just treat it once or twice a year.
The instructions come in the little booklet that comes with the saddle, just follow them and you should get a minimum of 40 years use.


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## John the Monkey (21 May 2015)

I've liked Brooks from day one too - however, some folk just don't get on with them at all. The one consolation for that latter group is that they hold their value pretty well for selling on.


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## steveindenmark (21 May 2015)

You could write a book on this. In my opinion every Brooks saddle and every bum is different. I have had a Brooks which took a year to break in. The amount of times it nearly ended up in the bin was many. It is now a superb saddle, so glad I kept it. I also bought a ladies Imperial by mistake for 8 quid. The day I got it I rode a 100 miler on it. Excellent, straight out of the box. If I bought another ladies Imperial it could be a nightmare from the start.

Until you get a Brooks out of the box and try it, it is impossible to say if it will be good or bad. But in my experience, given time, they all end up good.


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## jazzkat (21 May 2015)

My 2p worth. As the leather gives and changes shape it moulds to you, just like those tough leather boots that used to cripple your feet after ten minutes but are now oh so comfy. I tend to sit heavier on one sit bone than the other. Modern plastic saddles are ok but I eventually get a bit sore. On all my brooks saddles you can see how the saddle has shaped to me and is just spot on.


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## roundthebendbromcycle (22 May 2015)

I remember my first gel saddle, they hadn't been out for long, I cycled over to a new girlfriend for sunday lunch and 'meet the parents' her teenage sister nearly wet herself laughing at my shorts, the saddle had left a black stain, Im never going back, staying with my brooks


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## Profpointy (25 May 2015)

roundthebendbromcycle said:


> I remember my first gel saddle, they hadn't been out for long, I cycled over to a new girlfriend for sunday lunch and 'meet the parents' her teenage sister nearly wet herself laughing at my shorts, the saddle had left a black stain, Im never going back, staying with my brooks



well you've non-one to blame but yourself. Shorts should be black as any fule no. Pity no-one told them Polish fellas.


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## StuartG (29 May 2015)

raleighnut said:


> The instructions come in the little booklet that comes with the saddle, just follow them and you should get a minimum of 40 years use.


Never got any instructions so no care whatsoever and left out in the rain during years of commuting in the days you could leave a Brooks on a Dawes Galaxy chained to a railing all day in Central London. Thirty-six years on it don't look pretty - but neither does my bum so they still fit together perfectly.

<-- There it is!


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## roundthebendbromcycle (8 Jun 2015)

Profpointy said:


> well you've non-one to blame but yourself. Shorts should be black as any fule no. Pity no-one told them Polish fellas.


You're absolutely right there, lesson learned, perhaps they have non staining saddles in poland, they all seem to keep their girlfriends, I lost contact with that one shortly afterwards, I thought my thigh muscles would have compensated.


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## Profpointy (21 Jul 2015)

[QUOTE 3809131, member: 259"]How did you get on in the end? I'm toying with the idea of trying a B17 or a Team Pro again - quite a few years after trying a Brooks something-or-other and not getting on with it and selling it.[/QUOTE]

to be honest if you previously tried a B17 or 'pro I suspect you still won't get on with it - and I speak as a Brooksian. If you had a racy narrow one previously might still be worth a go, but B17 / team pro are the default models so most likely you had one or other. Both suit me, but I'm not you


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## snailracer (27 Aug 2015)

Blowers said:


> ...
> My questions are:
> Does the Brooks B17 really take a long time to break in? I may not be using bike daily
> Is it very uncomfortable for some time?
> ...


Hypothetically, if I were to buy a Brompton and used it for short multi-mode commutes, I would, overall, prefer a plastic saddle over a Brooks for the following reasons:

You can drag a bike around by the plastic saddle, without fear of tearing the leather top off the rivets. The standard Brompton plastic saddle seems to be designed as a handle with the tubular nose, the Brooks is not

Plastic saddles are softer. I find softer more comfortable than harder for distances less than about 5 miles. Beyond this, the harder Brooks is better. A softer saddle is more comfortable to mount/dismount, which happens a lot in urban riding

The sharper nose of the Brooks tends to catch on clothing and dig into your back more than the rounder noses of plastic saddles. This is more noticeable on urban commutes with lots of mounting/dismounting

Plastic saddles are generally lighter, which is a factor if you are lifting your Brompton on and off trains, or up and down stairs
Plastic saddles have a more consistent feel - my Brooks seems to change depending on temperature, humidity, how long since I last rode it, how long since I Proofided it, etc.

Plastic needs no Proofiding or retensioning, never sags, won't stain your trousers and is totally unaffected by rain
The only other factor I can think of is that a Brooks has a smoother surface than plastic saddles - the upside is this may have reduced tendency to wear holes in your work trousers, the downside is you tend to slip forward onto the uncomfortable nose of the saddle when coasting/braking.


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