Brooks Saddles Flyer Bicycle Saddle

[Hillhater]

If you want something different,.. or even custom made,.. have a look at "Thrones"
..check out the descriptions too.
http://www.bikethrones.com/saddles/saddles/

 

[friendly1uk]

Odd. My page can't of refreshed. I wrote it, then found it still waiting to post some time later. nvm.

I'm not really thinking about resale value's when I buy a leather saddle. I hope to keep it till nobody else would want it. Until then, it is still bedding in. It would have to be really bad to warrant selling it while it was still looking new, which I don't think will be the case. Fingers crossed.

I see a couple coming out of taiwan but not that cheap really
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Brown-with-Rivets-LEATHER-SADDLE-Silver-RAIL-/190845652809?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2c6f498f49
And this one is worth a closer look
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/U-Z-BIKE-Gyes-GS13S-1-Leather-Beach-Cruiser-Bike-Seat-Springs-Front-Rear-/221263579375?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item33845648ef

While from Holand, Lepper have made saddles since 1897 and are very brooks like
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Lepper-Concorde-800-Leather-Sprung-Bike-Saddle-retro-town-bike-classic-/200858416578?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&var=&hash=item2ec41835c2

Non are actually far off Brooks money.
Is the flyer the cruiser model?

 

[Chalo]

There is a lot of positive hype regarding Brooks out there. Are they really worth a hundo and up?

My wife wouldn't trade her Brooks Flyer S for anything. It's about ten years old, and it looks better than new. Her plastic saddles from the same time, not so much. (I have replaced the springs twice, for what it's worth.)

I have a couple of no-longer-available Brooks B90/3 saddles that I am very happy with, too.

 

[friendly1uk]

The flyer is for touring not city. Wouldn't city be a more upright position like an ebike?

Seating position is quite an issue with regards to suspension required. I do pedal all the time, but stay upright.

 

[footloose]

I ride bolt upright -- back problems, plus I like to look around.
My favorite saddle is a Brooks Flyer. It moves with me from bike to bike, depending on what bike I'm riding most.

Actually have 3 Brooks saddles at this point -- 2 Flyers, and one that is same shape but without springs (B17?).
The effect of springs is pretty subtle. They are stiff. Like Chalo said a few posts back, mostly reduces vibration.
Not particularly for dealing with potholes and curbs... getting up off the saddle works best for those.

One thing about Brooks saddles. Their build quality seems uniformly great, but the actual piece of leather used
in a particular saddle makes a world of difference. On my favorite saddle, the leather was pretty much
broken in from day one (same model as in OP's photo). On another saddle (same model but black leather),
the darn thing was like it was carved from stone, the leather was super hard. After a few hundred miles
on it I decided something must be done. Soaked it in neatsfoot oil, then wailed away on it with a ball peen
hammer to soften up the leather. Really worked it over. Then rode it pretty hard for a few days.
The leather on that one is still tougher than the other, but it's much more comfortable now.

 

[Eskimo]

Gonna buy Brooks this year. Local shop sells them on slight discount. My present saddle is very wide and pretty soft cruiserbike-type saddle, and it"s killing me after 50 miles.
My tailbone starts to hurt. There"s no rub problem, no pain on that part that touches the saddle, but on tailbone, end of the spine. Some numbness occasionally. On cruiser bike one sits very upright, i guess it comes from that.
We have 125km ride again tomorrow with lycras to Porvoo and back...After 50 miles i stand on pedals a while, try to change position, etc.
It"s the last summer week now. Night temps are reaching zero C. Days are still around 15-18C.

 

[footloose]

Eskimo --
Brooks saddles are good, but not magic... 125 kilometers is a mighty long distance...
I'm normally pretty ready to get off the bike and give my butt bones a break after 50 k.

 

[Joseph C.]

Brooks B135 spring heaven. Get some proofide and it will cut down on the break-in period.

Make sure you have the nose pointing upwards or it will be very uncomfortable.

Great saddle.

 

[Drunkskunk]

...Make sure you have the nose pointing upwards or it will be very uncomfortable.

Great saddle.

I think that depends on your anatomy. If I tried to ride with the seat pointing up, I suspect it would be a real pain in the @ss.

 

[Joseph C.]

I think that depends on your anatomy. If I tried to ride with the seat pointing up, I suspect it would be a real pain in the @ss.

Perhaps you are right but even level with the B135 I find you fall off the front of the saddle. I don't think the rear is the area that would be in pain.

 

[100volts+]

Can you combine a Cane Creek Thudbuster with a Brooks B-135 saddle? (about $300.00)

 

[dogman dan]

Should be possible, its not a round post only kind of seat. It has the normal two wires to mount to any seatpost. But a thudbuster might make a regular brooks just as good a choice.

 

[Joseph C.]

Can you combine a Cane Creek Thudbuster with a Brooks B-135 saddle? (about $300.00)

It is contingent on having enough clearance which depends upon the size of your bike and how far you have the saddle up. Measure the clearance on your bike and note that that saddle will require extra clearance of maybe 50mm or so.

http://www.thudbuster.com/details.html

 

[Chalo]

Can you combine a Cane Creek Thudbuster with a Brooks B-135 saddle? (about $300.00)

It is contingent on having enough clearance which depends upon the size of your bike and how far you have the saddle up. Measure the clearance on your bike and note that that saddle will require extra clearance of maybe 50mm or so.

The B135 is a twin rail saddle, which means you'll have to use an adapter like the Joe Breeze Seat Sandwich to make it fit on a modern microadjustable seat post.

Edit:

A B135 on top of a Thudbuster is a lot of boing-- maybe more than you want. I have a fat tire bike with a Brooks B90/3 (much like today's B190), and between the tire and the saddle I don't think I could use more cush than that. I like to have some limit on the variation in distance between seat and pedals.