Brooks England B17, Supremely Comfortable Leather Bike Saddle

If you have ever experienced Brooks, you will know that other seats, may get the job done..... However, they aren't going to last or be as comfortable. Buying Brooks is buying a brand with heritage made by artisans; not made in a sweat shop in Asia.

I've had my new saddle for about two weeks, and I don't think I'll use anything else from now on, and even more so now with the Ten-year warranty added. The leather was very hard at first, (I ride fifty miles minimum per week) but already in the second week, although little, it is softening. This leather saddle smells sooo good, it is also very soft and does not hurts your skin.I'm very happy with this investment.

Looks amazing however, it’s not comfortable at all. It’s actually really hard and feels very hardy. Other than that, good sit.

I have a couple of Brooks seats - one is so comfortable that it is literally a sensual experience riding. The other Brooks, about 2 yrs newer, same model, is ok, but clearly has not conformed like the first one.This should come as no surprise to anyone who has worked with leather, but I hadn't. I recently gave a Brooks to my sister who wondered why I was so gung ho about them (bc hers was NOT comfortable out of the box) and asked me about the best way to break them in. Bc of the differences between the 2 I had, I spent some time looking into it and found the usual misinformation on bike blogs about the best way to break them in, most of them saying that it just takes a long, long, long time and then they become comfortable and then they're the best saddles you've ever ridden and they last forever.That should have opened my eyes, but it didn't until I watched how the Brooks saddles are actually made (search youtube for it). What they do to form them is to .. soak them in water, then compress them, and then bake them. That's interesting, I thought. And then I remembered that I had let the 1st saddle get rained on once or twice and then ridden on it... light bulb..So I dampened the underside of my newer seat with water, staying away from the front and rear rivets , then started out on what I was intending to be a 2 hour bike ride to try to beat the leather into submission with my sitz bones. I went thru some mud about 5m into the ride and while I was cleaning it off, I glanced at the seat and it had already started to deform/conform.I rode another 30m and the new seat has essentially the same shape as the old seat, & it's notably more comfortable Do note that Brooks puts on a semi-waterproof coating on top and if you allow it to get too wet from beneath, it will tend to lift off, so dampen it very gently from beneath. It doesn't take much.Why Brooks doesn't mention this or why bike blogs haven't discovered this I have no idea, but it works astonishingly well and as many say, after they conform to your sitz bones they're by far the most comfy bike seats I've ever ridden and after 30, 40, 50 miles, other parts of me are sore, but my butt is happy.After it dries out, oil the top to keep it from getting wet again, but that wetting and riding combo essentially gives you a custom seat in 15m. And both have lasted really well - the older one is 2 yo and it looks pretty much like new.They're not super light, but for touring/commuting or even racing (if your current saddle is a PITA), can't rec them enough, esp with this super-easy break-in.

So this magic seat is hard but it's supposed to be incredibly comfortable? It takes hundreds of miles of break in but after that it's nirvana. It's old technology but it's far better than any of the latest and greatest technologies.Hard to believe, right?Here's the deal - the concept of this seat is very simple - it's a hammock seat - meaning instead of sitting on a bunch of padding you sit on a suspension of material. I think the break in factor is an illusion - almost every bike seat I've ever used was uncomfortable at first before getting used to it. So what if people are just getting used to it?I ride motorcycles too - and realized early on that a "plush" seat is horrible after a 2+ hour ride. Why - because what was soft is now creating pressure and bottoming out where it shouldn't. Instead, a harder seat is far superior. Same applies here.So what model to choose? Is this size the same as the narrower or really wide ones? Here's the part they don't tell you - it's all about seating angle. If you ride at a more aggressive angle - you need a narrower seat sized to your sit bones. If you sit upright - you need a wider seat sized to your tuchus.Here's something you can try with your CURRENT seat - without buying anything. Ride 100 yards at the most upright position you can. Stop. Now ride 100 yards at the about a 45 degree angle representing a touring or casual mountain bike. Now ride 100 yards at about a 60 degree angle which represents a more racing/professional/hard core rider position. Which feels best to you? Your seat will tell you which is best. That's the angle the seat was designed for.Now comes the B17. The B17 is the longest running model in the Brooks line - cool, right? It's significantly wider at about 170 mm compared to 140mm for a typical road or mountain bike seat. But the real question is what are your site bones? If you have sit bones that are wider, get the B17 or C19. If you have average build but want comfort, get a B17 or C17. For you narrower people, I have nothing but resentment and fomo so you're on your own.Do you get the B17 if you ride a beach cruiser? No - get a wider model. For some riders it will "work" but not because it's the right model but because it's a happy coincidence with body type. The B17 is for people that want a 45 degree to 60 degree riding angle and have the right sit bones to use it. It's not a "sit up on top" seat.From a pure aesthetic perspective the seat is absolutely gorgeous. The leather is top notch and if it breaks in further I will be ecstatic - but it's already quite comfortable for riding and a huge improvement over my 140mm stock seat. Looking forward to many miles.Are there other seats that would provide just as much comfort? Probably. Is this an awesome seat filled with history and eclectic British style? Oh yeah. I never knew these existed until recently. Knew I had to have one. You do, too. Just pick the right one based on site bones, riding style and riding angle.

It’s a brooks!This one didn’t have a bad break in periodSo a happy backside…

I love my bike, and this gives a chef's kiss note on top of it. This seat is great and as (almost) everyone says, it needs some mileage until it shapes to your bottom. Idk if I'm there yet although I didn't have any issues after a few days. It still a bit stiff and still smells leather - I love the scent! - but it gives me comfort and some weird sense of luxury.It is relatively heavy, so if you're concerned about bike weight, this is not the saddle for you. I have it on my gravel bike (one with a carbon fiber frame and road'ish tires). I could also use it on a hybrid or electric all day without issues.