16.12.2023 Brooks B67 v Contec Pt.1

 ~o~

 Saturday 16th 44F/6C. Milder but still grey. Up at 7.40 after waking in the dark. 

 8.30 Beginning to lighten outside. 62F/17C in the room after 68/20CF at bedtime. 

  9.30. Time to stop waffling and go for a walk! That will save me having to light the stove until I get back.

 Brooks B67 box opening.

 10.30 Back from my walk. Another dark, grey day. The wind made it feel much cooler than the thermometer suggested. I saw several large birds of prey soaring and being buffeted by the wind.

 My parcel has arrived while I was out. Excellent service from the Danish, Cykelshoppen.dk and GLS. On a Saturday too. I only ordered the new saddle yesterday afternoon. A Brooks B67 to compare with the Contec. I did not want to be without a saddle if the milder weather allows a ride. I dare not trust the broken frame of the Contec in case it leaves me unable to get home.

 Initial impressions of a new, Brooks saddle are always good. The B67 is nicely packaged and presented. Another free, tension spanner to add to my collection. A sachet of Proofide and a folded instructions sheet. The dimpled leather top doesn't actually feel at all like leather. Typically slippery Brooks leather as new. Do I sense stainless steel rivets this time? Instead of the rust prone chrome of the last two centuries. Or the copper rivets of the upmarket models. 

 The Contec is 208mm wide x 285mm long. The B67 207mm x 275mm long. All measurements taken directly from the undersides of both saddles. Close enough to hardly notice the difference. Brooks states the B67 is 205x265mm. Their measurements appear to be conservative. The length will also increase with re-tensioning after break in. The Contec already has thousands of km on it. It has been re-tensioned several times.

 Saddle slipperiness is a very mixed blessing. Too shiny and it is very difficult to stay in place. Typical of a new Brooks. Too grippy and one's clothing moves around with the saddle. Padded vinyl and man made materials. It's the difference between trying to perch on a spherical, polished, beach pebble [new B17 Brooks] and enough friction just to be able stay onboard. 

 A dollop of Brooks Proofide wax treatment will usually reduce the slipperiness. If only temporarily. I treated the Contec with Proofide early on. And then later. To take off the initial shine and repeated it as required. From long experience of purchasing several Brooks saddles I don't find the Proofide does much to soften the new leather. It's all about making it possible to stay on the bike/trike! However, these wider saddles have a larger area for depression by the sit bones. Which will make them subjectively softer.

 I talked a lot about saddles yesterday while searching online about wide saddles. Then I read a forum post about prostate problems caused by cycling and saddles. The first time I had heard the two put so clearly together. There was the suggestion that carving a saddle helped relieve pressure on the prostate.

 "Carving" refers to deliberately making a long, elliptical cutout in the middle of the saddle. Many modern saddles are now adopting this tactic in their design. Sometimes taken to extremes. Where two parallel ridges presenting no surface at all to the sensitive middle of the rider's crutch. 

 I'll have to do some more research on the connection between cycling and the prostate. The sudden improvement in my "waterworks" may have been a direct result of a huge reduction of e-bike riding. Due to the onset of bad [winter] wet weather. 

Brooks B67 underside.

 The broader Contec saddle has certainly made my life more comfortable than before. Though I still suffered from saddle soreness on longer rides and even on some shorter ones. I have suffered from saddle soreness all of my life. Even as a teenager on a rock hard, Unica Nitor plastic saddle. Which was much cheaper and lighter than a Brooks leather saddle. I clearly remember experienced club cyclists telling me to change to a Brooks. I never followed their advice.

 My recent take on the saddle soreness was moisture build-up in the crutch area. Even when I was wearing only a pair of thin, padded "racing" shorts. My idea was to take a spare pair of shorts with me. Then change into dry shorts at halfway on a longer ride. Probably involving wet wipes to reduce any remaining skin moisture on the sensitive areas. My skin would probably already be sore from friction. So any change would have to be judged from that standpoint. 

 

 Tiredness and saddle soreness always seem to go together. As I near home I run out of energy and suffer saddle soreness at the same time. The huge advantage of the e-bike is the ability to increase motor assistance to get me home. Turbo mode's 320% assistance goes a long way even at low speeds. On a purely manual bike or trike my tiredness would always prolong the agony into extra hours in the saddle! Not so on the e-bike.  

Brooks B67 [left] side by side with the Contec. The B67 is a bare few millimetres smaller according to the specs. I was prepared to believe them. The smoother Contec looks larger.
 
 I do not sense that I am feeling localised bone/saddle pressure on a ride. Though hat area feels sore when I sit down afterwards. It actually feels much more like friction during a ride. Cooler weather riding can involve multiple layers of clothing between myself and the saddle. Even though I carefully choose flat seams in the crutch area for cycling clothing. The volume of cloth trapped between myself and the saddle inevitably increases. Comfort, or rather a lack of pain, is vital to the full enjoyment of cycling.

 The latest sales gimmick, for expensive saddles, is carbon fibre mesh. The thickness of the mesh filaments can be adjusted to provide local variation in resistance to pressure. Perhaps the greater advantage is simply the vast increase in airflow between the rider's crutch and the saddle? Which, taken to my usual loony extremes, would mean drilling lots more ventilation holes in a leather saddle. I'll have to think about that before I get the drill out. Where and what size may matter. If only for longevity of the leather.

 The [hole] carving and even the bifurcation of the latest saddles may be reducing moisture build up. Not just providing local pressure relief. The problem with friction is that it often occurs on each side. Rather than down the centre. Where even racing shorts would have material and sponge each side adding to the thickness.

Brooks B67 [left] beside the Contec from underneath.
The B67 is more delta shaped than the Contec. I ran into problems with the Contec until I tipped the nose up a little. The leading edges of the delta were pressing into the junction of my thighs and buttocks. It will be interesting to see how the Brooks limits movement in this area while pedalling.

 It must be remembered that no two cyclists have the same anatomy. The distance between their sit bone protrusions varies. As does the shape of these bones. The muscular form and weight of the rider varies even more. Yet everybody is expected to climb onto an average saddle. Whose price can vary from many hundreds of pounds to mere, pocket change. Though Asian copies can reduce the price of the most desirable saddles. They may not enjoy all the attributes of the big name labels. Who [one hopes] have done some research to warrant the huge price ticket. Rather than merely providing more bonuses to their hype-marketing department.

 Cycling is all about sales from media hype. Much of which comes from copycat purchases. If the TdeF stars are using something then surely it must be good. Which often ignores the simple reality. Of generous sponsors demanding their own kit is used. Even if it seriously impairs the performance and comfort of the "star." On whom much depends on race results to match their astronomical salaries!

 11.30 More waffling! I really ought to put the Brooks B67 on the Moustache and have a test ride.

 The B67 is 1cm taller on the seat post clamp than the Contec. I used a tape measure. I could feel the difference immediately and lowered the dropper post accordingly. I didn't dress for the cold wind. So limited myself to riding up and down the drive. Saddle nose adjusted up slightly after carefully setting it level for the first trial. Suddenly, and oddly, it feels as if I have a fixed position on the saddle. Like sitting in a bucket seat. The B67 feels far more comfortable than any of the B17 variants I have had from new. Or any other saddle for that matter. The Contec was similar to the B67.

 The initial slipperiness seems to have gone with the small change of angle. No obvious problem with the leading edges of the delta shape. Though a few hundred meters is not a true test. I'd have to dress more warmly to ride around the block. There are strict rules about helmets and carrying proof of 3rd party insurance on these e-bikes. So it's not a case of just setting off for a test ride. I'd better get dressed for a ride now or it will be lunch time.

~o~