Brooks - 17 or 66?

Richard said:

I'm a lardy git doing mainly urban cycling, with the occasional 30-40
mile roll through the countryside. Would the panel care to recommend
for or against either the Brooks B17 or B66? Bike is a tank-like
Raleigh Pioneer with (currently) a suspension seatpost and susp front
forks. Current saddle, fat foam, is disintegrating (plus is
uncomfortable...tingling in the nethers after an hour or so)

As well as having springs, B66 is wider than B17, though there is a B66
Champion which is about the same width as the B17. Required width depends
more on bone structure than lardiness. Also look out for B67 with single
instead of double rails.

I can't possibly know which model you would prefer, unfortunately. B17 is
a good starting point as it's basic, relatively cheap and popular (as far
as Brooks's go).

~PB

"Richard" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm a lardy git doing mainly urban cycling, with the occasional 30-40 mile
roll through the countryside. Would the panel care to recommend for or
against either the Brooks B17 or B66? Bike is a tank-like Raleigh Pioneer
with (currently) a suspension seatpost and susp front forks. Current
saddle, fat foam, is disintegrating (plus is uncomfortable...tingling in
the nethers after an hour or so)

thanks in advance,
R.

I've got a B17 on my touring bike and am very happy with it; soft and comfy.
(Team Professional on the audax is much much harder).

On my Pioneer (mainly used for commuting; no suspension) I had a B72 which
isn't as boingy as the full spring models.
That was a very nice saddle.

Paul.

Pete Biggs said:

As well as having springs, B66 is wider than B17, though there is a B66
Champion which is about the same width as the B17. Required width depends
more on bone structure than lardiness. Also look out for B67 with single
instead of double rails.

I can't possibly know which model you would prefer, unfortunately.

All else being equal, the 66, but as PB points out, all else isn't...

I have one of each, the 66 on the 8 Freight (used to be on my tourer
before I went 'bent) and the 17 on the MTB. Both are great saddles, I
nominally prefer the 66 but whether that's the springs or the slightly
different shape or both I can't really tell.

But if they're both basically comfy for you then the springs will swing
it for the 66. Try them out if you can.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Paulmouk said:

I've got a B17 on my touring bike and am very happy with it; soft and comfy.

SOFT!?!?!?!?!

Quoted message said:

(Team Professional on the audax is much much harder).

Oh, I see... ;-)

d.

It was round about Thu, 17 Nov 2005 10:59:58 +0000,, when the famed
davek was struck by a sudden insight:

Quoted message said:

Paulmouk said:

I've got a B17 on my touring bike and am very happy with it; soft and comfy.

SOFT!?!?!?!?!

Quoted message said:

(Team Professional on the audax is much much harder).

Oh, I see... ;-)

Maybe he subscribes to the same philosophy as me: there are no such
things as comfortable bicycle saddles: there are simply less
uncomfortable ones.
--
PacMan
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original
dimensions. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

B17 on audax set-up (Ftite Ti for race). Team Pro now on Brompton. Team
Pro was never comfy in a bent over position, but instantly so on the
upright Brompton. Leather is much harder then the B17.

I thank Simon Ward for both.

I rather liked the spring on my wife's Brookes Countess, so I'd choose
the B66 and ditch the suspension post.

regards,
daren

PacMan said:

Maybe he subscribes to the same philosophy as me: there are no such
things as comfortable bicycle saddles: there are simply less
uncomfortable ones.

I find my B17 extremely comfortable, but I certainly wouldn't describe
it as "soft".

But then, I have never ridden Sheldon Brown's Real Man saddle...

d.

davek said:

I find my B17 extremely comfortable, but I certainly wouldn't describe
it as "soft".

I had one that was too soft in a way: leather too thin to be properly
supportive. Cows ain't what they used to be, apparently.

Quoted message said:

But then, I have never ridden Sheldon Brown's Real Man saddle...

Do you remember those rock-hard unpadded thick plastic saddles on cheap
80's "racers"? An RM can't be any worse :-)

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

Do you remember those rock-hard unpadded thick plastic saddles on cheap
80's "racers"?

Oh yes, I had one on the Raleigh Record Sprint I had when I was 15. You
put up with it because you thought it made you a real racer.

I didn't really know much about bikes back then.

d.

davek said:

Oh yes, I had one on the Raleigh Record Sprint I had when I was 15. You
put up with it because you thought it made you a real racer.

I didn't really know much about bikes back then.

<AOL> me too! </AOL>

Except mine was a Raleigh Olympus.

I used it on a practically daily basis for around a decade and never did
change the saddle, but I was Young And Tough[1] in those days.
Eventually stolen, but fortunately insured for far, far more than it was
worth[2] before the MTB boom took off, which would have rendered it
terminally unthievable.

Pete.

[1] daft
[2] got £250 back, mainly on account of it being 14 speed when stolen,
and bought my EBC Country with the proceeds.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

davek said:

I find my B17 extremely comfortable, but I certainly wouldn't describe
it as "soft".

With saddles, as with mattresses, "soft" and "comfortable" are not
necessarily the same thing.

Sheldon "Firm And Shapely" Brown
+----------------------------------------------+
| My mind is aglow with whirling, transient |
| nodes of thought careening through a cosmic |
| vapor of invention! --Mel Brooks |
+----------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

"Paulmouk" <[email hidden]> writed in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

On my Pioneer (mainly used for commuting; no suspension) I had a B72
which isn't as boingy as the full spring models.
That was a very nice saddle.

I too am a great fan of the B72 - got one on my main commuting bike, it's a
good compromise between the B66 for boinginess and weight, and the B17 for
weight. The B72 suits IMHO a more upright riding position.
Are they still available though?

Quoted message said:

With saddles, as with mattresses, "soft" and "comfortable" are not
necessarily the same thing.

Good point about mattresses - I can't sleep on a soft mattress any more
than I can ride on a soft saddle. Perhaps there is a correlation between
one's personal preferences in these matters. Is anyone aware of any
scientific studies?

Quoted message said:

| vapor of invention! --Mel Brooks |

How apposite. Coincidence or design?

d.

davek said:

Good point about mattresses - I can't sleep on a soft mattress any more
than I can ride on a soft saddle. Perhaps there is a correlation between
one's personal preferences in these matters. Is anyone aware of any
scientific studies?

I like Brooks saddles, I sleep on futon mattresses... but OTOH I like
those Brooks saddles on the uprights and for comfortable cycling much
prefer the padded comfy chair and full suspension on the 'bent...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Mike the Unshavable" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Paulmouk" <[email hidden]> writed in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

On my Pioneer (mainly used for commuting; no suspension) I had a B72
which isn't as boingy as the full spring models.
That was a very nice saddle.

I too am a great fan of the B72 - got one on my main commuting bike, it's
a
good compromise between the B66 for boinginess and weight, and the B17 for
weight. The B72 suits IMHO a more upright riding position.
Are they still available though?

I bought mine two years ago (four month wait for a brown one!).
They are still on the Brooks website.

Paul.