Brooks England Swift Black

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.

Fantastically comfortable saddle, once you’ve had a chance to break it in properly. I was pretty pleased with it right out of the box. It takes a bit of work to get the positioning just right (I found that tilting it slightly nose up works best for me, but YMMV), but once you’ve got it dialed in, it’s nice. However, once it is broken in, it’s awesome. Eventually hit a point several hundred miles in when it became -really- comfortable.The potential drawbacks to take into account are that it works best for those with narrower sitbones (the effective width of the saddle is the distance between the interior bits of the cantle plates that support the leather), and you’ve got to be extra careful in wet weather.

I love it

It took me a long time to finally buy a Brooks saddle, and I am very happy I finally did. Outstanding quality, unlike the vast majority of other brands. I finally got tired of things falling apart every year…

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.