Length: 242mm
Width: 176mm
Height: 58mm
Weight: 460g
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More of a general comment on the service received concerning a new saddle that turned out to be defective - the problem was resolved extremely well by Brooks who definitely went "above and beyond" duty's call. Gold Standard! The replacement saddle has had its maiden run and is perfect. Very satisified.
I can't praise brooks enough. Some people talk about the break in period, some talk about the saddle making them want to ride more. I'm both of those people. The first time I used my b17, I was amazed, and wanting to break it in more gets me to ride more. I love this saddle. Thank you brooks.
When the leather cracked on the Brooks B17 seat on my 1943 BSA Airborne Folding Bicycle I was prepared to carve a wooden mould from the original leather and use that to shape a new piece of Oak sole leather for it. To my surprise and considerable satisfaction I found that a) you're still in business, and b) you still have the model I needed in production. My replacement B17 recieves the proper attention that the original should have had - an occasional wipe with saddle soap and a bi-annual brush with neat's-foot oil, which should massively prolong its' working life, even under the heavy use I put to it - over 50 miles/week on the road.
I haven't been able to ride on a saddle for many years due to a medical condition that has finally been fixed. During that time I tried the most expensive drop nose, wide cutout, carbon, fancy wancy saddles and they all hurt and kept on hurting. As I've just joined the Fixie fashion mob and since the supplied saddle was a rather pretty example of sitting on a broken brick, I thought I'd grace the bike with what it deserved - a proper leather saddle. I assumed that derrieres haven't changed much in 100 years, so today I received my Brooks B17 STD Honey and it certainly is a honey. Why I ever thought that plastic, foam and vinyl was better than leather I'll never know and I'll never make that mistake again. They say you have to break these saddles in. Well it's going to be seductively comfortable then, because today I rode for an hour and it was heavenly. It's manufactured - not stitched together in a sweat shop in a back alley. You just have to open the box to see that this saddle will last. I loved the presentation and I love the saddle. Pass on my thanks to the production team. Thanks to their efforts there are a lot of behinds saying thank you in the nicest possible way. Go Brooks!
I've been riding on a Brooks saddle since I appropriated my dad's (an expat-Englishman) bike as a teenager over thirty years ago. Our aluminium touring tandem has always been equipped with a Brooks B17 up front and my 26 year old Miyata touring single now sports a brand new Team Pro copper saddle. Both are great saddles and I've found both comfortable right from the start, even the much stiffer Team Pro on my now much older posterior. A firm saddle is the best present you can give to your sit bones.
I have been a commuter for several years now aboard a Devinci Monaco "hybrid" I have gone thru all the expensive perches that I can bear to sit upon. 2years ago I purchased a B17 standard. This saddle has proven itself to be head and shoulders above all contenders in my humble opinion. At the risk of sounding pedantic, I will say that I will NEVER sit on any other brand of saddle henceforth. Nothing else can compare to my B17. And I have tried 'em all! Excellent work and I would gladly pay double to have this saddle on my bike! Keep up the fantastic work Brooks, you have a customer for life in me.
Amazing saddle. It took a while to break in, but it was well worth it. It never fails, after a 50+ mile ride, that someone in my riding group will complain about a sore backside. I just smile and remind them that the extra weight and maintenance of a Brooks saddle is well worth being able to enjoy long rides.
I am a member of the VETERAN CYCLING CLUB SCOTTISH SECTION and have an original flying scot racer which was fitted with a b17. unfortunately, due to its age(1958), the leather split across the front rendering it useless. I purchased a new saddle via the VCC and fitted it to the bike and bedded it in which took many miles, though i do swap the saddle to other bikes in my collection which i also use on VCC runs. After many miles the saddle is as comfortable as the one it replaced, the only thing i had to do was retension it with the spanner for this purpose, i also obtained a bottle of leather polish at an autojumble which was marketed for rolls royces and bentlys. Several applications of this has helped the leather as well. I reckon i have covered over 700 miles since purchase and wouldnt use any other make of saddle and would recommend a brooks to anyone contemplating doing a lot of cycling
My purchase of the B17 S Imperial was the best decision during the building up of my first touring bike the Surly Long Haul Trucker. My bike shop told me they had just the right saddle for me and went to their wall display and pulled down this one - the B17 S Imperial. What a fit, the first time I sat on it I loved it. I've always heard about Brooks, but never had the opportunity to fit one to my bike, well that's over now. This saddle will be on the Trucker until, well, who knows when. Go Brooks!
I have ridden on your B17 Special saddle for a month and now I cannot bear to ride on any other saddle. I have no choice but to replace the remaining four non-Brooks saddles, which is going to cost me a pretty penny! Curse you, sir, for your infernally comfortable products!
B17 is the best saddle I ever had. I bought few saddles before (different gel, air ventilation ... ). Most shops in Germany sell a lot of gel stuff but nobody recommended me leather saddles. Some shops even advised me against. My B17 was comfortable from start on. I regret I didn't trust you before. Now I'm driving often longer distance without pain.
Q > How do I determine if I need the S model? A > "S" stands for short, so normally these saddles are for ladies.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to test ride this saddle. It has been a godsend. As an avid cyclist (>5000 miles year) I had come to the sad conclusion that saddle pain was just something i would have to learn to live with. The Imperial has changed that assumption. I struggled w/hot spots and switched saddles, settling on a Terry Butterfly. It was just "OK". The Imperial is "superb" in terms of long term comfort. Well done, Brooks
The B17 Imperial is a joy. I did not find the break-in period unduly long and the initial discomfort, though notable, has not stayed with me. Perhaps because of my participation in the test I was extraordinarily conscious of the saddle until just now with roughly 500 miles (and roughly 1,000 adjustments!) under me. Then again, I noticed other saddles on other bikes over a recent holiday as well and suspect being a participant in this test made me hyper-conscious of this aspect of any ride. Right now, I'm a fan without a single complaint. Initial discomfort faded and then disappeared. Initial squeaking was quickly fixed with a little grease on the nose hardware. My only question going forward will be regarding longevity; however my riding pattern entails less mileage than many other testers so I don't expect this to be an issue in my case for a very long time. I did struggle with positioning. In the first several weeks of using this saddle I repositioned it constantly. I am not sure whether this was necessary or rather a result of my reading other posts on the review site on Bikeforums.com. In the end, the saddle feels most comfortable when positioned slightly lower than my older saddles and with the nose very slightly raised. It is in a great spot now. I WILL NOT MOVE IT AGAIN! That was the only part of the break-in that really felt tricky and was a bit of a pain. Last but NOT least, as a woman I had some initial discomfort with the rather phallic design of the cut-out. My sister spontaneously made this comment, too, the first time she saw this saddle on my bike. If you ever make a women's version (please do!) I would encourage you to consider and perhaps retool this aspect of the design. thank you.
Before - All of my vintage bikes came with what apparently was the original saddle. Not one of them came with a cut out. I've switched almost all of them to a saddle with a cut out. Even though I am a woman, I still don't like my sensitive bits to get numb! I have longed for a Brooks saddle for several of my bikes for a number of years. I have always decided against it because I really prefer a saddle with a cut out (Specialized Dolce).
After - Nothing but love for this saddle. I received a Brooks B17 Imperial, and so far have around 150 miles on it. My average speed is up, climbing up hills is easier, and absolutely no problems with chafing, soreness, or numbness of tender parts of my (female) anatomy. I look forward to obtaining at least a couple more of the Imperials.
The Imperial is a beautiful saddle. It's style is more retro than modern, but it looks good on my Serotta road bike, if I do say so myself. I had resigned myself to saddle area soreness as a fact of life I must accept to continue my passion for cycling. I am so pleased to say that in my initial rides on the Imperial (only 150 miles so far) I am experiencing much longed-for relief of the ongoing and chronic soreness I have been experiencing the perineal area. Oh, my husband thanks you as well. With my other saddle, a Terry Butterfly, I had developed an ongoing sore spot that I was constantly tending. I was always in various stages of either healing or exacerbation, depending on my riding schedule. After the last 150 or so miles on the Imperial, it seems like this chronic sore spot is really, actually FINALLY healing (insert halleluijah chorus!)....thanks to the Imperial, I am very sure of that. Needless to say, this single factor alone makes me highly favorably predisposed to the Imperial.
I ordered a Flyer S and was wondering whether I'd try to put vent holes in it like those in my B17S. When I received my Flyer S I was quite surprised that it already had vent holes in it. Every place I've read anything about the Flyer S stated that it didn't have vent holes. I'm quite pleased not to have to make them myself. Is my new saddle an irregular? Is it new that the Flyer S comes with vent holes? Thanks for making such great saddles. I have 2 B67S, 1 B17S and a Champion Flyer S.
I've ridden Brooks saddles since the early 1970s and I love them. As a 15 stone (95Kg) powerlifter who cycles for fitness I need some width to support my large rear end and I've got three Brooks among a collection of about twelve saddles ... the pricey but worthy Honey coloured Swift, a B17 narrow and a B17 standard, which my wife has hijacked. The Swift Titanium is also really light in relative terms. The classic styling of Brooks saddles just looks so good and draws many comments. Although some of the others are comparatively heavy that extra few hundred grams is a sacrifice worth making for the sake of the great comfort and durability you get from a genuine Brooks hide saddle especially on the longer rides. I continuously recommend Brooks saddles. It's just such a shame that the titanium metalwork is so expensive otherwise I would replace my two other others for the titanium special models withe the big rivets..
I have a bulging disk in my back which limits my use of a road bike. If I were to bend at the waist, pressure results and the possibility of blowing the disk increases. In order to compensate, I have to bend at the hips, making for more pressure in front. I had to have a custom road bike frame made with the issue in mind. Since I usually ride the more upright mountain bikes and have found comfort with the saddle on them (WTB Pure V with the channel) I had one put on the new road bike. Unfortunately, the new position being bent over somewhat proves that the saddle is not good for this type of application. I asked Andrea if I can be a tester and was blessed with the opportunity. Being on this saddle is just as they say it would be...HARD! I've applied the proofide as instructed. The first ride, all I did was concentrate on my position on the saddle, the hardness of it and trying to figure out if I had it adjusted properly. After a few rides and somewhere around the 80th mile, I realized that this saddle was not something I was thinking about any longer. The only issue is when leaning forward to go into the drops, I feel a bit of pressure in front. Unfortunately, because of the problems with producing the women's version, I was left to choose between the B17 standard or narrow. I chose the standard. If the cut out was more to the front, I truly believe the women's version would be the answer to my frontal issues. If and when the production of it comes, It seems so far that I will most likely invest in the women's version. Thank you Andrea, and Brooks for this opportunity.
I have ridden leather saddles since I was a high school student in the late 1970's. My meager allowance at the time forced me to retrofit my older sister's JC Penney ten-speed with swapped-in parts from the town dump in Gresham, Oregon. Consisting mostly of old cars, the dump also kept two barrels of bike parts in the back and the manager allowed me to rummage through them periodically. In the barrel one day, I found an old, weather-beaten Brooks saddle. I took it home for the grand sum of fifty cents, cleaned it off with a wire brush and applied some of my mom's Mink Oil to soften it up. A few days later I put it on my bike and was surprised at how confortable it was! I scavenged the dump regularly until I went away to college and came up with two more leather saddles, which I put away for future use; these saw me through college and graduate studies. Years later, I am now a bicycle mechanic in Portland, Oregon. Every one of my three bicycles is outfitted with a Brooks leather saddle (a road bike and a citybike both use B17 S; the folder has a B67 S). Nicest of all has been the opportunity to get family members to try and switch to Brooks saddles. My partner, who had ridden vinyl saddles her whole life and found them lacking, tried a B67 S this year. On a recent group ride of 30 miles, she exulted, "Finally, this is the right saddle for me! We've gone thirty miles and my butt doesn't hurt!" My sister had joined us on the same ride and told me afterwards that she needed to find another saddle if she was to go on these longer rides with us in the future. I saved up and bought her a B67 S for her bike. Word is still out but I expect to hear a positive report soon. Thank you for making some of the most comfortable saddles ever. Please don't stop. Beth Hamon Portland, Oregon. USA
I'm in love with Brooks saddles. I first had a B17 aged and then upgraded with swift chrome and titanium my two bikes. I try to convince my girlfriend to get one, but she is scared because "it's hard"! Anyway, I was wondering does women really need Short saddle? I suppose it's larger in the middle, but I found my regular B17 already quite large... I actually wanted to propose her the narrow version, for her racing bike (also for the aesthetic ;) ). Could you advise me on this point please? Thx!
answer - Not necessarily! What is important here is rider size. Please visit a Brooks Dealer of Excellence to find out more.
...I ride a 70's Schwinn Cruiser to the beach, to surf, regularly. It's only a six mile round-trip, but the usual, big, fat, foam-padded cruiser seats can get pretty uncomfortable on a hot day. I've always admired the styling of Brook's saddles, my brother-in-law had one, but never thought the expense was worth it. All I can say is, Wow!, was I wrong! Not only does my cruiser stand out in a town chock-full of classic bikes, but it's more comfortable than I'd ever imagined. I've only put about thirty miles on it, and it's already like sitting on a cloud. Cheers! Brook's. I'd like to say that I'll buy another, but I think this one's gonna last forever...
Q > I'm curious, why do only the aged saddles come with pre-punched holes for laces? Is it because the softer leather leads to earlier flattening of the saddle requiring the laces to be tightened? Also, if my B66 should ever get to that point, would Brooks be able punch the holes? I could do it myself but the result would undoubtedly be less impressive.
A > Yes, we do it on the Aged and Imperial because they have a weaker structure. Our other saddles occasionally would flatten, but that thakes quite some time and lack of care.
Hi I recently purchased a B17 special (the brompton version, brown top, copper rivets, standard black frame) I have only put 70 kms and it's by far the most confortable saddle I have riden, by far much much more than my previos gel saddles (one with ventilation) they were fine for a few kms then it's was a pain in the butt, literality. Q: My concern is only one, I sweat a lot from the buttocks and I can't always wear padded short, which helps a lot with this matter, so when i use jeans sweat stays there in touch with the saddle, and leaving a very embarassing trace in my jeans. Would this sweat damage severly the saddle eventualy? Because I noticed in some parts of the saddle it has become darker just like a few spots, and in the back part has a little brighter spot as if the color has fell off.
answer - Sweat will not damage your saddle!
I just purchased my first Brooks: the B17 S Imperial. I know it will take some time to break in, but no one I know can remember how long it took for theirs. I will be riding an average of 20 miles per day M-F and working on longer rides on the weekends. How many miles should it take to break in?
answer - the saddle will be comfortable shortly after riding, the most important thing is to get out and ride!
Q >>> Will the B17 Special mount directly to a Crank Brothers Joplin Seatpost? I am in need of a GOOD saddle and hear rave reviews about your products. I ride an all mountain type of bike. Through wet and mud and muck. Is this a good product for its intended use? Thank you. Derek Johnson
A >>> All our saddles have standard 7 mm rails, so it should work!
Hi, I was always very content with my Brooks which I bought from a friend about ten Years ago until this morning on my way to work through a snowstorm the Metal under the leather cover broke. Can you repair it?
answer - All Brooks saddles may be repaired, please visit the Getting in Touch section of this website!
Q > Your saddles (B-17 Ti, standard and Special) are on each of my three road bikes and are exceptionally comfortable. The Special is around seven years old and has about 7000 miles. I use Brooks Proofide three or four times a year, and seldom is the saddles wet, however the leather is cracking a good bit around the back upper most four rivets. Is this detrimental to the life/quality of the saddle? Is it repairable?
A > Leather is subject to detriment, as any other material. This depends on the climate and use. Unfortunately we can only repair the metal parts...
I am having a problem with my B17 ladies saddle in so much as it stains my clothing. I have used the proofhide on it from time to time, but I think the black colour must come out of it as the seat of my trousers, after riding the bike for a while, turns grey. I have had the saddle for 3 years now and do not want to change it as I have broken it in nicely, but do need a solution. Do you have one? (apart from wearing black trousers all the time!!!)
A> All leather saddles (including the ones made by our competitors) stain light clothing over time. The best solution is to use a saddle cover when wearing light trousers. This is also the reason that cycling shorts traditionally are black, btw.
i purchased my first brooks saddle. it is a b 17 "s". not knowing it is a ladies model. i am not a large person. at 5'7" and approx. 168 lbs. should i sell it or try it? it is new in box . so it should sell quickly at right price.
A> Have you considered exchanging it?
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Thank you, The Brooks Team