Brooks B-33 and B-73 saddles.

[blackhawknj]

Mulling getting a B-33 or B-73 for my DL-1s for a more "retro/original" look-have a B-66 at present. Any thoughts ?

 

[rhenning]

Are you interested in the look or the comfort for riding? If the second reason you posterior will need to answer that question. If the first only you can know what you like. I like B66s for myself. Roger

 

[SirMike1983]

73: fairly similar to the 66. It's in the same weight class as a 66. Has a bit more "flex" when pedaling hard, but also has a bit more cushion. I really like these saddles when paired with the rod brake roadster bike. I have an original on my 1962 Raleigh rod brake and another original I cleaned up as a spare. I even rode one for awhile on a Schwinn New World and it went well there. In the end, I prefer the 66 for the Raleigh Sports or Schwinn New World type light/cable brake roadster.

33: this one is not all that similar to the 66. It's very heavy and if you're a lighter rider, it actually will have less cusion than the 66 and the 73 because of its very heavy-duty springs. I weigh 155-60 range and hardly moved the springs at all. It might work better for a heavier rider. It also looks weird on a lighter-framed bike like a Raleigh Sports (it looks like it's "too much" saddle for the bike). It might look better on a big-frame DL-1 or a rod brake roadster. I tend to think you have to be a heavier rider to make full use of this. The saddle leather itself is very wide on this one - if you see one in person you'll see almost everything is bigger and much heavier than the 66. Frankly, I don't think it's worth the extra weight and I much prefer the 73 or 66.