Road Cycling - Yet another Brooks thread

My new B17 arrived tonight, along with a tin of proofhide. I coated the botteom with goo and did the top as well. I buffed out the top then did two more coats. I'll mount it tomorrow and go for a ride. How many coats of proofhide should I do before riding?

I am a new brooks owner and have found that 2 coats is sufficient.. The break in period seems to be much exaggerated.. I found no discomfort at all out of the box... You just have to allow yourself the thought that just because it is hard that it is supposed to be uncomfortable, it is not uncomfortable, just different than what you are used too..

Id say do a few hours on it and then maybe hit it again with 'goo' again.. I bought one this year and hated it till I rode it about 100 miles. Was convinced up till then that it was a bad idea and everyone else was wrong,,; well I was wrong. I can't believe how comfy that has become!

One coat of proofhide left to soak in for 24 hours has always done the trick for me. About every 6 months or so, I give it another coat just to keep the leather nice and moist. Even with a Team Professional, I've had less than 100 mile break in periods. Leave the proofhide on the bottom of the saddle, especially if you run without fenders.

My new B17 arrived tonight, along with a tin of proofhide. I coated the botteom with goo and did the top as well. I buffed out the top then did two more coats. I'll mount it tomorrow and go for a ride. How many coats of proofhide should I do before riding?
One or two appliations of Proofide max. You're not trying to soften the saddle, just protect it.

I love my Brooks. I just slapped one on a project bike that I built up. I even have one on my Litespeed! (you oughta' hear the comments I get about that!)

On my B17N the first 50-100 miles were hell. I was ready to scrap the seat. At about 100 miles the saddle began to get comfortable. Now I would put nothing else on any of my bikes.
The one question I have for any Brooks owners that live in a high humidity/heat area is; should I apply Proofide more or less frequently due to the heat/humidity factor?

I have had my B17N for about two weeks now. I put some Proofide on it (top & bottom) first thing and another coat (top only) a week later. I have about 125 miles on it so far. The hardest thing is getting used to is the sliding around. Because the surface is so slick, it seems at first that you can slide right off the thing. As far as the hardness of the saddle goes, I notice it when I first get on the bike, but after the first mile I don't even notice that the saddle is there. It's a non-issue. I decided on the B17N because it was almost the same size of the saddle that came with the bike.

Hmmm...perhaps that's why I abandoned my Bricks saddle. I put the Proofhide on my butt instead of the saddle...my bad. ;)

And, now a serious question...when you park a bike with a Brooks saddle in the sun, do you ever get butt burns from those copper rivets heating up? I'm assuming this is not a problem in England, where the Brooks was developed, but out here in the western US the sun gets pretty intense. And, copper is known to be a very efficient heat conductor.

My new B17 arrived tonight, along with a tin of proofhide. I coated the botteom with goo and did the top as well. I buffed out the top then did two more coats. I'll mount it tomorrow and go for a ride. How many coats of proofhide should I do before riding?

Make sure that you wear black shorts.

Hmmm...perhaps that's why I abandoned my Bricks saddle. I put the Proofhide on my butt instead of the saddle...my bad. ;)

And, now a serious question...when you park a bike with a Brooks saddle in the sun, do you ever get butt burns from those copper rivets heating up? I'm assuming this is not a problem in England, where the Brooks was developed, but out here in the western US the sun gets pretty intense. And, copper is known to be a very efficient heat conductor.
Good question for you to be asking. I used to live in Redding (early '80's) and one day it was officially 116 degrees!! Here in Spokane it can get pretty hot too (not as hot as Redding however), and I've not noticed any heat coming from the rivets when I remount after a rest stop.

I have 25 miles on the Brooks now. During the ride, it doesn't seem bad at all. I was wondering what everyone was talking about regarding a break in period. I had suspected that maybe there is a "Clydesdale factor" that if a rider carries extra mass, the break in was non existent.
The trouble is coming later. I am stiff as a rail for several hours after riding. As I have a history of back troubles, this is not a good thing. I am hoping that this disappears as the brake in period progresses.

I have 25 miles on the Brooks now. During the ride, it doesn't seem bad at all. I was wondering what everyone was talking about regarding a break in period. I had suspected that maybe there is a "Clydesdale factor" that if a rider carries extra mass, the break in was non existent.
The trouble is coming later. I am stiff as a rail for several hours after riding. As I have a history of back troubles, this is not a good thing. I am hoping that this disappears as the brake in period progresses.

I put about 30 miles on my new B-17 yesterday, the first ride I've done with the new saddle. I'm also wondering where the "saddle from hell" stories are coming from. It was definately stiffer, and a bit slippery but nothing impossible at all. I'm 5'9 and weigh about 158.

Interesting note: if I'm not in the right high gear, I notice that I bounce more on this saddle, not translating the stroke into power. I never had that experience on the OEM seat so it likely absorbed it. Once I shift, that goes away. This will probably make me a more efficient rider.

Sheldon

50 miles on the Brooks now. I am not experiencing the post ride stiffness anymore. I pushed my thumb into the seat and saw a deflection of about 3/8".
When it is fully broken in, how much deflection should the saddle have? I did not purchase the wrench so, if the deflection is too great, I may have to order one.

Your Brooks will soon develop two indents where your sitbones rest when riding. The deflection you get when pressing your thumb has little to do with the sag of the saddle. You most likely won't need to tension the saddle for several thousand miles, but you should have one of the spanners in your toolkit. Makes the job much easier.

Your Brooks will soon develop two indents where your sitbones rest when riding. The deflection you get when pressing your thumb has little to do with the sag of the saddle. You most likely won't need to tension the saddle for several thousand miles, but you should have one of the spanners in your toolkit. Makes the job much easier.

I don't know...having the spanner available adds temptation. And over tightening the saddle is about the only Way you can wreck it. I'm a clydesdale and it took about 7,000 miles to require a 1/4 turn.

My advice (& $1.35 at McDonald's will buy you a cup of lukewarm coffee)...is when you think the seat needs tightening, take it to the LBS and let them talk you out of it.

My advice (& $1.35 at McDonald's will buy you a cup of lukewarm coffee)...is when you think the seat needs tightening, take it to the LBS and let them talk you out of it.

Very good advice about not tightening. But the only problem I see with taking it to the LBS is that chances are they've never seen a Brooks saddle before.

http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/saddles_accessories/11007.html

the place for good advice i'm bettin'.

http://rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/saddles_accessories/11014.html