Commuting - Rivet on Brooks B17 Prods Me

I have searched for this but not found much so whatever experiences you may have are greatly appreciated. I have a Brooks B17 saddle, my first one, with about 1700 miles on it that I purchased in April 2008. I put Proofide on it a few times during the break in process but not since then and I have never tensioned it. Otherwise, it is very well maintained and only has to deal with the posterior of a 190 lb male a few times a week on my 22 mile roundtrip commute.

During the summer I ride in bike shorts. When it is colder I ride in wind breaker type pants without padding. Although I noticed it a few times in the summer, I notice every time I ride now that a rivet on the right side of the saddle pokes into me when I ride. It’s noticeable but not really painful and if I’m sitting on a slightly different location I may not even feel it at all. It is not just when I go over a bump but a constant jabbing.

I also notice that the rivet in question sticks out a little more when I rub my fingers across it compared with the other rivets which are more flush with the leather.

So my questions for the Brooks gurus: can you use some tool (pliers, rubber mallet, etc.) to move the rivet one way or another? It seems like pushing the rivet down ever so slightly so that it is more flush with the leather might help.

Alternatively, would tensioning the saddle a quarter turn help? I’ve read about how the Brooks saddle flattens or pancakes when weight is on it and just pressing on it hard with my fist reveals this as well to some extent; however, I’m not sure if this flattening is normal or not since I’m not all that experienced with Brooks.

Cross Posted on General Cycling.

I would contact brooks directy, i forgot their username, but brooks does have a rep. on this site. they are always very good about taking care of stuff like this, theres not really much you could do yourself. tensioning the saddle is likely not the issue. ive had brooks for years that have never needed tensioning even with heavy riding

wack it with a hammer.

wallbike sells brooks rivets - apparently there's a way to replace them.

http://www.wallbike.com/accessories/rivets.html

If it's a 17 Standard, then the rivets are steel. It's possible to peen them even if they are steel. It's fairly common with the large copper rivets,which are hand peened from Brooks. Riding as much as you do, you've simply found a peculiar spot that your particular shape seems to favor - and it happens to be on a rivet.

Get a medium flat punch/driver and a ball peen hammer with bit of heft. Clamp the driver in a good vice, pointing up. Center the underside of the offending rivet on the punch tip. Make sure the tip is large enough to completely cover the backside of the rivet. Then, start peening the edges of the rivet down into the leather a bit. Just enough to form a little slope. That should solve the problem.

I don't know that I'd be inclined to beat on it. Have you considered taking a file to the area that's bugging you? You can go buy a file at the hardware store for a few dollars and use it to blend the rivet into the contour of the saddle.

Later,
HB

I don't know that I'd be inclined to beat on it. Have you considered taking a file to the area that's bugging you? You can go buy a file at the hardware store for a few dollars and use it to blend the rivet into the contour of the saddle.

Later,
HB
I don't know if filing on the rivet would be such a good idea either. The head of the rivet is relatively thin and it would be easy to file through leaving a hole which would really cause problems, as well as scuffing the leather. I think a little gentle peening would work best.

Definitely do NOT use a file. Follow JCM's advice, peen it gently with a hammer and you will be good to go. It's not rocket science.

Definitely peen rather than file.

Rivets are originally installed using peening (although the steel ones are probably typically done by a machine at Brooks rather than by hand as you'll be doing). Being as it's steel you have less to worry about damaging it, steel takes a lot more force than copper, although it isn't a high-impact operation anyway.

If you aren't familiar with the peening process, it's basically "Hitting lightly with a round hammer to shape the metal." You can use a regular hammer in a pinch if you have to, but this is what the round end of a ball peen hammer (if you have one) is meant for. The leather around the rivet is flexible so if you miss a few times it shouldn't hurt anything (unlike if you were riveting two pieces of metal together). Since you're trying to actually shape the rivet head a little, you need it resting on something solid (that's why JCM suggested a large flat punch (or other tool, you might be able to use another hammer) clamped in a vice to put behind the rivet. The idea is just that you want something to hammer against.

And remember, peening is hammering lightly, not like driving a nail. It's the repeated hitting that shapes the rivet, not a single hard blow. You can start really lightly and if you aren't making progress, increase the force some.

I'm not a Brooks expert, but for what it's worth; I used to have a peening problem, then after a hard night of hammering, it was all better!

Thanks for the excellent answers! There is a very well regarded leather repair store near me that is definitely more used to seeing jackets, boots, etc. but I may ask them if they could lend me a hand on the peening since I know they are highly regarded and have done other things for me in the past.

If you have a saddler's shop in your area that works on horse tack and harness, they would be able to do it, possibly while you wait.

Thank you, Eggplant Jeff, for your excellent clarification.

If you have a saddler's shop in your area that works on horse tack and harness, they would be able to do it, possibly while you wait.

Oh, good idea. When I moved here I wasn't aware of the equestrian scene, then I later went to a polo game in nearby NoVA with some friends. There's certainly some support here for leather work.

I've seen a Brooks B-17 that the owner peened all the rivets to actually improve the original peening. Looked great.

No files allowed!

I'm not a Brooks expert, but for what it's worth; I used to have a peening problem, then after a hard night of hammering, it was all better!

first lol of the day!
thank you :)

I had the same problem and whacked the rivet with a hammer a few times. Problem solved.