The Brooks saddle line is vast and includes saddles of all shapes, sizes, and designs. For a person choosing their first leather saddle this can be quite overwhelming. I am going to discuss the various designs in hopes it will help you make the perfect choice for your touring bicycle.

The company markets their saddles for three types of riding. They are road/mtb, city/heavy duty, and touring/trekking. The road/mtb saddles are designed for riders that spend less time in the saddle and more time standing up. These saddle types are usually lighter, stiffer, and narrower. The sacrifice and trade-off for using this saddle on a touring bike is comfort. Due to this I wouldn’t recommend this type of saddle for use by a touring cyclist. The city/heavy duty saddles are the most comfortable and leisurely of the Brooks saddle types. They are very wide at the rear. The trade-off for using them on a touring bike is they are the most inefficient saddles in terms of transferring power to the pedals and are more designed for coasting around town. The touring/trekking saddles are well thought out by Brooks for touring and are my choice. These saddles provide a good medium between the road/mtb type and the city/heavy duty type. They are more comfortable than the road/mtb saddles, but not as wide as and a little less comfortable than the city/heavy duty saddles. The benefit over the city/heavy duty saddles is you will get more pedaling efficiency out of the touring/trekking saddle type. In touring you are in the saddle for long periods, but many times you are putting considerably more effort into pedaling the bike than one would be when cruising around the city. Therefore, in my opinion this Brooks saddle type is the best place to start your search for the Brooks saddle you will use on your touring bike. The remainder of this article will describe the various saddles in the touring/trekking line Brooks produces.

Brooks B17 Saddle

The Brooks B17 is the most popular saddle in bicycle touring and it is the one I use. They have been producing this saddle for over 100 years. Most find it very comfortable after breaking it in. It is a beautiful saddle and is made of quality leather. It provides the rider with a good balance between comfort and pedaling efficiency. I would recommend this saddle over the Flyer for bicycle tourists who like to ride at faster speeds. It is available in black and honey colors and multiple versions. The B17 S is the ladies version. For weight conscious riders they offer the B17 titanium with titanium rails that is 115 grams lighter. For those interested in aesthetics they offer the B17 Special with copper metalwork. The B17 Imperial has a center cut out in the leather that they claim to reduce perineal pressure. For those who want to limit the break in time they offer the B17 aged that has softer leather.

Click here to purchase the Brooks B17 saddle from REI

Brooks Flyer Saddle

The Flyer is the same length and width of the B17. The difference is it is a sprung saddle. You will lose pedaling efficiency compared to the B17, but it will be considerably more comfortable on bumpy roads and rough terrain. I would recommend this saddle over the B17 for bicycle tourists who are in no rush to their destination and want all day comfort. As with the B17, the Flyer is available in black/honey colors and in versions Flyer S, Flyer Aged, and Flyer Special.

Click here to purchase the Brooks Flyer saddle from REI

May 25 2010 in Equipment Jon Picklesimer No Comments »