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Home | Product Reviews | Saddle | Brooks B.66 Universal | ||||
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Submitted by
Daniel Haden
a Weekend Warrior
from Sedan, KS
Date Reviewed: 5/18/2006 3:47:28 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Highway 166 |
| Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: | $65 |
| Purchased At: | aebike.com |
| Strengths: | It is so cool--like air-conditioning. It does not put pressure on soft tissues. It is very nice looking--with such a wonderful quality appearance and feel. Crotch pain? Gone! Chafing? Gone! Road bumps? Gone! You can even ride wearing boxers. ;) |
| Weaknesses: | The break-in is quite a trial for the first few rides. It requires proofide every six months. If you have a modern seatpost, you'll have a devil of a time mounting this--but you can just get a 67 instead. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Velo, Schwinn, Sefaris, Avenir |
| Bike Setup: | Several hardtails |
| Bottom Line: | The weight is lighter than most other comfy saddles because it does not use heavy gel. Leather does not squish up into your soft tissues like gel. The springs are nice and tight, so there's no extra bounce. It is like air-conditioning. There's no crotch pain. It makes road bumps come up missing. There's a "Seat Sandwich" to mount this double rail model onto a modern seatpost. That, or you'll need a rather plain "pipe" seatpost (available in alloy or steel). Of course, you could just choose a B67 that is the same thing with lighter weight single rails and direct mounting to a modern seatpost. You don't need, and probably shouldn't use, a suspension seat post with this. After the first few stiff rides, it will loosen up to fit you, and then you'll be SO surprised how comfortable and cool you are. It can work just fine with a variety of handlebar heights. Other comfort saddles require high handlebars in order to avoid the horn. There is no such problem with the Brooks. The B66/67 even works just fine with drop bars. |
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Submitted by
Stewart
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: 5/5/2006 7:48:26 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $70 |
| Strengths: | Comfortable, supportive. Has some old-world appeal |
| Weaknesses: | Needs some maintenance through applying leather dressing. Needs to be kept dry when not in use. Tends to bob if in too low a gear.Racers should use non-sprung Brooks. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Velo, Avenir, Serfas. Not nearly as comfortable as the Brooks |
| Bike Setup: | Giant XTC3 set up for comfort commuting mainly, but some off-road |
| Bottom Line: | Much more comfortable than plastic and foam/gel saddles, at the cost of some inconvenience. |
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Submitted by
Lenny Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento, California
Date Reviewed: 5/28/2003 4:32:32 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $70 |
| Purchased At: | Harris Cyclery - Sheldon Brown |
| Strengths: | Comfort, Design, Panache (with a capital P!) |
| Weaknesses: | I worry about it being stolen. |
| Similar Products Tried: | I own three Brooks saddles |
| Bike Setup: | This one's on an older Raleigh Twenty folding bicycle. |
| Bottom Line: | Those of us who are fans of Brooks saddles wouldn't consider riding on anything else. When I acquired this little Raleigh, it had the original Brooks saddle still on it (and still in pretty good shape after 30-plus years) It didn't have a leather cover though, so off it came and on with the B66! What a great ride. It was comfortable from day one. Once you get the saddle adjusted correctly, sore bottoms are a thing of the past. BUY ONE, you won't be sorry. |
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Submitted by
Paul Rintoule
a Weekend Warrior
from Fairlight, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: 4/28/2003 8:51:57 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Reisling Trail |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $65 |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | Increasingly comfortable as it continues to break in. Already the most comfortable we have used. |
| Weaknesses: | None, once you understand that the extra comfort provides you with additional endurance to easily overcome any apparent weight penalty. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Oasis, Sefas |
| Bike Setup: | Apollo (KHS Alite) mountain tandem. |
| Bottom Line: | Bought the B66 for the captain and a B73 for the stoker. As the bike is a rigid, the idea of fitting sprung seats was attractive. Have used the Sheldon Brown break in procedure. Even so they are still taking some time to fully break in. We went to the Clare Valley in South Australia to ride the Riesling Trail, a fine gravel topped rail trail through the valley's vineyards and wineries plus a diversion by gravel road to Mintaro. Hard to describe how beatiful it was during the Australian autumn (fall) month of April. We then went to stay in the coastal area of Norlunga (which is south of Adelaide) and used the bike trail that leads from there to the McLaren Vale including the lovely old town of Wilunga. The trail has a mixture of sealed and fine gravel surfaces. We rode about 30 miles a day. Saddle comfort has steadily increased and now easily exceeds any previous saddles. Yes Brooks sadddles require breaking in, are heavy and must have a plastic bag tied over them to keep them dry in the rain. However they offer relief from bumps in the trail, particularly the ones you don't see coming. Of equal importance, these saddles absorb sweat and breath leaving you with a dry, rashless bottom. We are very pleased with their performance. If you have a rigid or hardtail and /or will be spending long hours in the saddle, you should consider these saddles. |
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Submitted by
Jack Kessler
from California
Date Reviewed: 4/6/2002 1:02:36 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | North Slope Haul Road |
| Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: | $48 |
| Purchased At: | Velosport, Berkeley |
| Strengths: | Comfortable, springs absorb shock, handsome, durable, adjustable tension on leather top. Large top area reduces the weight per square inch borne by the rider's butt. |
| Weaknesses: | Heavier than plastic seats |
| Similar Products Tried: | None |
| Bike Setup: | 1980's Trek touring frame with upright handlebars,ultra-low gears (Avid 20T chainwheel, Sun Tour 38T cog), spd pedals, tandem 48 spoke rear wheel, all sealed bearings |
| Bottom Line: | On my first tour after a day on a rigid seat, the seat felt like a two-by-four stuck up my butt. Riding through some of the most beautiful country in California, all I could think about was how much my butt hurt. On the Brooks B66 with its fittable leather, width, and springs, I have been able to enjoy tens of thousands of miles on many long tours. This seat is the only seat to consider for upright posture bicycle riding, particulary touring, commuting, or recreational riding. It is not what you want for racing or riding down in the drops. |
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