Earlier this week I landed a Brooks Swift in trade for a B17 I had on a bike that sees only occasional use. This presented me with the opportunity to take some side by side comparison shots. The pictures tell a good bit of the story (L toR Berthoud Touring, Brooks B17 and Brooks Swift:
The Bi7 is a few years old with about 7K miles on it. The Berthoud is now two years old with about 5k miles on it, and the Swift is fresh out of the box. All three saddles have a similar plan shape that I prefer, the relatively wide flat rear with a quick drop and taper through the nose of the saddle. I am pretty big at 6'3" and 210 lbs, and the wider saddles provide adequate support for my sit bones while the arrow nose reduces the chance for thigh rub. Also, all three saddles have steel rails. While the general shape is similar, the overall dimensions vary as shown:
| Saddle |
Weight (g) |
Length (mm) |
Width (mm) |
| Berthoud Touring |
509 |
278 |
158 |
| Brooks B17 |
557 |
285 |
170 |
| Brooks Swift |
504 |
273 |
153 |
The one thing that the stats do not clearly indicate is the flatness of the rear portion, or more exactly the way the flatness drops off outside of the four central rivets. The B17 and the Berthoud both remain flat almost to the outer edge of the saddle. The Swift while flat in the center, drops off in a taper towards the front and sides, leading to a much narrower fit than the dimension may let on.
In the picture showing the rails, I lined all three up with the forward most point of rail mountablity in the same position. When on my bikes all three are pushed back as far as they can go. With this position my sit bones hit just forward of the second rivets from center. Thus while there is some variation in length of the rails on the three different saddles it is kind of moot point for how I have them on the bike.
While I have only logged 50 miles or so on the Swift I can say that I love all three equally but different. The B17 is perfect on bike where the bars are at or above saddle height. The wider rear better accommodates the wider stance of my sit bones when in a more upright position. I also find that the B17 is much more comfortable with thinner shorts and a chamois adds more bulk than is needed. The Swift is more suited to bikes where the bars are below saddle height. The narrower contact patch adequately supports my sit bones with my torso rolled forward, yet the drop off at the corners and narrow nose keep the pressure off of places where you do not want it. So far I have only ridden the Swift with my Ibex knickers that have a chamois, but based on my initial impressions I look forward to this saddle when things warm up a bit and I get back to my normal shorts. The Berthoud is my Goldilocks saddle. I have had it on every bike in the garage, bars high or low it was comfortable. The sweet spot was with the bars at saddle height on the Roadeo. I am hoping that with some break in the Swift will be as comfortable.
The Swift is on the Roadeo for break in and experimenting with the bars set below the saddle. I am looking forward to putting the miles in with this one.
It has been a little over a year since I first picked up a Berthoud Touring saddle to add to my rotation of Brooks B17 saddles in the stable. I had been drawn to the Berthoud after going through a couple of the more recently produced brooks B17 saddles that were made with thin and fast deforming leather. Looking at the options, it was either back to plastic, vintage or the Berthoud. The Berthoud was reported to be somewhere between a Brooks B17, team pro and swift in shape. This on came up on eBay, and I was first, impulse struck and it was mine. The cork finish while growing on me would not have been my first choice, but the price was right and I do not have to see it while riding.
Out of the box impression was very high. The engineering and design are sound, everything was tight symmetrical and the leather was far thicker than any of my other Brooks saddles yet was not as hard as the Brooks Pro I had looked into as a possible alternate. The plastic cantle plate and hardware are all top-notch with the precision you would expect to see on a european sports car. I have read concerns about the use of plastic. After having the saddle in my hands any concern is now gone. The molding and assembly is top-notch showing not of the cheapness the work plastic infers, and should likely be relabeled as molded composite. I find the design aesthetic pleasing, with a more modern cut to
traditional leather saddle.
Initially I mounted the saddle on My Eisentraut for the spring and summer. After a few initial adjustments the position of the saddle was similar to that of my Brooks saddles with thee exception of tilt. The Berthoud is much better set almost level to the ground. Comfort was immediate, no break in required and I put in a couple 40 mile rides in the first week I had the saddle. The shape is a bit flatter in the rear than the Brooks offerings while having steep drop off in the transition to narrow nose. My sit bones are well supported with zero thigh rub. I should note that I previously bought and sold a Selle Anatomica due to the excessive thigh rub I had with the more triangular shape of that saddle.
Over the summer it just kept getting better. While the saddle started to match my shape of my sit bones, the post ride deformation was barely noticeable. The saddle leather is reported to be waterproof, and with the rainy season in the rear view mirror I was relying on sweat to indicate if this was true, but there was never any indication of moisture damage
Around mid summer I was having trouble with getting the B17 on my Roadeo just right. The roadeo was becoming my primary ride and I moved the Berthoud over. Problem solved immediately. Summer into fall, roads paved and dirt, as well as some single track and the saddle was going strong. Only at one point on a long hot dirt climb did I notice the saddle becoming a bit too compliant.
Closer inspection on a water break revealed that a few of the screws had started to loosen up a bit. Tightening up with the allen key on my multi tool was sufficient to complete the ride. That evening I removed each screw one at a time and added a little blue loctite before reinstalling the screws. It has been over 6 months since this incident with no further indication of further loosening.
With the onset of our rainy season I was once again wondering about the water proof claim for the leather. Throwing caution to the wind I have ridden the saddle in multiple storms. The only additional protection came from fenders and my soaked body sitting on it. Once again after weeks of rain there is no indication of moisture damage.
The leather is holding up incredibly well considering the abuse my 220 lbs has thrown at it over the last 14 months. Of the 5 brooks saddles I have owned only 2 have performed this well and three were duds. The leather appears to be waterproof as claimed, it will get a matte finish when damp, but dries back to a shine. The cork color has rubbed off a bit on the nose. I have not yet needed to adjust the tension, although curiosity is getting the better of me and I may start to play with it a bit in the coming weeks. I would whole heartedly recommend these saddles to anyone looking for an alternative to the brooks offerings. While the price is a little higher, I have more faith in these saddle's ability to perform as claimed right out of the box.
Thanks for taking a look
