Brooks Saddle -a pain in the ****

[The Mechanic]

Some advice need from all you Brooks fans.  I fitted a B17 to my audax bike and have done about 500 miles on it so far.  It is comfy to begin with but after a few hours in the saddle I start to get a pain in the left side of my groin.  Could it be that the B17 is too wide for me and would a Team Pro be better.  I believe the TP is narrower. 

[toekneep]

I think I have done well over 1,000 miles on my B17 now and it is still painfull to both sit bones by the end of the day. However, it is fine again the next day, not something I found on my old gel saddle. I am still hoping that it will improve though and I will enjoy all day comfort eventually. If it doesn't improve after 5,000 miles I might change it. 

[clarion]

They are wrong and bad and just a cult.

Ditch it and buy a proper saddle, which will be substantially cheaper.

[Wowbagger]

500 miles isn't very many.

I think that the number of miles it takes to break in a Brooks saddle is in inverse proportion to the mass of the rider. If you are a lard-arse like me, they are broken in quite quickly. If you are more lithe, then you've got some more work to do yet!

[toekneep]

Oh dear, if you are right WB then 5,000 miles might be conservative for me.  Maybe I should eat more pies and drink more beer. 

[annie]

Some advice need from all you Brooks fans.  I fitted a B17 to my audax bike and have done about 500 miles on it so far.  It is comfy to begin with but after a few hours in the saddle I start to get a pain in the left side of my groin.  Could it be that the B17 is too wide for me and would a Team Pro be better.  I believe the TP is narrower. 

You mention pain in your groin.  I wonder if this is a hip flexor problem, where on your groin?  It might be to do with position rather than the saddle itself.

[Wowbagger]

If nothing else the beer will act as an anaesthetic.

[Regulator]

You need to prepare your Brooks properly.

1.  Take Brooks saddle and large flat stone and place in tumble dryer.

2.  Turn heat on tumble dryer to 40^o and switch tumble dryer on for 1 hour.

3.  Take saddle and stone from the tumble dryer.

4.  Throw away saddle and fit stone to bike - the Brooks should have softened it enough.



 

[nuttycyclist]

They are wrong and bad and just a cult.

Ditch it and buy a proper saddle, which will be substantially cheaper.

+1 

[pdm]

The Anti-Brooks brigade notwithstanding, some of us do ride Brooks saddles and find them quite acceptable!
Personally, I find that the Pro and Swallow fit me best. I have B17´s on my winter commuter and tandem (more upright - shorter distances (50m or so)
If, however, you are experiencing groin or tendon problems, I would echo annie´s comments on position - the saddle may be too high...

[Regulator]

The Anti-Brooks brigade notwithstanding, some of us do ride Brooks saddles and find them quite acceptable!
Personally, I find that the Pro and Swallow fit me best. I have B17´s on my winter commuter and tandem (more upright - shorter distances (50m or so)
If, however, you are experiencing groin or tendon problems, I would echo annie´s comments on position - the saddle may be too high...

Brooks saddles are great.  I love 'em... I was just trying to relieve the tension in here.

[Sergeant Pluck]

I think it is likely to be related to position (IMHO).

A B17 has a fair bit of give and so needs to be at a slightly different height compared to a heathen saddle 

Also, you may need to fiddle a lot with angle and fore / aft to get it just right.

Very rewarding when it's right.

[alan]

I have B17's on the Longstaff & Langster & a Swallow on the Trek.
I find the B17/Longstaff comfortable all day,as is the Swallow/Trek set up.However the B17/Langster is less than comfortable after 5 or 6 hours.I am not sure why this is but intend to fit a Swallow to the Langster in the belief that I will then have all 3 upright road bikes with day long comfortable saddles.
None of these saddles have many miles on them but were all comfortable straight out of the box.
I subscribe to the theory that your ar*se is broken into the saddle & if your anatomy precludes this you are one of those folk who finds some other manufacturer's product more acceptable.

[gonzo]

Last time something like that happened to me, it was because the saddle was pointing slightly to one side.

[jane]

They are wrong and bad and just a cult.

Ditch it and buy a proper saddle, which will be substantially cheaper.

I have used a Brooks for many years now- one has lasted 36 years (it was my uncles before me). I bought two others since for different bikes and if they last as long I reckon they are well worth the amount I paid.  The only other saddle I have ever used was a lovely Selle Italia which I bought in my mid 20's when I felt the Brooks was a bit old fashioned and distinctly uncool (a time when such issues were important to me)
 However, I wore through the leather on it riding through Europe.  I don't envisage this ever happening to any of the Brooks I own.  Makes them value for money in the long run, I feel.  That's the only reason I use them.
I do however think a lot of rubbish is talked about breaking them in- I have only ever just ridden them and occasionally rubbed a bit of Nikwax in .  Maybe I just have an incredibly well insulated rump or maybe it comes from riding miles and miles on the cheapest, nastiest plastic saddle you have ever come across,  in my teens.  Anything after that felt like riding on air. I tend to agree with people who have said butt pain is often due to positioning rather than solely a saddle problem alone.  I think I would always go for a Brooks now because of the overall cost effectiveness even with the massive price hikes I've noticed recently.  Although I did like Laura's (NSTN's) saddle which I spied on our mini tour in Norfolk this last weekend.  Especially now I found they do it in
red here! 

[eck]

The Anti-Brooks brigade notwithstanding, some of us do ride Brooks saddles and find them quite acceptable!

"Quite acceptable"? As good as that, eh? 

I've not read many posts about people seeking counselling about Flites or wondering how to look after a Rolls. I'm not part of any "Anti-Brooks brigade", but I have to wonder why, if they are so wonderful, is there only ever chat about problems with Brooks saddles? 

[Notsototalnewbie]

Although I did like Laura's (NSTN's) saddle which I spied on our mini tour in Norfolk this last weekend.  Especially now I found they do it in
red here! 

Not sure what happened with your linky jane but I got mine from Home and yes they do do it in red...I was restrained and got 'go with everything' black...

Tis the Titanico waterproof one, needs no care apparently.

[Greenbank]

I've not read many posts about people seeking counselling about Flites or wondering how to look after a Rolls. I'm not part of any "Anti-Brooks brigade", but I have to wonder why, if they are so wonderful, is there only ever chat about problems with Brooks saddles? 

Because, for some people, they just work with no problems.

And I haven't posted about any problems with my Brooks because I've never had any.

[jane]

Although I did like Laura's (NSTN's) saddle which I spied on our mini tour in Norfolk this last weekend.  Especially now I found they do it in
red here! 

Not sure what happened with your linky jane but I got mine from Home and yes they do do it in red...I was restrained and got 'go with everything' black...

Tis the Titanico waterproof one, needs no care apparently.


I know what happened to the link- too many http// 's that's what.
           It is a lovely saddle and being completely leather rather than leather covered, no wearing out problems.
 Might be just what someone struggling with breaking in a Brooks needs.
      Jane

[vorsprung]

The Anti-Brooks brigade notwithstanding, some of us do ride Brooks saddles and find them quite acceptable!

"Quite acceptable"? As good as that, eh? 

I've not read many posts about people seeking counselling about Flites or wondering how to look after a Rolls. I'm not part of any "Anti-Brooks brigade", but I have to wonder why, if they are so wonderful, is there only ever chat about problems with Brooks saddles? 

Some people rave on about how great they are

B17 suits my large arse

However I don't think everyones arse is the same.  So the same type of saddle isn't going to work for every arse

[jane]

Because, for some people, they just work with no problems.

And I haven't posted about any problems with my Brooks because I've never had any.

Me neither- just ride on them.
   J

[rogerzilla]

After a couple of thousand miles, mine was still trying to break me in.

[Pete]

I think the comfort factor in the quality has declined over the past few years.  I am not very happy with my current Swift - apart from all the mechanical problems I had with the undercarriage, it just doesn't feel as good a fit as the previous one.  And I've done several thousand now and applied the Proofide when needed - it ought to be broken in!

I have had to do a lot of fiddling with the saddle angle and still don't think I've got it right.

In any case, Brooks have priced themselves right out of the market, as far as I'm concerned.  The £100 I paid last time was about my limit.

So: if this one doesn't improve, I shall desert Brooks after years of loyalty.  If someone like myself, a Brooks loyalist, feels the need to say that, Brooks are in trouble!  On my French bike I just use the original saddle that came with the bike and it's fine.

Suggestions welcome.

[Paul D]

I've been through the mill with my Brooks' and am on the point of giving up.

I never treat anything as 'cult' status until I've tried it for myself, so in the last two years I've had a Swift (SR 2007 before I gave up with it), B17 Ti (PBP and SR 2008, about to give up with it), B17 standard and a very old second hand Pro. They are all comfy to some extent, but no more comfy than a non-gel Ti Flite for instance. The important point is, a Flite needs no other maintenance. If such things matter to you it's also about a third of the weight of the B17 Ti.

The drenching and subsequent need to ziptie the B17's sides to the saddle rails the other weekend was the final straw - after all that I want to be rewarded with it still being comfy at the end of the ride. Sadly, no, the usual agony at about 350km+.

On the plus side, with the price hikes I might be able to sell my Brooks' with a years use for about what I paid for them!

[Chris N]

I've been through the mill with my Brooks' and am on the point of giving up.

And me.  Once I'd found the right one (B17 Narrow too narrow, first B17 I tried too soft, Team Pro good but a bit hard, second B17 just right) they were great and improving all the time until I got about 400km.  Then the numbness and pains set in.  Numb first, then painful, then as the numbness faded, more pain lasting a week or so after the ride.

So now I'm trying a Specialized Avatar saddle instead and it's fine; maybe a little narrow but the cut out and gel pads seem ok.  I've only done rides of up to 60 miles on it so far, so have no idea what it'll be like on longer distances.