I find the C17 to be significantly more narrow than the B17. My favorite commuter saddle is now the C19, which is wider than the B17, but not by much. I'm glad I tried it.
It took me a while, but I've come to the conclusion that no matter how much weight I lose, my sitz bones will not move a whole lot closer together. On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 5:51:14 PM UTC-4 Andrew Scherer wrote: > I am tall and lean-ish with wide sit bones and not much "organic" padding > so I prefer padded cycling shorts and gloves. B17/C17, both carved, are my > preferred saddles. That said, I recently acquired a Selle Anatomica X which > was very comfortable on a 50-mile ride this past Saturday. > > Andy Scherer > Manhattan & Woodstock NY > On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 9:55:34 AM UTC-4 Will Boericke wrote: > >> For anything over my 40 minute commute, padded shorts are essential. >> >> W >> >> On Mon, Sep 29, 2025 at 9:47 AM Patrick Moore <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I forgot to mention that I also used a C17 for a while on a Dahon folder >>> with straight bar and more upright position; alright, but too wide and I >>> did not care for the “curve” i profile between rear and the middle >>> “sitting” part; it was ok for short rides in street clothing. >>> >>> On Mon, Sep 29, 2025 at 7:44 AM Patrick Moore <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> IMO, one big criterion of the “right” saddle (right for the rider, of >>>> course) is that you don’t need padding to ride it comfortably. You might >>>> need bike shorts to prevent bunching and chafing, but padding seems to me >>>> to mean that something is not right with saddle or position. >>>> >>>> I personally hate padded shorts though for rides over 30 miles I do >>>> find wool cycling shorts with real or fake chamois, non-padded *linings >>>> *— against chafing — or, recently, lovely Australian wool boxer >>>> briefs, more comfortable than the nylon boxers I use for most of my riding. >>>> >>>> Others’ opinions on padding in cycling shorts? >>>> >>>> I hope shortly to be able to try a Brooks Swift which per a discussion >>>> on that other list is narrower even than the Brooks Pro. The B17 is too >>>> wide for me, the Pro was very good except that I could not get the tilt >>>> right, so we’ll see if the Swift is any better. Others’ opinions about the >>>> Swift? >>>> >>>> Aside: I see that the original issue Flite, the one saddle to rule them >>>> all, is still being offered by Selle Italia. >>>> >>>> On Mon, Sep 29, 2025 at 7:31 AM Will Boericke <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Pre-broken-in? That's a win! Saves you 500 miles of use to get >>>>> there. I tend to buy only used Brooks for this reason. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 3:26:04 PM UTC-4 Jay wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> When I started cycling over 20 years ago I used the stock saddle. A >>>>>> few years into riding I liked the vibe of 'retro', comfort over speed, >>>>>> etc; >>>>>> I guess I was an odd duck (at under 30yo) as it was the Lance era. I >>>>>> tried >>>>>> a B17 on my road bike and had it for a couple of years, but I had a lot >>>>>> of >>>>>> drop between the bars and saddle and that wasn't comfortable 'down >>>>>> below'. >>>>>> Went back to plastic style saddles and they were fine. >>>>>> >>>>>> Last year after getting the Roadini I tried a Brooks C17. I liked it >>>>>> a lot. I had to use padded shorts though (I had always done so, except >>>>>> for >>>>>> when I had the B17 and sometimes road without padded shorts, usually in >>>>>> the >>>>>> winter with tights). I've been having some tightness and issues with my >>>>>> back/hips, more to do with work, and on the C17 I started sitting >>>>>> asymmetrical (brown saddle - sweat stains confirmed), getting a saddle >>>>>> sore >>>>>> on the same sight as the tight muscles, and other issues now and then. >>>>>> I >>>>>> just started seeing an Osteopath and we have a plan to fix those issues. >>>>>> >>>>>> So I ordered a B17 from amazon and figured I would see if I like it >>>>>> in the first 10 minutes, return if I didn't. I liked it immediately. >>>>>> >>>>>> Did my first long ride with it today and noticed a few things that >>>>>> surprised me: >>>>>> >>>>>> - When I pushed it all the way forward on the rails, like the C17, it >>>>>> was too far forward and I was able to slide it back a bit (which is >>>>>> nice, >>>>>> having room both directions). I'm not as far behind the BB and this is >>>>>> great. Felt like I used my quads more and before they were dormant. >>>>>> - I'm sitting on it symmetrically; attested by this photo (another >>>>>> comment about that below) >>>>>> - My friend who I was riding with said from behind, I'm more balanced >>>>>> L/R pedaling, no rocking, just looked better; he can tell I looked more >>>>>> square on the saddle >>>>>> - I tried riding without padded shorts, and it was great. I used >>>>>> Saxx long compression mesh underwear that does not have seams where you >>>>>> don't want them; over that I wore bib shorts with the chamois removed >>>>>> (from >>>>>> an experiment I tried with old bib shorts years ago, after hearing about >>>>>> it >>>>>> from Lael Wilcox). It felt very different of course, but when I was >>>>>> done >>>>>> the ride my butt (saddle sore prone area), was happy...and still is many >>>>>> hours later. >>>>>> >>>>>> Only thing I didn't like, and it's my own fault, is where I ordered >>>>>> the saddle from. Upon opening the box it had a few small creases in the >>>>>> sit bone area and you can tell the box had been opened and re-sealed >>>>>> (already ridden and returned I suspect). After a 65km ride I felt like >>>>>> I >>>>>> started getting the depressions in the sit bone area and more creasing >>>>>> way >>>>>> too quickly, where I usually read this takes hundred of km; and I'm only >>>>>> 160# so I was surprised (will probably return and buy from LBS). >>>>>> >>>>>> [image: image0-3.jpeg] >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To view this discussion visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/30a22cc0-2029-4d29-aef3-cb997bf50583n%40googlegroups.com >>>>> >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/30a22cc0-2029-4d29-aef3-cb997bf50583n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> Patrick Moore >>>> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >>>> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> >>>> Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing >>>> services >>>> >>>> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> >>>> *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* >>>> >>>> *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* >>>> >>>> *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> Patrick Moore >>> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing >>> services >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* >>> >>> *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* >>> >>> *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* >>> >>> -- >>> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/ZG7z6VKcy-Y/unsubscribe >>> . >>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>> [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfguNvoVPJykwXeK%2Bg1ovG3YSvFtTkNF9NsSfChsfiyKfCw%40mail.gmail.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfguNvoVPJykwXeK%2Bg1ovG3YSvFtTkNF9NsSfChsfiyKfCw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/73f0bdca-b9e7-4efb-b525-a79b3b70d4b4n%40googlegroups.com.
