Re: Saddles

[Marc]

craggs > wrote:

> Getting back into cycling after a long lay off,the saddle on my road
> bike is a bit extreme in the comfort stakes any suggestions on a better
> saddle ( ie split ,gel, etc )any feedback would be much appreciated.:(

Brookes!

[Peter Connolly]

"Marc" > wrote in message
. ..
> craggs > wrote:
>
> > Getting back into cycling after a long lay off,the saddle on my road
> > bike is a bit extreme in the comfort stakes any suggestions on a better
> > saddle ( ie split ,gel, etc )any feedback would be much appreciated.:(
>
> Brookes!

....if you've got a 'Brooks' shaped backside! I've been trying to break mine
in for over a year, on and off...almost a tin of Proofide, and it's still
not conforming to my shape...but I spent so much on it, I'm not giving up!

I recommend a trip to your LBS, give them your credit card and first born
child, and borrow a number of saddles from them, and give them all a good
test ride; choose the one that feels best for you.

And no, I didn't do this when buying my Brooks! Do as I say, not as I
do...... :-P

Regards,

Pete.

[Malcolm Stewart]

Marc > wrote in message
. ..
> craggs > wrote:
>
> Brookes!

I had a Brooks B17 many years ago (like 1956 on, before advice was available
from the web etc.), and I never managed to break it in for my backside, over
several years of ownership and use. I can certainly remember seeing how
distorted these leather saddles became when they were "broken in", but it never
happened to mine!

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm

[Maureen]

"Malcolm Stewart" > wrote in message
...

> I had a Brooks B17 many years ago (like 1956 on, before advice was available
> from the web etc.), and I never managed to break it in for my backside, over
> several years of ownership and use. I can certainly remember seeing how
> distorted these leather saddles became when they were "broken in", but it
never
> happened to mine!
>
> --
> M Stewart
> Milton Keynes, UK
> www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm



Oh dear. I`ve just ordered one. I have tried the ones with the cut-outs and
haven`t really found them very comfortable, so this is a bit of a last resort.

Maureen

[Dave]

"Maureen" <maureendotdoigatbtinternetdotcom> wrote in message
. ..
>
> "Malcolm Stewart" > wrote in
message
> ...
>
> > I had a Brooks B17 many years ago (like 1956 on, before advice was
available
> > from the web etc.), and I never managed to break it in for my backside,
over
> > several years of ownership and use. I can certainly remember seeing how
> > distorted these leather saddles became when they were "broken in", but
it
> never
> > happened to mine!
> >
> > --
> > M Stewart
> > Milton Keynes, UK
> > www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm
>
>
>
> Oh dear. I`ve just ordered one. I have tried the ones with the cut-outs
and
> haven`t really found them very comfortable, so this is a bit of a last
resort.
>
> Maureen
>
>

Brooks, 'nuff said....swear by 'em. It stands to reason. Plastic won't let
your ar$e breathe, whereas leather will.....and once you've learnt to
breathe through it, then you can learn to talk through it too ;-)
But seriously, until gel / plastic / etc becomes 'intelligent'
(nanotechnology etc), and molds itself perfectly to your form, it isn't even
on the same playing field as leather. I had one 'as a lad' on an old BSA
Sportsman that I used day in, day out to school, never had any problems,
never used any proofide or maintained it in any way. My wife bought me one
in March as a birthday present and it was instantly more comfortable than
the plastic one that came with the bike. I then rode 920 miles in a
fortnight on it, end to end, and broke it in. It is now so comfortable, I
don't even notice I'm on a saddle.
However I can only vouch for them for the male anatomy and also acknowldege
that there are folks that they don't seem to work too well for....for some
reason.....
Dave.

[Maureen]

"Dave" > wrote in message
...
> Brooks, 'nuff said....swear by 'em. It stands to reason. Plastic won't let
> your ar$e breathe, whereas leather will.....and once you've learnt to
> breathe through it, then you can learn to talk through it too ;-)
> But seriously, until gel / plastic / etc becomes 'intelligent'
> (nanotechnology etc), and molds itself perfectly to your form, it isn't even
> on the same playing field as leather. I had one 'as a lad' on an old BSA
> Sportsman that I used day in, day out to school, never had any problems,
> never used any proofide or maintained it in any way. My wife bought me one
> in March as a birthday present and it was instantly more comfortable than
> the plastic one that came with the bike. I then rode 920 miles in a
> fortnight on it, end to end, and broke it in. It is now so comfortable, I
> don't even notice I'm on a saddle.
> However I can only vouch for them for the male anatomy and also acknowldege
> that there are folks that they don't seem to work too well for....for some
> reason.....
> Dave.


Thanks for that Dave. I hope you`re right. I`ve recently treated myself to a
Trek 5200WSD and have hardly been out on it as I even find around 15 miles
starts hurting!!!!

Maureen

[Velvet]

Maureen wrote:

> "Malcolm Stewart" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>I had a Brooks B17 many years ago (like 1956 on, before advice was available
>>from the web etc.), and I never managed to break it in for my backside, over
>>several years of ownership and use. I can certainly remember seeing how
>>distorted these leather saddles became when they were "broken in", but it
>
> never
>
>>happened to mine!
>>
>>--
>>M Stewart
>>Milton Keynes, UK
>>www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm
>
>
>
>
> Oh dear. I`ve just ordered one. I have tried the ones with the cut-outs and
> haven`t really found them very comfortable, so this is a bit of a last resort.
>
> Maureen
>
>
FWIW I love my selle italia octavia I have. Ladies version. Gel
padding in three places, but not excessively so, still slim and a bit
shorter than blokes but has been mistaken for blokes saddle and
commented on as being quite firm (which was exactly what I was looking
for). 32 miles on it and only slight ache from sit-bones. Previous, 10
miles on true blokes saddle (san marco rolls classic) left me bruised
and battered and shifting to try and stop the hurt.

Velvet

[Tim Henderson]

"Dave Larrington" > wrote in message >...

> I, on the other hand, have had nothing but good experiences with B17s and,
> come to think of it, the Pro I had on the tourer in the dim and distant
> past

I've had a Flyer (?B17 with springs) for 4 months and am having good
experiences (though I am surprised how asymmetric the dimples are -
is it me or the leather ?).

Can I ask seasoned users for guidance as to when to tighten a Brooks ?
Is it obvious when it needs it ? Is it obvious how much it needs to be
tightened ? Do people find they need half a turn every three years or
does it need lots in the first year and then you never touch it ? Or
does it just depend how often you get it soaked in the rain ?

Regards,
Tim

[Pete]

On 29 Jul 2003 10:10:11 -0700, (Tim
Henderson) wrote:

>Can I ask seasoned users for guidance as to when to tighten a Brooks ?

From Sheldons site:

Most leather saddles have a tension-adjusting nut located under the
nose of the saddle. Fortunately, this nut usually requires a special
wrench, so most people leave it alone. In almost every case that I
know of where someone has tried to adjust the tension with this nut,
the saddle has been ruined. My advice is to leave it alone


Pete

[Patrick Herring]

"Peter Connolly" > wrote:

| "Marc" > wrote in message
| . ..
| > craggs > wrote:
....
| > Brookes!
|
| ...if you've got a 'Brooks' shaped backside! I've been trying to break mine
| in for over a year, on and off...almost a tin of Proofide, and it's still
| not conforming to my shape...but I spent so much on it, I'm not giving up!

I had a B17 that didn't break in over about 9 months but now a
Conquest that's doing nicely over about 2 months with one application
of Proofide so far. The main difference I know about is that on the
B17 I mostly wore jeans whereas now it's mostly Rohans and the like. I
wonder whether the thinner fabric allows your, er, shape through
better, and maybe there's a better transmission of, er,
heat'n'moisture. No jpegs.

--
Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK
http://www.anweald.co.uk

[Dave]

"Maureen" <maureendotdoigatbtinternetdotcom> wrote in message
. ..
>
> "Dave" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Brooks, 'nuff said....swear by 'em. It stands to reason. Plastic won't
let
> > your ar$e breathe, whereas leather will.....and once you've learnt to
> > breathe through it, then you can learn to talk through it too ;-)
> > But seriously, until gel / plastic / etc becomes 'intelligent'
> > (nanotechnology etc), and molds itself perfectly to your form, it isn't
even
> > on the same playing field as leather. I had one 'as a lad' on an old BSA
> > Sportsman that I used day in, day out to school, never had any problems,
> > never used any proofide or maintained it in any way. My wife bought me
one
> > in March as a birthday present and it was instantly more comfortable
than
> > the plastic one that came with the bike. I then rode 920 miles in a
> > fortnight on it, end to end, and broke it in. It is now so comfortable,
I
> > don't even notice I'm on a saddle.
> > However I can only vouch for them for the male anatomy and also
acknowldege
> > that there are folks that they don't seem to work too well for....for
some
> > reason.....
> > Dave.
>
>
> Thanks for that Dave. I hope you`re right. I`ve recently treated myself
to a
> Trek 5200WSD and have hardly been out on it as I even find around 15 miles
> starts hurting!!!!
>
> Maureen
>
I was the same with the saddle that came with my bike. It had a solid
plastic frame which then had gel padding and finally a plastic covering. Not
too bad for the first few miles but eventually I'd get serious pain where my
hip bones/whatever rested on the saddle. The leather saddle is effectively
hung, hammock like off the steel frame, meaning there isn't anything solid
be grinding your bones against with skin and sensitive bits inbetween.
Hope it works out, anyway,
Cheers,
Dave.

[Tim Hall]

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 01:28:48 +0100, "Peter Connolly"
> wrote:

>
>I recommend a trip to your LBS, give them your credit card and first born
>child, and borrow a number of saddles from them, and give them all a good
>test ride; choose the one that feels best for you.

One of those new fangled online bikeshops does this, although I don't
think you need to leave any children as a deposit. Unfortunately I
can't remember the name.


Tim

In space no one can eat ice cream

[Peter Connolly]

> I had a B17 that didn't break in over about 9 months but now a
> Conquest that's doing nicely over about 2 months with one application
> of Proofide so far. The main difference I know about is that on the
> B17 I mostly wore jeans whereas now it's mostly Rohans and the like. I
> wonder whether the thinner fabric allows your, er, shape through
> better, and maybe there's a better transmission of, er,
> heat'n'moisture. No jpegs.
>
> --
> Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK
> http://www.anweald.co.uk

I only cycle in proper padded shorts, and there's no problem of padding
(I've got plenty, and so have the shorts). If I could take a bit of tension
out of the saddle, I think it would be easier to conform to - but the
tension adjuster is right at the minimum setting, so all I could do would be
to tighten the leather up, which is exactly the opposite of what I want.

Pete.

[Dave]

"Tim Hall" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 01:28:48 +0100, "Peter Connolly"
> > wrote:
>
> >
> >I recommend a trip to your LBS, give them your credit card and first born
> >child, and borrow a number of saddles from them, and give them all a good
> >test ride; choose the one that feels best for you.
>
> One of those new fangled online bikeshops does this, although I don't
> think you need to leave any children as a deposit. Unfortunately I
> can't remember the name.
>
>
> Tim
>
> In space no one can eat ice cream

yeahbut.....
you could always send the children along as a gesture of goodwill....this
would then give you plenty of time to be testing the saddles out without
having to stop to feed/water/quality time said children!!

[Dave]

"Peter Clinch" > wrote in message
...
<snip>
> Still not as good as my 'bent, but OTOH no surprises there as that has a
> big padded armchair on it rather than a saddle.
>
> Pete.
....and I'm sooooo looking forward to trying mine out. Should arrive tomorrow
or Saturday. Then all I've got to do is put it back together. Prepare for
some revolutionary 'bent design to come out of the guesswork.....
Dave.

[Daniel Wilcox]

Marc wrote:
> craggs > wrote:
>
>
>>Getting back into cycling after a long lay off,the saddle on my road
>>bike is a bit extreme in the comfort stakes any suggestions on a better
>>saddle ( ie split ,gel, etc )any feedback would be much appreciated.:(
>
>
> Brookes!

The masochists choice.

[Andrew Sweetman]

Tim Hall > wrote
> One of those new fangled online bikeshops does this, although I don't
> think you need to leave any children as a deposit. Unfortunately I
> can't remember the name.
>

www.gearshift.co.uk do a 10 day saddle loan scheme.

£100 deposit, 6 saddles (specify mens/womens - don't think you get to choose
which 6), you pay return postage, £10 voucher off a saddle you buy from
them.

[Andrew Sweetman]

Tim Henderson > wrote
> "Dave Larrington" > wrote
> > I, on the other hand, have had nothing but good experiences with B17s
and,
> > come to think of it, the Pro I had on the tourer in the dim and distant
> > past

Likewise, even up to a 400k audax on a brand-new Team Pro (by way of an
experiment !)
Similarly, I've tried a Colt and a Swift, and found them uncomfortable.

>
> I've had a Flyer (?B17 with springs) for 4 months and am having good
> experiences (though I am surprised how asymmetric the dimples are -
> is it me or the leather ?).

You - all mine get a bigger dimple one side than the other.

>
> Can I ask seasoned users for guidance as to when to tighten a Brooks ?
> Is it obvious when it needs it ? Is it obvious how much it needs to be
> tightened ?

Look at the shape of the top from the side when new, and then give it half a
turn if you notice it's started to sag in the middle.
Don't over-tighten, and excessive use of Proofhide, oils etc may make it
conform to your shape quicker, but it will also sag quicker, and once you've
reached the end of the adjustment that's it

Andrew

[Andrew Chadwick]

On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 20:16:04 GMT, Patrick Herring
> wrote:
> "Peter Connolly" > wrote:
>> "Marc" > wrote in message
>> . ..
>>> craggs > wrote:
> ...
>>> Brookes!
>>
>> ...if you've got a 'Brooks' shaped backside! I've been trying to break mine
>> in for over a year, on and off...almost a tin of Proofide, and it's still
>> not conforming to my shape...but I spent so much on it, I'm not giving up!
>
> [... B17: 9 months, Conquest: 2 months ...]
>
> on the B17 I mostly wore jeans whereas now it's mostly Rohans and the
> like. I wonder whether the thinner fabric allows your, er, shape
> through better, and maybe there's a better transmission of, er,
> heat'n'moisture. No jpegs.

I mostly wore jeans myself while breaking my B17 in over the winter,
occasionally with proper shorts underneath. Took about a fortnight to
become comfortable using the method suggested on their website and by
the LBS. That and a bit of daily use over the following months has given
it 10-15 mm of 'squash' in the middle, and slight indentations where my
ischial tuberosities - sit bones - sit on its shoulders.

Perhaps the saddles themselves are subject to variation as well as their
users. OTOH, perhaps I do have a Brooks-shaped bum. No JPEGs.

--
Andrew Chadwick
<We're all in this together>

[Anthony Campbell]

In article >, Andrew Sweetman wrote:
>
> Tim Henderson > wrote
>> "Dave Larrington" > wrote
>> > I, on the other hand, have had nothing but good experiences with B17s
> and,
>> > come to think of it, the Pro I had on the tourer in the dim and distant
>> > past
>
> Likewise, even up to a 400k audax on a brand-new Team Pro (by way of an
> experiment !)
> Similarly, I've tried a Colt and a Swift, and found them uncomfortable.
>
>>
>> I've had a Flyer (?B17 with springs) for 4 months and am having good
>> experiences (though I am surprised how asymmetric the dimples are -
>> is it me or the leather ?).
>
> You - all mine get a bigger dimple one side than the other.
>
>>


[snip]


For as long as I've been cycling seriously (many years) I've always had
saddle sores and boils form on the left side, never the right. This must
be due to a slight anatomic variation in my pelvis. I've occasionally
experimented with tilting the saddle slightly to one side but I'm not
sure if it helps.

AC

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