Brooks style saddle, yes or no

GoldenMotor.com

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
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St.louis
I ride brooks saddles on all my pedal bikes and I love them but I wonder how they work on MBs? They look cool but would the be literally a pain in the butt?
Anyone use them?
 

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
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USA
any saddle you think will feel good after 3 hours of hitting deep potholes at 40mph should be what you're looking for (unless you plan to just cruise to nearest watering hole & point at how good it looks in parking lot)
 

knightscape

Member
Jul 29, 2013
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Maine
I tried out one of my broken in B17s (unsprung) on my 4 stroke a few days. Looked cool on it, but didn't eliminate enough buzz or bump. One of the sprung models might do better. I've had the B17s on several pedal bikes and love it for that.
 

Mike B

New Member
Mar 23, 2011
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I finally tried one a few years ago after reading a lot of "if you've never tried a leather saddle you should" stuff. They do not look comfy, just hard thick leather.

But your butt presses a lot harder than your hand does and that leather conforms to your "butt bones" quite nicely. Mikey likes it.

I bought a Gyes "cruiser saddle" it does have springs and it is 11" wide in the back too, so it's not a "10 speed" seat.

I would buy another, how's that for a rec? They ain't cheap either.
 

xseler

Well-Known Member
Apr 14, 2013
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OKC, OK
Seems to me, if you like it on a pedal bike, you'd probably like it on your MB --- after all, both are just 'bikes' IMO.
 

Panhead

New Member
Mar 20, 2015
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Michigan U.S.A.
I use a Brooks on my road bike, but we are also talking about an entirely different seating posture. On the multi-speed I raise myself off the seat when I see a hard jounce coming up & use my knees to catch the bang. Also running tires at 110 lbs. as opposed to the 45 or so in the motorbike, on which I seldom raise my fanny off the seat at all. Still using the stock Micargi spring seat on the motorbike & am quite content, so far.
 
Dec 11, 2014
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Tucson
The MB and the pedal bike are pretty different. I worked for years in the pedal bike industry and it's a hugeissue with tons of money and R&D and the accompanying market hype. On the MB we have the chance to sit still more so ccomfort while pedaling can take a distant second in your choice. One thing this question has in common with pedal only bikes is the answer will be different for everyone but on these others opinions and experience should help a bit more. I'm on the saddle my fixie style bike came with but inn in the middle of constructing a pan that will attach the tip of the saddle to the seat tube and have supports coming up from the rear axle dropouts.
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
i use brooks saddles on almost all of my bikes, pedal or motorized. i can ride hours with no discomfort.

but, you mentioned brooks "style" saddles. if you go with a cheaply made imitation, you'll soon find out why they're cheap.

and stay away from the "rideable replicas" hairpin saddle. they're super cheap, hard as heck, the seatclamp will slip no matter how hard you tighten it, and they come apart at the frame, and will open up like a stapler, causing you to slide off the back. unless you like crotch-grinding your fender, or worse, your tire, leave these garbage seats to people who think it helps their resto value on an old schwinn.
 

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
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memphis Tn
I'm not a huge fan of Brooks saddles, too expensive imo. But if vintage looks are your thing, there is nothing better.
I have always been on hard saddles and my butt is tough compared to most people. You develop a bicycle butt after long enough and narrow hard saddles are standard on BMX This is where I spent so many years and it's my preference. A racing saddle feels like a easy chair after a hard plastic BMX seat so I simply never needed the extra comfort of a Brooks as much as I needed to not spend so much.
I prefer a nice wide thickly padded seat these days on My Pig since pedaling is not an issue and I sit upright and off my pelvic bones which is where the Brooks saddle shines.
Now on a road pedal bike, I like a racing saddle and Brooks is a very well made seat if your budget allows. Mine simply never does.
I spend my cash on hard parts and very little on style which is what Brooks is to me. A good narrow racing saddle works just as well and I can buy 6 of them for the cost of a new brooks, and maybe 20 for the cost of a true vintage Brooks.



Oh and BTW, Bairdco nailed it with his comment on cheap replica seats.
Brooks cost so much due to excellent tanning and good leather over a stout frame. Replica's cut corners on both and will not last or feel like the real thing.
 
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kevyleven007

Active Member
Sep 25, 2008
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texas
I have a gyes GS13 leather cruiser seat (saddle) and it is hard and not very comfy. I hear once you " break them in" they are the most comfy seats you can get. Kind of like leather boots I guess. In the meantime I put a seat cover on it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/301639516405?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Its like sitting on a couch. I wipe it down with glove oil now and then. Probably take a couple of years to break in good.
 
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Panhead

New Member
Mar 20, 2015
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Michigan U.S.A.
I've been pleased with my Brooks, and yes, that's after about 100 miles. When it was new & I was still getting it adjusted & TREATED, it was like a lump pressing between my legs. I've given it three coats of proofide to the underside of the saddle to treat it. Of course, you're supposed to keep these seats dry, too.
Having one of these seats is like having another girlfriend. Almost more trouble than it's worth.
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
Give it a few hundred more miles and it'll be like you were married for 50 years and even though you don't notice it anymore, it feels great. :)

I just put an NOS Ideal 6 saddle, made in france in the 60's(? Maybe earlier) on my 48 schwinn klunker pedal bike and rode 25 miles.

Hard as a rock, but still better than a big rubber beach cruiser seat.
 

MacZulu

Member
Jul 3, 2015
171
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18
Vancouver
I just got my b33 recently from germany for cheaper than local, a co worker had recommended it as he has one on his cruiser. even new and hard it's awesome, it's my rear suspension. I'm just over 200, and it's bouncy bouncy in a good way. I wanted the b190 but the germans didn't carry it, and they we're the cheapest I could find at 105 euro.