"Add me to the list of happy customers. The B-17 with the scarred rails
was ordered Thursday and in my hands Saturday afternoon. I used it for a 30-mile
ride the next day, noting that for an out-of-the-box saddle (which it basically
was), it was no less comfortable than the fashionable Italian thing it replaced.
I took pains to set it a touch further forward to ensure that the rear would
properly support the ischial tuberosities (ain't it great to have vocabulary?),
which used the muscles in my legs just a touch differently, but no matter"
" Bad weather and a strange schedule prevented me from riding it any more
until the Pendleton, SC Jubilee Joy Ride metric century April 1. I had a few
concerns that a new Brooks might be painful towards the end, thinking of tales
of 200 mile minimum break-in periods and other horror stories. I needn't have
worried. That wonderful big hunk o' leather supported me perfectly all day,
providing a stable platform for me to stay seated comfortably. I found myself
getting out of the saddle only for climbing purposes, a first for me on this
bike. Even on the last hill at mile 64, as I cranked up the road in bottom gear
thinking, "Man, I'm tired!" I was still firmly planted on the B-17, and also
able to note, "Hmmm. My butt isn't sore. This is kinda nice."
"There are drawbacks, of course. Even though it is a lugged-steel bike,
the rest of my '97 Bianchi looks a bit too modern underneath the choice of 6-Day
Racers everywhere. Fortunately, I'm assembling some more traditional sewup wheels
for the bike. I may yet have to use shellacked cloth bar tape on this cycle,
though, if only for the cussedness factor. And now I've got to set aside some
money to put B-17s on my other bikes. There are worse problems to have."
"I promised I'd give you an update on my B-17 Champion. I ordered it on New Year's Day and have put 600 miles on it. I wouldn't say it was completely comfortable out of the box. My first ride was 25 miles and I was happy to get off the thing. Then I did a 40-miler and felt likewise. After a half-dozen rides, though, there was no pain at all. And last Saturday, I did the Death Valley Double Century and my bottom barely got sore! There you have it - another satisfied Brooks owner... "
"After months of agonizing over this purchase, I called you and decided to take the plunge. What was I waiting for!!!? After receiving my saddle in record time, (2 days). I carefully unboxed it to find a most beautiful piece of art. Pretty as it is, I still had some reservations about riding this hard piece of leather. After mounting and fiddling with the angle I went for a short spin around the block in thin cotton short pants. Even though the angle was wrong, I knew from this short ride that this is what cycling is meant to be. Total comfort. I've since retired my padded shorts. Padded shorts must have been invented to compensate for bad saddles. My recommendation is to proofide the saddle generously every night for about a week. Work it in well. Don't wipe it off until the next day. In cold weather, GENTLY warm the saddle with a hair dryer after application. Ride a little every day during this period to break in the saddle. In a few days you'll see indentations where the sit bones touch."
"I put the black B17 on my mountain bike and went for a ride. I was prepared for a short, painful ride but I was very surprised that I had no more discomfort than with the Vetta saddle I've been using for the past four years! In fact, after a while I forgot I even had a different saddle."
"I have been using the B-17 and it just keeps getting better and better...."
"A note to let you know I am very happy with my new Brooks bicycle seat. I noted the new Brooks was exactly the same size and very nearly the same shape. Perhaps the Avocet (Touring II) was patterned after the Brooks. Any way, the Brooks is actually a little more resilient than the Avocet, and much smoother, allowing me to move back on the seat more easily."
"my new saddle was waiting for me when I got home from work on Friday. I followed the proofide instructions and did a 20 mile ride Saturday and a 30 mile ride Sunday.. . This thing is great!"
"I got home and tried the B17 on my hybrid. I'm sending it back to you in
exchange for a B17N (with chrome rails). I like the look of the B17 style
(small rivets, bag loops) for this bike, but believe a "N"arrow B17 model
would fit me better.. . . I rode the B17 about 10 miles. Even with that short a ride I could tell the difference between it an the plastic based seats I'm currently using. It seems to put me more closely in tune with the bike, at the same time provided very good shock absorbing characteristics. I'm sold on leatherseats. Can't wait to start putting some real miles on one."
and later. . .
"Thanks again Bill for exchanging the B17 for a B17N. I got a chance to go for a 20+ mile ride today and got the saddle set-up just right.. . .I love it!"
"I'm surely enjoying the Brooks B-17 I received from you in my August 14th order this year. Your tip sheet proved very valuable and the seat was comfortable from the beginning. So far, its gotten even *more* comfortable since."
"I've ridden the B-17 on my battered Trek 520, and it makes me grin (not grimace)."
"Dear Bill: Just letting you know I rec'd my Brooks B-17 (N) exactly one week from date of my order (Sat 3/22 - Sat 3/29). Very impressive for mail order! I mounted it on our tandem (Captain's position), tinkered and adjusted, and test rode it today on an easy 25 miler. Having used Avocet touring saddles for the past 10 years, this was my first ride using any leather saddle. First impression (out of the box) was the beautiful hand made craftsmanship; second was the "hard as wood" when rapped with the knuckles. But the ride was great! Not perfect yet...still have to tinker to find the exact position for that "sweet spot", but the support (especially the sitting bones) was the best I have ever felt on a saddle. Looking forward to how it will feel after a few more rides. We generally average 40-45 miles on our Sunday rides."
"The B-17 I ordered in March is serving me quite well on our tandem. Can't believe how much more efficient and comfortable it is compared to plastic saddles (even the "good" Avocet I was using)....."
"I like it (B17) even more now, having just got back from a "death ride." It didn't start out that way, but lack of sleep, high humidity, and high heat all combined to make the last couple of hours miserable. My wrists ached, my legs could barely move...and only now did I realize that the saddle hadn't been a problem at all! This was about four and half hours of saddle time, too."
"The Team Pro is on my Mt. Bike and the B-17 is on my touring bike. Both are vast improvements over the OEM saddles they replaced. The B-17 is really plush. The Team Pro is just beginning to break in."
"The B-17 is working out quite well. I've done several cross state rides using it and I have gotten several comments on it."
"I've put the B17 on my bike an ridden a bit. My reactions since taking it out of the box have been, in order:
1. Wow! That's not as heavy as everybody makes it sound!
2. It sure is hard, though...
3. Hmm. A little higher, than my current saddle, but I'm going to leave it
up there.
4. Finally! A place to hang my bag. I bet I could strap a tool bundle
above the rails.
5. It sure it hard, though...
6. Hey! It's COMFORTABLE...
7. Even climbing in the saddle...
8. But my sit-bones are gonna have to get used to this.
9. Looks a LITTLE strange with all those rivets...
10. I'm never going to give this one up!
As you can see, I LIKE IT a lot!"
" Wow! When I first laid my eyes on this popcorn protected piece of leather I thought for sure I was in for a ride that could rival some of my worst saddle experiences. But this was not the case. The B. 17 was an absolute joy to mount. I truly believe that all the souls that I rode past must have thought I was mad because of the smile that was on my face. I can only imagine how wonderful it will be in six months. The masses may even consider having me committed. The last ten years of riding have been wonderful. I can only imagine what the next ten will be like with the addition of this excellent crafted saddle."
"Although I've never bought a Brooks saddle from your company (I didn't own a computer until last year), I would like to recommend the B17 to anyone interested in the perfect saddle.
Three years ago, I cycled from London to Jerusalem on one of those
fancy gel saddles flooding the markets today. When I reached Holland via
Belgium, I was ready to throw away that piece of crap. So I purchased a
brand new B17 in Amsterdam. I've always heard about Brooks but never
bothered to purchase one in the past because, frankly, they looked
"geekish". Well, I was desperate and bought the B17. For the next 10
days, my butt was pleading for me to get off this excuse of a saddle!!!
However, by the time I reached Austria, I noticed that my pain was slowly going
away. And by Eastern Europe, the saddle had been broken-in (I was on the
bike 8 hours a day. From the break-in "dents" on the leather, I noticed
that my left butt cheek is a bit different size from my right!) From
there, it was if I wasn't even sitting on a saddle - I felt no pain, and in
fact, I felt no pressure on my butt at all. Well, since that tour, I've
cycled across Icleland and Bolivia and have nothing but the absolute highest
praise for my B17; it is simply the best cycling product I've ever
bought."
"Rode about 130 miles on a fancy Selle Italia Flite, and ended up with sore, chafed butt and thighs, rubbed almost raw. Too painful to consider riding more than the 30 miles we did on Sunday. But I got on the B-17 on my commuter bike the next morning and, like magic, all that pain became a distant memory. I think that the two main keys in my case are that super smooth leather on the Brooks -- so no chafing -- and the solid surface that flexes just enough to cushion every bump.)"
"Tell the sales representative from Brook's bravo!!!!!! When I first purchased the wonderful B.17 a month ago I was completely satisfied. The initial ride proved to be a moving experience in riding comfort. Now it is even better. One hundred percent comfort! There is absolutely no comparison to a typical gel saddle. The simple design almost looks uncomfortable when you first take it out of the box. But this is far from the reality of riding with it.
Thanks again for your prompt service and being attentive to my needs."
I bought a honey B17 from you back in April or May of '99. After
breaking it in with various methods (proofide, neatsfoot oil, and a few
soakings in water). It has been a learning experience, I think. I took
the saddle with me on my 2.5 month tour of Europe this summer. It didn't
end up living up to my hopes for it (based on all the positive stuff I
heard about it from various sources). That's not to say that it was bad,
either. Overall, I think it was as comfortable as any saddle I've ever
used, but it's also hard to tell, since I've never toured on another saddle.
The biggest thing I noticed about this saddle is that I experienced
numbness with it. That took me by surprise! After half an hour to 45
minutes I would start to go numb. I ended up having to shift position a
lot to avoid it. I think that maybe something that happened is that the
oil I used in conditioning the leather made it too soft, forming _too_ much
to my bones, applying more pressure to soft areas on me. Also, the saddle
sagged more than I would have liked, pushing me forward as if it were
tipped forward too much. Tipping it back more made me go numb almost
immediately, though :(
Overall I'm satirsfied with the saddle, though. Next time I think I
would do less to try and break it in, and perhaps get a different model (it
was really uncomfortable to start out with!), probably with springs. Some
of those roads in Europe are really bumpy (especially in Hungary :)
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
 |
|
Dick Gilpin rides a green B.17 C.S. on his Rivendell Atlantis. This fine bike also sports a Berthoud small saddlebag and King bottle cages. |
John Knoepfle was about to blow off his first bike once he got his new Surly. But a last minute change of heart turned the old Raleigh into a klassy kommuter. Way to go, John. |
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