MichaelDR

Cycling newbie here.

So my brand new Brooks B17 came in the mail today. I noticed there was a small crack in the leather. Should I return it in exchange for another one; or can I work through it with some Proofhide?

I don't mind the crack, I just want to know if it will eventually start spreading and start peeling with use, or if I can go ahead and use the saddle "as is".

Sirrus Rider

How deep is it??

cny-bikeman

The leather is too new to be cracked - that looks like a small cut/scrape to me. Should you return it...will it get worse? Well, only you can balance the various factors - time, effort, inconvenience, shipping costs if any, annoyance factor, appearance, etc. It will shoiw quite a bit once treated with Proofhide and ridden some, but is very unlikely to cause any functional issues.

MichaelDR

Not deep at all. It's just a surface crack, or flake.

MichaelDR

I don't mind the appearance. I just want to make sure the saddle still remains functional after I ride it. Do you think I should Proofide it before or after riding?

tru

if you ride enough, eventually scratches like that happen. I wouldnt worry about it.

davidad

They are expensive. If it were me I would get the dealer to replace it.

tru

it's not like it's defective or broken.

looks like a thumbnail scratch or a scratch from shipping/handling. no big deal. my leather saddle of 5 years has all types of little scratches and road rash. it happens.

HillRider

Leather is a natural material and cattle are subject to scratches, cuts and other injuries that will heal while they are still alive but often leave a scar or other mark in the leather. That's what this looks like to me.

I used to do leather work and Tandy Leather (a big supplier of leather and leather working tools) always had a disclaimer in their catalog saying that this kind of minor mark and "defect" was to be expected.

jimc101

What has the shop you got it from said? they are the people to be asking about when you have a new defective item.

Michael Angelo 

I wouldn't sweat it, most all of my Brooks saddles have a mark or two.

Sirrus Rider

This Thread is all good info. As long as the crack is not all the way through it just a "Character" mark. You can take it back for one more "perfect" but all saddles are going to pick up marks.

neurocop

It is just a surface scratch, and your saddle will accumulate many of them with use. For all I know the cow it came from may have rubbed it's hide on a bit of barbed wire before it was made into a B-17...Won't affect saddle function, and unless you are like the princess who couldn't stand a pea under her mattress, your rear end won't feel it at all... However, I understand your concern that it ain't cosmetically perfect. You could return it for a "perfect" one, but I'd just suck it up and ride. It's kind of like buying a new car...after the first parking lot door ding you learn to let go and enjoy life.

BCRider

I know it's only a small scratch but it would bug the blazes out of me. Brooks saddles cost enough that they should shine like a new penny when new and not a new penny with a ding on the edge either. Granted the scratch won't cause any sort of failure but it would still bother me. And it's just possible that since it's in the spot right where your heinie will sit and rub there's a very slight chance that the pressure and rubbing will roll the edges of that scratch up and form a spot you can feel.

So all in all I'd be inclined to return it. Besides, although leather is a natural product the cutters at Brooks are normally skilled at avoiding flaws of this sort. We pay a lot of our hard earned coin for a Brooks and I don't think it's unreasonable for the saddle to be perfect when it comes out of the box.

fietsbob

I bet your skin is not flawless either.. same thing..

I have a nick in the top of my Brooks that was put there
when the bike fell over 30 years ago ,
I was upset then, it has smoothed itself over by now, as I continued riding on it.

The machine set nickeled brass rivets suggest it is not their top line saddle.
those get the hand set, and planished smooth copper rivets, and the skived skirt.

perhaps even a more select hide..

larry_llama

Great looking saddle.. just ride it!

billnuke1 

Give it a shot. The seat should not come damaged. Any damage should be done by you! Your own story! That scratch will get bigger everytime you go to ride your bike! The further you get from sending it back and when you should have sent it back the more you are going to kick yourself for not doing it! Rectifying this is so simple! Exchange it!

NCbiker

While it probably won't ever be a structural problem, it is something that was missed by Brooks QC or was damaged in handling. I would certainly expect a new saddle as expensive as a Brooks to be delivered without any cosmetic flaws. Get it replaced and get what you paid for.

cbchess

leave it and ride. looks like a scratch the cow picked up out in the fields. very minor

phughes

Brooks QC didn't miss anything, basically any leather product will say the same thing, a natural product like leather, will have flaws. It is no big deal. Proofhide it before riding, then ride. Enjoy it once it is broken in.

NCbiker

Here's what Brooks used to say about leather blemishes, If the above saddle is Brooks quality, they are certainly not the company they used to be:
For Brooks Saddles only the "Butt" of a hide is employed : this, as will be seen from the illustration, is only the middle portion of the whole hide, and commands a much higher price. It is only by the use of such material, however, that the quality of Brooks Saddles can be maintained, and the experience of many thousands of cyclists confirms the value of this wise precaution. Saddles cut from butts, grease dressed during manufacture, are practically waterproof, yet capable of "breathing" in a healthy manner ; this means that a Brooks Saddle never becomes "clammy" and is always cool to the rider, thereby considerably conducting comfort on a long journey, especially in hot weather. In the cutting of the butts into saddle blanks, the avoidance of warble marks (caused by an insect that attacks the animal in life), barbed wire scratches and other blemishes in otherwise perfect hides, naturally involves waste and a comparative increase in production cost. The user, however, has the assurance that the extra cost is reasonable in that it guarantees the use of unblemished material in the saddle of his selection. Cheaper saddles cannot afford Brooks quality leather, and it is in the rider's interest that Brooks Saddles are clearly marked on both flaps and at the rear with the name BROOKS.

bobn

Why don't you see if your vendor will discount it because of the flaw? If you want to "live with it" they maybe wiiling to make an allowance.
A company like Brooks would use the best hides available. Considering their prices, I don't believe they would let that defect leave the factory.
It probably only takes about 1 square foot of leather to make a saddle. Surely they would use only the best. The flawed stuff would be used for something else.
Would any one of you walk into a store, look that saddle over and pay full price? I doubt it. The cosmetic flaw would turn you off.
I wouldn't pay full price for that saddle any more than I would accept a new car with scratches.
Just my opinion.

BikeWise1

First, given they last so long, Brooks saddles like the B17 are not expensive. Quite the contrary.

Second, leather is the skin of a big, dumb animal, so absolute perfection is not going to happen.

Third, the leather used is tough, tough stuff. I, personally, would not hesitate to put this saddle into use.

Fourth, it's YOUR saddle and YOUR decision. If it's gonna drive you Bat-poop-crazy, then send it back for an exchange. If not, then rock it. I've sold Brooks for decades. That saddle isn't going to just rip apart.

Good luck and enjoy your Brooks.

NCbiker

To the OP,

Since quite a few in the forum seemed to think it was reasonable to expect flaws in a new brooks saddle, I emailed the pictures to Brooks and asked their opinion. Here is their response:


Cuts made by tools and visible defects in the leather will not pass our quality control. Sometimes there might be a slight crease in the leather that won’t show up for a few days as the leather stretches after it has been sprung up (the last stage on the production process that puts tension across the leather top), and these may be able to get through our quality control. In these cases, they are covered by the Brooks Warranty and your bike shop should be able to make arrangements with our distributor to provide you with a new saddle.

Best regards,
Alice Greening

Brooks England Ltd
Downing Street
SMETHWICK
B66 2PA

BikeWise1

The real question for me is why that would not have been the first thing you did, rather than posting it on a forum where you are guaranteed to receive conflicting opinions.....