George, my previous bikes that had B17s on them were all drop bar bikes. I don't ride "bolt upright", but fairly upright in the parlance of typical Rivendell philosophy. Drop bars are typically at level with my saddle nose. I sweat on long rides no matter the time of year, but especially in the warmer months. I typically wear synthetic shorts with wool boxers... never any sort of chamois (because of the sweat, having a wet sponge between me and my saddle just increases the likelihood of saddle sores and chafing). My Gus is a very upright position of course, and it has the wider, "city" Berthoud - the Mente. I am currently building up a Sam, which will have upright, sweptback bars. I may throw my old B17 Special on it, because it seems to be one of the thicker-leather variety, and has held up very well over a couple of decades.
Brian Lexington KY On Tue, Mar 24, 2026 at 9:04 AM Josh Lubben <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks for the replies, all! Does anyone have experience with the Brook > Swift? And any comparison of the Swift vs Aspin? > > On Monday, March 23, 2026 at 9:52:02 PM UTC-4 SallyG wrote: > >> After riding a B17 for years, I opted for a B17 short for one of my >> bikes. I didn't like it at all, and emailed the company that makes the >> Berthoud saddles. Really interesting! I ended up ordering a Berthoud Aspin >> (carved) that I use on my commuter bike and it really was comfortable for >> me from the get-go. Over a couple years, I ordered 2 Mente saddles from >> them for the other bikes. Also, very comfortable (and less expensive!). >> Aesthetically, my favorite is the brown Mente but they are all >> terrific...for me. I'm sure that doesn't mean that others would like them >> as well as I do...(My least favorite saddle was the debacle that was the >> B72. I don't think my husband has ever forgiven me for the effort he spent >> putting it on my bike....and then having to remove it when I said...well, >> won't say what I said, ha! Cheers to all you guys!) >> >> On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 11:35 AM George Schick <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Brian - it's unfortunate that this happened to you with the B-17, but >>> can you fill in a few details if you please? Do you ride in a more bolt >>> upright position with swept-back bars? Have you transitioned from the B-17 >>> to other saddles while riding with shorts of the same brand, texture, etc? >>> Has the soaking of the B-17 taken place during hot Summer months whereas >>> the saddle changes during cooler ones? >>> Yes, you are correct that the Brooks saddles sold nowadays have thinner >>> leather than ones made 30-40 years ago...the downside of some of those >>> older models had leather so thick that it never softened up at all - I know >>> because I owned one like that decades ago. >>> George >>> >>> >>> On Monday, March 23, 2026 at 1:18:00 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: >>> >>>> My ass sweats so much when I ride, that my saddle top get absolutely >>>> soaked. I've owned several B17s, and over the past 20 years, I've noticed >>>> that the newer models seem to have thinner leather, which in my situation >>>> results in a saddle that get increasingly "hammocky", and I'm wary of using >>>> the tightening bolt too much. About 5 years ago, I tried a Berthoud Aravis >>>> and was immediately in love. All the same comfort as a Brooks B17, but with >>>> thicker leather that holds its shape better. PLUS, you can swap out tops >>>> and rebuild everything if you need to. I now own a Berthoud Aravis, and >>>> Aspin, and I'm using a Mente on my Gus. I still own an old B17 Special that >>>> is nearly 20 years old, and I'll never get rid of it unless it just fails >>>> catastrophically. >>>> >>>> Brian >>>> Lexington KY >>>> >>>> On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 1:28 PM Bernard Duhon <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I have the b 17 on 5 bikes >>>>> Tried the swift for a while & it did not work for me. >>>>> Even tho at that point I was at the low end of an aggressive rider. >>>>> It may be that the displeasure came to me moving to a more upright >>>>> position. >>>>> >>>>> Yours sincerely, >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ------------------------------ >>>>> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> >>>>> on behalf of Josh Lubben <[email protected]> >>>>> *Sent:* Monday, March 23, 2026 12:25 PM >>>>> *To:* RBW Owners Bunch <[email protected]> >>>>> *Subject:* [RBW] Brooks Swift vs Berthoud Aspin >>>>> >>>>> Hi All! >>>>> >>>>> For years I've been riding with Brooks B17 on multiple bikes and have >>>>> always gotten along pretty well with that saddle comfort wise. About 2 >>>>> years ago I swapped from a B17 to a Berthoud Aspin on my Homer and found >>>>> the Berthoud to be even more comfortable for me, with better support for >>>>> my >>>>> sit bones and the narrower nose worked better for me. >>>>> >>>>> I have other bikes I'd like to swap to Berthouds, but they are >>>>> expensive so I've also considered the Brooks Swift (not inexpensive but >>>>> less expensive than the Berthoud) which seems to have a similar-ish shape >>>>> to an Aspin. >>>>> >>>>> Anyone have experience with the Swift, Aspin/Aravis, or both and can >>>>> share your experiences? >>>>> >>>>> Thanks! >>>>> Josh >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To view this discussion visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fd392fc3-1a1d-41bf-b3a2-5365a877a3adn%40googlegroups.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fd392fc3-1a1d-41bf-b3a2-5365a877a3adn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> >>>> To view this discussion visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/PH0PR17MB76938C04E9A8EBDA4D649E51CD4BA%40PH0PR17MB7693.namprd17.prod.outlook.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/PH0PR17MB76938C04E9A8EBDA4D649E51CD4BA%40PH0PR17MB7693.namprd17.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> >> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/07ff58ae-384c-4599-94d1-6ac6ee01ba3en%40googlegroups.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/07ff58ae-384c-4599-94d1-6ac6ee01ba3en%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/cb058294-6897-463f-b282-f537bc5afda1n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/cb058294-6897-463f-b282-f537bc5afda1n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAMKavSCTJvi9F2xC4hMv1PnPhcyPym3CwXX0ZSMjUt%3DjcGa0ag%40mail.gmail.com.
