Length: 318mm Width: 235mm Height:110mm
Weight: 1600g
Originally designed in 1938 for heavy duty cycling, the B33 is the only model still featuring stranded rear coil springs and a front loop. Its look gives the perfect finishing touch to a traditional city bicycle. Its strength makes it a good choice for heavier commuters.
MADE IN ENGLAND
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I have the B33 on my Pashley Phantom and I must say it’s as if my buttocks are held aloft by the hands of an angel. The bike can be ridden all day long in total comfort.
I have a B33 on my Pashley, which was my introduction to the brand, and a B67 on my around town bike. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden on. I note some other correspondents on this page note the squeak of the springs as a detriment, whereas I rather like the gentle squeak as I ride. I like it because it suggests that the saddle is flexing, moving under me and generally doing what a saddle should to avoid pain in the bottom! A classic delight!
Referring to Joseph's observation (above), the saddle with 'Butt' imprinted (most probably 'Genuine BUTT Leather', within a circle?) is likely to be a Brooks-made Wright's Olympic, from the late 'sixties, and almost certainly a 90/3B model - rather than a 'B.33 clone'.
I got mine back in 1989. Actually I am not even all sure it's that very model as mine features black coloured metal parts. The little bike shop next village was closing down as its owner went to retire and I got it for mere pennies. Bikes came and went, yet I kept my saddle which I greased thoroughly again yesterday to see it shine in its leather's rhich dark brown. The brooks emblem has faded by now and the leather starts showing scars, the springs squeak and all-yet I guess it'll make another ten years at least. I'd like to add that it was used for well over ten thousand kilometers so far in all weather conditions, Wherever the bike is parked I put a plastic bag over the saddle to protect it from rain and ultraviolet radiation. For a couple of days I used a modern "High Tech" saddle, yet hurriedly got a fitting stay for my good old Brooks saddle as I feared for familly plans to get crushed on road's rough reality.. A marvelous little thing, that saddle!
I have been riding on Brooks saddles since 1976. I am 72, I now have a B33 on one bike and a B67 on another. Both are so comfortable I can't decide which one I like better. A few years back I decided to try the new "Modern" seats. Went through 5 before I gave up and came back to Brooks. Do wish you could design the B33 so as to fit to the new style seat post. That would be really nice
Bought the seat to put on my Electra Indy and will never go back so comfortable once it was worn in, plus adds so much Bling that my wife was jealous and had to get a B18
COMMENT > A lot more comfortable than the Arione but still, after 2000+ kms, not in that famous "forgettable" state. I would really like to see more advice on set-up and how to angle the saddle in the optimum way on your website. For example, how do you set it up "level" when it isn´t flat? There must be tons of "Brooks knowledge" in your possession. Please share.
REPLY > Fortunately BROOKS Saddles are so personal, that any advice can be nothing more than a subjective opinion. Nevertheless your advice is precious and we will be working o a series of videos to show some of the most common techniques to get the saddle "right". This is what we wrote in the leaflet we send out with every saddle:
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The rider’s comfort will depend to a much greater extent than is generally imagined, upon the correct adjustment of the saddle on the machine. The great thing to bear in mind is that, to obtain comfort and immunity from injurious pressure, the weight must be carried by the broad part of the saddle. The peak should carry as little weight as possible. The nose is mainly intended to ensure a steady and secure seat, which a peakless saddle would not do. By attention to the following hints the correct position should be readily attained.
The saddle should be placed:
1. just sufficiently behind the crank-axle to allow the rider to sit upon the broad part of the saddle, while riding, without being pulled forward on to the peak by the onward thrust of the leg;
2. with the peak positioned just high enough to prevent the rider from slipping forward; this is normally attained when the surface of the saddle is parallel to the ground;
3. just low enough to enable the rider to reach the pedals comfortably all round, without even a suspicion of stretching after them.
This is a general guideline, but I have personally experienced that different saddles need different adjustments. Here are my examples:
-the Swallow on my road bike is perfectly parallel to the ground
-the B17 Imperial on my mountain bike is more comfortable if the nose is slightly higher than the back
-the B17 Special on my Brompton folding bike feels perfect when parallel
-the B33 on my city bike is more comfortable if the nose is facing quite a bit upwards
I'm sure my experience is different than someone else's, that's why I thought of publishing comments from different Brooks Cyclists!
Andrea Meneghelli
Marketing Manager
BROOKS ENGLAND LTD.
Q > I love the B33 and intend to own one as soon as possible! Is there a reason for the double stranded rear springs, is it for looks or do they perform differently?
A > First this is the way it has always been manufactured, second it looks nice, third they are supposed to be stronger.
my b33=happy bum! if a part breaks i will replace the part the same as my bike, car, washing machine etc, so i cant see any problem with it. its a top saddle and i am more than happy with it. keep up the good work!
Question- what is real difference between B33 and B190 for cruiser bike? B190 is wider and what about comfort?
Answer- the top of the B190 is much larger, therefore more comfortable for someone looking for a larger seating area.
Q > I was searching through an old old barn/shed the other day on my friends farm, and came across an old bike, sorry!!, a very old bike, prob 50 plus years old. And sat atop of this once beautiful machine was an equally beautiful and old saddle that can only be a B33 Brooks!! I am in the process now of cleaning and renivating the saddle (not the bike) to use on my dawes super galaxy. I havent ridden it yet but im expecting good things, also I was wondering if it was usual for the company to stamp "butt" on the centre of the saddle or would this of been the owner? It should be noted that this bike may well of been a postmans or other working bike due to its design and the existence of rear panniers, although this is just an uneducated guess ha ha
A > We don't know about a "butt" stamp. Anyhow it would be interesting to see the panniers if they are Brooks!
My dad has ridden a brooks all his life, so I am a fan of the brand.
COMPLAINT > I bought a Pashley bike which came with the saddle B33 but to my astonishment the twisted coil spring snapped at the base of the saddle. It does make me wonder whether I was just unlucky or standards and quality of the famous Brooks Craftmanship have started deteriorating. No doubt I may hear excuses such as this is the first time it has happened to the saddle. The bottom line is that I should not have had such an experience within the space of twelve months. Warranty or no warranty quality always speaks for itself without the need to bolster it with some means of extricating oneself from a supposedly good product.
REPLY > It is not the first time a spring brakes, that's why we offer them as spare parts. Conventional modern saddles can be thrown away if anything brakes. Brooks saddles can be repaired, so hopefully this speaks in favour of the good reputation of our products. The problem you describe occurs more often on the B33, because the stranded springs are both right hand coils. All other Brooks Saddles have one left and one right hand coil spring, giving more stability and perfect symmetry to the structure. The two right hand coil springs of the B33 are responsible for the occasional brake of one of them. Because we know that this can happen, we are now making new tools to be able to produce a left hand coil spring. This is not an easy job, as our machines in the metal department date back as far as the 1940s and 1950s. If you watch the video on the "SADDLES" page, this should not be too difficult to grasp. To solve your problem please post your claim in the GETTING IN TOUCH section and a colleague will help you to get a new spring.
Q > My wife loved this saddle because of its comfort. Unfortunately her two B33 never got older than one year because the screw that fastens the rear coil to the saddle always broke. You can hardly speak of heavy duty then, can you?
A > This is a problem we have not heard of before. Anyway, first you can replace the bolts, the springs and any other metal part that fails. Second there is a warranty for failures, but this is the wrong place to report it. Please use the WARRANTY CLAIM from in the GETTTIN IN TOUCH SECTION.
Hi, I was always very content with my Brooks which I bought from a friend about ten Years ago until this morning on my way to work through a snowstorm the Metal under the leather cover broke. Can you repair it?
answer - All Brooks saddles may be repaired, please visit the Getting in Touch section of this website!
Q > I recently bought a Pilen Swedish Classic bike. It rolls silently and like a dream, however, the B66 saddle makes a lot of noise during riding, probably coming from the springs and suspension. Is this normal and acceptable?
A > Some squeaking can happen. It is normally due to the rubbing between the leather top and the metal parts, either on the nose or on the back plate. Try to put some Proofide where you believe the squeaking is coming from.
Spanning more than a century of history we have preserved some models which are unique in their construction. Each saddle in this range needs a different workmanship or frame construction which is specific to that particular model, making it Unique. Most of the models have a double or triple rail construction, like the B66, our most popular model in the Brooks Unique range, dating back as early as 1927. The Swallow has single rails, but a very peculiar construction of the leather top.