I am in the market for a different saddle for my fixie. I ride a flat-bar Kogswell and use it mostly for short scenic rides with no emphasis on speed. It is strictly a "take it easy" bike. I currently use the same saddle that I use on my geared road bike which I really like but without padded cycling shorts it just plain sucks.

Do you ride a Brooks?

Which model? Why did you choose that model?

How does it ride without padded cycling shorts?

Is it really confortable with jeans, pants, or non-padded shorts?


Thanks in advance.

I am in the market for a different saddle for my fixie. I ride a flat-bar Kogswell and use it mostly for short scenic rides with no emphasis on speed. It is strictly a "take it easy" bike. I currently use the same saddle that I use on my geared road bike which I really like but without padded cycling shorts it just plain sucks.
1)Do you ride a Brooks?
2)Which model? Why did you choose that model?
3)How does it ride without padded cycling shorts?
4)Is it really confortable with jeans, pants, or non-padded shorts?
Thanks in advance.

the Swift w/Ti rails. I haven't ridden any other models, but I got tired of investing in a new (non-Brooks) saddle about twice a season due to discomfort. I've got a Swift on 3 bikes now for almost 5 years and won't ride anything else....concerns of saddle discomfort are a thing of the past :) .
I've never ridden without padded shorts, but I would imagine that if you wore jeans or similar type pants, the center welt seam in the back would be very uncomfortable due to the raised, 1/4" wide welt....you can buy cycling undewear (basically thin lycra with a padding for cycling); this would/should eliminate the seam discomfort.....the other obstacle I see, is the fact that the thigh area of the non-cycling shorts will not provide the 'give' needed for the upstroke of the leg...this would be uncomfortable to me....
Have you considered MTB cycling shorts that are loose and some have pockets??

I am in the market for a different saddle for my fixie. I ride a flat-bar Kogswell and use it mostly for short scenic rides with no emphasis on speed. It is strictly a "take it easy" bike. I currently use the same saddle that I use on my geared road bike which I really like but without padded cycling shorts it just plain sucks.

Do you ride a Brooks?

Which model? Why did you choose that model?

How does it ride without padded cycling shorts?

Is it really confortable with jeans, pants, or non-padded shorts?


Thanks in advance.


I'd use either a B.17 or Champion Flyer on that bike. High, flat bars rotate your pelvis more vertically, requiring a wider saddle. I've got 2 Brooks, a Team Pro on the road bike, with bars about 2 or 3 inches below saddle height, and a Champion Flyer on my commuting / touring rig, with moustache bars about 1 inch above the saddle.. Both are very, very comfortable. The Team Pro is breaking in quite well, the Champ is new. I'm slowly converting my whole fleet to Brooks.

--Shannon

I bought a new Brooks B17 and used it for about three weeks and a couple hundred miles on my relatively upright, touring-retro bike. I never used it with cycling shorts. Only jeans. The problem with me and the Brooks was not the existence of the seam in the crotch of the jeans. It was the unfortunate occurrence of the muscles of my left backside developing a lump at the point of contact with that hard leather - something that resulted in an annoying click happening in my backside at each downstroke. Perhaps if I had been using padded shorts, my gluteous maximus wouldn't have reacted in this way, but I bought the bike intending to ride it in jeans. Thus, the Brooks now sits on my office desk.

In all other respects, by the way, the Brooks was fine. It absorbed road shock like a champ. After a couple of rides it felt quite luxurious (if still hard, of course). It's a thing of beauty. But there's no chance of me putting it on the bike again.

I've never ridden without padded shorts, but I would imagine that if you wore jeans or similar type pants, the center welt seam in the back would be very uncomfortable due to the raised, 1/4" wide welt....you can buy cycling undewear (basically thin lycra with a padding for cycling); this would/should eliminate the seam discomfort.....the other obstacle I see, is the fact that the thigh area of the non-cycling shorts will not provide the 'give' needed for the upstroke of the leg...this would be uncomfortable to me....
Have you considered MTB cycling shorts that are loose and some have pockets??

The center seam of pants, shorts, or jeans is not really the problem. I think it is an issue of having a more upright position due to the flat bars and the fact that they are at the same height as my saddle. This seems to shift more weight to the/my rear and most people have told me that in this case you want a saddle with a wider base to suppourt the added weight.

Maybe I am just generalizing but it seems that many pepole with "retro", "classic", or "touring" bikes tend to have thier handlebars at the same height as thier saddles (or higher), concentrate more on miles and scenery than speed, and ride Brooks saddles. With that assumption, I thought this would be a great discussion board to ask about Brooks saddles and then to try one out for myself. Due to the cost, I want to at least want narrow the choices with experiences from others.

Thanks!

For a rig like that, a B72 would be a good choice. It only weighs 50g more than a Bi7, but you will need the "sandwich" and the long bolt to work with your setback seatpost

Brooks actually recommends a saddle like the B17 for bikes where the handlebar is more level with the saddle. I had a B17 on my road bike. It was extremely comfortable but I tended to slide forward in it unless I pointed it up a little bit (which was no good either). I switched to the Swift and love it. But I think for your purposes, the B17 would be perfect.

I am in the market for a different saddle for my fixie. I ride a flat-bar Kogswell and use it mostly for short scenic rides with no emphasis on speed. It is strictly a "take it easy" bike. I currently use the same saddle that I use on my geared road bike which I really like but without padded cycling shorts it just plain sucks.

Do you ride a Brooks?

Which model? Why did you choose that model?

How does it ride without padded cycling shorts?

Is it really confortable with jeans, pants, or non-padded shorts?

Thanks in advance.

I have a Swift on my Kogswell D58, and I really like it, but I'd put a B17 on the bike in the photo. The Swift's narrow shape is more suited to situations where the bars are below the saddle; I found the B17 perfect on a bike a built with the bars level with the saddle.

In both cases, I frequently ride in jeans or non-padded shorts (commuting, errand running) and find the Brookses to be very comfortable.

My one caveat--Brooks saddles tend to have very short useable rails; you may need a seatpost with more setback than your Ritchey. I also found that the Swift was difficult to level with a Ritchey post...I couldn't get the nose low enough. Switching to an inexpensive Kalloy post solved both the setback and levelling problems for me.

I have a Swift on my Kogswell D58, and I really like it, but I'd put a B17 on the bike in the photo. The Swift's narrow shape is more suited to situations where the bars are below the saddle; I found the B17 perfect on a bike a built with the bars level with the saddle.

In both cases, I frequently ride in jeans or non-padded shorts (commuting, errand running) and find the Brookses to be very comfortable.

My one caveat--Brooks saddles tend to have very short useable rails; you may need a seatpost with more setback than your Ritchey. I also found that the Swift was difficult to level with a Ritchey post...I couldn't get the nose low enough. Switching to an inexpensive Kalloy post solved both the setback and levelling problems for me.




Andy,

I am going to finally try out the saddle on the Kogswell this coming week. I hope the Ritchey works although by your comments it may be a problem. I have a Profile Design O2 with setback that I can try which may be better becasue you can set the tilt seperate from actually mounting the saddle to the rails. If not, I will try the Kalloy. Do you know which model Kalloy since they now make a few different ones at different price points?

It's weird, seatposts have been giving me a real problem lately. I have a Thompson on my road bike and I cannot seem get the tilt at an almost perfect level with the ground. It seems the Profile Design O2 I have and a Salsa Shaft I borrowed from a friend are much better at allowing you to set fore/aft seperately from tilt becasue of the mechanisms they use. Maybe I will just stick with one of them them from now on when I need a seatpost.

Thanks for the tips and see you on the Kogswell Board.

(Somewhat updated pic of my Kogswell F54 above)

Andy,

I am going to finally try out the saddle on the Kogswell this coming week. I hope the Ritchey works although by your comments it may be a problem. I have a Profile Design O2 with setback that I can try which may be better becasue you can set the tilt seperate from actually mounting the saddle to the rails. If not, I will try the Kalloy. Do you know which model Kalloy since they now make a few different ones at different price points?

It's weird, seatposts have been giving me a real problem lately. I have a Thompson on my road bike and I cannot seem get the tilt at an almost perfect level with the ground. It seems the Profile Design O2 I have and a Salsa Shaft I borrowed from a friend are much better at allowing you to set fore/aft seperately from tilt becasue of the mechanisms they use. Maybe I will just stick with one of them them from now on when I need a seatpost.

Thanks for the tips and see you on the Kogswell Board.

(Somewhat updated pic of my Kogswell F54 above)

I like your Kogswell!

For seatposts, if (and only if) your current post doesn't work, I'd try a Kalloy Uno. Wallbike has them for a good price. I got a used Kalloy at an LBS, and while it doesn't have a huge rotational range, it's much better than the Ritchey I had, which never allowed me to get the nose down without a lot of effort. Of course, some Brooks users prefer their saddles slightly nose-up, but I'm not one of them.

I'd use either a B.17 or Champion Flyer on that bike. High, flat bars rotate your pelvis more vertically, requiring a wider saddle. I've got 2 Brooks, a Team Pro on the road bike, with bars about 2 or 3 inches below saddle height, and a Champion Flyer on my commuting / touring rig, with moustache bars about 1 inch above the saddle.. Both are very, very comfortable. The Team Pro is breaking in quite well, the Champ is new. I'm slowly converting my whole fleet to Brooks.

--Shannon

I have a number of Brooks saddles - two different models - the Team Pro and the Champion Flyer. Agree with the above, that bike would take the Champion Flyer.

If someone is trying to use a brooks with an older thomson post, there is a new head clamp you can buy that allows for more downward adjustment of the saddle nose. If the post is newer, say a year to a year and a half, you've got all the adjustment you are going to get. Learned all of this from Thomson while trying to fit my new Team Pro on a Thomson post.