54 days to go. New saddles? Old saddles?

Last week we went down to Somerset to look at bikes.  It was a very successful trip and once we'd met Andy, King of Bicycles, and had a go on the bikes we had no doubt that we'd found the right thing for the job.  Andy spent the whole afternoon talking through what he thought we'd need for the trip, and recounting various moments from his own recent adventures in the Andes. 

We've got to wait 6 weeks before delivery, so for the time being the only thing we've got to show for our bike shopping is a pair of Brooks B-17 saddles.  Brooks have been making the exact same saddle for the last 111 years.  It seems strange that in all that time no one has come up with a more comfortable thing to sit on, but apparently the B-17 is still the best bike saddle in the world.