Uncomfortable Brooks Saddle :(

[Just-cycling-about]

Hi, so I've got a Brooks saddle, i've done over 5,000km on it and it's soooo uncomfortable
Yes, i've soaked it in oil, the leather is softer, but i lean forward slightly and ride on my 'soft tissue' and it's not fun!
I've tried at least 5 other saddles and all are uncomfortable.
Anyone got any ideas?  Maybe a large tassled pillow!!!!

[WorldTourer]

Brooks leather saddles are not for everyone, and it could be that it just would never be comfortable for you.

But when you write that you ”soaked it in oil”, what did you do? Some of the third-party recommendations for breaking in a Brooks, seems to me highly likely to ruin the saddle, as opposed to just applying a little Proofride as the manufacturer recommends.

[Just-cycling-about]

 The saddle's fine, i haven't dammaged it   i used proper argentinian gaucho saddle oil and whenever i'm in a hostel i gave it a massage.
I had to take some high grit sand paper to the edging as it was chaffing baddly.  Sounds terrible, but the saddle's in great condition.
I've had a few ,000km where it was amazing so i know it's possible, but i've tried loads of different saddles and the brookes is the best of a bad lot.

[JohnR]

Which Brooks - they come in different widths? It's likely that the saddle width isn't a good match for your backside in the seating position you use. The B17 fits many touring cyclists who use a semi-upright position but, if you get your head down further then you need a narrower saddle.

Also, if you have a pressure on soft tissue problem, then try tilting the saddle to be slightly nose down. If you've formed a pair of sit bone depressions then you won't slide forwards. The 'carved' versions of the saddles (which have a slit along the middle) claim to provide some pressure relief.

[WorldTourer]

i used proper argentinian gaucho saddle oil and whenever i'm in a hostel i gave it a massage.

But that's exactly what I was talking about. Brooks recommends only Proofide and a sparing application of it. Oiling the saddle abundantly or frequently will oversoften it.

[Andyb1]

As my B17 wore in it became wider.  The saddle was a little used s/h item so I can’t quote exact miles but probably after I had ridden it for 1000 miles it started to chaff my legs.  Tightening the saddle tension nut by about 1/2 turn narrowed it down again and solved the problem.  I marked the nut with a pen, just incase it was loosening.

Another solution is to add lacing along the bottom of the saddle to pull it a little inwards.

If you need a spanner to adjust the saddle just get a normal 13mm open ended spanner and ask a workshop to grind it narrower at the head.  It will loose some of it’s strength but it will do this job ok.

[PH]

I started out in ignorance, I assumed all saddles were uncomfortable and for a couple of decades just put up with whatever came on the bike. Then I started riding in groups, so wasn't short of advice, tried a Rolls and didn't like it, then a B17 which was fine until stretched and then a C17 which is pretty much like an unstretched B17 with a little more give.
Not sure there's much I can help with, try and work out how it isn't working, position can be as important as saddle, both position on the bike and on the saddle itself. I sometimes get a bit uncomfortable at the end of a long ride, it isn't the saddle, it's because I'm probably sat on it heavier when knackered, with less weight on my legs.  There's some things that might help, suspension seatposts and padded shorts, but IMO they're fine tuning, they can't make the wrong saddle comfortable.

[John Saxby]

Echoing PH, I'm not sure I can add much, but FWIW:

My Brooks B17 Premium is now 12 years old, maybe 20K kms. A few things I've done to make it reasonably comfortable:

Lubricant:  I use Obenauf's saddle oil sparingly (and apply it every other end-of-season) and only on the underside of the saddle. Seems to keep it flexible but not soft.  I use a saddle cover for protection against rain & heavy dew.

Saddle tilt: I tilt the nose downwards slightly, so that a short spirit level placed between the top of the nose & the rearmost of the three holes is level. Occasionally (usually in the spring), I tilt it another 3-4mm lower.

For me, the position of my bars is critical.  Took me some years to find the sweet spot: the top of the hoods on my drop bars is now 3 1/2 inches above the nose of the saddle.  That also allows me to use the drops in a headwind, without too much pressure on me delicate bits.

So, there's a lot of variables at play.  One thing seems to be a given, but which still necessitates adjustments:  as I get nearer the end of my eighth decade (77-plus journeys around the sun), my flexibility diminishes.  This, despite yoga twice weekly, and a daily hour of stretching my hips/quads/hamstrings.

Good luck -- a less-than-comfy saddle pretty much trumps "press on regardless".

[geocycle]

Lots of variables as others have said.  Some people just don’t get on with Brooks but cannot work out why.  It can even be riding style, weather, or how often you shift positions which tends to be more in hilly areas.

If you are getting chafing then it sounds as if either the saddle is too wide, perhaps from the oil treatment softening it too much, or your sit bones are too narrow for the saddle.

B17s fit me perfectly so I never use padded shorts, but that’s just my good fortune.  I have the saddle horizontal or tilt the nose up very slightly which pushes me back onto the wider parts of the saddle. I use proofhide 3 times a year on top and do the underside once every other year.

[mickeg]

I find the B17 too wide for my bikes with drop bars.  On those I use either a Brooks Pro or Conquest.

But I can use a B17 or the Flyer on bikes where I am a bit more upright in posture.

[in4]

Paraphrasing the inimitable words of Flanders and Swann the B17 ( which I like but…) ‘affects me prowess ( from Have some Madeira, M’Dear. A very non-woke and un-pc song, some might think!)

On my Chester, UK to Lagos, Portugal I used an SMP Sella Trek. Whilst it is different design to the B17 ( it has a cut-out and a drooped nose) I found it very comfortable if a little sweaty in hot weather.

I still use it quite a lot during UK winter weather as I don’t need to cover it overnight in case of rain.

Certainly worth considering, for more than one reason, M’Dears!!! 😂

[steve216c]

In what way is it uncomfortable? Back ache, bottom ache, chaffing. My dad (who was a life long Brooks user) found cycling increasingly uncomfortable in his early 60s, and later found he had prostate cancer even though he insisted it hadn't felt like it was hurting in the prostate region when cycling. It might be the wrong saddle for you, but getting health checks regardless of saddle type is a definite recommendation.

Adjusting the angle or how far forward or back it sits on the rails might make a difference. Experiment with one small change at a time so you can see what helps. You mentioned you tried at least 5 other saddles. Were they all Brooks, or different kinds? Form plays a role. As far as I know, wider saddles are often intended for female riders, narrower for men due to hip proportions. But I know people who insist the opposite is true.

I have suffered with back issues on and off since getting back into cycling. I thought a Brooks Flyer might improve comfort with its springs. It is a nice saddle, but as I had to ride it in, it was difficult to assess if that helped or not. I have a Brooks B17 Imperial on another bike. Where I noticed an immediate comfort improvement was getting a Suntour NCX seatpost. This was like night and day compared to the Post Moderne seatpost or fixed seatposts I have on other bikes. I've ridden over 10,000 km with my NCX post and have had few back complaints while doing so. Before that, tours of 30km+ without a break from the saddle often found me struggling with pain. I recently did my longest day trip of 166km riding the entirety of the Berlin wall (+ a few extra km to/from home) and was impressed how well the NCX post performed.

In my personal experience, gel saddles can be equally comfortable on short journeys. I have a couple of bikes with Selle Royal saddles. But on longer journeys I feel that I appreciate the leather of the Brooks for overall comfort. Plus that Suntour NCX seatpost has been a game-changer for me.