The Brooks Swift in antique brown (above), honey (below left), and black (below right)

The Swift is one of two Brooks saddles with an extended clamp area on the rails, allowing for more setback. (The Swallow is the other.) Most Brooks saddles, besides the Swift and the Swallow, are the same as the Team Pro in the left of this picture. The S models are a little shorter than the Team Pro. The ruler is placed at the bend that defines the end of the clamping section of the rails on the Team Pro. As you can see, the Swift, on the right, has significantly more length here that can be used to shove the saddle back further. It is about 15mm more.

One more profile, this time in the British Racing Green color. The green color can look pretty dark. It is a little brighter on the underside so we included another picture for you to get an idea of the shade

What Correspondants Have Said About The Swift

Sam Shimek of Fort Worth, Texas, wrote this review of his Swift.

Other Comments:

"I've been wanting to buy a Brooks Saddle for years now but have always ended up buying the 'latest and lightest.' Lately, I have been into bike touring and just recently had a custom touring bike made. I went around town and saw the saddle. I decided to try it. I applied the proofhide as soon as I got home. I then went online and discovered your site. I was preparing for the worst during the breaking in process. However, I have to say that the saddle was good from Day 1! The only thing I noticed immediately during the first 5-10 minutes of riding is that the area where it transitions from the flat top to the front is a little bit more pronounced than other saddles I've tried. However, I soon forgot about it. I have now logged 117 miles total with the longest ride being 47 miles and I have not had any problems. Not a single one! If I may offer your reader a bit of advice - have them pump their rear tire somewhere between 85 to 95 psi instead of the usual 110. It makes a huge difference during the break in process. Maybe I've suffered long enough with my ultralight, carbon modern saddle that using this saddle made a world of difference instantly."

"What's on my mind? Not my Brooks Swift saddle, that's for sure. I never even notice it. When I got it, I rubbed in some proofide, as instructed and took it out for a ride. It was amazingly comfortable for 15 miles and then got a little uncomfortable. At 30 miles, it was pretty bad. The next day, I hit it with the proofide again and I rode another 20 miles and things alternated from uncomfortable to agonizing. I coated it with proofide again and rode 45 miles two days later. I never even noticed the saddle. Since then, I have done about 1000 miles, including the 150 mile Valero bike to the beach for MS. The saddle feels better every time I get on it. My longest 1-day ride so far is 96 miles and it felt great the whole time. I've used a tin of proofide and half a tin of bag balm that has worked its way through my chamois on various rides and the saddle is heavenly. "

"I know you've heard it all before, but:"
" My new Swift arrived yesterday. It is just a wonderful, beautiful thing to take out of the box and admire. It is surprisingly similar in size and shape to the Fizik Aliante I decided to replace, which made it very easy to install. I just had to lower the seat height a couple mm's to match my desired position. I started with the seat dead level but subsequently decided to try it just a hair nose up."
"After reading all the reviews on your site and elsewhere, I figured what the hell and today met some friends for a challenging 3 hour ride. The seat was either going to be comfortable out of the box or I was in for some real suffering. My first impression on the bike was 'wow, this thing's really hard.' After that I really never thought about the saddle again except to wonder why it wasn't bothering me. It was, indeed, comfortable out of the box and I'm sure will only get better over time."

letter from one of our customers to a UK MTB magazine:
"Being an avid reader of MBR since your first edition and a mountain biker for the last 9 years, I recently went out in search of the ultimate most comfy saddle for my new Santa Cruz Blur. Over the years I've experimented with lots of fad products - some great, some good and some just a waste of money! I have the plastic bins of obscure bike parts in my garage to prove it."
"Which saddle should I buy - Gel? Cut-out for my Bits and Bobs? Razor-sharp Carbon? Dental Floss...get the picture? So I did my research scouring through all my bike mags and on the Internet to find the most comfortable saddle for long distance mountain biking."
"I came across a company that I faintly remember when I must have been a kid - "Brooks Saddles", England. I thought the company had packed up years ago, NO! after 140 years they were still in business making traditional leather saddles. This conjured up images in my mind of men with cycling clips riding old touring bikes around the countryside. Well my research revealed that these men ARE still riding their bikes on Brooks Saddles, some of which they have had for 20 or 30 years."
"Anyhow after seeking their advice, I took the plunge and purchased a Titanium Swift Brooks Saddle, beautifully hand made from fine leather and copper rivets, no plastic to be seen. It turned out to be the most comfortable saddle I have ever experienced, better than all these new Italian techno saddles and it looks totally retro on my Blur."
"The moral of this story is that the UK fortunately still has a cottage industry of small specialist frame builders and small bike component companies manufacturing high quality products that have survived countless recessions and cheap Far Eastern imports. I feel that some of these companies need a helping hand from the cycling public, it would help them if mags such as MBR were to review their products once in a while and bring their products into the spotlight to the new generations of riders out there with little or no knowledge of their existence. In this way, we can secure a future for these companies and their workers for many generations to come."

"I ordered a Brooks Swift titanium rail saddle from you back in March(two months ago). I took it out of the box and made no adjustment other than the application of Proofhide. I installed it with the nose tilted up slightly and took the first ride on it, a 40-miler. There was slight discomfort after the ride, but nothing too painful. I adjusted the saddle to level before the next ride and have been riding pain-free (behind-wise) now for several hundred miles. I have done two metric centuries with absolutely no saddle-induced pain. While not that aggressive a rider, I have found this this saddle very comfortable and would recommend it to other riders. This saddle replaced a Selle Italia Flight Trans Am Gel Flow, which did not fit my body."

"After years of purchasing new and 'improved' saddles every 6 months, I bit the bullet and purchased the SWIFT from you. Upon opening the box, I
immediately had thoughts of pain and suffering from riding such a rock-hard saddle. My first test-ride of 34 miles was absolutely fantastic....When we
had completed our ride and returned to the cars, one of my riding buddies asked me how I liked the saddle....I had completely forgotten about the
saddle.....34 miles and no thoughts of saddle discomfort, or wiggling around to find a comfortable position... Myths of break-in periods of "200 miles
or even 500 miles" are exactly that....MYTHS!; Some may not experience my immediate satisfaction, but it certainly won't take 200 miles. I have the
SWIFT on 2 road bikes and 1 MTB (and 2 spares which I purchased immediately after the Brooks fire and scare of never re-building)."

"I ordered a Brooks Swift and a Berthoud bag from you last month. They arrived promptly. While the roads have been miserable in the Boston area this winter, I did a "pre-break in" for the saddle on my turbo trainer, before moving it onto my fixed gear (with fenders of course, to protect the underside of the saddle (and me!) from snow, salt and water!). After a little on the road fiddling with tilt and fore-aft position (it needed to be slid back about 1/2" more than the prior saddle), it felt perfect. The comfort is outstanding, even on roads damaged by some of the worst frost heaves that I've seen in years - and on a fixed gear, you have to take a lot of the hits directly - no standing and coasting over the bumps. I strongly recommend the saddle and your shop - great product and great service."

"After riding 2000 miles on the (Swift) saddle I am not satisfied with the comfort level it provides."

"My Brooks Swift saddle arrived as promised and it is beautiful. It was amazingly comfortable fit right out of the box (my first ride was 70 miles) and I experienced no painful break-in period as some riders have reported. I've ridden about 250 miles on it in comfort and it seems to just get better."

"Please refund to my credit card. Sorry, the seat (Swift) was very uncomfortable."

"The Swift I have now rides like a dream, with almost no break-in required."

"I recently bought my dream bike, a Waterford RS22 with Campy Chorus components and several upgrades, and although I spent a great deal of time deciding on how I wanted build this bike, none of the time spent was as agonizing as deciding what saddle to buy. Because I had the bike built at my LBS and a saddle was part of the price paid, I selected a WTB SST-98 and must confess that it seems to be a pretty good saddle. But I didn't want pretty good, I wanted great. After reading countless reviews from Brooks customers (the majority of whom also raved about the service from Wallingford) I decided to take the plunge and try a Brooks.You recomended the Swift in honey and since you have that unbelievable return policy, I thought what can I lose. Well, after a couple of hundred miles, the only thing I did lose was the time spent deciding to buy. The saddle is beautiful and looks perfect on the bike (I was worried that it would not look right on the bike), but it is nothing compared to the ride. Absolutely no break in time. I started out with short rides of 20-25 miles, so that probably helped, but last Saturday's 50 mile ride was pure heaven. My goal this year is to ride my first century and I can tell you that saddle sores will be the least of my concerns. Thank you for being so helpful and for providing the perfect source for the greatest saddle made." 
"PS: My son inherited the WTB, but he is starting to eye my Brooks with envy." 

"I have a Swift and find it really comfortable and is as good as any other Brooks saddle that I have rode over the years.Living in Australia and riding in very hot conditions from time to time I never get bothered by a sore backside although naturally if I've had a long layoff I takes a couple of rides to get used to the feel again. It definately is a lot more comfortable than a lot of the light plastic seats I initially started out riding on."

"I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how pleased I am so far with the Swift I received from you yesterday. I took the first ride on it today, and am pleased to report that after 36 miles my sit bones, while aware something was new and different, were not screaming in protest agony, as one might expect while breaking in a hard leather racing saddle. I think it'll be completely broken in well before the expiration of your 6 month unconditional guaranty."

"Please credit (my account). Seat was still a bit too heavy and firm on bumps. Thanks"

"I was surprised to see how soft to the touch the (Swift) saddle is compared to the B17s we got--it actually seems a bit saggy, and that impression came after only the first ride." (this is NOT a typical reaction to a new Swift - they are pretty firm)

". . .I've only managed to put about 100 miles on it but I'm already convinced of its superiority."

"About six months ago, I purchase a (Swift) saddle and although I was impressed with its unmatched aesthetics, I said to myself " No way". It was hard as a rock- and still is. But,I knew we needed to get acquainted and I had to give it a shot. It was replacing a Specialized Body Comp, a good saddle, but very predictably uncomfortable as the hours go by. After a century or double, its a major distraction. Last Saturday, I foolish enough to try a 150 mile ride called the Climb to Kaiser. It starts in Fresno and climbs up to Kaiser Pass at 9200 ft.in the Sierras. Total elevation gain is over 13000 ft, and grades exceed 12% for long stretches. I was humbled. I was ill prepared conditioning-wise and gear wise and had a long miserable day of cramps and altitude effects and barely finished. However, it was some time after during the drive home that I realized MY BUTT DOES NOT HURT! Unbelievable! I hadn't even thought about chaffing, or numbness, or soreness despite over 14 hours in the saddle. Granted, I was distracted by my other problems, on other long rides on several quality seats, my dominant thoughts always focussed on getting off the seat as quickly as possible. I was impressed and amazed. You can be assured that when I see a rider squirming around uncomfortably or complaining about his seat, I'll be the first to recommend a Brooks leather saddle! "
"P.S. Thanks again for the great service and advice when I bought it."

. . .the maiden voyage, if you will, was a 45 miler this past Saturday. I could not believe how comfortable the saddle was right out of the box, the slight discomfort I felt was simply a matter of seat adjustment. I rode again this AM for a 25 mile training ride (first one after adjustments) and could not even tell I was sitting on a saddle, let alone a leather one with only 70 miles on it. My butt has never felt so good and I can't believe I spent all of those 1000's of miles "Hoping" my other saddles would feel as good as this one did the day it was delivered. Feel free to use me as a reference any time either for the Brooks Saddle or your outstanding operation. My hats off to you!

August '99 Message of the Month
MY SWIFT,WIFE, AND MYSELF ARE HEADING TO DURANGO,CO. AGAIN TO DO SOME MOUNTAIN BIKING AND WE PLAN TO MAKE OUR FIRST TRIP TO MOAB,UTAH WHILE THERE. THE SWIFT SADDLE IS NOW WELL BROKEN-IN. NOTICED YOU WERE GONE FOR A WEEK OR SO SINCE I CHECK YOUR WEB SITE ALMOST EVERYDAY RIGHT AFTER I CHECK MY STOCKS. HOPE YOUR TIME OFF WENT WELL! WILL UPDATE YOU WHEN WE RETURN.
(signed)
ROGER, JULIE,AND SWIFT
{my wife says i'm obsessed with my brooks saddle. yeah right. see if she goes on the next vacation}

"I bought a used Swift from you a few months ago. It has worked out great. Much more comfortable from the start than I had anticipated."

"The (Swift) saddle has a nice feel and I love the look but unfortunatly I just can't get it right for my anatomy. I road about 250miles on it so far and it's putting too much pressure on my vitals on the long rides that I do. I can't seem to angle it rightly. Unfortunatly I've got to go back to the specialized which has a bit of a downward slope toward the front."

"I bought a Brooks Swift and I have been riding about 150 km (90 miles) and I find it very comfortable. It costed 950 SEK (Swedish Crownes) which is 122 USD. Nice to find something that is almost as expensive in US as in Sweden. I dont like to use the word cheep in this case. Not sure if cheep is correctly spelled."

"I am so pleased with the Swift that I ordered last month that I wish to purchase another for my old bicycle. It broke in very nicely after a only few hours on the trainer."

"It's now been about 4 months since I started riding the Swift I bought from you. After the expected initial break-in period, I must say the saddle fits like a glove! An what a thing of beauty! An excellent purchase!"

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to return my Brooks Swift saddle to you. Despite numerous adjustments, I could not get it to where I'd be comfortable for any length of time. It's disappointing, because it's a beautiful saddle, and looked great on my Masi."

"Received my "Maroon" Swift saddle yesterday. I am quiet pleased - Having read all the "advice" about the protracted break-in these things require I was most pleasantly surprised that it was immediately quite comfortable. Perhaps this has to do with my rear-end's English heritage. Nonetheless thank you for your effort in getting this out to me promptly."

Comments are excerpted from e-mail correspondence with customers and Brooks owners. I have tried to fairly represent the range of comments that I have received about these particular models and I have also tried to avoid taking comments out of context. Parenthetical italicized elements are editorial insertions. -Bill

Derek Gardner setting rivets on a batch of Swifts

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Updated September 2007
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