Amit, I've been riding the same B17 for about 10 years, so it's well broken in. I just got a berthoud, and while it sure looks nice, i find the B17 a little more comfortable (most likely due to the break-in i'm still doing on the berthoud), outside of that they are pretty similiar saddles, time will tell about durability but on price alone i don't see the advantages of the berthoud (at least my butt does not). i find the flatter top actually a little harder to grip/stay on. i also have a brooks flyer which is the b17 with springs and that feels similiar in the seat.
if your dad likes his broken in b68 just go with that, but make sure you do a few long practice rides as a too squishy seat might not provide enough support on long rides. On Jul 28, 8:29 am, Amit Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks for all of the positive encouragement friends! > > I'm trying to get dad's and my schedule to align to ride the Shoreline West > Bicycle Tour along the coast of Lake Michigan ... 2 tickets recently became > available (stars are aligning!) and I think it would be a beautiful way to > start. 40 - 60 miles a day with some of the most awesome scenery, I'm > excited and hope it happens. > > Now I'm thinking of saddles and setup. The Raleigh currently has a Brooks > B68 unsprung saddle with Alba bars which he finds very comfortable. He > hasn't tried the B17 for more than 4 minutes but loudly exclaimed "that made > my butt hurt!" and hopped off :) It may have not been adjusted properly. > > So here are some thoughts: > > B-17 - keeps it traditional, it's a great saddle, although I've recently > been experiencing some unequal sit-bone sagging with my own ... but I ride a > ton and weigh 220ish ... so maybe that's to be expected. The honey would > look great. Dad weighs a buck and a half. > > Berthoud - flatter, the cork is a sexy color, but wicked expensive and do I > really want to get into buying berthoud luggage to go with this bike? ... I > have enough luggage already ... so maybe not. then again, there's the > "oooh, berthoud!" factor. hrm. and I've read great reviews of its > comfortability. eh ... pass. > > B-68 - with 40 years of beausage. dad likes this and finds it comfortable, > although we haven't really talked about it. mostly, he just hasn't > complained at all! we probably should discuss what he thinks is comfortable > and what isn't. i'll plan for that conversation tonight. Perhaps I'll pull > it off of the Raleigh just for a trial on the Saluki. I'll probably end up > doing this just to see if he likes it ... > > B-67 - Sprung saddle, same as B-68, just with springs - this monster of a > saddle is heavy, but what does a few pounds more it really matter as long as > the rider is comfortable? I have this on my Bomba right now, and it still > looks new (okay, really minor sit bone indents). I'll end up mounting this > before the B68, probably. > > Writing my thoughts down has helped - I think the most important thing is > talking with dad about saddle fit and understanding where he's comfortable. > My hunch is that we'll go with a new B-17 and try it for a few days to make > sure it's properly adjusted and hitting his sit-bones correctly. > > If we're doing the Shoreline, we'll probably get a few pairs of riding > shorts and jerseys for him to stay comfortable in. > > The Rapha Bib shorts are fantastic - 12 or more hours in the saddle and ZERO > problems. I haven't tried Ibex or Andiamo ... hrm. Riv clothing is right > in with Dad's style, so we'll probably order a few pairs of MUSA and some > wool shirts from the RBW. And shoes ... I haven't tried the Keens but have > read great things from all of you. Keen commuters, I'm thinking, with MKS > Touring pedals, yeah? The Denver Canvas and Coronado models look way > better and provide full foot coverage. And then there are Addidas Sambas. > Hrm. I suppose it depends on what he wants - clip in or not - and the > style he most prefers. Dad is totally not into shopping ... This is going > to be a challenge! > > What else, Helmet. Bell is what fits me well, I'll suggest the same to him. > I think that's got it covered for now. > > Thanks again for reading my thoughts of randomness. This feels like a blog > entry. Maybe I should start one of those. Hrm. > > Amit -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
