Road Cycling - Yet Another BROOKS SADDLE question??

I am convinced by all the positive reviews that the Brooks is way to go, I am a big rider at 6'3 - 230.. I will be buying a B17 Honey.

The only question is that the submersion of the saddle as recommended via Sheldon Browns website, do people who have had Brooks done this with any problems.

It seems that there are some people who say just to use the Brooks prooofide only and not to use Neatsfoot like receommended..

Is it best to just put proofide on the saddle and put in the sun and mount it and ride??

Any input to how you get it to break in a little quicker would be appreciated??

For some, there is no break-in period. The saddle feels right, right out of the box. Just apply some proofide and see how it performs.

I am convinced by all the positive reviews that the Brooks is way to go, I am a big rider at 6'3 - 230.. I will be buying a B17 Honey.

The only question is that the submersion of the saddle as recommended via Sheldon Browns website, do people who have had Brooks done this with any problems.

It seems that there are some people who say just to use the Brooks prooofide only and not to use Neatsfoot like receommended..

Is it best to just put proofide on the saddle and put in the sun and mount it and ride??

Any input to how you get it to break in a little quicker would be appreciated??

I soaked my old B17 in Neatsfoot Oil many years ago to get it to soften up, and it stretched out pretty quickly. Even with the tension screw all the way out, it sagged into a hammock. I'd say just Proofride and then ride it.

DO NOT DO ANY OTHER TREATMENT TO YOUR BROOKS SADDLE OTHER THAN PROOFIDE OR YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED!!!! Not sure why because leather hiking shoes say to use Neatsfoot to waterproof. But read this site if you doubt me: http://www.brookssaddles.com/welcome.htm click on maintence.

Personally (at the urging of the folks at Rivendell) I did not even do the Proofide and it broke in about 200 miles or so longer than it would have without (it took about 400 miles).

At your size it will break in more quickly. I know mine felt great just after the first 30 miles. I've since lost weight and my new brooks(2) is tougher to get broken in (200lbs vs. 160lbs).

But it really is not that "bad" breaking in a Brooks. Often, they are more comfortable out-of-the-box than many stock saddles on new bikes (IMO).

And lets face it, any new saddle will take some getting used to, anyways.

Just get the fore & aft, height, and tilt just right and you'll be fine.

Good Luck, and hopes this helps.

ehenz

I am convinced by all the positive reviews that the Brooks is way to go, I am a big rider at 6'3 - 230.. I will be buying a B17 Honey.

The only question is that the submersion of the saddle as recommended via Sheldon Browns website, do people who have had Brooks done this with any problems.

It seems that there are some people who say just to use the Brooks prooofide only and not to use Neatsfoot like receommended..

Is it best to just put proofide on the saddle and put in the sun and mount it and ride??

Any input to how you get it to break in a little quicker would be appreciated??
You may not need any break-in at all. When new, on all (6) of my Brooks, I rub in a little Proofide and ride!

One of the keys to getting the Brooks to fit just right, is the angle of the nose. If you look at the B-17 in profile, the nose should be slightly up so the 'seating area' is more level. Be sure to take a tool on your rides to adjust your seat angle, it may take a couple of tries to get everything 'just there'.

Well thanks for the input.. I think I will just do the proofide top and bottom and hit the road to break it in.. I was also looking at the Brooks Champion Flyer. I've read it is the same shape as the B17 with springs, this would be mounted on my Mtn. Bike. Anyone have experience in using the Sprung Brooks saddles and did it help with rough roads.

Lastly, Should I get the Honey or Black color, most of my shorts are light colored and I have heard that some of the dye will come off on your shorts??

Once again any input appreciated. It looks like Nashbar has both saddles for $50.00 each right now..

Thanks,Erik

Lastly, Should I get the Honey or Black color, most of my shorts are light colored and I have heard that some of the dye will come off on your shorts?My only determining factor is which color would go with the bike.

Well thanks for the input.. I think I will just do the proofide top and bottom and hit the road to break it in.. I was also looking at the Brooks Champion Flyer. I've read it is the same shape as the B17 with springs, this would be mounted on my Mtn. Bike. Anyone have experience in using the Sprung Brooks saddles and did it help with rough roads.

Lastly, Should I get the Honey or Black color, most of my shorts are light colored and I have heard that some of the dye will come off on your shorts??

Once again any input appreciated. It looks like Nashbar has both saddles for $50.00 each right now..

Thanks,Erik

I've not had the problem of the color coming off my maroon or honey B-17's. Like The Fixer said buy the one that looks good with your bike.

This saddle with be going on a Motorola Team Issue - Eddy Mercxk.. The black will look better but if the black has a tendency to stain light colored shorts, that would be a problem for me.. Most of my bibs are light colored..

You're right, the black would look best on the Merckx. I've not had any problems with the black, honey or maroon B-17s I have staining any of my shorts. There might be a slight problem if the leather gets wet, but Proofideing them will keep them color-fast. I have a black B-17 on my Litespeed which I ride most (about 100 miles a week) since my Kirk is in for a re-paint, and I get pretty sweaty. I've not noticed any color rub-off on any of my light colored shorts. I also had a black B-17 on my Calfee all of last year, again with no color rub-off. That wouldn't be a concern of mine.

Having just gotten a B17N I found the biggest problem to be setting up the saddle. In the past I have always used a slightly nose down position. This will not work with Brooks as the saddle "pushes" you forward. I then tried slightly nose up. Serious soft tissue pain. What I ended up doing is getting a level and making the saddle absolutely horizontal. This solved the pushing and soft tissue pain issues. I now have 200 plus miles on the saddle and it is breaking in nicely.

I also think that black would go nicely with the Merckx. Here's my Litespeed with a black TeamPro saddle.

This is a brand new Brooks Professional in my current favourite color, antique brown.

I really like the antique brown, I just wish they had that color for the B-17.

Did you really think you could post a Brooks saddle
question without me chiming in (even if needlessly?).
I posed this question to Bill Laine of Wallingford bikes
and got this reply:

I think that the dye bleeding out of a saddle has a lot to do with how
the saddle is treated. If someone uses an oily leather treatment
product like Neatsfoot or Lexol the color is more likely to bleed out.
If someone puts on a _lot_ of Proofide with the expectation that the
saddle will get softer quicker then the color is more likely to bleed.

If you are conservative with your use of a wax-based leather treatment,
like Proofide, then color bleeding should be minimal.

Brooks says when you get a new saddle put on a heavy coat of Proofide
and wear your old shorts for the first few rides. After that just use a
little Proofide and the color should stay in the saddle.
(Normal Proofide use is a couple of fingernail scoops). .
If you're worried about dye bleeding either wear old shorts for the first
few rides as Bill suggested, or wear dark (black) shorts for a few rides.

Marty

Tried to buy one locally but no luck, should of heard all the stories from the salespeople about the Brooks.. I heard "we can special order it" from every shop I called but the other response was that the "brooks saddles are so expensive" and "nobody rides those anymore" and "are they still in business", pretty much a wide spectrum of ideas about these saddles..

I went with the Black B17, it will be here tomorrow.. Also bought the tool and brooks proofide.. I will proofide in the morning and hitting the road later in the afternoon.. I will keep you up to date. If it's as good as you all say it is, I will be buying a couple more for my other bikes..

Brooks are not 'mainstream' saddles anymore, sort of like bikes that are correctly sized. Lightweight and long seatposts now seem to be the norm. So people selling good stuff, like Brooks, have to be 'niche' marketers.

Where did you get your B-17?

Bought it from Nashbar at 49.95.. If it rides well I am going to get another B17 for my road and a Champion Flyer for my Mountain bike..

SoCal,
not surprized about the LBS response.
Be careful with the tension spanner. You really shouldn't
need it for at least a few years. when you do use it
do so sparingly, like 1/4 turn at a time.
Some of us here (DAVET) believe that loosening tension
during initial break-in helps. Haven't tried this myself tho.
Given DaveT's bikes and number of brooks saddles he
should know.

Marty

Marty;
I tightened my brooks yesterday 1/4 turn. It's the first time I did since I bought it 7 years ago.

Also;
The Brooks are made from hard saddle leather, you shouldn't soften them. They are not made from a supple leather like a baseball glove. The profide is basically saddle soap (lanolin) made to condition and weather proof the leather, not soften it. You never see any one oiling a horse saddle to soften it. The Brooks leather is supported only at the front and back (which is why you get that hammock support that soaks up the road vibrations) and softening the leather will only allow it to stretch.