Brooks Saddles

[mfb1001]

I know this is a old topic, but what is the diff between the B17 and the pro. I'm in the market for a new saddle and plan on putting one of these on my touring bike.


By the way, Nice to meet you Steve, I was riding the Atlantis last Saturday with paniers on. We bumped into you at that store just off the C&O Trail.

Thanks

[goonster]

what is the diff between the B17 and the pro. I'm in the market for a new saddle and plan on putting one of these on my touring bike.


The Pro (160 mm) is narrower than the B17 (170 mm).

Also, almost every Pro I've ever seen has "harder" leather than B17's.

Narrow hips or racy bike with low handlebars? Get the Pro.

Wider or normal hips and more comfortable setup? B17.

I have both, but use a Pro only on fast-ride fixie that rarely gets used for very long rides.

Brooks lineup (with pictures and descriptions) (http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/standardsaddles.html)

[H1449-6]

Also been discussed, but what do you use to "break in" the saddle? Sheldon Brown recommends neatsfoot oil (click here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil) if you'd like to know what this gross stuff is made from). Brooks recommends only Proofide.

Do I do wrong by using neatsfoot oil, or Vaseline?

[dave thompson]

I know this is a old topic, but what is the diff between the B17 and the pro. I'm in the market for a new saddle and plan on putting one of these on my touring bike.


By the way, Nice to meet you Steve, I was riding the Atlantis last Saturday with paniers on. We bumped into you at that store just off the C&O Trail.

Thanks
The Pro is 10mm narrower than the B-17, and like goonster said, harder than the B-17. More importantly the Pro, according to Brooks ".... A good all around saddle for riders with some aggressive tendencies to their style."..

I've had both the Pro and the B-17. I found the B-17 much more comfortable for many hours in the saddle. Perhaps a good compromise might be a B-17 Champion Special, sort of a fancy B-17 that has the thicker leather of the Pro.

[SoCalSteve]

In their owners manual, Brooks recommends Proofhide and very little of it.

As been discussed here on MANY occassions, Brooks saddles dont really need to be broken in if they are mounted and positioned correctly.

DBRK has a great visual. Think of the saddle as being in a "hammock" position with the nose poined slightly upward. This actually makes the saddle level.

Good luck!

Steve

[ti_boi]

Love me Pro....have it on a Gary Fisher Sugar MTN bike. Have the Ti Swift on the road bike and that is the absolute best seat ever.

[goonster]

Perhaps a good compromise might be a B-17 Champion Special, sort of a fancy B-17 that has the thicker leather of the Pro.

I have two Champion Specials, and in both cases the leather is much more pliable than that of the Pro. Since we're talking about leather, there can be quite a bit of variation from model to model, year to year, and saddle to saddle.

The ancient joke about breaking in a Brooks is that you boil it in a pan of water with a large rock. When the rock gets soft, you mount it on the seatpost and throw away the saddle. :banana:

That always makes me think of my Pro, but it also reinforces the rule that with Brookses the shape and position is everything.

I have a B17 that was overoiled. The shop I bought it from soaked it in neatsfoot oil for weeks and used it on a display bike for show only. The leather was very soft and sagged some, but I rode three brevet series on it before the shape became too distended for long rides.

I now use Obenauf's Leather Preservative (Riv sells it, as do some shoe makers) because it smells good and has beeswax in it, so it's more grippy and less slimy. The tins of Proofide sit around unused because that stuff has such a high melting point that I find it annoying to apply. Anyway, as long as the saddle doesn't soak up so much oil or grease that it becomes noticeable saturated, I don't think there is much risk of overdoing it. Nor should you fret over the lotion of choice. Lon Haldeman famously used motor oil.

[Marburg]

The rivets on the back of my swift are lifting a bit at the edges (or is the leather pulling away?). It digs into my butt.

I've tried hammering them back down, but it seems to keep happening. I'm worried it's actually the leather stretching and pulling away. Anyone care to comment?

[Ray]

Everyone has mentioned the difference in the width and leather, but the Pro is also somewhat rounder side to side in the back than the B-17, which is pretty flat. Also, the Pro narrows down toward the nose much more abruptly than the B-17 and is less likely to chaff some thighs. But the overall recommendation of the B-17 for more relaxed riding and the Pro for more aggressive riding is dead-on by my experience.

-Ray

[Rover-Rich]

Anyone here use a Brooks Swallow Classic? I'm looking for a new saddle for my upcoming Kirk (Thanks David!!) and was all set on a B17 or Swift until I checked out the wallbike.com site and saw the Swallow. I looks very similar to the Swift. I'm confused :confused: Currently using an Aliante which I like very much, anyone willing to share some advice?

[dbrk]

Swallows are a great ride...but this is the sort of saddle you put on a bike, look at, then take it off when you go for a ride. It's 400 bucks, is that reason enough?

On all but my most racey race bikes I'm in the process of replacing even the great Regals and Rolls with Swift, Pro, or B17s.

If you ride a Brooks saddle wearing a proper button down shirt you get extra an invitation to the family's reunion. I draw the line at the rep ties, however, 'cause BBros always gets the rep in the wrong direction. atmo knows this too.

dbrk
who gets no break from either side of the family...

[Rover-Rich]

On all but my most racey race bikes I'm in the process of replacing even the great Regals and Rolls with Swift, Pro, or B17s.


Thanks Douglas, so how do you make the decision which of the three to use? Which saddle would be most appropriate for a Kirk designed as a true MRB?

[dbrk]

Currently my own Kirk Terraplane, which certainly qualifies as MRB since it uses Paul's Centerpulls and takes big'ol'tires if it wants, wears a B17. I think of the race-est bikes as getting the Swift; then the classic moderns, like the Legend, Hampsten Strada Bianca, and Cooper, as getting the Pros or the laced narrow Pro (Goodrich!!); and every bike with skinny tubes or a personality for rough roads or long, long, long days the B17. Some of it for me is aesthetic, since I can comfortably ride any of these saddles. "Slick" looking bikes get the Swift. Nearly any bike can wear the Pro and look right. I think of the B17 as the all-around, randonneur, fat tire, MRB-style, anything that approaches cycling in the opposite direction of ultra-modern race bikes. Every boy has his rationalizations, I'm sure you'll come up with your own. But for goodness's sake, be sure to ride what is comfortable to you!

Whoever said that the leather was harder on the Pro than the B17 is right. Same is true of the Swift, imhoatmo. But a Brooks saddle is all in the set up: get that rear flat (so that the nose nudges north) and you stand a chance of being comfortable on any of them. I like the sprung B72 too, which I use on some wonderful ol'porteur bike I have.

Oh yeah, there's a Swallow on the Mariposa Paris-Roubaix Changer bike ('cause it's just so out there and beautiful and it works right with a bike that uses a BRAND NEW 1954 Campagnolo rear derailleur...).

dbrk

[Rover-Rich]

Douglas, you are an eloquent man. That explanation is the best I have read to date. Thanks very much! :beer:

[ChrisK]

The rivets on the back of my swift are lifting a bit at the edges (or is the leather pulling away?). It digs into my butt.

I've tried hammering them back down, but it seems to keep happening. I'm worried it's actually the leather stretching and pulling away. Anyone care to comment?

I once rented a nice touring bike in France that had a saddle like that and rode it for a week. Don't worry, you'll soon develop calluses at the contact points. :)

Seriously, about all you can do is tension the leather and hope it doesn't tear.