Commuting - Biking on a wet leather saddle--will I damage it?

Subject says it all. My bike's outside, it just got poured on, and since I just started commuting I hadn't gotten around to that whole "put a bag on the seat" thing. My saddle's leather; will it be adversely affected by my 5 mile, 30 minute ride home?

Probably not. I wouldn't sweat it.

I've ridden on mine wet a few times, hard to say if it's been damaged... I mean it still holds me off the seat post ;). It makes it mold to your butt faster...

Depends how wet, on a tour last May, I was on the night before the last leg home and plain forgot to cover my Brooks after 3 weeks of always covering it. Well, needless to say it stormed ALL night and the seat was soaked to the bone. I should have known better, but I rode on it and after about 20 miles, I felt the worse pain right up by center, like sitting on a hatchet. Well, riding on it that wet caused it to really stretch and completly ruined it, although I still had 90 more miles to ride to get home... I jimmy rigged it up with some webbing and ladder locks, but the seat was ruined, so don't ride on it if it's just througouly (sp?) soaked.

^^^ Wet (soaked) leather is VERY soft and stretchy. Soaking leather is a trick used by leather craftsmen to stretch it over frames, chairs etc. So this is no good for a Brooks or any other saddle. (Brooks leather bar tape could be soaked in this way for a super tight wrap once dry.)

Yes water will damage a brooks saddle. Try carying a plastic bag for the wet occasions. Just put the bag over it while it is exposed to rain.

Why would a year-round commuter use a leather saddle anyway? Technology has moved on a bit since we stopped riding horses for transport!

Because it is comfortable...

Just because something is "high tech" doesn't mean it's better.

Heard the story about the zero-g pen versus the pencil?

Because it is comfortable...

Just because something is "high tech" doesn't mean it's better.

Heard the story about the zero-g pen versus the pencil?

Yes, i have and it always makes me smile.

But in this case we can make saddles that are more comfortable, don't need treatments prior to use, don't need breaking in and are water proof. So again, why still use leather?

Each to their own is what we are looking for.

More comfortable than leather is debatable.

Some people enjoy the treatments and breaking in.

And leather is waterproof under its cover too.

No point in arguing really because each have their good and bad points for different people.

...
But in this case we can make saddles that are more comfortable,...

Please show it to me! I can't imagine how that would feel, like a slice of better then heaven on my butt!
I love my Brooks, have NEVER found a saddle that comes close to it's comfort in the long haul. I just carry plastic bags and when a rainy spell hits, I triple bag it and wrap it in duct tape. Really adds to the "don't steal me, I'm ugly" factor too.

Oh nooooo, i feel Brooks Battle Rage coming on once again!!! GRRRrrrRoowwllll!

... ha ha... Or maybe i'll try to be civil...

@ Bike Uk... if you are really interested in why Brooks are considered "Better" (and also often superior to all other saddles) by some of the most avid and knowlegeable cyclists (Sheldon Brown and many Forum members among others) do a quick search on these boards and you will find many reasons and rants by many people including myself. I think we make a convincing case. Here are some excerpts:
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truely, what is the obsession with these saddles? I just dont understand.

Say a normal seat rides a 3 on a scale of 1-10, and you purchase a slight upgraded say 5 level saddle. say this one
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEq...0080&spid=11959

what would you rate the brooks? and how does the size compare to the one above?
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I've owned maybe 30 saddles in my life. All of them rated between a 0 and 6 at very best. Except my 2 Brooks, they are consistently 9 or 10 in terms of comfort as well as everything else. Just check the scores at MTB REVIEW and ROAD BIKE REVIEW. Not a single saddle comes even close in average score given by all the riders coupled with this longevity. MTB review gave it it's choice award. (As in: there is nothing better...) According to their admission "Winners were selected by the highest rated products that met a minumum number of reviews for each category.".

In other words it is not just retro nuts or Brooks Cult Members that give this the thumbs up but also 43 (number of reviews) dedicated mountainbikers, quite some of which are probably weight weenies... I guess they get over it when it concerns the saddle and comfort.

If any newbies ever get a Brooks i definately suggest checking the Rivendell explanation of how to set this saddle up, it can make all the difference.

As for the saddle you link too, looks nice and fairly decent. But doesn't breathe, doesn't mold to your sit bones, only supports them (= lack of comfort) and probably won't last even one fifth of the time a Brooks will (and that is being generous). In other words it doesn't even begin to compare. And from a cost/durability perspective, well,.... not good.

Maybe another way i can explain it. You know how Chris King Headsets are amazing? They give the very best performance and outlast anything else. Now imagine that Chris King Headsets cost the same as other decent or good headsets rather than what they cost now. So say $ 45 instead of $ 100 or more.

Well that is exactly what a Brooks does/is/offers to me. IMO it is better than anything else in every way, costs as much as any other somewhat higher end saddle (Selle Italia, Terry, San Marco etc.) but lasts up to ten times longer. Those cowboys in the old West knew a thing or two about what was good to ride for many hours a day,.. leather. Can you imagine them with foam and plastic saddles.. They would probably weep from the saddle sore and rashes. So... do you 'Geddit' now? But this is just my opinion, ride a Granite stone with Titanium rails for all i care, ride whatever makes you happy. No skin of my butt. End of Rant. :-)

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Vince said it all; but I too tried about 13 different saddles over a 15 year period in seach if a comfortable saddle after my comfortable Avocet saddle got wiped out in an accident...oddly the first saddle I tried was a newer version (but looked different) of my old Avocet and it was not comfortable. I rode these saddles for at least a year to give them a chance to break in but they wouldn't. After all those saddles I finally tried the Brooks Swift, and what do you know, it is comfortable and it only took about 300 miles to break in and about 500 total to get really comfortable without using any treatments. I'm now going on 3 years with this saddle and I will never buy another brand. Heck the money I spent on those other 13 some odd saddles I could of bought another bike
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I have broken every rear rivet on a B72 over 34 years of use; repaired satisfactorily with my pop riveter. The saddle is well worn but still comfortable; no proffhide, no nothing.

After 25 years of use I have had to replace broken springs on a B66 in 1999 or so. As a side note the LBS I used in Heidelberg obtained the replacement springs in one day 12DM ($6) for a pair.
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We still own my grandfather's Brooks saddle, which he purchased on his late '40s Bianchi. And on occasion we mount it on either my dad's or my bike and ride with it.

It is doing just fine, and the last time it saw any prooffhide was when I raced it for a couple of years as a young teen (mid 80s).
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So BIKE UK.. do you get it now? Or where you just trolling?

I'm new to these parts, so was blissfully unaware that this is a controversial topic.

Having keenly read your post, i would probably be sold on one if i had different circumstances. But my bike lives outside; at home, at work, and in use, it's always outside so i don't think leather would be the answer for me personally.

But thank you for the info :)

Unless I'm terribly mistaken, leather contains curing chemicals which are highly poisonous. Riding on a wet leather saddle isn't the same as walking on wet leather sandals while wearing no socks, but I can tell you that walking on wet leather sandals made me feel a little sick.

Just FYI.

As for leather saddles vs non-leather saddles:

If you like leather saddles, have at it. But they're not for me, as my butt feels fine on synthetic stuff.

i gotta agree with bikeuk here in some aspects... as much as i would love to try a brooks i really don't think i could keep it from getting wet.

can you ride seriously with a plastic bag on your seat? really???

what good is the worlds most comfortable saddle when it takes away from the utility of my ultimate utility vehicle???

my wtb might not be a brooks but after a straight week of rain it looks and feels the same way it did before; pretty good. they might not last as long as a brooks but only cost 30-40 bucks. oh and i don't have any of those overpriced king headsets either ;)

@ Bike Uk: :) My bad, i didn't know you were new, it is one of those unending controversies actually, i really appreciate you reading that long ass post. As for leaving your bike outside. It matters not, my bike also lives outside 24/7.

But i bought this Cheap (like E 6) Black Selle Italia Saddle cover which fits very snugg (looks like there is no cover) over my B 17 Brooks and seems to have this kindoff Duck skin effect. The water just rolls off. Another added bonus is that the saddle looks very
inconspicious = not likely to get stolen.

To get the full breathing effect i just take the cover of when i do rides of more than 30 minutes or so (when my butt is on the saddle it can't get wet after all. Though i have never gotten a sweaty feeling even with the cover. I think it may have some type of Gore Tex effect, but i am not sure.

I have loved cycling for 20 years and i think the single best thing i ever did for my cycling and for my bike was get a Brooks... Maybe you could just try one from another person one day,.. but prepare to be converted if you do ha ha.

@ Cer, hmm never thought of that but as(s) i don't ride on my saddle in my Birth Day suit i am not concerned har har.

@ Max..: I am actually totally into "The Ultimate Utility Bike!!!" Just check this webpage i wrote on my other bike. Oh and by the way this bike IS for sale and now sports even much better parts including a Brooks:

http://www.rhizomes.nl/ultimatebike.html

The plastic bag thing is ok, but i really prefer my method stated above. I think people also like using the bag because it is super cheap and makes their bike look crappy which is good to ward off thieves. Remember though, most normal saddle uppers are little more than a slightly more durable and rubbery version of a plastic bag ha ha... There is little practical difference in the materials performance and make up even if emotionally there might be for you.

I also don't own a CK headset by the way, i just don't have the Cash or even desire. I do own an "old school"? Tange Levin headset which i think i is the equivalent of a Brooks saddle in the headset world. Relatively cheap for it's extreme durability and very cheap compared to CK. I am just a utilatarian/bang for buck/last forever type of guy i guess.

As for cost, well it is all relative of course. I intend to bike for another 30 or more years, and hopefully as comfortable as is possible. But lets say i only bike for another 5 years, i want all those rides to be comfortable. Spending $ 70 rather than $ 35 for a saddle that in my case is almost Twice as comfortable and will actually last that long rather than 2 or 3 years sounds like a great deal to me...
Plus i buy my Brooks saddles second hand for about E 7 or E 10 anyway :). The Netherlands is a great country when it comes to bikes!!

But of course, ride whatever makes you happy, is you bike and your perogative.

If any newbies ever get a Brooks i definately suggest checking the Rivendell explanation of how to set this saddle up, it can make all the difference.

I'd be interested to see that article. Any chance you have a link?

Thanks!

Leather can get wet when its on the cows ass, other than that i'd cover it. carry one of those old lady shower hats. They are small and stretchy.

I think some info is here but if you digg on that site there is more i believe:

http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_pureopinions.html