my girlfriend want to buy me a new saddle for my birthday and im
not sure whether to get a brooks b17 or a san marco rolls?

apparently the b17 cant be left in the rain. not cool as im starting uni soon!

also can the san marco be left in rain?

ive also heard that the san marco will definately be comfy however the b17 may not suit me?
are the b17's really wide?

so many questions! she wants to order it today so i have to make a decision grrrrr

You can get the B17 narrow, which is as the name suggests. Might be worth a try. No experience with the San Marco I'm afraid. If you were to get either though and find that it didn't suit you could just stick it on ebay and get a pretty good price for it so I wouldn't worry too much. That is of course unless your girlfriend will make you keep it, in which case you'll just have to grimace and bear it.

As to leaving a B17 in the rain, if you're worried thats what plastic bags are for (stash one under yer seat). Hey presto, problem solved!

B17s come in different widths too including narrow.

Both are good saddles. The Rolls will be pretty comfy from the outset. The Brooks will take some time. Both will last years but the Brooks should last longer. A lot depends on your choice of asthetics and whether you're prepared to look after the Brooks for a while (breaking it in, trying to keep it dry etc).

put it this way....on the dunwich ride after 70 miles of solid rain......my brooks swift turned into a flat saggy piece of leather....and i had to tighten it right up just to stop my cream crackers from hitting the top of my seatpost!!!......you can get a rain cover for them...but the amount of rain we get....you'd never see the saddle!

im thinking the rolls more because the brooks seems like a baby you have to tend to!

Rolls I'd say... the classic car appeal of the brooks comes with just as much maintenance as an old jag.

ummmmm old jag

juts found the rolls for 18.45 and postage of only about 2 so im sorted!
thank you!

Yeah - might be too late now but I'd cast another vote for the rolls.

I got a Brooks Professional and spent ages trying the break it in. I thought I'd done it, but then I spent 22 hours in the saddle on an audax and I was unbelievably sore, although, to be fair, 22 hours is a long time for any saddle. I tried going back to my Fizik Arione and found it so much more comfortable, so now the brooks sits in a drawer. Some people swear by them but it didn't suit me. Really fúcking heavy as well.

If it hadn't been so tragic I would have laughed.

;-)

haaa....it actually made it more comfortable once i tightened it a bit!.....if i hadn't laughed....i'd have cried!

How about using Nikwax leather waterproofing on the Brooks?

I use it all the time for waterproof leather snowboard boots and it works fine. Darkens the colour of the leather somewhat, but it's better than getting a wet ass every time you get on your bike...

You can pick up sachets for a few quid from camping/outdoors shops...

i'll try something like that......i had this silly idea that the brooks proofide i'd been rubbing into it would waterproof it.....doh....all it did was soften it!

that'll be news to mine then!

lol! i think going for something that im pretty sure is gonna be comfy is the best bet.
rolls it is. i cant wait to get it ive got a specialized body geometry saddle and it
abuses my backside.

Same here - my B17 has been left out in all weathers. I just try to Proofide it from time to time, especially if it has been really soaked and allowed to dry out.

wow that selle storika is beautiful - anyone know how it 'performs'?

gracias

i've tried 4, brooks swallow/swift, rolls and currently fizik arione.

actually went around france last month with 2 saddles, swapped them over periodically. Fizik arione isn't really comfortable for me, i think it's not designed to bear much weight. Rolls is alright, i think it's probably my favourite but I'm still waiting for the day i find a saddle i can sit for 12 hours in.

I knows it's out dere!

Have a look here for a recent discussion on Brooks.

I've never had any real problems with Brooks in the wet - I have a cover I put on if leaving it in the rain + I have caked the underside of the leather in Proofhide - seems to do the trick!