Brooks Imperial B17 saddle

[PrinterJohn]

Hi, could someone with one of these saddles please measure the distance from the front of the saddle to where the cut out starts, and from the rear of the saddle to where the cut out ends. I am carving one of my saddles, but need these measurements to get it right.

[SimonCelsa]

Failing any response why not try and 'scale up' from an online image:

Here's one, not very good, but with judicious use of a ruler and calculator......

brooks.jpg (8.56 KiB) Viewed 565 times

[PrinterJohn]

Thanks Simon will do that, just thought someone on here would just take a ruler to their saddle.

[mumbojumbo]

Surely you need to customise and place where it affords most comfort.

[gxaustin]

Surely you need to customise and place where it affords most comfort.

What methodology do you suggest?
(short of buying numerous saddles and carving them differently)









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[PrinterJohn]

I don't have an unlimited supply of saddles I'm afraid mumbojumbo so have scaled up from a photo as suggested by Simon Celsa, and done something similar, but with the same length, and position, I was not interested in absolutely copying the design. Hopefully it will give some more comfort in a particular area. After some weeks cycling mainly off road, Nantes to Basel along eurovelo 6 I decided something had to be done. Will report back if the mod works.

[jb]

Hmm, do they simply cut the hole out or do they add some reinforcing? it seems that it has the potential to turn into something far more excruciating if exposed to a bit of rain.

[Vantage]

It'd be no different from the edges of the saddle. Those are exposed to the elements.
I chopped mine a few years ago and it's still good. My dad has had it for a few years and it lives on his bike out in a damp shed. Any damp getting to the edges soon dries out. A good rubbing with brooks proofide adds a bit of protection.

[pwa]

Thanks Simon will do that, just thought someone on here would just take a ruler to their saddle.

Those leather saddles get longer in the nose as they age, and the tension is restored by turning the nut, so you might be safer just using the back edge as the reference point from which to measure. Good luck with your carving. You will need a really sharp blade for that.

I must also say that every leather saddle I have had has been an ongoing project, with little tweaks to maintain and improve comfort. I would expect the edges of the cut-out to require occasional manipulation to eliminate any catching, but that won't be a great problem. You just need to do the little things that make it work for you. I have a similar saddle where the ridge put pressure where I don't want pressure, so I appplied extra waxing to that narrow strip to soften it, then improvised a small roller to roll along it, applying downward pressure, to flatten out the arc of the ridge. And it worked. It only lowered the ridge by a couple of mm in the crucial area, but that was enough.

[thirdcrank]

I know that this isn't the query but leaping to the conclusion that you are male, if you are not new to cycling, perhaps a medical check-up might indicate if your problem is caused by changes in your own body.

[ANTONISH]

What saddle were you using on your trip? - I gave up on Brooks saddles years ago - I'm using selle italia trans am saddles (has a cut out)
There are many other saddles available.
It may take some time to arrive at one pattern that suits you.
Of cousre shorts etc make a big difference.