Classic & Vintage - Style gods - help with saddle matching

I love my old dark comfortable Brooks B17N on the Raleigh Gran Sport. With my in progress install of elk skin gold/brown handlebar covers.... I'm thinking maybe it's time for a B17 special or professional in honey. The pics make the elk skin look much to bright but it is considerably lighter than the current saddle.

http://www.velo-orange.com/brtepr.html

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/1787/1001178lp6.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001178lp6.jpg)http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/1679/1001179ve8.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001179ve8.jpg)

Personally, what I sit on has more to do with comfort, rather than looks.

Ride what feels best to your fanny, IMHO.

Just make sure you ride.

how about a swift in honey?

Personally, what I sit on has more to do with comfort, rather than looks.

Ride what feels best to your fanny, IMHO.

Just make sure you ride.

Well - it is a Brooks for a Brooks. Maybe the Honey B17 special for the Raleigh. The old saddle is comfy, if the elk skin doesn't turn out it'd be cheaper to throw white cork tape over it. I guess I should wait a week for the neats foot oil to finish it's work.


Maybe I'll go with the swift or professional on the Parmount (currently with rather plain viscount) since the bars are lower than the saddle. The velo orange titanium swift is outside my budget

I think that, after a bit of riding, the grips will darken up to something that matches the wear on the Brooks. I wouldn't call it a fashion crime as is.

The espresso color elkhide wrap matches the brown Brooks perfectly after you add a touch of neatsfoot oil to the wrap.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1045/gfullwidebigok7.th.jpg (http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gfullwidebigok7.jpg)

The espresso color elkhide wrap matches the brown Brooks perfectly after you add a touch of neatsfoot oil to the wrap.

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/1045/gfullwidebigok7.th.jpg (http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gfullwidebigok7.jpg)
Very sharp!

I'll probably try the expresso. I've ordered (hopefully larger) tan gum hoods. I like the look and fit of the elk skin. I'm also considering gold cloth tape and shellac. I tried light blue on another bike and it came out very dark.

I love my old dark comfortable Brooks B17N on the Raleigh Gran Sport. With my in progress install of elk skin gold/brown handlebar covers.... I'm thinking maybe it's time for a B17 special or professional in honey. The pics make the elk skin look much to bright but it is considerably lighter than the current saddle.

http://www.velo-orange.com/brtepr.html

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/1787/1001178lp6.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001178lp6.jpg)http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/1679/1001179ve8.th.jpg (http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1001179ve8.jpg)

Well, you could make it look really nice by using some decent shoe polish on it. It would remove that dull bloom and would waterproof it, and give it a new lease of life and let its character show through. Here are some pics of one of my Brooks at various stages over the past 2 years; I used Proofide on it to start with, and after it got wet with sweat a couple of times I thought it would look better with a darker patina, so I started using Kiwi shoe polish on it occasionally. Proofide is good but like anything else you have to be careful not to overdo it. Shoe polish doesn't soften the leather.

- Wil