I have both; the B-17 on my Quickbeam, which I have set up with Noodle bars to give me the most variety of position possible, and the Champion Flyer on a 1997 Cannondale F-900 with Albatross bars set up for more upright "city" riding, which, however, allows me to lean forward on the bends of the Albatross bars, if I don't need brakes.
The Cannondale has a suspension fork, and the springs in the saddle give me a fully "suspended" ride. It's really just fine for rough dirt roads and city lumps, allowing me to stay seated on bigger bumps in the road, especially on longer rides when I sit upright more, and ride more leisurely. I can ride all day on the Quickbeam, though, just about anywhere. My muscles provide suspension, of course, on big and small bumps, on both bikes. Recent research, and experience, shows that a lot of rider energy goes into adapting to rough roads. This research shows that suspension works best when it's closest to the road: tires first, then frame, then saddle and bars. I'm surprised that more rough riders haven't adopted a sprung saddle, even on top of a full-suspension frame and fat tires for really rough trails. Tires have limits, and suspended frames have stiction, while saddle springs have no stiction, like tires, and easily absorb high frequency vibrations, and even though they have limits in the amplitude of the shocks they can absorb. And really, I have no use for complicated mechanical suspension where I want to ride a bike. I'd just as soon walk and smell the creosote brush as ride a fully suspended bike on a really technical trail (for me) these days. In other words, of course, the Champion Flyer would be a fine choice for a Bombadil! Why not? Cost & weight isn't the factor it might be for lesser frames. The only caveat might be the variable quality of Brooks leather these days. I've had good luck with mine, but really thick leather seems to be found on Berthoud saddles, which don't come with springs so far as I know. On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 9:31 PM, Rene Sterental <orthie...@gmail.com> wrote: > After having taken a couple of rides on and off-road with my Bombadil, and > after seeing many pictures of Bombadil and Atlantis bikes with sprung > saddles, I've begun wondering if putting a Champion Flyer saddle on the > Bombadil is a good move. Obviously on the road the B-17 feels fine, but > off-road you have to always stand up when going over rough stuff. > How do others here feel about the Champion Flyer and what would be the > pros/cons of doing such a move? What are the advantages of using one for > on-road riding/touring? > Thanks all! > René > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > -- Bill Gibson Tempe, Arizona, USA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.