Need me some leather

[Valiant]

I think it's time for me to get a Brookes. Or at least give them a try. So for a lardy arse like me what's recommended, the B17 standard or the the narrow. Is the special worth considering? Would they cope with a 120kg bum?

[andytheflyer]

I'm no lightweight (ex rower, rugby hooker) and I've found my standard B17 to be very good - once broken in.  Lots of Proofide and build up the miles gradually.  Took me a while to get it just right, but now I ride it and I forget it's a Brooks.  Almost as comfortable as my recumbents!

[bumper]

you could rubber up with a c17, less faff than leather.

[Polar Bear]

I have B17s Sam and they're fabulous.   I have the special? variant with the copper rivets and I love them to bits.     Incredibly comfy once broken in.

[andrewc]

104kg here, 2 B17s and 2 Conquests, which was a sprung job aimed at mountain bikers.
All comfy, though the springs creak a bit.

[HeltorChasca]

you could rubber up with a c17, less faff than leather.

+1 You would probably chew up the C15

[jamesld8]

Happy with my B17 special but have now replaced, it`s got a bit too dimpled, with a B17 select (allegedly thicker higher quality leather) which seems to be holding up well, feels firmer than select and is very comfy too

[Canardly]

Go for the special at least Sam. The Standard B17 seems to soften very quickly and too much these days. Long term the Select is probably the way to go although sprung models seem to wear well as above. You may also consider the Professional if you are not fussed about having a saddlebag.

[Blodwyn Pig]

might I suggest the Spa Nidd, B17 ish. only £35,  much thicker leather, and well comfy ( for me )  Don't be put off by the brick like sound when you tap it, use it, break it in, and you'll love it. outlast a  soggy bottom B17. Plus they have 15mm longer rails than the brooks, which means it'll slide back further, (you need to do this as the metal horseshoe is NOT very comfy)  See my review in the ...er....review section

[fruitcake]

A saddle that's too wide could chafe and you may never be comfortable on it. Brooks are relatively wide saddles by today's standards; as far as I can tell, their 'narrow' is everyone else's normal.

By the way, your ideal saddle width is determined by the width of the relevant bones. Sit-bone width can be measured using a pressure mat. Edinburgh Bike Co-Op had one, last time I was there. I'm told you can make a single use pressure mat from a piece of thin corrugated card too. You measure between the centres of the depressions. Here are some further thoughts on saddle width: http://cyclingfortransport.com/bike/components/saddle/

A saddle that's the right width shouldn't need to be broken in, I reckon. It will just fit, without needing deforming.

[rogerzilla]

might I suggest the Spa Nidd, B17 ish. only £35,  much thicker leather, and well comfy ( for me )  Don't be put off by the brick like sound when you tap it, use it, break it in, and you'll love it. outlast a  soggy bottom B17. Plus they have 15mm longer rails than the brooks, which means it'll slide back further, (you need to do this as the metal horseshoe is NOT very comfy)  See my review in the ...er....review section

I trashed my (free, from Mike) Spa Wharfe in a couple of years.  The nose bolt broke, which Spa replaced free of charge, but then the front rivet ripped through the leather and it was scrap.  Chinese-made and you don't get owt for nowt, as they should know in Harrogate.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I thought they were made by Gyes which are Taiwanese, not exactly Chinese.

[dim]

Gilles Berthoud Aravis

[tatanab]

Gilles Berthoud Aravis

Cheaper and wider is the Mente.  I use Aspin, indeed I have 5 of them.  Gave in on Brooks because too many failed on me.

[jamesld8]

I`ve a couple GB Aspin also, very nice saddles, leather looks thicker than Brooks and although they have worn into odd looking shape they`re very comfortable. My B17 also is equally comfortable and seems to be better at not absorbing rain etc cf GB Aspin which sometimes looks as if it is sodden but seems to survive (well it`s still in good nick anyway after 2 -3 days of rain and wet in Scotland when saddle never dried out

[toestrap]

B17 for me. After time the sides splay outwards as the centre ridge softens. I found the best way to sort this was to lace the sides as per the Spa Nidd. (i.e. not to tighten the front bolt.)

I also have a Spa Nidd on my bitsa bike which I find comfortable but it hasn't done the miles (prob only <1000) so I can't really comment on long term reliability. It's heavier than a B15, which is irrelevant for this particular bike as it weights a ton anyway.

If you already have a comfortable saddle it might be worth comparing it physically with a B17 and see it they share similar dimensions.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

B17 standard.  Tried the Swift once but it was too narrow.

My best B17 had done 19 years before someone nicked it (and the bike it was on).  Still in prime condition.

A good Brooks has to be rock 'ard to begin with. 

[Somnolent]

A good Brooks has to be rock 'ard to begin with. 

This ^^^^

I was once able to convince my kids my new Swift was actually carved wood not leather at all !

Oh yes - and B17 is too wide for me.

As mentioned upthread, it's not about the lardiness of your arse, it's down to the width of your sit bones.

[P Walsh]

It has always been my understanding that, as your sit bones will make their own indentations into any leather saddle regardless of its width, the choice of saddle width has more to do with the angle at which you perch, and where your thighs might rub. So a B17 for a more upright position and a Swift for a sportier position (just to use Brooks as an example).

[T42]

I successfully water-formed a Brooks Flyer, so that it was shaped to my posterior in about three rides.  Eventually gave up on it though because I don't much like the bike I got it for, it creaks, and it's a bit too wide - the flare pokes into the backs of my thighs.

FWIW I have a 10-year-old Ti-frame Swift sitting in a box in my bedroom, practically new - maybe 300 km on it. The Swift caught my fleshy thighs on the upstroke. Been thinking of selling it for years...

[Valiant]

Yeah I'm starting to go off the idea of leather saddles lol.

[Bledlow]

I've had a Brooks B17N since the early 1990s. It was never uncomfortable. The surface was hard, yes, but it was springy! Instead of some padding on a rigid base, it flexed. No bottoming out on the hard base on bumps, or wallowing around on a fat cushion on a saddle with enough padding to stop that.

If it's too rigid, slacken it off a bit. As it softens & stretches, gradually tighten it.

[rogerzilla]

I have a couple of Brooks Team Professionals and a very old Brooks Professional (without the "Team").  The honey ones are reputed to be softer than the black ones, or at least easier to break in.   The old saddle is the best one; it was rescued from a fairly nasty state and I even had to find a replacement Brooks badge and rivet it to the rear.

[PeterM]

Consider the Rivet Pearl (or the new Imogene). My Pearl was comfy for 2100k in 7 days. Rivet saddles are less prone to sagging and splaying than Brooks saddles, in my experience

[T42]

Looks nice, and not a bad price for the CroMo rails version. +$100 seems steep for Ti, though.