Why are Brooks Saddles known for comfort?

[Oscar56]

Are Brooks saddles really made from a single piece of genuine leather hide?
My Brooks B17 doesn’t have a grain as real leather does
It appears to be made of reconstituted leather or a composite, press formed to shape

Check YouTube for a great video on the production process. They talk about the leather and which part of the animal it comes from.

 

[J.R.]

Are Brooks saddles really made from a single piece of genuine leather hide?
My Brooks B17 doesn’t have a grain as real leather does
It appears to be made of reconstituted leather or a composite, press formed to shape

One of my hobbies has been leather crafting. I've made motorcycle and hunting leather accoutrements. Brooks saddles are one piece premium cowhide leather. Bonded leather is fabricated by gluing ground pieces and isn't strong enough for use as a single layer bike saddle. There are bonded leather covered foam saddles, but Brooks aren't made that way.

 

[steve mercier]

Leather = cow hide. Cows around here get rained on.

Yes but cow hides on living animals do not have to retain their rigid crotch-numbing shape.

 

[bikeman242]

Riding a brooks saddle when it is fully wet (saturated) will cause the leather to quickly deform. This is not covered under brooks' warranty, and is clearly stated. They sell a saddle cover for $10, weighs nothing. Just buy a cover with the saddle, and keep it in your bag for the rain.

Proofide will "shower-proof" the saddle, but if you get caught in a downpour on a Brooks with no saddle cover, then yes you will have a problem.

I would consider the saddle cover an essential add-on with the saddle.

 

[steve mercier]

Riding a brooks saddle when it is fully wet (saturated) will cause the leather to quickly deform. This is not covered under brooks' warranty, and is clearly stated. They sell a saddle cover for $10, weighs nothing. Just buy a cover with the saddle, and keep it in your bag for the rain.

Proofide will "shower-proof" the saddle, but if you get caught in a downpour on a Brooks with no saddle cover, then yes you will have a problem.

I would consider the saddle cover an essential add-on with the saddle.

Perhaps a 99 cent shower cap from the dollar store.

 

[Oscar56]

I am now up to 100km on my B17 Imperial. No tender spots on my backside. WAY more comfy than the stock Giant saddle. Looking for ward to when this saddle actually starts to shape to my sit bones.

 

[steve mercier]

I am now up to 100km on my B17 Imperial. No tender spots on my backside. WAY more comfy than the stock Giant saddle. Looking for ward to when this saddle actually starts to shape to my sit bones.

I have a drawer full of stock bike saddles ,grips and pedals. Not sure why I keep them.

 

[pmcdonald]

Well, my B17 has made the perilous lockdown journey from Smethwick to Australia. It's a beautiful seat, my first properly nice bike accessory. My goodness, it arrives hard though! Fresh out of the box it's like sitting on a hard plastic seat. It's nicer than the Selle Royal Vivo that came with my bike but has a long way to go before matching the comfort of the BBB saddle that was on my prior BH Evo. With my lightweight posterior I think I'll be looking at the full 500 km for break in.

Does the leather eventually soften or just conform to shape a little more?

And as I've used up my entire minuscule sachet of Proofide what's the consensus on care over the years: Proofide, Neatsfoot, Nixwax or other?

 

[steve mercier]

Try Rub A 535 (-: I'll be here all week folks. On a more serious note , I used Mink oil and it worked well. Mink oil, is manufactured from the mink pelts and are highly beneficial for leather lubrication. It has the waterproofing ability and is known to preserve the leather for longer periods of time. However, mink oil makes the natural shine of the leather dull. You also have to reapply mink oil often to keep the leather lubricated and soft and to make it waterproof for longer periods of time. Stop using it when the seat is soft enough.

 

[pmcdonald]

Try Rub A 535 (-: I'll be here all week folks. On a more serious note , try Mink oil.View attachment 50708

Thanks Steve In the meantime

 

[BTfl]

Interesting, thanks.

So, it appears that Brooks does not even make a saddle for an upright seating position, that does not have a saddle spring suspension on it. I guess that means Brooks is out? Shame, I was going to order one. Correct me if I am wrong.

C19

 

[bikeman242]

Well, my B17 has made the perilous lockdown journey from Smethwick to Australia. It's a beautiful seat, my first properly nice bike accessory. My goodness, it arrives hard though! Fresh out of the box it's like sitting on a hard plastic seat. It's nicer than the Selle Royal Vivo that came with my bike but has a long way to go before matching the comfort of the BBB saddle that was on my prior BH Evo. With my lightweight posterior I think I'll be looking at the full 500 km for break in.

Does the leather eventually soften or just conform to shape a little more?

And as I've used up my entire minuscule sachet of Proofide what's the consensus on care over the years: Proofide, Neatsfoot, Nixwax or other?

View attachment 50706

I have the B17 special and it got a lot comfier after a couple hundred miles. Stay with it

 

[Oscar56]

I am using Kiwi brand dubbin on both the underside and upper.

 

[pmcdonald]

Well, 1000 km in I'm a Brooks convert. It's still hard as and looks quite similar to my earlier photo by, my goodness, it's comfortable! I'm only on it for an hour a day but every ride feels like returning to a comfy friend.

I rode my old gel saddle the other week and while it felt a lot more forgiving to the touch I was shifting and squirming after a few kays. I'll be sticking with my B17 for the foreseeable future.

 

[TOOSLOW]

A tip is to slacken off the tension by backing off the nut right out of the box. Instant comfort, then tighten as needed.

 

[penserv]

I guess I cheated on breaking in my B17. I soaked it in warm water for 30 minutes, liberally coated it in mink oil and rode it for an hour. After that it was broken in and moulded to my butt. That's how you break in the old leather hockey skates and leather baseball gloves too. I'm finding the B17 was easier to adjust on a road bike than my E-MTN bike on the Suntour NCX suspension seat post. The rails aren't quite wide enough to clear the front of the seatpost, so I can't adjust it downwards just a little bit. This week it's cold in Calgary, so I'll widen the front rails a bit and get the adjustment spot on.

 

[steve mercier]

Well, 1000 km in I'm a Brooks convert. It's still hard as and looks quite similar to my earlier photo by, my goodness, it's comfortable! I'm only on it for an hour a day but every ride feels like returning to a comfy friend.

I rode my old gel saddle the other week and while it felt a lot more forgiving to the touch I was shifting and squirming after a few kays. I'll be sticking with my B17 for the foreseeable future.

PM areyou still riding that B17? They are the most classy looking handsome seats but my prostate still tells me that my favorite seat so far is the Selle Royale Respiro.

 

[Marcela]

I've got the B17 and B67. In comparison the B17 feels like sitting on a board. Just being wider gives the sit bones more area, not like sitting on a wedge so much.

 

[Dewey]

I've got the B17 and B67. In comparison the B17 feels like sitting on a board. Just being wider gives the sit bones more area, not like sitting on a wedge so much.

I agree I have the B66s which is similar to the B67 but is slightly shorter. I really appreciate the springs on some of the paths I ride on with root frost heave, it’s the only suspension I have.