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resolvedSince getting the parabike and experiencing the comfiness of the Brooks saddle on it. I *need* one for the commuter now.
Should I get the B17 standard, or Narrow? What's the difference in them?
Now, those with squeamish dispositions, stop reading...
How do I stop saddle/pressure sores, I seem to be in constant pain just now. ouch.
I have a narrow - I think I had a standard before that that started bothering me. The narrow, however, is used every day for commuting and it's utterly fab.
I'm assuming you have cycling shorts?
Balders, why don't you borrow one of my three for a week and see how you get on?
Balders, why don't you borrow one of my three for a week and see how you get on?
Good idea, although be wary you will be cycling on a saddle lovingly carved and moulded to the exact contours of DaveC's derriere
The width difference betwixt B17 and B17 narrow is largely at the back. You get a wider support for your carriage with the former and obviously it has to taper more to achieve the same nose width. I've found both exceedingly comfortable and never had any chaff / soreness issues. I rarely cycle with padding anymore for rides under 30-ish miles.
Your bum should glide over a properly cared-for (i.e. waxed) leather saddle, rather than gathering in any one position and getting sores.
I use B17 standards on all my upright bikes - I tried a narrow, and could not get it to work for me at all.
Definitely an individual preference area, but when you find what works, it's a glorious experience.
B17 standard on all mine, except the tourer which has the variant with springs (Champion?) haven't tried narrow, but also haven't suffered any pain in that area since I changed :-)
I've got narrow and standard B17s and I like both. The standard might be better for a more upright bike, narrow could be better for a racing bike.
I have heard that some people don't get on with them but I've never had a Brooks I didn't like.
"The narrow, however, is used every day for commuting and it's utterly fab"
Ditto
Also agree with the comment about not requiring a pad - I only use bike shorts out of habit, jeans are totally fine commutting with a Brooks.
Saddle / pressure sores. Had intermittent problems previously but not with a Brooks. Getting a Brooks (Swallow) was the solution to problems with the cheap saddle that came with my Croix de Fer. Otherwise it's B17. My other half had similar concerns about Brooks but has had no problems at all, in spite of having mildly ropey child-worn hips.
If the pain is recent then it's maybe just a consequence of getting back to your 160 miles a week after the Christmas break. Your bum will get used to it again. Otherwise you'll need to work out if it's because your hips are rolling (saddle too high) or your weight is too much on the saddle (saddle maybe too low) or because you're tending to slip forward (saddle too far back or tilted forward). Or if it's friction / chafing rather than pressure.
@DaveC - Cheers, I wouldn't mind a try if you don't mind. :)
Yep, do use padded cycle shorts/longs - although not on the Pashley which has a B66/7, haven't been for a long cycle on that though, but 5 / 10 miles fine in jeans.
re sores. Have had them most of the last year, maybe even longer. They had just healed up over Christmas, and came back with a vengeance after just a few days.
Position should be fine, my road bike and commuter are set identically, and I have no issues on the roadie. I do wonder if it is my current saddle, only ever had ocasional sores before that. The commuter's saddle is more 'sticky' than my road bike saddle.
If the sores are due to high mileage, it's clearly important to get both the right position and saddle. Unfortunately you can only really find the right saddle by trial and error - and I don't believe that Brooks is the only possible choice (I did have one previously and get a lot less saddle sore now than then).
You might also consider appropriate creams, especially in the short-term. Also do you have good short hygiene? Best to wash after every ride.
An image that will haunt me till the end of time is at one of the last controls on LEL, seeing a variety of naked men in the shower room applying oodles of unguents and creams to their undercarriage.
It's enough to make one look at recumbents, it really is.
Oh.
:p
Darkerside, thanks for that...
This talk of Brooks has made me want a nice leather saddle but I can't really justify £70 at the moment. Though the Spa Nid at £40 is a pretty tempting birthday present...
Halfrauds sometimes have very good prices for Brooks, my first B17 was £50 iirc
Not sure if I have the patience for that!
I was right, I don't. Just remembered people were struggling for a birthday present for me, going to get a B17 Narrow at the end of the month... Yes I am weak.
The upside is with new shiny stuff on the bike I might actually use it for more than commuting this year.
The commuter's saddle is more 'sticky' than my road bike saddle.
Which suggests that rather than shorts moving on saddle, you have bum moving on shorts.
going to get a B17 Narrow at the end of the month...
Actually just found the standard in brown for £50, wondering if that might be a better bet.
I have never had sores from riding on my B17s. I'll be in touch in the next day or so.
Actually just found the standard in brown for £50, wondering if that might be a better bet.
If you don't mind me asking, where did you see that price?
Not telling :-)
Put Brooks b17 in to the search box on the left.
Doh: just noticed it's a ladies...
If I get a saddle sore it is usually because I have not been liberal enough with the Tesco brand pseudo-sudocrème. Other barrier type creams also work up there where the sun don't shine but the supermarket own brand is the cheapest which in my view considering where it is going makes it the best. This is usually only issue if I have been putting in the miles.
if I have a saddle sore I go with germolene cream overnight and then the nappy rash cream for cycling in the morning.
Seems to work for me but be careful.
Somewhere on here there was a link to a guy in Denver? Or similar, he loses weight and has a bet with his pal? All on a blog. He then has an argument with a swiss guy who has taken exception to him. This has a feature on expensive assos chamois cream. Denver does not agree with the stuff but Swiss guy accuses him of spalming (might be a Swiss word) the cream in the wrong place. I remember his exact words but given the time of this post it may surprise anyone left reading that I am holding back.
Found it straight away - fat cyclist is Denver. The wit and wisdom of Dr Michael Lammler is the Swiss.
pseudo-sudocrème
Just plain cream?
No imitation fake cream
OK, so I got the B17. saddle it's self is comfy as, but...
Now I have sore shoulders and neck!
The rails on the saddle do not allow for as much adjustment as my previous saddle, so I am now sitting too far forward on the bike. Thought, OK I'll just get a new seat post, but some interwebbing suggests that the seat post on my bike already has a 20mm offset, and most posts that I have seen only go up to 21mm. I reckon I need another inch, maybe inch and a half further back to get saddle in the right position.
Is there such a thing as a seat post with a 40, or even better 50mm offset?
There are such things as longer stems, if the position of the seat relative to the handlebars is the only issue (and it's not that your legs are now inappropriately aligned relative to the BB).
Saddle adjustment can sometimes be a nightmare.
I remember years ago on my old, and much missed, Hardrock, I'd switched tyres and saddle, and I spent ages adjusting the saddle - I always took the key with me - and one day, cycling round Harlaw it suddenly felt perfect.
Five minutes later I found I had a slow puncture and the comfort had come from a soft rear tyre. Hey-ho.
Remember if you move your saddle to extreme back or forwards positions that you then will find your knees in relatively a different (and perhaps wrong) position to the pedals and axle. As the saddle gets more offset, the chance that this might stress your knees probably increases. It may be that rather than pushing the saddle back, lengthening the stem or otherwise repositioning the handlebars is what is required.
Pushing the saddle up will also increase the relative distance to the handlebars.
But yeah, it can take much fiddling around with things to get it just right and your previous comfy position might take a little while to change to your new position being the comfy one.
Go for a bike fit, I hear you can spend hunners on them, and even then not get comfy. Or just buy a slighly longer stem.
How long have you been riding the new seat? Shoulders and arms will adjust to the new position quite soon I'd have thought? Give it a couple of weeks before forking out for more kit.
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