It would be a little odd to review a product that has been around for 110 years, so we won’t. I have noticed, though, that whenever I stop and talk to other cyclists, they almost always ask about my Brooks Saddle, especially the few-months-old B17 I have on my fixed-gear bike (my other city-bike came with a twenty-something year old Brooks already attached). These English Bicycle saddles, hand made by the recently-independent company (it was owned by Raleigh Bikes since 1962) are both feared and revered due to the high price tag and the old-school style. So instead of a review, I’ll answer the questions that come up most often about these legendary bike seats.
How much is it?
Expensive, if measured in money alone, and dirt-cheap if measured in value. My basic B-17, the springless leather and steel flagship model, is listed at $120 in the US, and that’s the cheap one. It is, however, the only seat you’ll ever need to buy. If looked after, it should last longer than you, which makes it much more of a bargain than dropping $30 a year on some cheap plastic junk.
How long does it take to break in?
It depends. This particular B17 is the “standard”, and therefore has the hardest leather (there are pre-aged versions but the treatment makes the leather weaker). For me, it was comfortable from the moment I mounted it, although it took a few weeks of hard riding to get the thing to start changing shape. The ‘sit bones’ eventually make depressions in the seat, keeping your butt in place and making the seat feel softer, even though it isn’t.
Others report breaking-in periods of several hundred miles, and there is a magic lotion available from Brooks which can be applied to help soften the leather quicker. But don’t bother. The seats, even the ones without springs, are comfy from day one.
It’s very hard. Is it comfortable?
Surprisingly, it is comfortable because it is so hard. Instead of filling all your crevices with gel pads, which effectively give many more points of friction and cause saddle sores, the Brooks saddles are effectively a very stiff hammock hung from each end. This provides a measure of shock absorbance, and as your rear-end really only presses at the two pressure points on your sit bones (where the pelvis touches the saddle), there is no rubbing. The shiny surface, too, helps stop chafing and even heavy cotton jeans have moisture wicked-away quickly by the leather.
In short, it might look uncomfortable, but it is in fact the most comfortable kind of seat you can buy. Don’t believe me? Here’s what Sheldon Brown had to say:
Plastic saddles have four advantages over leather ones:
They are lighter.
They are weatherproof.
They do not require breaking in.
They are cheaper.
Leather saddles have only one advantage over plastic, but it is a big one:
They are much more comfortable!
Why is it pointed up at the front?
Because you sit on the back, wide part of the seat, and that section is at an angle to the nose, you need to tilt the seat back a little farther than usual. If not, you’ll slide forward onto the nose and put pressure onto the soft tissues of what my brother calls the “biffing skin”. Tipping it up makes the rear section flat enough to sit on comfortably.
Did that (saddlebag) come with it?
No, and it cost another $100. It’s an expensive D-Shaped Tool Bag, but like the seat, I expect it to last forever. That and it looks good and holds my toolkit without reminding me it is there by swinging around under the saddle.
Aren’t there other brands that are just as good?
Perhaps. Once upon a time, all bike seats looked like this, but today Brooks is about the only brand that is easy to find new in pretty much any bike shop.
Anything else? I’m sure some of you use Brooks saddles, and love them or hate them. And I know for certain that our cyclist readers are our most vocal readers. Let us know what you think.
Product page [Brooks]
Photo credit: Charlie Sorrel
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