Leather Saddles - What do you Wear

[Jay]

I was curious to get some views from those with leather saddles and whether you wear bib (padded) cycling shorts, underwear with shorts/pants.  If underwear; is it wool, synthetic, other; do you care about seam placement; tight/compression fit, loose; or do you not think about this at all (just ride in whatever)?

I recently ordered a Brooks Team Pro Special and would love to not have to wear padded bib shorts (despite having like 10 of them).  I'm certainly going to try riding with some synthetic compression long boxers (I have a few pair) and winter tights, as it's that time of year.  I'll also try with a few models of bib shorts I have.

Long rides on hot days are not always the best, for me, with bib shorts, due to chafing.  I rarely get actual saddle sores (not since switching to the C17).

When I started cycling over 20 years ago, after a couple years into it, I got a B17 saddle.  After some trial-error with set up, it was fairly comfortable.  I was always wearing bib shorts, but I still laugh at one time in the winter when after riding for two hours I realized I wasn't wearing bib shorts, just underwear and winter tights.  I later got a Brooks Swallow, and then for some reason switched to plastic saddles and only tried Brooks again in the last 18 months.  I tried a B17, twice maybe, and it seemed too large and impacted how I pedalled.  I then tried a C17, and it was pretty good in that I was well supported, pedalling was fine, and with padded shorts it has been the most comfortable saddles I've had in the last 10 years.  I want to see if I can eliminate chafing/sores and figured I would try the Team Pro Special (hoping the width/shape works better for me than B17; I'm rather skinny).

[Nick Bull]

Jay,

I’ve been riding only Selle Anitomica saddles the past few years. I had some brooks in the past and never cared for them as much as the Selle Anitomica. I can ride them all day without padding after I break them in, and even during the break-in process they are comfy, but gave me a bit of discomfort after 30 miles or so, which I find incredible! 

The saddle I used before that was a Selle Italia Turbo or flight, but they can’t even begin to come close to how comfortable the Selle Anitomica saddles are. 

Selle Anitomica website

-best

Nick

[J S]

I wear bike shorts with the pads that Kucharick used to put in their shorts. These were offered for a couple of years at least prior to their closing. Not overly bulky. I ride Brooks B17 saddles. I cannot ride with out some padding.as I have none of my own.

[Ted Durant]

On Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 6:26:32 PM UTC-5 Jay wrote:

I was curious to get some views from those with leather saddles and whether you wear bib (padded) cycling shorts, underwear with shorts/pants.

My leather saddle is a Berthoud Aravis. Most frequently I use lycra biking shorts with as minimal a pad as possible. I've removed the padding from some shorts, leaving the "wicking layer" in place. My current favorite is the Aerotech Designs Motion shorts, which use their thinnest pad. I also ride with wool boxer briefs and knickers. If I ride with cotton underwear it's almost a certainty I'll get a saddle sore.

As Lael Wilcox said, I've worked hard to find a saddle I like, the last thing I want is a big pad between it and my bottom.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee, WI USA 

[Nick A.]

I'm a B17 person. No pads or anything, usually 20-60 miles (during the kinder parts of the year).

Nick A.

Falls Church VA

[Patrick Moore]

I’ve found Brooks saddles uncomfortable (B17, B17N, Pro, Flyer, leaving aside a 72 which was fine on a Raleigh Sport) and use first edition Flites, but my experience is that with the right saddle properly set up one should not need any special pants for rides up to ~35 miles (tho’ most of my riding is on fixed gears, single speed or multispeed), for which I comfortably wear baggy, light nylon boxers under touring shorts or long cycling pants as long as these have no protruding crotch seams. I do have 2-3 pairs of old wool shorts with real chamois for longer rides that never happen, but I learned 20+ years ago that I hate thick diaper padding. Jan Heine said years ago that crotch “padding” in cycling shorts was really meant to prevent chafing, not to pad an uncomfortable saddle. I don’t know if this is true for long rides; perhaps others will speak up.

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[Paul M]

Levis 501 work for me!

[Frank Burkybile]

That’s a good question for the group. I have found that my bum prefers B17s or a Berthoud saddle in the same ballpark width. I tried the Selle Anatomica but I was too heavy at 250lbs and it was uncomfortable so I returned it. 

Personally, I just wear whatever shorts I have on hand as long as the seem doesn’t cause any issues. That ranges from Nike ACG shirts to khakis to whatever else will fit my outing’s activities. I have done this for both daily rides and for 500 mile tours without issue (that is, once I have field tested them on a shorter ride to confirm the seems are ok).

I understand that everyone has their own preference that fits them but I feel lucky that I basically can wear whatever and be comfortable. 

Good luck!

-Frank, currently of Nairobi, Kenya 

[Brian Turner]

I haven’t worn padded shorts in years. I sweat too much when I ride, so riding with what eventually becomes a thin, wet sponge between my skin and saddle only increases the chance for saddle sores and chafing.

I ride B-17s or Berthoud saddles (mostly the latter) with wool boxer briefs, and pants or shorts with a gusseted crotch (preferably). A long ride for me is typically only 30-50 miles.

Brian

Lexington KY

On Jan 23, 2025, at 3:28 AM, Frank Burkybile <frank.b...@gmail.com> wrote:

That’s a good question for the group. I have found that my bum prefers B17s or a Berthoud saddle in the same ballpark width. I tried the Selle Anatomica but I was too heavy at 250lbs and it was uncomfortable so I returned it. 

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[Will Boericke]

For rides >1hr, padded shorts with a leather saddle.  For my 40min commute, wool or synthetic is fine.  Honestly, with a brand new Team Pro, it might be 5 years before you're riding without padding :).

Will

[John A. Bennett]

When it comes to what to wear with Brooks Saddles, my first choice is always whatever I have on.

Usually, that’s button-fly jeans. I have (4) nine year-old pairs from The Gap. I can’t kill them. 

  

I wear khakis in the summer. I like boxer briefs, mostly Hanes or Gildan. 

My preferred Brooks model is the B-68, but I have a B-67 or two that I bought when the former was temporarily unavailable. 

Chafing has never been an issue for me. 

John in Portland, Ore. 

[Richard Rose]

I’ve largely given up using padded liners since getting my B17 saddles on my two Riv’s. On the vast majority of rides ranging from 20-60 miles I am using merino boxers under a variety of cycling branded (Kitsbow, OrNot, Search & State) though not cycling specific shorts or pants. No comfort or other issues. I will still use a padded liner when I am doing a longer ride on fairly rowdy singletrack. However I have found I do not really need to. I often marvel that I can do a 20+ mile MTB trail with lots of roots & rocks on a B17 with no padding. I suspect it’s because I will “float” above the saddle through the rough stuff using my knees for suspension. My favorite merino boxer is from OrNot.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 22, 2025, at 6:26 PM, Jay <jason....@gmail.com> wrote:

I was curious to get some views from those with leather saddles and whether you wear bib (padded) cycling shorts, underwear with shorts/pants.  If underwear; is it wool, synthetic, other; do you care about seam placement; tight/compression fit, loose; or do you not think about this at all (just ride in whatever)?

I recently ordered a Brooks Team Pro Special and would love to not have to wear padded bib shorts (despite having like 10 of them).  I'm certainly going to try riding with some synthetic compression long boxers (I have a few pair) and winter tights, as it's that time of year.  I'll also try with a few models of bib shorts I have.

Long rides on hot days are not always the best, for me, with bib shorts, due to chafing.  I rarely get actual saddle sores (not since switching to the C17).

When I started cycling over 20 years ago, after a couple years into it, I got a B17 saddle.  After some trial-error with set up, it was fairly comfortable.  I was always wearing bib shorts, but I still laugh at one time in the winter when after riding for two hours I realized I wasn't wearing bib shorts, just underwear and winter tights.  I later got a Brooks Swallow, and then for some reason switched to plastic saddles and only tried Brooks again in the last 18 months.  I tried a B17, twice maybe, and it seemed too large and impacted how I pedalled.  I then tried a C17, and it was pretty good in that I was well supported, pedalling was fine, and with padded shorts it has been the most comfortable saddles I've had in the last 10 years.  I want to see if I can eliminate chafing/sores and figured I would try the Team Pro Special (hoping the width/shape works better for me than B17; I'm rather skinny).

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[Kim H.]

@Jay,

I ride a Brooks B67S sprung saddle on my Clem. I have to purchase two pairs of X-Tiger 5D cycling shorts off of Amazon. I have one pad of the cut out from one short and sewn on top of the other by the local seamstress at the dry cleaners. The purpose of this to get the most padding on my bum as possible, so that I can ride longer distances. Eventually, the short wears out and have to go through the same process again.

After buying six or seven pairs of shorts and finding that the padding did not work for me, due to my aging process, I have lost a good amount of subcutaneous fat on my bum. I have a very bony bum.

Kim Hetzel.

[J-D Bamford]

My skinny butt generally prefers cycling shorts. That said, I agree with the remarks here that a poorly designed pad gets in the way and could chafe. I used to wear cycling padded liners under civilian shorts/knickers for long yet casual city rides, but those liners fall into the poorly designed pad category. So now I mostly use Pearl Izumi Pro shorts which have anatomical, chamfered pads. I use those PI Pros as outer cycling shorts or as liners.

As an aside... if anyone has a skinny waist (28-30") but long legs/femurs, then you might check out Mission Workshop cycling shorts. Although they're pricey, their XS and S sizes have longer inseams. 

[Jay]

Thanks for the responses thus far!

In buying the Team Pro I'm very much experimenting to see if it's better than my C17's, and whether that may happen on one bike, all of them, or none of them.  In my experience, the set up is crucial and I'm really going to take my time experimenting with set up, with and without padded shorts, to see if it is a lot better than the C17.  If not, I have the C17's and I'm generally happy with them.  I realize this one takes longer to brake in, though I prefer that to something where I'm sinking into it one day because it's too soft and getting some discomfort, as that's happened in the past with some leather saddles I've tried.

[Will Boericke]

The Pro is my go to saddle shape; I'm also narrow-hipped.  I like to buy them used to shorten the break in period.  For bikes that I ride for longer than an hour, it's plastic saddles and padded shorts though.

Will

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[ian m]

I now have exclusively cut-out leather saddles, 3 Selle Anatomica and 1 Brooks Flyer. The cut-out was a huge improvement for me with long ride comfort, and has made my choice of bottom layer mostly irrelevant. However I still err towards shorts/pants that have a gusseted crotch so as to not have a seam between my body and saddle. I will wear a chamois on humid summer recreational rides just to help mitigate sweaty undies/shorts which then translates to damp saddle

On Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 6:26:32 PM UTC-5 Jay wrote:

[Gary Jacobson]

I  use Jackson & Gibbens. They're no longer available. If they were, or there were others like them I'd scoop them up. 

Here's what I'm talking about. Not my size. https://www.ebay.com/itm/284108685797

Gary Jacobson 

Rosendale, NY 

and  Roque Bluffs, ME

On Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 6:26:32 PM UTC-5 Jay wrote:

[Steven Sweedler]

Loke Gary, I ride in Jackson & Gibbons touring shorts, always on B-17s. If its coolout I wear a pair of longer Riv shorts. The pad on the Touring shorts is very thin, for rides of all lengths. The owners retired last year after a sale selling out of remaining stock. 

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire

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[Marc Irwin]

I went back to Brooks leather and also VO leather saddles over 25 years ago after trying "the latest greatest" whatever.  I quit wearing cycling shorts at the same time.  I did find over the years that merino wool underwear is more comfortable than cotton, but I'm still too young for diapers.

Marc

On Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 6:26:32 PM UTC-5 Jay wrote:

[Eric Marth]

Hi Jay — I'd love to be one of the people who can ride all day in cotton canvas shorts in the summer or chinos in the winter. I prefer the casual look of some cutoffs and just being able to hop on the bike. But for long rides they just don't work for me. I'd love to ride 50 miles around trails with friends in Dickies like the Riv guys but my ass will not allow it. For anything longer than errands I much prefer proper cycling shorts. 

I've ridden Brooks B17s and a vintage Brooks Pro for the past several years. I am a very sweaty person and in Virginia the summer humidity can be brutal. When I wear cotton canvas shorts they get soaked and then they get grippy and stick to the saddle. Not only does this prevent me from sliding around to change positions it also seems to damage the finish of the leather saddle. I find cotton shorts and pants to be quite uncomfortable for me during the rest of the year. 

I really enjoy a pair of wool cycling shorts without a pad or chamois. I got a pair from Kucharik before they closed. I wear them with Andiamo synthetic briefs without a pad. Sometimes I'll wear them with wool boxers from Merino Skins / Riv but when paired with cycling shorts they bunch up too much for me. 

I have a few pair of vintage wool Italian tights and shorts that all have leather chamois, these work well for me. But the best by far for the hot, humid Virginia summers and the fit of my Brooks Pro is a pair of Ground Effect 1000% nylon bibs with a synthetic pad. I got mine for free on eBay (seller error in my favor) and I think they're The Ringleaders. They're basic bibs but made in New Zealand which is a bonus. I'd like to try a pair of their Tournado bibs, too. 

In warm weather I like to lubricate my under carriage with coconut oil to prevent friction and chaffing. It makes a huge difference and I'm really glad I figured it out. I also use coconut oil on my feet when I wear my Bedrock sandals as it helps reduce blisters and burns from the straps on long walks, hikes or long rides. Safe, edible, anti-microbial and petroleum free! 

[Patrick Moore]

All actors were professionals, don’t try this at home, but I recall a man who belonged to our church 20 + years ago who had moved from Denver to Albuquerque in mid-winter riding a KMart mountain bike over the Raton Pass. He told me how, back in the 1960s, he and friends would ride from LA to San Diego wearing whatever they had in lieu of real cycling clothing, which meant, for shorts, cut-off jeans. To prevent chafing they’d stuff steaks down the crotch; I don’t know from steak cuts, but these must have been quite thin ones. Apparently steak was much more affordable back in the early 1960s. I expect that the steaks stained their Brooks saddles a nice oxblood color.

On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 5:44 PM Eric Marth <eric...@gmail.com> wrote:

.. In warm weather I like to lubricate my under carriage with coconut oil to prevent friction and chaffing

[Frank Burkybile]

Ha! It makes me wonder how they came up with the idea of using meat as a cushion? Kind of like who was the first person to figure out which mushrooms you can eat? Or which toads to lick?

Reminds me of a time in my college days where we took a road trip across Texas and tried cooking a meal on our engine while we drove. I assume it worked better than the steak trick but then again I’ve never tried it so who knows? 

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[Mathias Steiner]

I'm late to the party here but let me throw my experience on the pile: I prefer to ride in street clothes: cotton underwear and jeans to ride to work or across town.

Shortish rides, say 25 miles: shorts and underwear.

This is on mostly B-17s. I've come to the conclusion that I can lose weight, but it won't make my sitz bones much narrower. I bought a B-68 from Rivendell last fall but haven't mounted it yet. While we're at it: the Cambium C-19 feels a lot like a B-17.

Last year, I thought I'd figured this out, or trained my butt, or whatever, and started doing longer rides in the spring... and then it got humid and  I went on a 45-mile ride and my (synthetic) Costco shorts sand-papered the back of my legs, just below the cheeks. I didn't even notice anything beyond mild discomfort, but then I took a shower and discovered I had chafed my legs bloody. Took a week to heal, never again.

I don't like bib shorts, but I'll wear regular cycling shorts for longer rides; the price is washing them by hand.
A good compromise is Andiamo shorts under street shorts, that protects the legs from shafing, and the padding is minimal. That will work for all but the longest rides.

cheers -mathias

East Lansing, MI

[Russell Duncan]

Saddles on my 13 bicycles: Brooks Professional= 3; Brooks B17 Special=2; Brooks B67=1; Fuji Belt=1; Ideale 90 Rebour=1; SDG Bel-Air=1; and lastly Selle San Marco Rolls=4. My buttocks prefer the Brooks Professional and the Selle San Marco Rolls. I can easily do 50 plus miles on either of those. The Ideale 90 and Brooks B17s are also good but I’d replace them with good condition Professionals if they showed up for a good price. The SDG is on my one, a late 1990s mountain bike. It’s a good saddle. The Fuji Belt looks good on my one Japanese bicycle but it’s not so comfortable on long rides. I wouldn’t recommend it. 

Riding clothes: wool riding shorts with some padding on long rides and whatever I’m wearing for shorter runs. 

Russell Duncan

Western Massachusetts 

[Jay]

This past weekend I did a ride without cycling shorts, and one with.  It was okay without, for an hour.  It felt like it was chafing but after the ride no sign/residual discomfort.  I kept wanting to stand up though, like walking in a shoe that doesn't feel quite right and you want to take a break. Next day I wore my shorts with a thin chamois, and it was instantly more comfortable.  It was a ride on snow-covered trails with studded tires, and I was sitting for a lot of it; I don't think that would have been as good without the chamois.  It was good to experiment though, but other than short jaunts, I'll suit up as they say!

P.S. I won't be stuffing any raw meat down there, the coyotes in the forests I frequent would wake up from their rest and hunt me down!

[Jeffrey Arita]

Really late response but when you included Brooks B17 and C17 Cambium, I wanted to chime in.  

As far as what to wear it depends om the distance.  If 1 to 2 hour day rides near home I wear regular cotton underwear and over-shorts.

If bicycle touring I wear wool underwear (Smartwool brand) and normally Fjallravn shorts (which are gusseted).  Wool  u/w since it can be worn for several days between washings and has antimicrobial properties.

If brevets traditional padded cycling shorts.

Saddle of choice is the Brooks Cambium C17 carved.  Tried the non-carved model and the carved is much more comfy, IMO.  Did many long distance rides on this model along with multi-month bicycle tours.  Up until 2016 I did ride a B17 but switched since the Cambium is waterproof thus no need to carry (and use) the saddle cover when it rains.

Best regards,

Jeff

Claremont, CA

[dane...@gmail.com]

Berthoud Aspin for me.   No special consideration to clothing for it otherwise, just whatever I have on.  

-Dan

[Corwin Zechar]

Late to the party, but here goes...

I only have one leather saddle these days - a Berthoud Galibier - the skinny one with titanium rails. The Galibier is mounted on my Quickbeam.  The rest of my bikes have Fizik Alliante (The Bull) saddles. I wear the same stuff whether astride the Quickbeam, Ram, Custom, Hubbuhubbuh or other bikes.

I have Saxx boxer briefs (their motto is "A hammock for your h*t d*g"). On top, I wear walking shorts - usually with a gusseted crotch.

I have tried wool cycling shorts (without a pad), but feel they offer no advantage. I do find that boxer briefs with a longer inseam (usually 8 or 9 inches) help significantly.

Regards,

Corwin

[Bruce Herbitter]

I'm also a Selle Anatomica fan. I wear unpadded wool cycling shorts. No skin grease needed either when worn with a slick liner layer like Under Armor or dept store brands of the same.   I also have a well broken in Brooks that is comfy in the same way.  S-A is good from the get go, where Brooks needs a year of break in for me.  Brooks lasts longer. Over the years, RBW has sold both brands.