Brooks saddle choice

[Joe24]

Im thinking about getting a Brooks saddle for the good fixed, im thinking it will look good, and can hope its more comfy then the Avator thats on it, and the white saddle that was on it when i first built it up.
But how do i chose between the narrow and the standard one?
The standard one is slightly cheaper, but will i need the narrow one? I do alot of miles on my bike. My Avator used to be comfy, but now it really does get uncomfy after about 25-30 miles.
Summer is coming and ill soon be doing longer rides so im going to try a Brooks.
If anyone suggests a Toupe, then they can happily buy me one and sell it me cheap
So, how do i go about deciding weather to go for the standard or the narrow? The Avator i got measured for is 143mm i think.
Im still in the thinking stage with it, its not a deffinate thing im getting one yet.

 

[bonj2]

I had this same dilemma
probably not that much in it
a narrow is 155mm wide, as wide as the widest toupe.
a standard is 170mm wide, so only really ~7.5mm more either side.

fwiw I personally doubt there's a huge amount of difference between an avator and a toupe. The toupe is just slightly better looking (squarer at the back) and lighter. I've got a 155mm toupe and i might just be imagining it but i think i find it comfier than the 143 toupe.

 

[Joe24]

I had this same dilemma
probably not that much in it
a narrow is 155mm wide, as wide as the widest toupe.
a standard is 170mm wide, so only really ~7.5mm more either side.

fwiw I personally doubt there's a huge amount of difference between an avator and a toupe. The toupe is just slightly better looking (squarer at the back) and lighter. I've got a 155mm toupe and i might just be imagining it but i think i find it comfier than the 143 toupe.

The problem i have is i think my sit bones are sticking out more
When i move about on the saddle to try and get comfy, if i sit back on the big wider bits at the back it feels like my sit bones are pushing against something, like where the rails go in, so it feels like im sitting on something with a slight bit of padding just on my sit bones
When i move forward, it isnt comfy again with my sit bones, and the bit between my legs(no, not my nob)
So it soon gets uncomfy.
On the TT is wasnt so bad, that was 10miles and i was pretty much just on the front of the saddle, but on longer rides it isnt nice.
SJS dont have the narrow B17 in honey, only the standard. I looked at the Champion aswell but thats only in black SJS seem to be cheaper with Brooks, and i can buy over the phone

 

[4F]

Hi Joe, I have a B17N in black (I did 1000 miles on it) that you could try for size for the cost of postage. You can just post it back to me afterwards.

 

[Greenbank]

Go to a good bike shop and get your sit bones measured. Spesh dealers should have a device that does this, essentially a bit of stiff foam that you sit on for a minute and then measure the distance between the centre of the indentations.

Once you have that measurement you can work out what saddle you need.

There's no guarantee that a Brooks saddle will work for you. I'm happy that it works for me, but I'm lucky.

And a Brooks Swallow is a thing of beauty, I'm glad I bought mine in a Bike+ sale two years ago before the price of leather, and titanium, went through the roof (£120).

 

[Joe24]

Go to a good bike shop and get your sit bones measured. Spesh dealers should have a device that does this, essentially a bit of stiff foam that you sit on for a minute and then measure the distance between the centre of the indentations.

Once you have that measurement you can work out what saddle you need.

There's no guarantee that a Brooks saddle will work for you. I'm happy that it works for me, but I'm lucky.

And a Brooks Swallow is a thing of beauty, I'm glad I bought mine in a Bike+ sale two years ago before the price of leather, and titanium, went through the roof (£120).

I had them measured, i got a 143mm Spesh Avator that was right for my sitbones, but now its just uncomfy.
Id loce a Swallow, but they really are expensive

 

[Joe24]

Hi Joe, I have a B17N in black (I did 1000 miles on it) that you could try for size for the cost of postage. You can just post it back to me afterwards.

Thanks for the offer. Im thinking about just going for the standard one in honey and seeing how it goes. If my arse hates it, ill sell it off to the hipsters down in London
Oh, because i ride in all weathers the saddle might get abit wet. Is this going to wrech the saddle fast? Should i keep one of those covers on the bike for when it rains so i can put that on it to keep it protected or will it be alright? The bottom of the saddle might get abit wet aswell. Is it bad for it?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

cover the underside with proofhide if you don't run mudguards - soaked leather a good saddle does not make. your arse will cover it pretty well when you ride which leaves the cover, or a carrier bag, for when it's outside the tea shop in the pouring rain

 

[bonj2]

The problem i have is i think my sit bones are sticking out more
When i move about on the saddle to try and get comfy, if i sit back on the big wider bits at the back it feels like my sit bones are pushing against something, like where the rails go in, so it feels like im sitting on something with a slight bit of padding just on my sit bones

I know what you mean - i get that with the toupe sometimes, but not half as bad with the brooks. I think it's 'cos it drops off gradually downwards to the sides rather than just ending.
If you vary your position a lot that helps, i.e. going on the drops shifts pressure to the front of the sit bones, and the tops/hoods moves it more to the back of them.

When i move forward, it isnt comfy again with my sit bones, and the bit between my legs(no, not my nob)

perineum. that's the comfort problem with a fizik arione. sit bones - fine, but too high in the middle.

 

[bonj2]

Thanks for the offer. Im thinking about just going for the standard one in honey and seeing how it goes. If my arse hates it, ill sell it off to the hipsters down in London
Oh, because i ride in all weathers the saddle might get abit wet. Is this going to wrech the saddle fast? Should i keep one of those covers on the bike for when it rains so i can put that on it to keep it protected or will it be alright? The bottom of the saddle might get abit wet aswell. Is it bad for it?

can do, but I can't see how a carrier bag doesn't achieve exactly the same job, that's what i do.
get some of that proofide stuff and put it on when you first get it and then every so often or if it gets a bit wet (after it dries).
It says 'on bikes without mudguards apply proofide to the underside and don't buff it off'.
They say not to get it wet, but i doubt it would have any effect only once in a while if you proofided it.
oh yeah also one rule to remember: *never tighten the screw*

fwiw i posted a thread a bit ago about my fixie being more uncomfy than my scott, both with 'identical' brooks b17Ns, someone said no two brooks can be identical, but swapped them over today (i.e. with the 'comfy' one on the fixed) for the commute today. result? comfy on the way in, same uncomfiness on the way home as on last week's long ride on the other one. only two possible conclusions: (1) going home not using assos cream, (2) going home largely downhill, therefore spinnier - for which blame is to be layed firmly at the crap old nike bibtights which i have deduced have got a seam right under the sit bone which i can only assume must work its way there when i'm spinning, but manages to stay out the way when i'm grinding. causing subconscious moving around to try and get comfy, which causes uncomfiness in itself.

 

[jimboalee]

It took me 20 years and four Brooks saddles to get the 'comfy' ride.

The first two B17s were pre-used and were shaped to someone else's sit bones. Got rid of them soonafter.

The third was a new Pro-Honey. It took a while to break in with help from Proofhide. It's now a 'cutaway' and on my Pug.
The fourth is a B17N and is on my Dawes Giro 500. It was new, broken in correctly and now feels like a leather armchair.
I wear Lusso Coolmax Progel shorts.
My cadence is a leisurely 70 - 75 rpm with strong pushes.

I found that my arse started hurting when I experimented with 'spinning' at 80 - 90 rpm, so went back to the slower cadence.

My SWorks has a Fizik Arione. Wow, that's comfortable.
My Apollo County has a nondescript Halfords jobbie. I put 100km as the distance limit on this bike. Not that the saddle hurts, because it takes seven hours to cover 65 miles.

 

[asterix]

After using B17s for years, tried a Swift (much narrower) on my new bike and it was obviously not for me as I my weight not supported by the sit bones sufficiently, more the perineum area. Nothing I did could make it right so I sold it and put on an old B17 off another bike. Wonderful!

Now I have bought a new B17 which even from day one is better for me than the Swift. Other people rate the Swift highly.

(If you do need to sell a Brooks Swift, the CTC and YACF sites all produced far more responses than this one. I could have sold a dozen!)

 

[yello]

Is there a guide somewhere to the differences in various Brooks saddles?

I was surprised to see there were so many types and wouldn't have a clue in where to start in trying to work out which one MIGHT work for me.

 

[Dave5N]

Get a toupe. Best saddle so far.

 

[StirlingCrispin]

Spa Cycles' website gives a brief description of each Brooks saddle type.

I have several B17Ns and a B17-Ti.
The Ti is amazingly comfortable, absorbing all the road buzz, and transforming my Cannondale road bike. They are quite pricey in a "woh!" kinda way.

Saddle pitch is critical, particularly with a Brooks. You want the nose to be exactly the same level as the back. Anything else can have you rolling forward, or back, in your shorts with all sorts of chafing and numbness problems resulting.