Brooks C17 vs Ergon SMC: Which Is Best for Long Distance Cycle Touring?

This review is a little different to the others on this channel. In this video I compare my experience of two of the most popular saddles for long distance cycle touring or bikepacking, the Brooks C17 and the Ergon SMC.

From my experience on the GDMBR, and from chatting to people that have done a lot more bike touring than I have, a bad saddle (or a saddle that doesn't suit your needs) is probably the number one reason for people to drop out of a long distance bike ride. It is a bit of grim topic, but if you develop saddle sores and don't manage them, you can get some really serious issues that will make it impossible to ride a bike, and could even pose significant risks to you beyond just having to drop out of a tour. I therefore briefly go into my experience of saddle sours, how I acted to manage them, and finally how this led to my decision on which saddle to go with for future cycle tours.

If you enjoyed this review please check out the others on my channel, and consider checking out my main channel where you can see me use all the gear I review on various different outdoor adventures:

Thank you for watching.

Links

Ergon SMC:

Brooks C17:

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00:00. Introduction
00:17. Saddle specifications
01:18. What I want from a saddle, and what I want to avoid!
03:00. Brooks C17, my experience on the GDMBR
05:54. Ergon SMC, my saddle for the TransAm later this year
07:54. My Summary of the two
09:02. A closing question to more experienced cyclists

[ducnut]

Because of your experience, I ordered this Ergon for my big wheel BMX bike. I only use it to cruise around town, but, winter is upon me and I’m not currently able to try it out.

I have a B17 Imperial that’s been part of my road bike cockpit, ~17yrs. Most people who buy them never properly break them in or maintain them. The key is to buy a few bottles of neatsfoot oil, pour it into a big ziplock bag, and drop the seat in for a few days. The oil will soak into the leather and make it much more pliable and resistant to moisture, regardless of the moisture source. In addition, they require a regular application of oil, to maintain the saddle’s condition. Lastly, they need routine tension adjustment, to keep them from sagging out. A Brooks isn’t comfortable, per se. But, they’ll never introduce discomfort. There is a difference.

Safe travels, Mat.

[twowheelsintokyo]

Saddle choice is always difficult. I eventually settled on the tried-and-true Brooks B17. However, a B17 is never comfortable out of the box, it takes months to properly break one in, sometime several months. Once broken in, they are quite comfortable, and I have done century rides in jeans and ordinary underwear on a B17. In regard to saddle sores, as a former Army medic, one of the most common things I had to treat were rashes and skin infections, which are common in tropical places and the American South. A good way to prevent bacterial problems is to carry a small bottle of ordinary Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo, and use it to wash your backside and shorts. The active ingredient, pyrithione zinc, is a good preventative/cure for saddle sores, tinea curis (known in the Infantry as "crotch rot") etc. Its cheap, easy to find, and it works.

[davidbonn]

I am a big Ergon SMC fan as well.

For my butt and my riding, I've found that triathlon shorts are a good compromise for distance riding. They have a thin pad but dry out very quickly and are easy to keep clean if you rinse them out every now and then, and will quickly dry out if you put them on wet and just ride. On longer trips I carry one pair of triathlon shorts and either a pair of thicker padded shorts or a pair of thin nylon compression shorts to use as underwear. With that configuration I find I still ride with the triathlon shorts two days out of three on average.

Everyone is different but that is what works for me.

[none-ya]

I ordered the S/M today. Thank you from Indiana for the review. 🙂 I remembered seeing this saddle on your bike and asking about it. I didn't know about your review channel at the time.

[triciaco]

We appreciate your opinion. I ended up getting C17 carved and it's surprisingly flexible! I'll know more when I hit my century ride, cheers!

[ducnut]

We’re all different.

I’ve ridden the same Brooks B17 Imperial and cockpit setup, for ~16yrs, across three bikes. I wear padded cycling shorts and that is very specific, for me. I tend to prefer a medium chamois thickness. Too thick bunches up and tears on my skin. Too thin just isn’t enough isolation. I’m a regular 100+ mile rider.

Love all your videos.

[martynprice]

Finding the right saddle is a minefield and an expensive one at that. I'm looking to get a new one and torn between the SMC and E-sm. Trouble is once you have bought it and removed the packaging it's non refundable. Great review. Got yourself a new subscriber.

[Rambl-n_Man]

Great comparison Mat. I'm going to take a look at the Argon SMC. I'm moving on from my C-17 cutout as it is not comfortable anymore and gives me saddle sores as well.

[MartinPGrindrod]

You are spot on with your question - I’ve been cycling 50 years and for a lot of that time padded shorts just weren’t available - cyclists didn’t need them 50 years ago and don’t need them now, I think the origin of padded shorts was when saddles become narrow to allow for an aero riding position for racing, that made saddles very uncomfortable hence adding padding to the shorts, the downside of that, as anyone who does a high intensity exercise knows, is that you need to allow sweat to get away from the body as quickly as you can hence runners wear the thinnest man made materials and not cotton undies!

[gsnyder]

A saddle is highly personal. Love this vid. I am 5’11” and big bottomed so I have been riding a Brooks c19 carved and have ridden over 3000 miles on it since last year. I do use padded shorts. I have not experienced sores or chafing. My longer rides are in the 60 mile range. Saddles are a little like shoes in that we should experiment and find one that fits and performs the best for you

[jamesgargano]

I just bought the B17 and I absolutely love it! If it is this comfy new, I can't wait until I get it broke in.

[dsa]

My husband love his Brooks B17, I like my Ergon SMC Core. We agree that when it is hot, we can't wear any padding. The heat becomes more of an issue than the need for padding.

[adoj]

I totally confer. Getting ready to do the GDMBR in a month and I have the Ergon SMC and have been training with no chamois for a couple of months. I have several back to back centuries on it with no issues. I went down this route to avoid the slow drying of a chamois and synthetic material. Training has been with alpaca and merino wool underwear which is quick drying and anti-bacterial. I've been very happy with the setup.

[WanderingEyeOutdoorAdventures]

The C17 carved is much more comfortable for long distance riding. I am basing this on many hours on both. Thanks for the video. Cheers

[Michael-ntn]

Thank you for making this video. It helped me make my decision.

[LostandMeandering]

I bought the same Ergon saddle after you talked about it in your videos at the end of the GDMBR, and I have had zero issues with it. Im the same as you as in I don't wear padded shorts, and haven't had any issues with saddle sores or pressure sores.

[grahambonner]

The best for me is the Brooks B17, I've not yet used it on a really long ride or tour but I do use it almost daily.
I did do a tour (2850km) with the Brooks B67s, sprung at the back with tensioned leather top, very wide for a very upright riding position (so most of my body weight was through my backside and this was also very comfortable.
As with any leather saddle both of these models require more care, protection from rain and need to be broken in.
I should add I never use padded shorts.

[asbjrnkristiansen]

Good morning, Mat, or maybe afternoon by the time you read this.

That's a valid question, and the answer is one that many would like to know, obviously, for comfort reasons. I totally get why you ask and I agree with learning from people with more expeience, but unforunately this is not necessarily the holy grail to making the right choice. Personally I'm careful about giving advice, especially in cases where personal preferences rule the outcome, because what works for me may very well be equally as wrong for whomever receives my advice, and that's why my response this time is not going to be an advice or a specific suggestion, but more than anything just my humble opinion.

The problem arising when people make suggestions, is that they are coming from a 100% subjective frame of mind, leaving out a number of considerations, and that's - of course unintentionally on the part of the one making the suggestion - how you also may end up in trouble. While some suggestions or advice will agree with your needs, there is a fair share that will not, and coming to something as personal as picking the right saddle for your long distance ride, using the wrong one could have serious implications. As someone well versed in long distance hiking, you know how important having the correct shoes is. Just like feet, all bums are different and personal needs can be extremely diverse. I have trouble expressing myself in few words but I guess what I'm saying is that nobody here can actually tell you what will work well or what to go for. It's your body and your needs, so the truth is your best chance of finding what works for you is physically testing different seats. Specific advise should be considered as general guidance purposes only. Sounds to me like you're well on your way with the Ergon, but whether or not it's "THE ONE" I expect you will find out while doing the TA 🙂 Also, many bikeshops offer a lending service that allow you to test different seats for a few days at a time. For free of course. This could be a good way to source a seat if you have LBS's that offer this service.

Back in the 90ies I had a Scott mtb that had the best seat I've ever had, and I've been dreaming of finding something similar ever since. It was a gel-seat, very rounded shapes and the perfect width for my anatomy. The seatcover was acryllic, which of course you know is very smooth and "slippery", so chafing of any kind was never an issue. I could ride for days on end without ever even considering bibs. Unfortunately someone nicked it when I was at school. I really need to find a new seat myself, as I'm getting a lot of chafing from bibshorts. On a roadbike I'll wear bibs but on my trailbike I'd rather not.

Cheers 🙂

Sincerely
A.K.

[safetcko]

Excellent Review for me, just what I needed to see, Cheers Mat!

[grtchldy]

The non padded saddle and padded shorts makes more sense for road racing where it’s only one or two days. But for days on end it does make more sense to go the other way.