Brooks EnglandSwift, Racing Leather Saddle with Hand-Hammered Copper Rivets

…saddle. Too narrow for my sit bones. Gave it to a friend and he LOVES IT. Takes a couple hundred miles to break in.

Great saddle. It took about 1000 miles to break this in. The Swift seems to be stiffer the the B17, but I could be wrong. This saddle started off very comfortable from the very beginning and only get better. There was very short period of time where it was a little uncomfortable but that went away very quickly. I used very little Proofide during break in. I just got another one for my second bike.

I bought this saddle to replace a Serfas saddle with about 20,000 miles on it. I had the impression that the foam was beginning to give out on the Serfas, and I had begun to get saddle sores riding long rides on it on consecutive days. On the recommendation of several touring riders, I bought this Brooks Swift saddle for my lightweight titanium-frame road bike, thinking it to be the appropriate version for my non-touring riding. It is a bit narrower (~153 mm) than the Brooks B-17 models (~170mm) many touring riders use, and less flat. I needed to be able to use it while riding in all 3 griping positions on my drop bars.After riding for ~1000 miles, it is beginning to feel like it is breaking in. It is very comfortable initially, but begins to cause some squirming around for a new position after ~60 miles; initially that point was at ~40 miles so it is still improving with each ride. Because it does not have a "cutout" for your "junk", you have to find a compromise mounting angle which works when you are in the drops, without causing you to slide forward when sitting more upright and griping the upper part of the bars. Midway between these two positions is when you are holding onto the brake lever hoods; this position has to work best, since that is where you will spend the bulk of your time. After a week of trying different angles, I finally found one which seems to work most of the time, with the nose tip approximately 4 mm lower than the back top edge of the saddle, measured with a bubble-level. Getting this angle right for you is critical for a comfortable ride with this saddle. I have my upper handlebars mounted ~6.5 inches lower than the seat, so I am riding in a somewhat lean-forward position, with my back nearly flat when in the drops; the saddle seems to work OK while riding in this position, with a fair amount of my weight being carried by the handlebars instead of the seat.I have used the Brooks Proofide leather treatment throughout the break-in process; I still apply it lightly to the saddle after every ride; the saddle continues to absorb this ointment-like potion, so I assume that I still need to apply it to soften and condition the leather until it is eventually saturated. It is IMPORTANT that the front part of the saddle be soft and flexible, because that is the part which is going to press up against your "junk", particularly when in the drops, because there is no cutout.So far, I have had no problems with the saddle, and my saddle sores have not returned. I will have to get a lot more miles on this saddle before declaring it superior to a foam/gel type saddle under all conditions, but at least I can now ride long rides again. I think it is a very nice looking piece, well made with a flawless piece of leather, and I expect it to last the life of this bike and beyond.

This is my second saddle, the first from high school on a bike that was stolen. If they had left the seat, I wouldn't have minded.Even though I ride a fancy carbon bike, I stick with what works.I've ridden over 300 miles in three days and there is zero soreness, even when first getting on the bike the following day -- well, no soreness where the saddle is concerned! Fantastic quality and comfort and it has been a conversation starter.

The Swift is among Brooks's thickest saddles, so it will take lots of riding before it even starts to conform to your bones. Before I mount a new Brooks saddle (I own 6), I loosen the adjustment as far as possible. Then I soak it, fully submerged, in Neatsfoot oil, for 15-30 minutes at room temperature. The late, great, Sheldon Brown suggests soaking for 15 minutes. After soaking, the Swift will only start to break in after 500-1000 miles. I weigh about 180lbs. Once it starts to break in, the ride is transformed from torture rack to thing of beauty. Soaking your saddle probably voids the warranty, and it will darken the leather color. I use black, so that's not an issue. There are thousands of web threads about how to and how not to break in a Brooks saddle. I trusted Sheldon. He was right.

I've been riding this saddle for a year and I have to always play with the tilt. Either you're falling forward or you're crushing your sensitive parts because of the odd shape of the nose (why does it tilt up?). This may be a good saddle if you have little to no saddle to bar drop but I've been struggling to find a comfortable position.The saddle also came slightly askew from the front, one side dips lower than the other and the nose bolt(?) is not centered on the nose

What a great seat. In the past, have always been a fan of the B17 but made a small change with my R&M ebike. As with the B17, requires some break in but once you do - ahhhhhhhhh.

I'm a huge fan of Brooks saddles so when my previous one was lifted I immediately started the search for a new one (and a better way to secure it to my bike!)My previous saddle was the classic B17 standard. A great saddle but I wanted to try something with a bit more of a racing feel. That is definitely what the Swift delivers.The Swift is much thinner than the B17 down the whole seat. It took some getting used to having a smaller and more contoured saddle but no more than any saddle transition. The deeper cut-ins for the legs are wonderful and give me a greater range of comfortable motion when peddling hard.