Stuff We Love: Brooks Saddles

Everyone has a million opinions about saddles, it's just a fact. Very few people feel indifferent about what they choose to perch on because it can make a huge difference in your comfort while riding. This one is great, that one is the worst thing ever, etc, etc. Your butt ultimately makes the final call, but seeing as most of us here at Bicycle Revolutions ride a lot and have all found that Brooks saddles rule, there must be something to it right? Everyone says they're great and turns out it's pretty true, but here's why.
Brooks saddles come in tons of shapes and styles but the basic thing that makes them feel like they were made just for your butt is the same across the board; they're made from super tough leather and riveted onto a sturdy metal frame. Effectively, they're really hard leather butt hammocks that break in to fit your body perfectly. The leather itself gives the saddles a bit of spring so you get a less jostled, and with a little care they can last for a seriously long time. The leather is really hard at first, but Brooks claims after 100 miles of riding they're broken in. Not a bad price to pay for something that ends up feeling like it was custom made. Personally I didn't feel like it needed to break it in at all to be comfortable. They definitely do get nicer with miles on them, but my brand new out of the box Brooks saddles have already felt better than any of the other women's saddles I've tried. However, I know this isn't typical so I very professionally interviewed my fellow shop workers Varun and Aaron whilst leaning on a trash can/being a trash basketball obstacle.

Varun has an older model with thicker leather and he said his took considerably longer than the standard 100 miles to fully break in. While admittedly that kind of sucked, he likes it a lot and puts it on whatever bike he's going to be riding for a long distance because now that it's broken in it's the most comfortable saddle he has. He rations it almost. Aaron has a Brooks Professional on his commuter bike and his took about 40 miles to fully break in. He also will switch it onto any other bike he's planning on using for a long ride, 100 miles is pretty serious and the Brooks is the best. I have a Brooks B17 S on my cross bike which is both my everyday commuter and the bike I use for long rides. My only complaint is I wish I'd bought it sooner, it's possible that saddle has made me like my bike more.

They're an investment for sure, but totally worth it as far as we're all concerned.

(Pictured top - Swallow in Antique Brown with chrome rails $240 & B17 Standard in Honey $130. Bottom - My B17 S in Black $130)