Brooks alternatives

[in4]

Is anyone using a saddle that is not a Brooks? Accepting that a Brooks seems to be the saddle many riders choose I was wondering whether there is something of the slavish acceptance of the self-perpetuating myth to be recognised here. Do we choose a Brooks because, well, we always have done and everyone else does the same? Do we choose a Brooks because its been around for a very long time; arguably unchanged over X years? Perhaps we have a fondness for traditional saddles and get a little misty-eyed for cycling days of yore?
I'm painting with a very broad brush here but I was musing that surely, given the passage of time, advances in design, construction and materials, good alternatives to a Brooks are to be found.
I have no axe to grind either way and am perfectly happy with my Conquest but I did wonder if I were to consider an alternative what might it be? Apologies in advance for any perceived heresy on my part, you may burn me at a stake of your choosing in due course, metaphorically that is 

[lewis noble]

Hello! I use a basic 'default issue' Thorn Velo. Suits me better than anything else. In the past I have tried Brooks, Rido I think it was and others, but the Thorn Velo suits me fine. Lewis

[ians]

I have a Rivet saddle at the moment - not many miles yet, but I'm happy with it so far.  It has longer rails than my B17 which I needed when I bought my Sherpa.

They are supposed to be waterproof.  We'll see.

ian

[Peejay]

+1 for Rivet saddles.....

I have a Rivet Pearl on my Raven - in my opinion, the best saddle ever! having done around 3000 miles on it.

I had been on Brooks Pro's all my life and didn't think it could get any better till I had my sit bones measured by a friend who works in a bike shop using one of these fancy measuring machines, it was just a bit of fun as he's always getting on at me being an old codger who rides leather saddles. However, he said I needed a 170 mm saddle (Brooks Pro 160 mm). I thought he was just trying it on to get me to buy another saddle having assured me 10 mm would make a difference. I tried a B-17 but it was too wide down the middle, then eventually bought a Rivet Pearl which is 170 mm wide and narrow down the middle. From the first ride it was unbelievable how much more comfortable the Rivet was.

As Ian has said - the rails are longer to give a better range of adjustment - and if you get one in your had you will be amazed at the build quality and attention to detail. Rivet do make other saddles which are available in different widths.

Pete.

[DAntrim]

I've used the WTB Rocket V saddle for years and found it very comfortable, indeed still have it on the bike I use for nipping into town.

Having never tried a brooks till last year, I took an instant like or should I say a 'part of me' did and never had any 'wearing in' issues from day one. Now I wouldn't use anything else except for nipping into town.

Carlos

[jags]

Fizik alanti.

[Andre Jute]

If you mean leather saddles, the Dutch Lepper is every bit the equal of the Brooks in quality. The Lepper is the standard saddle on the bikes of the Swiss citizen army, for instance, and known to last forever. Sometimes available as Swiss Army surplus, but the prices are pretty near discount retail. Here's a bicycle dealer who stocks Lepper saddles at attractive prices:
http://en.hollandbikeshop.com/bicycle-saddles-seat-posts/lepper-saddle/
but check the postage at the bottom of the page under "Sending" -- reasonable to the UK, too much to Ireland and the States and Australia.

[John Saxby]

The Rivet saddles look very attractive in every way in the ads I see -- I've never seen or held the real item, however.

My Brooks B17 Champion, dark brown with spiffy copper rivets, remains my standard: comfortable right out of the box, and as it enters its 4th season, I never think about it, except to admire it (frequently).

When I purchased the Raven in 2013, I bought some parts from Spa Cycles, and included a black Nidd saddle, a B17 copy.  It was inexpensive, less than £30.  It is now installed on my Eclipse, so is used for day rides.  It matches the grey-and-black colours of the bike quite nicely.  At first, I thought that maybe I'd made a mistake--the leather is thicker and stiffer than on my Brooks, and it seemed board-hard at first. Gradually, though, it's breaking in, and is quite comfortable on rides up to 75 kms (the longest I've done so far.)  I expect it will be entirely OK after this season, though I doubt it will ever be as comfortable as my Brooks.

My city bike, a Norco Monterey hybrid, now has the Velo saddle which was original equipment on my Eclipse in 2003.  I changed it for the Brooks in 2012, because the stiff sponge rubber in the Velo had become spongy sponge rubber after almost a decade of use, and had become uncomfortable after 6 hours or so of riding. Works fine on short rides in the city, though.  I have had to patch the leatherette covering with black Sugru at the rear of the saddle (where it had cracked from repeated compression as the sponginess got worse). Magic stuff that it is, Sugru has renewed the saddle for its daily chores.

Expect I'll have to enjoy the Rivet vicariously, from other riders' reports -- barring some catastrophe, I can't see myself renewing either the Brooks or the Spa/Nidd anytime soon. 

[phopwood]

Just out of interest how much longer are the rails on a rivet than a brooks.

Peter

[macspud]

I use a Selle SMP good for avoiding numbness, also an Adamo.

[in4]

I came across this interesting Sella-focussed blog entry; its useful regardless of which saddle you choose.
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/

[ians]

Just out of interest how much longer are the rails on a rivet than a brooks.

Peter

Peter
The Rivet Pearl has 90mm rails.  IIRC the B17 has 75-80mm - but I no longer have one to check.

ian

[mickeg]

Is your question about any saddle, or are you looking for list of leather saddles from others?

I have a bunch of Brooks, mostly Conquests.  But the last time I bought a complete bike (instead of building up one from parts), was in 1973 and that bike came with a Wright leather saddle.  So, I have a bit of bias to leather saddles.

[in4]

I was wondering if we all stayed with conventional wisdom and chose a Brooks, or indeed a Brooks type and if, by doing so, were missing out on new, innovative saddle designs. Some great responses so far. A quick rummage round on the net has thrown up a huge number of saddles of varying designs, construction and materials; each made with a particular use in mind. It cannot be said that saddle designers lack imagination. 

[Andre Jute]

I was wondering if we all stayed with conventional wisdom and chose a Brooks, or indeed a Brooks type and if, by doing so, were missing out on new, innovative saddle designs. Some great responses so far. A quick rummage round on the net has thrown up a huge number of saddles of varying designs, construction and materials; each made with a particular use in mind. It cannot be said that saddle designers lack imagination. 

Uh-huh. I rode for years on a Cheeko90, a sculpted seat rather than a saddle. I don't know where you would get one, and you can't have my old one because I might want to use it again one day.

I stopped using the Cheeko because the material covering wore out, and bought a Brooks B73 because it was on sale at SJS for a fifty quid, which I thought was worth an experiment. I kept the Brooks because it is comfortable and hardwearing, not because it is a Brooks. I don't mind provenance, but it has to be backed up with utility and quality and decent aesthetics.