Best saddle for very upright posture?

[Jesse]

What I really want is a sprung Brooks, but I'm not heavy enough to actuate the springs. Can't afford a Berthoud.

The only other option I know of is the Rivet Loveland, which I've heard is excellent quality.

Anything else to consider?

[John A. Bennett]

Before you rule out a Brooks B-67, Jesse, there's one thing to consider:
The springs are very stiff, and only provide the minimum of shock-absorbing qualities.

What the springs *do* allow is a little sideways movement as you pedal, dipping a little with each pedal stroke. 

It's a great saddle for an upright position, giving your sit-bones the perfect platform on which to perch. 

- John in Portland

[Ben Mihovk]

Hello!

I've never sat on a B67, but if Riv's info is correct, it's the same dimensions as a B17. I ride fairly upright and use a B17 and find it VERY comfortable (and I'm 6'3" 220). I'm assuming you've ruled that out or have tried it and it didn't work, though. What John said about the wiggle room to the sides is good info, too...that might make the 67 edge out the 17 if you think that'd make the saddle more comfy.

Ben

[Patrick Cronin]

Selle Anatomica also has a loyal following. The only leather saddles I've ridden are Brooks. B17 saddles (unsprung) do ok for upright, but the flyer (basically a sprung B17) is better. I have a Flyer on my Hunqapillar. For super upright riding, the B67, wide and sprung, is touted as superior (and I have one on my Hubbuhubbuh tandem), but I prefer the flyer. The reason has to do with my sit bones (narrow) and bottom mass (minimal). For those with wider sit bones and more bottom mass, the B67 would likely be ideal and the flyer too narrow. Both the Flyer and the B67 come in "short" versions for women and smaller riders.

Another Brooks saddle to consider, but one I have not tried, is the Cambium C67 ( https://www.brooksengland.com/en_us/c67.html ). 

-Patrick

[Ben Mihovk]

Whoops...the Flyer is the one that's the same measurements as the 17...my bad. 

[Jesse]

Okay, so I borrowed a B17 this morning and set it up on my Ogre (73 seat tube angle) with a Velo Orange long setback post (30mm setback), and even with the saddle slammed, still didn't have enough setback. Also couldn't get the nose angled up high enough. Within the next couple years I intend to own a frame with a slacker seat tube angle, but in the interim I'll have to come up with something with rails that will allow for greater setback, which I understand is a feature of the Rivet Loveland. 

I'm pretty curious about that C67, too. Any owners of which in this group?

[Patrick Cronin]

The Ogre, with its super sloping top tube, tends not to have handlebars above saddle height. The title of this post is, "very upright posture". Not too many Ogres are set up that way. Based on the information you've provided, it seems like you need a longer stem or a stem with more rise, but that may not be the case. Plenty of Ogres out there with B17, Flyers, and Cambiums, but hardly ever with B67.

-Patrick

[Pete B]

Jesse, I think you want a leather saddle, but have you considered a synthetic mountain bike saddle like the WTB Pure? It has a flat area, like the B-17, and wouldn't look out of place on a Surly. 

I replaced a B-17 Flyer on a on old Trek 950 with the WTB, because of limited setback. I don't sit bolt upright on that bike, but I'm using Albatross bars that are about even, maybe a bit higher than saddle level, so I'm fairly upright. It's not a toodler, but I am comfortable.

FWIW, I have a C-17 on a drop bar bike as it feels a little "racier" to me than a B-17 standard. Besides shape, I think it has less give than a leather saddle. I wouldn't recommend it for a "very upright" position. Maybe it's just sample variation, but my Flyer and Standard do not feel like the same saddle to me, despite the similarities. The Flyer seems better suited to a more upright posture. Perhaps that is because as John says above, the saddle dips with each pedal stroke (I know it does this, because I had to put a dab of grease on the spring rails keeps it from squeaking/rubbing). That dipping would explain why the nose of the Flyer seems more apparent to me in comparison to the Standard.

Pete

Arlington, VA

On Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 10:35:35 AM UTC-4 Jesse Stoddard wrote:

[Robert Tilley]

I use the WTB Pure on many of my bikes and it is my go-to non-leather saddle. I love the B17 and the Pure is just as comfortable for me but offers more setback and I can move around on it more than on a B17.

I actually prefer the older model that was called the Pure V. It feels better to me even though they look to be basically the same as the new model. I have a few Pure V's squirreled away for future use.

Robert Tilley

San Diego, CA

Sent from my BlackBerry - the most secure mobile device

From: peter...@gmail.com Sent: October 13, 2020 8:02 AM To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com Reply-to: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com Subject: [RBW] Re: Best saddle for very upright posture?

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[lconley]

I use the B-68 which can still be found on Ebay occasionally. I have 6 or 7 of them (3 aged and the rest in standard black). Same shape as the B-67 but without the springs. My wife has a B-68S on her Betty Foy.

I also had a B-678 built - Honey B67 leather on a chromed B68 frame.

The Loveland is rock hard compared to the Brooks B-68.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[iamkeith]

I actually don't think Selle Anatomica would work well in an upright position. I've got them on almost all of my bikes now. I don't ride in an "agressive," level-back posture - more like 55 degree forward lean in most cases, and the saddle is great for this. Any more upright than that, it would feel too narrow and long AND stretch out really quickly.

[Ted Fay]

Jesse, 

For complicated reasons, I have an extra saddle (unused, still in original package/bag) which might be what you are looking for. It's yours for shipping if you'd like to check it out. https://www.cyclestoussaint.com/collections/accessories/products/la-cite-leather-saddle

If it works for you, give a few extra cents to the folks at https://www.feedingamerica.org or https://www.railstotrails.org. If not, send it back to me. Unused bike parts are a small crime. 

Ted

[Jesse Stoddard]

In addition to running Boscos, I have my Ogre setup with a 7 inch threadless stem riser. So yeah, I'm bolt upright, hands slightly behind the steering axis etc. I love it. Also I run two sets of Surly's dropout spacers in the back, yielding ~46cm stays. 

The 73 degree STA is too steep for sit-up-and-beg I'm finding, so in conjunction with a long setback post, looks like I'll have to run something like the WTB saddle Pete suggested. 

Still wondering about how far back I can get the Loveland and C67, too. Also have never been on a saddle as short as the Loveland and wonder if that would agree with me.

[Joel S]

The B67 is wider, like the B68.  I rode both and preferred the 68 but now it seems to rub my thighs so I went back to a 17 champion special.  I may try to tension it....

[Patrick Cronin]

The only similar visual I could find was a Troll with Boscos: https://forums.mtbr.com/attachments/surly/828213d1377900206-surly-troll-troll-3-side-small.jpg 

Looks like they are running a Thompson setback post (or similar) and even then their saddle is all the way aft. Their stem is about as long as they come. Curious what you end up with.

-Patrick

[John Phillips]

   Have you figured out your sit bone width yet? The WTB website has a very clever widget for figuring out the width of your sit bones using the width of your wrist, very cool and easier than pressing your butt into a piece of soft cardboard or some such.

   Once you've figured that out, you'll know how many saddles are possible solutions.

   I have wider sit bones, so my options are rather limited. The wide Berthoud Aubisque is my "racy" saddle. If I needed wider, I'd probably look into Rivet for leather or SQLab for synthetic. The Brooks B67 fit me, but rubbed my thighs.

   SqLab makes/sells synthetic saddle models each with multiple widths.

YMMV,

John

[Garth]

    If your primary pressure points are under your sit bones like me the Selle Royal Lookin Moderate Men's saddles are awesome . I've tried many so called padded saddles that were either too soft(unsupportive) or too firm(Like a Terry for example, utterly painful), these have a seemingly magic balance of padding being both firm and forgiving. 180mm width is plenty since the entire width is padded and usable.

  

[Andrew Letton]

Hi Jesse,

This just arrived in my inbox from Brooks this morning. Maybe worth consideration...

cheers,

Andrew in Sydney (where yes, it is the 14th)

-------------------

Wed, Oct 14 at 1:05 AM

PERFECT FOR THE CITY, MADE FOR E-MOBILITY Carefully designed to meet the needs of e-bike riders, the brand new Brooks C67 saddle has a wide top and a raised rear surface, which accounts for and lessens the forces created by the sudden accelerations of electric bicycles.  DISCOVER MORE A special curved shape of the top and saddle nose offers greater stability during the ride. ERGONOMIC RUBBER GRIPS Brooks also presents new e-bike specific grips, with an ergonomic shape that confers greater confidence and control. Copyright © 2020 Brooks England, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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[Roberta]

On my first Riv, I had a B17.  It was fine, but I switched it to a flyer (a sprung B17) and it was much more comfy.  To lighten my bike, I switched to a Selle Anatomica the one without the cutout and I prefer that to the B17. I also have one with the cutout and that is OK too.   The SA ones do come back more than the B17.  I like all these saddles fine, but the Flyer is my fav of the group. It just takes the edge off of unexpected bumps and dips in the road, but it weights a pound more.  SAs are my next fav.

With all this said, none of these "disappear" below me.  Unfortunately, I'm not rich enough to try all the ones I'd like to, including Rivit's Loveland and the B67.  Check out Craig's list.  There's a lot of junk saddles offered, but I see some good ones, too, and they go fast for a reasonable price.

Also, keep an eye for sale saddles on each manufacturer's and reseller's web pages.  When these get returned, they often go into the sale bin without anything wrong with them.  Do a google search every night until you find a lower than usual price.

Roberta

[Ash]

Hey Andrew, 

That's saddle looks fascinating.  I wasn't aware it existed!  Do you mind sharing a quick review after a few rides?  

I have B17, C17, B68 and B67, but those pictures make me think this might be worth a try.

Thanks,

Ash 

[Matthew Williams]

I ride almost-upright and I'm very happy with my B67.

If you're in the DC area, here's a pristine B67 for $50--complete with cream and the adjusting tool!

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/bop/d/alexandria-brooks-b67-saddle/7210886265.html

[Chris Halasz]

It looks like the Cambium C67 doesn’t have any saddlebag loops ....

[Andrew Letton]

Hi Ash,

I don't actually have that new C67; I just got an email from Brooks announcing it as a new product.

cheers,

Andrew

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[velomann]

I personally find springs superfluous, maybe because I'm light and they don't seem to do much except add weight and squeak.  For the BEST upright saddle I'm always on the lookout for increasingly rare B-68s. The Holy Grail of upright saddles (to me) would be finding a B-68 Imperial.

Michael M

[Ash]

Andrew, got it!

I decided to order it anyway.  Will chime in with my observations in a week.

@chris halasz, it is indeed a disappointment that it does not have those saddlebag loops.  

[Paul Budnitz]

After a lot of testing I've come around to loving my Berthold Mente!! I have two.

I dunked it in water and covered it with saddle grease to break it in fast, however.

[Yuhan Wu]

Vote for Tioga undercover her. Cheaper and better than any leather saddle imo. Right amount of flex and low maintenance. I don't even need cycling shorts. 155mm wide perfect upright for men. Doesn't look as nice as leather though...

Ash <ash...@gmail.com> 于2020年10月19日周一 上午9:53写道：

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3ed975e9-7e5f-42bb-ae74-5014f3537c2dn%40googlegroups.com.

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Yuhan

[Joel S]

I have to agree, at 143 or so soaking wet I have not found a sprung saddle doing anything for me. I have 1 B68 left, it rubs my thighs, I have contemplated having a shoemaker put some holes in the sides reinforced by those little metal circles and using some string to bring the edges closer or maybe a tensioning tool would do the job without mutilating the saddle. I hate to alter it.

On Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 8:44:41 PM UTC-4 velomann wrote:

[Joel S]

Sort of like the Sheldon Brown technique for breaking in a B 17 years ago by soaking it in oil. I only did that once...

[schralp]

I just went through all of the Brooks iterations over the last 3 months for my Platypus. I found B67 was the right seat for my posture and rear. Flyer not flat enough, flyer carved pinches areas that shouldn't be pinched, B17 also not flat enough and my old Professional definitely not comfortable for upright riding. YMMV but I find the flat rear section perfect for upright riding and get no impingement on the hamstrings on the downstroke. The springs provide just enough give rocking back and forth at my weight (175#) but do not dampen much vibration. Hope that helps.

[Kim Hetzel]

I have a Brooks B67S saddle that I have had for sometime between two other bikes. It is fairly broken in.  I like the short nose on it.

I own a 2021 59cm Clem Smith Jr. "L".   It has become futile finding a seat post with sufficient setback, that measures 29.8mm.  I have been riding on rivets.

I have moved forward recently in getting the right shim to accept a 27.2mm seat post. Good news is the used PAUL Tall and Handsome post is coming in the mail tomorrow. With great hope, my problems will be solved with sufficient setback.

I am considering on the back burner as future purchase of a Selle Anatomica H-1 saddle for more of a comfortable ride.

Has anyone used one of the Selle Anatomica saddles for upright riding ?  If so, what is your experience ?

Kim (boney butt) Hetzel

Yelm, WA.

[J S]

Kim, I tried the Selle and within a few rides the saddle was loosing all shape and I would have needed to tighten it.  I thought that was a bit too quick so it went back.  It was not the H but the model just before it in their lineup,  but I am only about 145 pounds.     

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[Scott Luly]

Kim,

I listed here for sale a black Selle Anatomica H-2 in mint condition.

I'm in no hurry to sell it. If you want to PM me, I'd be happy to send it to you as a loaner to try as a baseline. Maybe trying it for a spell would help you refine your saddle search.

Scott

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[Kim Hetzel]

Thank-you, J.R. for sharing.

Kim Hetzel

Yelm, WA.