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Brooks Saddle Review Thread

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
If you feel like it, post your experiences too.

Over time, I'll post in this thread to describe the break-in process. I'm doing this cuz when I got the saddle, I couldn't believe how hard it was. Figure I'd follow up from my other thread asking about which saddle is right for me.

I went with the B17N, despite the advice to go standard (versus narrow) cuz it was a little wider than my current saddle. Since I like my Terry Fly, I didn't want to change the shape too much.

I put the saddle in front of a space heater to warm it up and applied Proofide. How much this helps break it in, not sure, but that seemed to be the recommendation. Plus, it should protect the saddle in various weather.

Ride 1: 3 miles -- seriously, you people like this? friggin' sickos. I stopped riding cuz of the weather, not the saddle, but still, it's a rock.

Ride 2: 35 miles. Surprisingly not too bad. No real discomfort. Maybe proofide sitting for a couple of days helped?

Ride 3: 43 miles and 5000' gain. My butt hurt, so much so that I put more pressure on my feet than normal and for the first time in six months, my feet hurt. Two days later, my butt's still sore.

HOWEVER, I'm confident that it's breaking in and will be a great saddle for years to come. I think it's gonna take 200-300 more miles before it really starts to conform. I'll put more Proofide on and see if that expedites the process.

ADVICE mostly for less serious/experienced rides (those like me):
Get your saddle after you've conditioned your bottom. I only had ~400 miles this year, after taking off a couple of months, when I started to break in my saddle. Maybe get yours towards the end of your typically season. I say this cuz it's affecting my base miles. I rode the 43 miles Saturday and didn't feel like riding on Sunday (drinking 'til 2am didn't help either ;) ). I'll be riding tonight, but it'll hurt.

I don't want to discourage anyone from getting this awesome saddle, but there always seems to be so many questions about Brooks.

 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
The easiest and fastest method to break in a new saddle is with a liquid leather dressing, such as neatsfoot oil, Lexol, seal oil (a French favorite) or baseball glove oil.. These products are available from shoe stores and sporting-goods stores. 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). Paste or wax type leather dressings, such as Brooks Proofide, Sno-Seal, and saddle soap will work, but it takes much, much longer to break in a saddle that way.
Sheldon has more to say.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Thanks Loopie... I'm going to need a new saddle pretty soon. I nornmally run sel italia flites but I experienced so much discomfort when I started to train on my new rollers that I took the road saddle off and put my mtb saddle in its place, that helped some but not enough. :(
 

chriskaiser

Monkey
Jul 26, 2004
140
0
Toronto
I ride on a selle success it's thin and not very cushy but it fits my bum well so it's actually pretty comfortable and really light too.
 

-dustin

boring
Jun 10, 2002
7,155
1
austin
yeah, it took a couple TX4000 riders a little while to get used to their Brooks. i rode both their bikes at seperate times and couldn't believe how different they felt (both B17s).
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
I just ordered a Brooks Swift from my LBS; should be here in a week. Now that I am pushing 2 hours on my rollers I just cant hack my current saddle, I had no idea how often I got out of the saddle before I started on the rollers. :dead:
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
What made you choose the Swift?

Update... did 36 miles yesterday, slight discomfort. Did 18 miles tonight, less discomfort, but I'm pretty sure my butt is what's breaking in :blah:
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
I chose the swift because... uh, I thought it would make me go faster... :o:

Actually it came down to weight and titanium rails, I think the other saddles have chrome plated steel rails. I have heard that a Brooks saddle will last every bit of 20 years - I checked out used ones on eBay and noted that the steel rails are often corroded and rusty. So of the two models with titanium rails I choose the lightest one.

One of the hardest lessons to learn with road biking is to always buy the very best you can afford (without being stupid) because you'll end up buying it eventually anyway. When I bout my last saddles I had to buy 2 and bought the Flites because I had already spent a chunk of change of the Campy gear - I knew I wouldn'y have them long.
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
LordOpie said:
Update... did 36 miles yesterday, slight discomfort. Did 18 miles tonight, less discomfort, but I'm pretty sure my butt is what's breaking in :blah:
I have been riding the rollers 5 days a week - base training for my 14 weeks of training before STP. I do about 6 hours at 70% keeping my spin at 85 to 90... three more weeks of that. :mad:

I am going to sneek in a mountain bike ride on Thursday but I will not hit the road until my base is covered. I have no self control when it come to road riding, I cant help but race the clock and that won't do me much good now.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
What if they get wet? I sweat a lot and worry I would ruin one.



Brooks brings back the Swallow

It must be summer…
Legendary leather saddle maker Brooks (now owned by Selle Royal) has announced the return of an equally legendary seat, the Swallow racing saddle.

Last year, Brooks produced a limited edition of 999 Swallow saddles, and, the company says, they sold out in weeks. To satisfy the remaining demand Brooks has recreated the Swallow as the Classic Swallow. This saddle replicates the narrow, cutaway shape of the original 1936 Swallow, a saddle which was extremely popular with racers in the middle of last century until lighter, foam-covered, plastic-hulled saddles displaced Brooks from its perch.

To keep the weight of the modern version under control it has titanium rails and to keep the cost under control the leather is not stitched together, a process that contributed to making the old Champion Swallow the most expensive saddle Brooks ever made.

Even with the titanium rails, the Swallow is unlikely to appeal to weight weenies - making a saddle from a single piece of leather is a weighty process. But that's not the point. Brooks is bringing back a piece of history here. Bottecchia, Bartali, Coppi and Anquetil all rode Brooks saddles and the Swallow shape was almost certainly the inspiration for modern minimalist saddles.

More info: www.brooksengland.com

 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
Wumpus said:
What if they get wet? I sweat a lot and worry I would ruin one.
I'm a year into my saddle - while I would not ride it in the rain, I think bit of moisture will just help break the saddle in. I dunked mine in Hubbard's Shoe Grease, I doubt my sweaty balls will have much of an impact.

uh... did I say that?
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
It's dry here, so I can't really comment except to say that I coated the bottom/inside of my saddle with the leather treatment stuff that came with my Brooks.

I've done century rides on Terry Dragonfly and my Brooks B17 as well as shorter rides on other saddles... nothing has come close to being comfortable for me as my Brooks.

While I'm sometimes sore on my brooks, I've never gotten rash/irritation or numbness and I get that all the time on any other saddle I've tried.

I'd rather have my Brooks with Sora drivetrain than another saddle and Campy Record or DA.

I love my B17 so much that I'm gonna get matching bar tape from Wallbikes :)
 

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
Oh My God they're expensive! The Swallow is around... $250.00? Is that right?
Anyone..., I'm on a Terry Fly right now. Still get occasional numbness even when my butt has broke in. How does the Swallow compare to that once it's broken in (not vs. my ass, vs the Terry)?

Edit: does the bottom need to be shellac'd w/ some Thompson's Water Seal or somfin?
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
$320.00 US. The difference between the Swallow and the swift seems to be the saddle bag mounts, cut of the leather and a bar tab that holds the nose together. I think my Swift was $180.00 I wonder if $140 more bones would be worth it? I suppose all the Rivendales will have them soon enough?
 

peter6061

Turbo Monkey
Nov 19, 2001
1,575
0
Kenmore, WA
I tried to 'break in' and Brooks about 10 years ago, but my pvssy-ass 25 yr old tush couldn't take the pain and I sold it off after about two months. I've heard great things about them once they're broken in, but I've also heard that it can take up to two years for the 'normal' cyclist to really break one in. <-- this coming from various RAAM riders I crewed for as a mechanic.
 

Wumpus

makes avatars better
Dec 25, 2003
8,161
153
Six Shooter Junction
What if they get wet? I sweat a lot and worry I would ruin one.
So far so good. I got a B-17 a couple of months ago. I haven't done more than 35 miles or so at a time yet, but it seems pretty comfortable. I picked up a waterproof seat cover today since I don't think it is ever going to stop raining, and I need to ride.


Only issue, I have a pair of Castelli Kiss shorts and the little extra width of the B-17 presses right on the seam on the edge of the chamois.:rant:
 

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,896
Fort of Rio Grande
I'm still happy with mine - I never even thing about it, best saddle I've ever owned. :)

Oh and... the shoe grease dipping turned out all right - my saddle is waterproof.
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
Oh and... the shoe grease dipping turned out all right - my saddle is waterproof.
I assume you used only that stuff, yeah?

I soaked mine in proofide -- the leather treatment stuff that comes with the saddle. I would say that I like the proofide, but it rarely rains here.


Glad you like your Wumpus, I hope the rain lets up some.