[Closed] Brooks saddles a sore @rse or the best thing ever?

Normal saddles: Comfy out of the box, degrade slowly, chuck in the bin.

Brooks saddles: Uncomfy out of the box, get better and better with age until they're the best thing ever, pass onto your children.

I've got a prototype Swallow on my FS bike.

How do they do in the rain - I remember having one and after some rain it turned into a narrow rail that was uncomfortable to sit on.

Not sure about normal saddles degrading.

Proofide them well and they're usually fine with mud and rain - I've never had a problem. But experiences vary - I'd probably cover it if I left the bike out in the rain.

Normal saddles have gel that breaks down, foam that compresses or degrades, covers that rip, stitching that comes apart. Not quickly, hopefully, but eventually.

A normal saddle is never better than when you take it out of the box, a Brooks just gets better with age.

i have a swift that was really comfy after about 20miles break in period. for some reason i find it more comfy on my mtb than road bike. Also, they're a bit slippy so i tend to move around on the saddle more than i'd choose to. On the road bike a least.

On my mtb it's awesome, best saddle i've ever used. Comfy to the point of invisible.
On my road bike, i prefer my trudty selle italia turbo!

new; sore ars*, then like fairies polishing your botty with marsh mallows, or is that just me????

Beautiful & Comfy.

It’s sitting on a leather hammock,
Bit of Brooks Proofide leather dressing or leather cream to keep it supple for the first few miles and your sorted. Although for the first 2-3 months you should not let anyone else sit on it as it forms to the shape of YOUR bum.

If your out in the wet you can get a cover or keep sat down, although I have never had any problems with my B17.

Brooks saddles are an anachronism and a bit of a con, IMO. They are one of the last remaining products manufactured using traditional techniques and pre-plastic materials that are still selling. They are popular because, like a pair of leather mountaineering boots, the leather stretches and sags and cradles your bum like one of those old steel tractor seats. THis is why they are provided with a tightening bolt to take out excess stretch. Unfortunately if the leather gets wet it really stretches, which is good if you're wearing in some new boots but not good on a bicycle.

The problem is that since Brooks saddles are made using production techniques and materials unchanged since the factory was beating together chastity belts for the wives of absent crusaders, they weigh a ton. Modern plastics and alloys have taken over as they give equal strength for considerably less weight and can be manufactured with much more automation and less cost.

I disagree, I'm still riding a 1940 / 50's Swallow. It looks a tad battered but comfy as you like..............

They are popular because, like a pair of leather mountaineering boots, the leather stretches and sags and cradles your bum like one of those old steel tractor seats.

If it does that, you're doing it wrong. My 10-year-old Swallow looks as good as new, and I've tightened it exactly one quarter turn. All it now has - and this is the important bit - is two small dints where my sit bones are.

It's all getting a bit tedious for me 'cos I'm still 'breaking in' my B17 two and a half years on and, believe me, I've done a lot of mileage on it. 🙁

Ironically, back in the 1980's I had another Brooks on my road bike which was as comfy as a big feather mattress, but I gave it away when I got a mountain bike 'cos it didn't look the part 🙄

Sold my ti swift and regretted it, comfy from the off, now I've a ti swallow and its great.

I like them, have had a few.

Just got one B17 Narrow left now (the others were stolen, along with the bikes).
It cost £19.99 in 2001, but since they've been taken over by Selle Royal and marketed at the niche market the prices have just become ridiculous.

If you want to try a leather saddle, the Spa Cyles versions are arguable better than the current Brooks equivalents and much cheaper.
I've got one of these, the Nidd:
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Very comfy so far.

Don't use when it's totally sodden if you can help it, it'll stretch. Use a cover (the Brooks one's are fine, a placcy bag is cheaper), proof it well and never, ever tighten it unless you really have to.

I want to like the product / idea but I've never been able to ride one far enough to even think about breaking it in properly, tried a couple for maybe 15-20hrs each and found them almost cripplingly uncomfortable. A couple of friends use them, they have settled into them, one of said friends was having real comfort issues on a couple of 10-day rides last year on his well-worn in Brooks though and has since ditched it for a std saddle - maybe not the saddle's fault, who knows. I have a std WTB that I can ride day-in, day-out and never notice it, it's just a perfect fit for me. Cheaper, lighter - and gets wet with no issues which is a pretty major benefit imo.
I guess it's like any other saddle, a very personal thing but a Brooks has more chance than most of being personalised eventually.

Mine was comfy from day one. It's on my tourer which I rode for the first time in months just last weekend and it felt lovely. Like having my buttocks cupped by fair maidens. On my bombproof steel tourer weight is not a key consideration.

I've punished a few saddles in my time, but my favourite is a 2003 Ritchey WCS Ti railed effort. I've got bored with it sometimes, or changed it to match a new bike, but it's been utterly hammered over 10 years and is still going strong. Comfy out of the box and comfy now.

Brooks do [i]lovely[/i] saddles, but to me it's bling over almost every other consideration.

They need a lot of wearing in but my B73 has been a dream from day 1, but thats due to the 3 springs, lovely, like riding on air. My Team Pro is still a pain, literally and in a day or 2 I will have a Swift to go on my folding bike, so assume my arse will need to adapt to that one too, not looking forward to it but I am sure patience will regard me with a great saddle in the end.

Thinking about getting Brooks but how do you know which one would suit you best? My current saddle of choice is a Charge Spoon.

They have width measurements on the Brooks & Spa sites.

Pesonally, I find a B17 Narrow fine with drops, but uncomfy with flat bars.
Which is why I bought the Spa Nidd (about the same width as a B17 Standard) for my flat bar tourer.

I find Spoons and Bel Airs very comfy for flat bar bikes if that helps.

There's a lot of metalwork under a leather saddle which can get uncomfy if the saddle is too narrow.
The rail design on Brooks means they don't go back very far either.

Might be best to take your Spoon to the shop for comparison?

If you're anywhere near Burnley you're welcome to borrow mine.