Brooks B17 Champion Narrow Review

5,500 km & still like new

After a 550 km fixed gear tour along the Danube from Vienna to Ottensheim and back in Austria on a plastic saddle I had a very sore arse. So I decided to look into changing my saddle. From talking to some people in the know, they told me about going back to leather and Brooks was the brand to look out for. I started to search around for leather saddles and found that some bike shops in Vienna sold them, but at a high price so I temporarily gave up on the idea. A few months later I was in England (the home of Brooks) and stumbled across a shop near Brighton with a large selection and came out with the B17 Champion Narrow in black with silver coloured rivets It cost me £65 and it certainly looked the business, but I couldn't help thinking it weighed a lot. Anyway a few weeks later I was back home in Austria and fitted it to my fixed gear bike. First impressions weren't that good, I had it tilted slightly forward and found I kept slipping off the thing, plus it was rock hard. I played around with the aligment and found that with the nose sticking up a bit was better for me. As time has gone by (just over a year now) and the kms in the saddle have mounted up (5,500kms) the saddle has started to soften up and it is now far more comfortable. I thought the breaking in period would be quicker, but pleased in a way now as it looks like it's years of service are just starting (the saddle still looks brand new). I love the saddle and would recommend it. So far  it works out costing €0.016 per km. I give it a polish every now and again with some clear/neutral shoe polish I have, which seems to work well and when it rains I keep it dry by using a plastic bag that is stuffed under the seat. Review to continue