Which Brooks saddle?

In article
,
Andre Jute wrote:

A writer sits all day. My bum gets awfully tired. When I go on my
bike, I want my bum soothed, or at least not further bruised. I'm
thinking of getting a Brooks saddle to replace my Cheeko 90, which is
getting a bit tacky. (The alternative is to recover the Cheeko 90 in
honey leather of which I have plenty, though I don't know how it will
stand up to weather as it is off indoor Swedish furniture we trashed
so I could use the seasoned wood for my geribike experiments.)

I ride an hour a day, two hours a day for longer rides, never more.
Total mileage in the order of 2000m/3200km per year, creeping up
slowly.

Which Brooks model would be advisable for a guy who weighs 215 pounds?

Should I prefer one of the models with helical springs at the back?

Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.

General advice and personal anecdotes equally welcome.

I thought that I might get those Brooks edgewise leather-circle
handlebar grips that Jay Bollyn mentioned last year to match the
saddle. Opinion?

Andre Jute
Brooks saddle going onto this bike:
http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/Andre%20Jute's%20Utopia%20Kranich.pdf

B190-Gents
Double dual coil springs in back, double loop front spring,
immense stretched leather top.

--
Michael Press

In article
,
landotter wrote:

On Feb 27, 10:29 am, "
wrote:
On Feb 27, 10:07 am, Art Harris wrote:

landotter wrote:
You should get the color you find most pleasing--because you'll be
thinking and obsessing about it all the time as you slip forwards and
back, adjusting tilt, and driving yourself mad with saddle futzery.

Yes, and there isn't much fore-aft adjustment on most Brooks saddles.

Art Harris

There is 3-4 inches of rail to slide the clamp along. Seatposts come
in many shapes with varying amounts of rear offset. If you can't get
your Brook saddle in the correct position then you are incompetent.


Spoken like a religionist. The most logical reason for a Brooks being
uncomfortable is the poor design. Slip down,so you angle it up, when
you angle it up, it presses your bits. But--the religionist says--you
cannot find the correct position--you are the problem, not the saddle.
Just like if you can't see Jesus standing there in his Cowboy Cut
double knit suit agreeing with your every deed, well that's your fault
too, unbeliever.

Next, we'll make a really bad analogy with Schroedinger's cat and
Power Grips...

What if someone rides narrow Brooks stretched leather saddles for years
without fussing over the position?

Tell me about Schroedinger's dog.

--
Michael Press

In article
,
" wrote:

On Feb 26, 10:04*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
A writer sits all day. My bum gets awfully tired. When I go on my
bike, I want my bum soothed, or at least not further bruised. I'm
thinking of getting a Brooks saddle to replace my Cheeko 90, which is
getting a bit tacky. (The alternative is to recover the Cheeko 90 in
honey leather of which I have plenty, though I don't know how it will
stand up to weather as it is off indoor Swedish furniture we trashed
so I could use the seasoned wood for my geribike experiments.)

I ride an hour a day, two hours a day for longer rides, never more.
Total mileage in the order of 2000m/3200km per year, creeping up
slowly.

Which Brooks model would be advisable for a guy who weighs 215 pounds?

I use the B17 on my touring bike. Swift on two racing bikes. And
Professional on two road bikes. Pro is the unbroken in version of
Team Pro. I'm a few pounds lighter if that matters, it doesn't. B17
is widest, then the Pro, then the Swift is kind of narrow but not
compared to current racing saddles. All are comfortable for me.

B17 is the mainstay and is cheapest.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ Has good prices on Brooks
saddles. England site.


Should I prefer one of the models with helical springs at the back?

Extra weight if that matters. I've never been uncomfortable with
regular Brooks so don't see a reason to add a suspension. You already
have Fat Albert tires for suspension.




Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.

No. They just wear out faster. Get the unbroken in models and break
it in by using it. And oiling it. I find them comfortable from day
one.

Oiling the saddle will make it sag. Alright for you, but
not for all. Often it is the sag that makes Brooks saddles
unsatisfactory for those who find them so. I recommend
using Brooks Proofide or an equivalent beeswax formulation
produced for boots.

--
Michael Press

Thanks, gentlemen. To those who mentioned the narrower seats, those
are for people sporting enough to be out of the seat a bit. I have
decided, somewhat arbitrarily, that the B66 dimension of 210mm wide is
the narrowest I will consider. I also want springing front and rear.
That leaves me with this shortlist:

B190, widest of all at 250mm, has push pull springs at the back for
damping vibration; see the fuller description below at B135. Black
only and I really don't want any more black on my bike.

B33, 235mm wide, triple rail, twisted springs at rear; I'm not sure I
need this much saddle, though I have seen this (newly reissued) saddle
in its old age in Africa, which must be some kind of a recommendation.

B135. This is a B66 with a front loop spring and at the back double
springs to each side. The springs at the back work in push-pull,
stabilizing the saddle not only front to back but side to side, which
would be good for loaded touring or carrying shopping uphill when I'm
going so slowly anyway that my balance gets dicey. I expect that push-
pull coils will also act to smooth out the ripples in the road that
make it through the Big Apples.

B73. A B66 with an additional coil spring at the front. This is
reputed to be a very comfortable saddle but Brooks says, and my cycle
parts pusher, Chainreaction Cycles (Belfast), repeats the warning,
"some cyclists comment that the B73 has more lateral motion than our
other saddles, because of the extra front spring". Though I don't care
overly much for the stiffness of the seat as I'm not a sporting style
of cyclist, I do wonder if one really wants to add a seat with suspect
lateral stiffness to Big Apple tyres that I intend to run as low as
won't give me snakebite flats on my local roads, at which point they
might roll a bit.

And that's it. I take the least saddle that will do the job, and the
best-looking one too, the B73, except for the concern about lateral
stability.

The B135's push-pull damping is a big selling point but the B33 is
just overkill for my roads and the B190 is the wrong colour.

Here are some pages from the Brooks catalogue:

B190
http://www.brooksengland.com/shop/sh...-----------120
B33
http://www.brooksengland.com/shop/sh...-----------124
B135
http://www.brooksengland.com/shop/sh...-----------116
B73
http://www.brooksengland.com/shop/sh...------------68
and for reference but not under consideration because it doesn't have
the front spring, B66
http://www.brooksengland.com/shop/sh...------------48

Bigger photographs at my pet mailorder dealer, www.chainreactioncycles.com

So I have to decide between the B135 and the B73.

Thanks for your time and interest.

Andre Jute
Here's the bike the Brooks saddle will be used on:
http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/Andre%20Jute's%20Utopia%20Kranich.pdf


On Feb 27, 4:04*am, Andre Jute wrote:
A writer sits all day. My bum gets awfully tired. When I go on my
bike, I want my bum soothed, or at least not further bruised. I'm
thinking of getting a Brooks saddle to replace my Cheeko 90, which is
getting a bit tacky. (The alternative is to recover the Cheeko 90 in
honey leather of which I have plenty, though I don't know how it will
stand up to weather as it is off indoor Swedish furniture we trashed
so I could use the seasoned wood for my geribike experiments.)

I ride an hour a day, two hours a day for longer rides, never more.
Total mileage in the order of 2000m/3200km per year, creeping up
slowly.

Which Brooks model would be advisable for a guy who weighs 215 pounds?

Should I prefer one of the models with helical springs at the back?

Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.

General advice and personal anecdotes equally welcome.

I thought that I might get those Brooks edgewise leather-circle
handlebar grips that Jay Bollyn mentioned last year to match the
saddle. Opinion?

Andre Jute
Brooks saddle going onto this bike:
*http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/Andre%20Jute's%20Utopia%20Kranich....

On Feb 27, 4:02*pm, "
wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:04*pm, Andre Jute wrote:

Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.

No. *They just wear out faster. *Get the unbroken in models and break
it in by using it. *And oiling it. *I find them comfortable from day
one.

Let's save the bunfight about how I treat my Brooks saddle until we've
decided which one I require. We don't want to derail the discussion
before I've had all you knowledgeable guys have to give on the choice
itself.

I also notice that no one said, Recover the Cheeko 90 with leather,
since you already have both the Cheeko saddle and the leather. I can
only hope the Brooks will be as comfortable as the Cheeko, which
served me faithfully for about six years.

Andre Jute
Only the best is good enough for my bum

Ah, hell, I wrote to you intending to say I know about Chainreaction
in Belfast as parcels arrive from them about once a fortnight, but I
got distracted... -- AJ


On Feb 27, 4:02*pm, "
wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:04*pm, Andre Jute wrote:

A writer sits all day. My bum gets awfully tired. When I go on my
bike, I want my bum soothed, or at least not further bruised. I'm
thinking of getting a Brooks saddle to replace my Cheeko 90, which is
getting a bit tacky. (The alternative is to recover the Cheeko 90 in
honey leather of which I have plenty, though I don't know how it will
stand up to weather as it is off indoor Swedish furniture we trashed
so I could use the seasoned wood for my geribike experiments.)

I ride an hour a day, two hours a day for longer rides, never more.
Total mileage in the order of 2000m/3200km per year, creeping up
slowly.

Which Brooks model would be advisable for a guy who weighs 215 pounds?

I use the B17 on my touring bike. *Swift on two racing bikes. *And
Professional on two road bikes. *Pro is the unbroken in version of
Team Pro. *I'm a few pounds lighter if that matters, it doesn't. *B17
is widest, then the Pro, then the Swift is kind of narrow but not
compared to current racing saddles. *All are comfortable for me.

B17 is the mainstay and is cheapest.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/*Has good prices on Brooks
saddles. *England site.



Should I prefer one of the models with helical springs at the back?

Extra weight if that matters. *I've never been uncomfortable with
regular Brooks so don't see a reason to add a suspension. *You already
have Fat Albert tires for suspension.



Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.

No. *They just wear out faster. *Get the unbroken in models and break
it in by using it. *And oiling it. *I find them comfortable from day
one.



General advice and personal anecdotes equally welcome.

I thought that I might get those Brooks edgewise leather-circle
handlebar grips that Jay Bollyn mentioned last year to match the
saddle. Opinion?

Andre Jute
Brooks saddle going onto this bike:
*http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/Andre%20Jute's%20Utopia%20Kranich...

Andre Jute wrote:
On Feb 27, 4:02 pm, "
wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:04 pm, Andre Jute wrote:

Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.
No. They just wear out faster. Get the unbroken in models and break
it in by using it. And oiling it. I find them comfortable from day
one.

Let's save the bunfight about how I treat my Brooks saddle until we've
decided which one I require. We don't want to derail the discussion
before I've had all you knowledgeable guys have to give on the choice
itself.

I also notice that no one said, Recover the Cheeko 90 with leather,
since you already have both the Cheeko saddle and the leather. I can
only hope the Brooks will be as comfortable as the Cheeko, which
served me faithfully for about six years.

You should get to double figures easily if you even make a nod in the
direction of looking after a Brooks.

On 28 Feb, 04:14, Michael Press wrote:
In article
,



" wrote:
On Feb 26, 10:04*pm, Andre Jute wrote:
A writer sits all day. My bum gets awfully tired. When I go on my
bike, I want my bum soothed, or at least not further bruised. I'm
thinking of getting a Brooks saddle to replace my Cheeko 90, which is
getting a bit tacky. (The alternative is to recover the Cheeko 90 in
honey leather of which I have plenty, though I don't know how it will
stand up to weather as it is off indoor Swedish furniture we trashed
so I could use the seasoned wood for my geribike experiments.)

I ride an hour a day, two hours a day for longer rides, never more.
Total mileage in the order of 2000m/3200km per year, creeping up
slowly.

Which Brooks model would be advisable for a guy who weighs 215 pounds?

I use the B17 on my touring bike. *Swift on two racing bikes. *And
Professional on two road bikes. *Pro is the unbroken in version of
Team Pro. *I'm a few pounds lighter if that matters, it doesn't. *B17
is widest, then the Pro, then the Swift is kind of narrow but not
compared to current racing saddles. *All are comfortable for me.

B17 is the mainstay and is cheapest.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/*Has good prices on Brooks
saddles. *England site.

Should I prefer one of the models with helical springs at the back?

Extra weight if that matters. *I've never been uncomfortable with
regular Brooks so don't see a reason to add a suspension. *You already
have Fat Albert tires for suspension.

Would one of the "aged" models give me a headstart on comfort.

No. *They just wear out faster. *Get the unbroken in models and break
it in by using it. *And oiling it. *I find them comfortable from day
one.

Oiling the saddle will make it sag. Alright for you, but
not for all. Often it is the sag that makes *Brooks saddles
unsatisfactory for those who find them so. I recommend
using Brooks Proofide or an equivalent beeswax formulation
produced for boots.

--
Michael Press

Neutral shoe polish probably best. I shoved dubbin on, once. was
fine.
TJ

On Feb 27, 12:16*pm, Andrew Price wrote:
On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:46:59 -0800 (PST), landotter

wrote:
If you can't get
your Brook saddle in the correct position then you are incompetent.

Spoken like a religionist. The most logical reason for a Brooks being
uncomfortable is the poor design. Slip down,so you angle it up, when
you angle it up, it presses your bits.

Indeed. *Been there, done that. *The best thing I ever did was throw
out the Brooks saddles and replace them with a Selle Italia SLR-135 on
one bike and a Fizik Arione on the other. *Never looked back.

+2. I tried 2 Brooks saddles. One of the zillion dollar limited
edition and numbered titanium Swallow and also a Swift. I got them
because of their looks and 'religion'. I tried and tried to use them,
break them in, adjust them, screw with them and didn't find true
happiness about Brooks until I sold them. They work for some, they do
not for others. YMMV but a panacea for a comfy ride in all cases they
are not.

SSM Rolls, no complaints....

On Feb 28, 7:32 am, "P. Chisholm" wrote:
On Feb 27, 12:16 pm, Andrew Price wrote:

On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:46:59 -0800 (PST), landotter

wrote:
If you can't get
your Brook saddle in the correct position then you are incompetent.

Spoken like a religionist. The most logical reason for a Brooks being
uncomfortable is the poor design. Slip down,so you angle it up, when
you angle it up, it presses your bits.

Indeed. Been there, done that. The best thing I ever did was throw
out the Brooks saddles and replace them with a Selle Italia SLR-135 on
one bike and a Fizik Arione on the other. Never looked back.

+2. I tried 2 Brooks saddles. One of the zillion dollar limited
edition and numbered titanium Swallow and also a Swift. I got them
because of their looks and 'religion'. I tried and tried to use them,
break them in, adjust them, screw with them and didn't find true
happiness about Brooks until I sold them. They work for some, they do
not for others. YMMV but a panacea for a comfy ride in all cases they
are not.

SSM Rolls, no complaints....


Indeed. For a hunch-over bike, a Rolls is far more universal for butt
pleasing than Brooks. Same goes for much of the WTB line.

Semi inclined universal cyclists need something a bit more supportive,
but that's when we call in our pragmatic butt specialists from Taiwan:

http://www.velosaddles.com/products_...t_id=33&id=168