Customer Reviews

Brooks Team Pro Classic Saddle

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This saddle is a pretty narrow saddle (260 x 160mm), so if you are a recreational rider who mostly "sits" on your saddle, or rides an upright bike such as a mountain bike or a 3-speed, the B-17 is a better choice. The B-17 is both longer and wider (280 x 170mm) and is Brooks's most popular saddle of all time.

This saddle looks awesome, and has been in production for at least 70 years. The quality is superb and the leather is much thicker than cheaper knockoff saddles. With proper care this saddle will last at least 30 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes second. This model was used on just about every racing bicycle in the 1950-1980 era.

The price has almost doubled in just the last 2 years, even though the dollar:pound exchange rate (1.6) is about the same, therefore, I have reduced my rating to 4 stars.

When riding on bumps, you have to tighten your hamstring muscles and take up the shocks in your knees with a Team Pro saddle. The saddle won't absorb shocks or vibrations for you. If you are not accustomed to "standing" (so 2/3rds of your weight is on your legs, not your bum) on rough pavement, you will find this saddle unacceptable. When I take mine on 50-miles rides, I sometimes come home with a numb pelvic bone.

On the plus side, the saddle is narrow, is chamfered, and the leather is very slick, so you are unlikely to get chafe marks when riding all day long at high (110-120 rpm) cadence.

This is the nicest saddle I've seen. Top quality in terms of design and function. Plus, the leather is so smooth that there is no rubbing or chafing. Plus, it looks superb on my vintage bike.

Best saddle out there. Tried all types and prices and I keep coming back to Brooks.

The bag loops on all current Brooks saddles have sharp edges which cause them to cut through Brooks leather saddle bags. Brooks acknowledged this to me in a letter I will post at the end of this review and refuses to fix it, instead suggesting I cushion the edges with foam or tape. If this was a cheap product, under $100, I would accept this, however it is not.

In other words Brooks as a company is making saddles that don't work with their own saddle bags, they know this and seem to think this is acceptable.

The titanium rail version of the Team Pro Classic is the only one with bag loops. Unfortunately it isn't possible to rate the Titanium model separately from the others. The non-titanium models would get five stars from me. I have four other team pro models and love them all, I wouldn't use any other saddle. They are attractive and have a super cool retro-vibe. No other saddle is, in my experience, as comfortable as these on long rides and I happy use them on century rides regularly. I have ridden several of mine for many thousands of miles and they are only getting better. It is such a shame that the titanium model would have such a significant defect.

At $360 MSRP the titanium rail saddle is one of the most expensive and highest end items in the Brooks catalog. As a long time Brooks customer I incorrectly assumed it would be one of the highest quality items in their catalog.

As a minor aside there is one other issue which all the Brooks Team Pro Classic saddles share. They tend to have rivets with sharp exposed edges. Not every rivet has this, but on each of the three I own at least one does. Somehow this has never seemed to matter - I don't feel it on the bike and my bib shorts don't get torn or ripped. The Team Pro (not classic) has a higher quality rivet hammering job as they are done by hand, or at least the one I own is higher quality.

Here is the correspondence I had with Brooks on the sharp bag loop issue. I cut and paste the message portion and redacted most of the headers/footers:

From: Steven Green (of Brooks England)

Hello [redacted],

Thanks for writing and for the photographs

I would definitely ask for the bag to be repaired, or replaced.

As for the saddle - all of our Bag Loops, these days, come like this. I would consider trying to cushion the straps from the Bagloops edges by using some small foam pieces, or even sellotape. You may even wish to consider gently filing the edges of the Bag Loops to achieve a more rounded edge finish.

Best Regards



Steve Green


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From Me to Brooks:

I'm not sure if I require a repair or a warranty claim. When using my Brooks D-shaped bag with my Brooks Titanium Professional saddle the D-shaped bag is getting damaged. The loops on the saddle have sharp edges and are cutting through the D-shaped bag straps. It's getting worse and I fear the straps will be cut through within a few months. Both items were purchased through Amazon.com; the Saddle in August and the bag in September. Should ask for the bag or the saddle or perhaps both to be repaired to avoid this?