I don’t know if this is the best place to ask this question, but it wouldn’t be the first post about Brooks saddles. For those familiar with them, is there anything wrong in my saddle setup? Looking down from above, the left side (looking forward) appears to flare out, and looking at the saddle from the front, the side on the right seems to hang hang down lower than the side on the left. Is this unusual? The sign of something amiss? Or just one of those things? The saddle is comfortable so it might be nothing.
by misterwendell2020
6 Comments
Your saddle isn’t straight.
The rivet on the nose and the three holes all run down the center line.
Your rear wheel, the top tube, and the saddle centerline should all align.
Perspective can be hard, and I can be wrong from the camera orientation too. lol. If you have a long ruler or other straight edge it can help.
My last Brooks B17 was off centre like this from new, with the rivet on the nose noticibly off to one side. Wish I noticed before purchasing because it never stopped bothering me as it made my brain think my saddle was always a little crooked. I figure I probably should have returned it when I noticed early on, maybe Brooks would replace it if they agree it’s defective.
Bet your body is a bit wonky. Something similar but not as dramatic happens to all of my Brooks saddles.
I broke my Femur in a car wreck at age 19. I discovered my leg is one inch shorter in my forties during a bike fit. I used shims in my shoes and a different clip in to compensate on my road bike. I bought a Surly for touring and skipped the shims and peddle stuff and bought my Brooks Colt. After breaking it in (1500 miles) it fits ME. Because of my leg length difference the seat is distorted and crooked but it fits ME. I have 14000 miles of loaded touring on my Brooks now and have no seat issues ever. The break in sucks but it will eventually fit YOU. Bike shops have straightened my seat but I move it back because thats how it fits ME.
thanks for all the answers so quickly here. I think it might be a function of all three things mentioned:
– I have rotated the saddle slightly so it points directly fore/aft.
– The leather is still skewed over to one side so it may be I got a slightly imperfect saddle
– 50% of the physios I’ve ever seen think i have one leg longer than the other, and the other 50% think they’re equal length. Maybe this is the evidence I’m slightly lopsided….
It’s got a couple of thousand kilometers on it and it’s very comfortable so I think it’s probably fine.
thanks again
Do you dress to the right? Hoomans are rarely symmetrical, and my B17 shows definite signs of offset. It’s just how you’re built.