Which saddle (reccomend me an armchair)

[Cockney Scot]

Breaking in the Brooks is like breaking in new shoes. How often have a pair of new shoes hurt at 1st but then turned out to be really comfy after a few wears. The Brooks is the same, the leather moulds to your shapw after a few rides.

 

[wafflycat]

One shouldn't have to break in shoes either!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

having just got a brooks b17 i can confirm that no breaking in has been necessary, and it's a comfy ride.

 

[wafflycat]

having just got a brooks b17 i can confirm that no breaking in has been necessary, and it's a comfy ride.

So yours fits you. As it should be

 

[ASC1951]

So where are your sit bones supposed to be on the saddle? Because mine are not sitting on the top of the saddle at all, they are rubbing on the sides of the saddle where there is no padding and hence a lot of pressure. The seat isn't going to budge and nor are my bones. Are you saying that the sit bones should sit on top of the saddle and rest on the padding or should they sit either side of the nose of the saddle and not touch the seat at all?

I'm finding that difficult to visualise. Your sit bones should be on the back part of the saddle, behind the line of the seat post, and should most definitely rest on the top of the saddle.

If your sit bones are on the side of the saddle, you must:-
- have a saddle which is narrower than anything I have ever seen, or
- have a pelvis which is quite exceptionally wide, or
- have a bike which is far too long for you, so that you have to sit right at the front of the saddle to reach the bars.

To me it sounds like the last, in which case you need to sort that out before querying the saddle.

 

[redcogs]

Brooks. Mine's got springs on for bounce.

i've also got a Brooks Swift (Titanium). Both very comfortable indeed.

 

[I am Spartacus]

- have a bike which is far too long for you, so that you have to sit right at the front of the saddle to reach the bars.

Very fair point.. if the poster ever returns, I'd like a few stats to hand

top tube length
length of arms
length of torso

I get the impression that his bike size is the nub/rub of the issue here

 

[tyred]

If you need a harder saddle, perhaps you need one of these

 

[Woz!]

I also used to think that the bum changed to fit the saddle rather than the saddle molding to the bum, but my Brookes definitely broke in!
I've had a B17 for a long time which I've transfered to a few bikes. Comfortable as anything.

I got a new bike a couple of months ago and put an identical new B17 on it, and it was AGONY. Took about 100 miles to be bearable and now at a 1000 miles it's as comfortable as my other saddle.

I used a couple of applications of Proofhide all over (and on the bottom of the saddle too) and I always cover it with a plastic bag when it's exposed to the elements without a bum on it!

It's worth the pain though - there's nothing that can approach a personalised broken in Brookes.

 

[Davidc]

If you need a harder saddle, perhaps you need one of these

You'd need a pneumatic drill for a bum to break one of those in!

 

[wafflycat]

You'd need a pneumatic drill for a bum to break one of those in!

Or just consume a very large bowl of very hot vindaloo the night before. That should do the trick.

 

[theclaud]

ASC1951 might well be right, but if it's just that you've got the wrong type of saddle I'll put in a vote for the Charge Ladle in case money is an issue - about £20. The men's version is called Spoon. I used to ride the Spesh BG saddles that folk have mentioned, but find these better. No squidgy nonsense, and a forgiving indentation in the middle...

 

[fwgx]

I picked up a specialized something or other last night in the shop and got measured too. I went for a wider one as that's what the measuring said I should get and it has a bit of padding too, but it wasn't ridiculously wide or padded. I've also adjusted it to point up a bit more and that seems a lot better.

I think I must have an odd shaped bum because if I sit right on the soft part of the seat I feel like I'm going to fall off the back of it. Managed a 10 mile ride tonight and it was a huge improvement. I tried using my legs more in order to take the weight off my bum and it worked, although my unfit legs felt it, which is probably a good thing!

Think I might eventually raise the handlebars a little and perhaps get a shorter stem as my current one seems quite long, if it were half as long it would probably help me sit more upright and on the proper part of the saddle (yeah I know the bike is probably too big for me, but there's not a lot I can do about that now, just trying to make the best of what I have)

 

[yello]

I'm so pleased ASC1951 asked those questions... because I was beginning to think I was the only one that was finding it difficult to visualise the problem. I thought there was either a confusion with terminology or it was a wind up!

I can only agree that saddle choice is a personal thing and the recommendations of others are not always useful. Sadly, I think it's trail and error. Try to ascertain the basic shape you're looking for (that's where Specs BG test thing is useful) and try out saddles that fit that description.

 

[montage]

charge spoon