"Brooks' B17 Standard Imperial saddle will keep you feeling great, no matter how far you journey. It's slightly wider and longer than most seats and..."
Submitted by
Lawrencer2003
a Recreational Rider
from
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2011
Strengths: Comfort, Comfort Comfort. Looks great on my monarch orange custom Waterford! I have the honey leather with copper rivets.
Weaknesses: Must be broken in, needs to be maintained and coverered in the rain. Heavy if you care about that.
Bottom Line:
Best saddle I have ever owned. Switched from Terry Fly after a century where I chafed badly. After a wear in period of several hundred miles and careful attention to the manufacturer instructions, I can ride all day in complete comfort. Yes you have to use the rain cover and maintain it but I am an enthusiastic convert!
Strengths: COMFORT!! Looks. Saddlebag loops. Overall quality. Wallbike return policy (you have a six month trial period during which you can return the saddle if you don't like it).
Weaknesses: Weight (I'm weighing 250# these days after a forced layoff from bike riding due to a bad back so who cares about weight?).
Bottom Line:
I went through several different types of saddles but never found true comfort until I rode my B17 Brooks. I treated it with Proofhide and it quickly molded to my sitbones shape. I've never been a really good long distance rider but I've done more than 50 miles in one day on my Brooks. Loops on rear of saddle are handy for attaching saddlebags. This saddle is very sensitive to tilt angle and for this reason I recommend a two bolt microadjustable seatpost. It can't be slid back too far in the seatpost so you may want to use one with a little offset. Take a look at any long distance touring bike, more than likely you will see a Brooks saddle on it.
Similar Products Used: Stock Selle San Marco (horrible a$$ hatchet), Koobi Enduro, Selle Italia Flite.
Bike Setup: 2001 Lemond Poprad cyclocross set up with 35mm road tires, Colorado Cyclist wheels built 36-3X on Ultegra hubs and Mavic CXP-33 rims, bar end shifters, MKS flat touring pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bobby Tropics
a Recreational Rider
from
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2011
Strengths: Long-haul comfort. Quality. Simplicity. Classic style. Gets lots of either questions or compliments from other cyclists.
Weaknesses: Heavy; not for gram counters. Might look a bit too retro on some bikes. A bit wide for racing. Requires regular care and is susceptible to water, esp. underneath.
Bottom Line:
Every rave about this seat has proven true for me, too. For me it was comfortable pretty much out of the box and the break-in period didn't seem very long (a couple hundred miles, maybe). I use Proofide on it a couple times a year and coat the underside with Sno Seal to protect against road spray. It has a bolt for tensioning as the leather stretches with use, but I haven't had to fuss with it yet. I also have one on my mountain bike; my only complaint there is that it's a bit slippery when you're moving around the saddle a lot (i.e., technical trails and such).
My Brooks just gets better with use. Almost everyone who rides with me for the first time has something to say about it, usually along the lines of "Man, you must be hard-core to ride on that thing." But once I explain how it works and point out where it's molded to my sit-bones, the light bulb goes on. It's quite a leap of faith to try one, so I think I've only converted one person, but neither of us would go back to a "conventional" saddle if we have a choice.
I'd be tempted to try another narrower, lighter Brooks model if I did more competitive riding, but the B17 Standard is about perfect for anything else.
Strengths: Quality, comfort, looks; it will probably outlast you.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
No arguments please. No debate. This is the best saddle there is. This is the only way to be truly comfortable on a bike (except lying down on a 'bent). The finest quality, made by a good employer in the English midlands. I simply could not imagine sitting on anything else. Try cycling from London to Istanbul, as I have done, on any other saddle - ridiculous.
Strengths: Comfort, longevity (a lifetime if it is cared for), no more butt pain riding limitation.
Weaknesses: fickle to get adjusted right, requires application of proofide and tensioning. Not really a racing saddle, but that's not really what it's designed for. Fine for rides where you don't need to be on the nose.
Bottom Line:
Easily the most comfortable saddle I've used even before it was done breaking in and set up properly. However, getting it to that point was finicky and annoying. I had always been told of the fine craftsmanship and comfort that comes with a Brooks saddle and it's clear that it is a well earned reputation.
The honey colored leather quickly changed from a bright ridiculous orange into a good deep brown/black combo. Ends up looking really good on my UPS brown Surly Travelers Check. Not a complete match, but matches the charm of the bike perfectly. Makes it look well used and loved, like the rest of the bike. I would not recommend the honey for a flashy bike, though. Dark earth tones such as green and brown go well, but the powder blue on my old Cannondale tourer would not match it well. Go with the black if you have a funky colored bike. To be honest, the saddle is still changing colors after several thousand miles of use.
I didn't use any fancy tricks to break in the saddle. I did the the Brooks recommended way of Brooks Proofide. No neatsfoot oil, mink oil or anything like that. I'm used to being much more uncomfortable, so I figured I'd do it the 'right' way. However, the break in was not the most difficult part.
With other saddles I have liked (Forte's T1 saddle, or whatever their Tri saddle is called, and the Serfas Aria) getting it adjusted to a comfortable and non numbing position really didn't take that much time. Especially the T1 saddle where I could spend time on the nose and be comfortable (but duh, this IS was it was designed for). The B17, not so much. Numbness was a constant problem with the B17. Riding on the nose on this saddle is not recommended. These types of saddles is where the phrase 'on the rivet' came from. The give in the saddle comes from the back half and that's where you should keep yourself placed.
However, for a number of different reasons I couldn't get anything adjusted right to keep it both comfortable and keep from getting numb. I ended up going back to a blank state on fitting, tried a couple of different fitting styles found from websites online. Finally after trying the fitting style from Peter White's webpage and tightening the tension the true comfort from the B17 finally came out. I'll just have to keep an eye on the tension and take the slack out when it begins to stretch again.
This saddle is truly amazing at that point. I end up getting more sore from driving a car. Really. A sore rear end is no longer a limiting factor in how I ride. I haven't tried shorts without padding yet, but my cheapo $15 bike shorts have become as comfortable as my $70 ones.
Brooks doesn't state this, but if you are not sure whether you should get the narrow or the normal size, get the normal size. The outer portion of the leather is hiding the metal frame, which you don't want to be sitting on. I'm a size small, but have a wide body. The narrow matches the size of the saddles I like, but was sitting on the frame instead of the comfy leather. Subtract about a cm or to from the overall width of the saddle and compare that with your sit bones to ensure you will be sitting on a sweet spot, not a hard one.
In short, good for any bike that isn't a racer. Great for group rides, touring (if you don't need massive springs), or indoor training. Basically anything short of race day.
Similar Products Used: Reclining Sofa, bean bag chair, recumbent bike seat, feather bed. Honestly thinking of getting another one, then chopping up an old bike frame to use the rear triangle and the saddle as a stool.
Bike Setup: Surly Travelers Check with adjustable parts to go from comfortable group ride setting with skinny tires and then quickly adjust into a loaded tourer with fat tires and silly gearing.
Not a weight weenie, especially since I ride Brooks, but thought I'd post an actual wieght for the B17 standard saddle for those who are interested:
539.1 grams
Sam in Cincy Read More »
I also posted this in the "save some weight" area but think it may be of more interest here. I'm not really interested in saving weight especially since I ride Brooks, but I just r Read More »
Hello all. I'm thinking about trying a Brooks saddle. The tops of my bars are currently 3" below the saddle, but I'll probably be adding a stem with a little more rise (maybe 12*-1 Read More »
