which brooks?

[Chrisc]

second ride on it on Sunday. It would appear to have broken in over less than 6 hours / 70 miles of riding. It was like riding a sofa.

I wonder if one would look really stupid on my singlespeed?

I was wondering if it would look stupid on my bianchi but my san marco seems to have come good!

 

[leyton condor]

Do brooks saddles take much looking after, how do they cope with wet commutes etc?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Fab Foodie - I think you'll like the Arione, I found mine very comfy - I did worry slightly about the flatness of the shape & the pressure that places on ones bits though.

Well, I took the plunge and went out on a 40 miler on the Arione wingflex. Fabulous!
It's kinda like a mini-Brooks in that it's hard but in a good way. I too was concerned about the flatness, but it works really, really well. It's long too, same as the B17, so there's plenty of room to move around and it's comfy wherever you sit on it.
Being very light, it makes the bike feel more agile as well, which was a main reason for taking a punt at it.
Very pleased.
Brooks will be saved for my (I'll get round to it one-day) long-distance bike build.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Do brooks saddles take much looking after, how do they cope with wet commutes etc?

a bit #1. you buy some stuff called proofhide and apply it according to ancient lore

once a day for a week
once a week for a month
once a month for a year
once a year for life

a bit #2. Like leather shoes (think Doc Martins) the saddle needs to be broken in. Some people claim this is an agonisingly painful process which takes 1000's of miles. I suggest these people are riding saddles that don't fit them. Every Brooks model will not suit ever human r's. Mine are broken in, once and for all, after about 7 hours on board but are no more uncomfortable than any other unfamiliar new saddle during that period.

a bit #3. wet commutes, so long as you have a rear mudguard and stay sat on the saddle you should be ok. If honking is your thing then get a brooks or a carradice saddle cover.

a bit #4. my mtb saddle (B17N) has an under saddle water deflector made from an old washing up liquid bottle and the underside of the leather has been slathered with proofhide just in case my crudguard gets bashed out of the way and it ends up in the firing line. On a road bike with no rear mudguard you'd need to do similar.

a bit#5. you may need to tweak it over a short period of time, say adjusting the angle of the top to get it just right.

 

[John the Monkey]

It's kinda like a mini-Brooks in that it's hard but in a good way. I too was concerned about the flatness, but it works really, really well. It's long too, same as the B17, so there's plenty of room to move around and it's comfy wherever you sit on it.

The length of the Arione is a huge plus - it's very easy to get a comfortable position on it because there's so much fore and aft movement. I believe the Antares has the length, but a "wave" shape to the top, which is interesting for those of us worried about the Arione's flatness.

I think the Arione is fairly soft, tbh, not overly padded, but not really firm either. Now the Pro Logo Nago, *that* is a hard saddle.

 

[maurice]

Well, I took the plunge and went out on a 40 miler on the Arione wingflex. Fabulous!
It's kinda like a mini-Brooks in that it's hard but in a good way. I too was concerned about the flatness, but it works really, really well. It's long too, same as the B17, so there's plenty of room to move around and it's comfy wherever you sit on it.
Being very light, it makes the bike feel more agile as well, which was a main reason for taking a punt at it.
Very pleased.
Brooks will be saved for my (I'll get round to it one-day) long-distance bike build.

Did you get the slightly lairy looking orange/silver colour Arione? How does it look on the bike in real-life? I'm very tempted at that price as I have an Aliante which works well on the MTB, but concerned it'll look a real eye-sore on my all black Allez

 

[Fab Foodie]

Did you get the slightly lairy looking orange/silver colour Arione? How does it look on the bike in real-life? I'm very tempted at that price as I have an Aliante which works well on the MTB, but concerned it'll look a real eye-sore on my all black Allez

Yep, it's silver with a bright red strip up the centre. My bike is kinda candy-apple red and silver so it looks OK enough...in fact, quite mean! Most of the time it's hidden by my large but shapely arse

 

[maurice]

Cheers, think I'll have to get one.

 

[GazK]

Update from the OP: took delivery of my team pro today - looks lovely, feels quite weird after my nasty Very Tasteee Corporation OEM Special. Talk about low friction, it's like sitting on a tiny ice rink! I'm told the slippyness settles down, but if I keep sliding forward I will tweak the nose up a bit. Did a quick 8 mile test ride, I can feel the saddle with my sit bones but it's not uncomfortable, just different.

Got a 30 miler on cinder tomorrow - bit apprehensive!

 

[rogerzilla]

Is it steel or titanium? I have both and they are massively different. The steel one is unyielding and the top had to be broken in, which has so far taken about 1000 miles and I still reckon it has a little way to go.

The Ti one is far more flexible; the rails "give" rather than the leather. At first, it feels as if the saddle clamp is loose compared to the steel one. Therefore even after a greater mileage, there are minimal dimples in the top but it was comfortable much earlier than the steel one.

 

[GazK]

Is it steel or titanium? I have both and they are massively different. The steel one is unyielding and the top had to be broken in, which has so far taken about 1000 miles and I still reckon it has a little way to go.

The Ti one is far more flexible; the rails "give" rather than the leather. At first, it feels as if the saddle clamp is loose compared to the steel one. Therefore even after a greater mileage, there are minimal dimples in the top but it was comfortable much earlier than the steel one.

Its steel - Ti beyond my budget I'm afraid. I did 48 miles on it today, and although the last 15 were through somewhat gritted teeth, the aching is of a completely different nature to my previous saddle. With that one it was soft tissue pain - my sitbones weren't on the saddle. With the Brooks it is only the area directly under my sitbones that ache. Everything else is as it should be. I suspect this is a combination of:

- breaking it in
- my sitbones getting used to being used - I haven't been cycling on them since at least 1992!
- fatigue (previous personal best distance 30 miles)

I'm *really* hoping mine breaks in less than 1000 miles - distance rides are not that frequent for me! Mind you based on today I could do 30 miles without significant discomfort so all in all not too bad. And I did pick the stiffest saddle they do...