God my ass hurts: My new Brooks saddle

I don't know if it's all the Rivendell Readers stacking up on my nightstand or the recent hours I've been lurking in the Touring forum, but this past weekend I had an insatiable desire to own a Brooks leather saddle. The history, the culture, the legendary ride. I already have 5 saddles and couldn't be happier with what I have, but I needed to own a Brooks. My arsenal already includes:

- Selle Italia Turbo Ladies - HUGE thumbs up, plush, but not too squishy, a Rolls for your purty ass. I own two: one black one white. Big props to my man for opening the door to them for me.

- Avocet 02 Titanium Womens - It's hard to part ways with this one, but I've had it over 10 years and it's on the downhill slide of its lifespan. Despite the raggedy appearance and tears, it still holds my ass very, very well.

- Terry Liberator - My first Terry saddle from about 8 years ago and I hate it, but rode it for a few years cuz I didn't know better. Too short in the nose so I feel like I'm falling off. The 'love channel' does nothing for me but give my precious pieces a crevasse to fall into and get more smooshed.

- Terry Damselfly - Thought this would be the bees knees, it's ultra-light and hela-cute, but Terry should have her ovaries revoked for selling it. Unbelievably narrow, as narrow as a men's racing saddle. There is no way this should be marketed as a women's seat. Tried it for a week and felt like my seat bones were being ripped apart.

So onward with the Brooks. I spent all morning researching what type to get, what fellow chicks recommended (both men's and women's actually), care for the thing, etc. Being the responsible, meticulous bike chick that I am, I measured all my saddles for width and legnth to ensure that the new Brooks would meet my measurements. There is not much of a return policy on the saddles and since it takes a good 500 miles to break it in, you'd better get the style right the first time. The measurements showed that I should be safe with a 150-160mm width saddle.

Checked out the various models and decided on a black men's Pro. The women's model is too short in the nose for me and the men's is as wide as my other women's saddles with a nice long nose to perch upon. Sounds good.

Found the one (1) shop in Seattle and the eastside that actually carries Brooks in their store, so I was off to Elliott Bay Bikes just north of the Market downtown. 130 bones and some entertaining chatter later, I was on my way home with my saddle of choice. Score! Instant gratification rocks.

It was dumping rain all day so no maiden voyage with the saddle today. Lots of Proofide and staring amorously at my new toy. Tomorrow, my pet. Tomorrow.