Tag: b17

Brooks B17 Select – Out of the box Impression and Review

While helping friends with their bikes, I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of really nice gear I would not have usually had come through the garage on my own budget.  This time it is one of the new Brooks Select saddles. 

First thought in my mind as I slid open the box was, WOW, everything a Brooks saddle should be is right in front of me.

The leather is thick and firm, not the thin flexy stuff of recent regular production.  Shiny Copper rivets, and all the little things like proofide, tension wrench and a cloth to wipe it down.  As I pulled it all open  there were more surprises.

 Mostly catalogs and marketing, but it looks well put together and worth a deeper look as time permits.  The best surprise was the included rain cover, hidden under the saddle.

This is a fantastic addition that alleviates the need for an additional purchase, and/or the use of bags and shower caps when caught in the rain.  The design is well thought out, with a deep nose pocket, draw-string tensioner and cut in the rear to leave room for the bag loops.

The saddle itself is beautiful.  The leather is left natural and un-died.  The saddle will likely take on a nice patina as the years stack up.  The Leather is much thicker feeling than the average brooks saddle of recent production.  I have been recommending the Berthoud saddles to those with the budget due to some of the quality issues I have had with Brooks offerings over the last couple of years.  Roughly 1 in 3 of the saddle I bought were either too thin to support well, or would sag out within months.  When the select line was announced I was excited and have been waiting for a chance to get my hands on one.    Also of note is the Organic leather, I am not exactly clear on what this means with respect to a non edible good, but will look into it further and report back.  It certainly is not a bad thing. 

The steel frame is painted with a rough black paint.  This appears more robust than the copper or chrome plating on other models I have.  The coastal ocean air has resulted in a quick decline of the appearance on my other saddles.  While the shiny finish looks god out of the box it has ever held up well. 

I applied the initial coat of proofide to the top and bottom of the saddle.  The color only darkened slightly.

This saddle will be going on a vintage Trek 650b conversion and will complement the look of the bike perfectly.  I know that the owner plans to put the miles on this bike, and I look forward to sharing reports on the long-term performance.

I would also like to note my source for this saddle.  Wallingford Bicycle Parts was and is fantastic to deal with.  They are always fast to ship, great with communication, prices are competitive and the frosting on the cake is th e 6 month unconditional satisfaction guarantee.  A few years back when the US $ was strong against the Euro and British Pound I was sourcing things from Europe directly.  As the exchange rate has settled a bit the cost savings is not nearly as great, and the service from US companies like Wallingford more than makes up for the dollar or two you might save.  In this case they happened to have the best price I could find as well.  I look forward to buying from them in the future.

 

Saddle Comparison – Brooks B17, Swift and Berthoud Touring

Earlier this week I landed a Brooks Swift in trade for a B17 I had on a bike that sees only occasional use.  This presented me with the opportunity to take some side by side comparison shots.  The pictures tell a good bit of the story (L toR Berthoud Touring, Brooks B17 and Brooks Swift:

The Bi7 is a few years old with about 7K miles on it.  The Berthoud is now two years old with about 5k miles on it, and the Swift is fresh out of the box.  All three saddles have a similar plan shape that I prefer, the relatively wide flat rear with a quick drop and taper through the nose of the saddle.  I am pretty big at 6’3″ and 210 lbs, and the wider saddles provide adequate support for my sit bones while the arrow nose reduces the chance for thigh rub.  Also, all three saddles have steel rails.  While the general shape is similar, the overall dimensions vary as shown:

Saddle Weight (g) Length (mm) Width (mm)
Berthoud Touring 509 278 158
Brooks B17 557 285 170
Brooks Swift 504 273 153

 

The one thing that the stats do not clearly indicate is the flatness of the rear portion, or more exactly the way the flatness drops off outside of the four central rivets.  The B17 and the Berthoud both remain flat almost to the outer edge of the saddle.  The Swift while flat in the center, drops off in a taper towards the front and sides, leading to a much narrower fit than the dimension may let on.

In the picture showing the rails, I lined all three up with the forward most point of rail mountablity in the same position.  When on my bikes all three are pushed back as far as they can go.  With this position my sit bones hit just forward of the second rivets from center.  Thus while there is some variation in length of the rails on the three different saddles it is kind of moot point for how I have them on the bike.

While I have only logged 50 miles or so on the Swift I can say that I love all three equally but different.  The B17 is perfect on bike where the bars are at or above saddle height.  The wider rear better accommodates the wider stance of my sit bones when in a more upright position.  I also find that the B17 is much more comfortable with thinner shorts and a chamois adds more bulk than is needed.  The Swift is more suited to bikes where the bars are below saddle height.  The narrower contact patch adequately supports my sit bones with my torso rolled forward, yet the drop off at the corners and narrow nose keep the pressure off of places where you do not want it.  So far I have only ridden the Swift with my Ibex knickers that have a chamois, but based on my initial impressions I look forward to this saddle when things warm up a bit and I get back to my normal shorts.  The Berthoud is my Goldilocks saddle.  I have had it on every bike in the garage, bars high or low it was comfortable.  The sweet spot was with the bars at saddle height on the Roadeo.  I am hoping that with some break in the Swift will be as comfortable. 

The Swift is on the Roadeo for break in and experimenting with the bars set below the saddle.  I am looking forward to putting the miles in with this one.