42 Bikes

Nearly a week ago I installed a new saddle on my Bullitt Cargobike. It is my first Brooks leather saddle and is a Black Flyer Special as pictured left.

Since then I have done about 100 miles on it and have used it every day in both dry and wet conditions, for rides from 1/2 a mile to 20 miles, in cycling shorts, jeans, chinos, & MTB trousers.

Three things stand out from this experience:

1. It has been comfortable from the first ride. I found I did need to tilt the nose up by increments a few times to avoid slipping forward and off all the time. However I have not had any pain and have not had a sore or achy bum at all. The springs definitely work and with the fairly upright position on a Bullitt I am very pleased I chose this model rather than a B17 (same top but no springs).
2. The shape and material mean that trousers never seem to rub on the sides. So I am hopeful that ordinary everyday trousers will wear out less quickly than before
3. Until today it squeaked something terrible. I was getting quite fed up with it. So I searched the web and found some recommendations. I was uninterested in anything that used products not recommended by Brooks or techniques that might damage it. What I ended up doing is putting plenty of the Proofide recommended by Brooks (don’t buy it from them as other websites are much cheaper) on all the edges of the metal fixings and on all the bolts and metal joints. Then I very gently heated it with an electric hair dryer until the wax melted into the tiniest cracks and then left it upside down to dry. Since then it has been absolutely silent.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Brooks Flyer Special, yes it looks fabulous but far more importantly it is really comfortable, well worth the weight penalty. Plus it should last as long as the bike.