Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Reshaping an Old Beat-up Brooks Saddle Bag?

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Reshaping an Old Beat-up Brooks Saddle Bag?

Old 02-19-11, 07:45 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
lemondirgopie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Southern CA
Posts: 71

Bikes: 1970 Raleigh Ladies Sports & 1987 Schwinn Voyageur

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Reshaping an Old Beat-up Brooks Saddle Bag?

Hi! Just became the proud owner of a '69 Raleigh Ladies Sport, bought off of Ebay. It came with a large-ish black leather saddle bag (cloth-lined), that I assume is Brooks, though I could be wrong.
Right now it isn't in the best shape to hold things. It isn't particularly cracked (besides the straps, which have seen better days), it just can't hold its shape. I'm afraid that if I kept anything in it I would loose everything I put in. Despite this it is a pretty bag and I would love to use it rather than buying something new.

My question is: Is there any way to reshape this leather bag? Would leather conditioner help, or would that just make it worse? Any ideas?
lemondirgopie is offline  
Old 02-19-11, 09:01 PM
  #2  
Freewheel Medic
 
pastorbobnlnh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: An Island on the Coast of GA!
Posts: 12,878

Bikes: Snazzy* Schwinns, Classy Cannondales & a Super Pro Aero Lotus (* Ed.)

Mentioned: 140 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1448 Post(s)
Liked 2,177 Times in 957 Posts
Stuff it with balled up news paper. If you are worried about ink being transferred to the cloth lining, use the plastic bags you get at the grocery to put the paper in ahead of time. Then use conditioner on the leather, but before doing so, post some pictures so we can see what you are up against.

Welcome to C&V. Also post pictures of the bike!
__________________
Bob
Enjoying the GA coast all year long!

Thanks for visiting my website: www.freewheelspa.com





pastorbobnlnh is offline  
Old 02-19-11, 09:03 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
randyjawa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,672

Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma

Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,743 Times in 934 Posts
I have used old plastic jug containers to reinforce old vinyl saddle bags. Cut what will fit around, and shape it with the use of a hair dryer. Make ends, that overlap underneath the piece that goes around, and that should help your bag keep its shape.

I have only done this once but the results seemed to work pretty well. I still have another saddle bag with just the jug cut and left round. I had to make the liner because I, somehow, lost the original one...
__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
randyjawa is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 09:08 AM
  #4  
Fred-ish
 
rogerstg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 1,800
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Flexible plastic cutting boards (mats?) from the dollar store make pretty good bag stiffeners.
rogerstg is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 09:21 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Chicago Al's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chicago, the leafy NW side
Posts: 2,656

Bikes: 1974 Motobecane Grand Record, 1987 Miyata Pro, 1988 Bob Jackson Lady Mixte (wife's), others in the family

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 125 Post(s)
Liked 150 Times in 74 Posts
Are you sure it's leather? I only ask because I picked up a '69 Ladies Sports last summer from a garage sale, original owner, and it had Brooks B-72 and Brooks bag, but the bag was vinyl. The bags had been leather for many years but somewhere in there they substituted vinyl...then of course they switched out the B-72 for a 'Brooks' vinyl mattress saddle.

Congratulations on the bike, by the way! You will get lots of friendly advice on care and feeding of it here, if needed. Though the focus of this forum tends to be vintage lightweight bikes, Raleigh Sports and their kin are rightly regarded as classics.

Here's ours:
__________________
I never think I have hit hard, unless it rebounds.

- Dr Samuel Johnson

Last edited by Chicago Al; 02-20-11 at 11:15 PM. Reason: oops, fixed where I had written 'leather' meaning vinyl...what a maroon!
Chicago Al is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 11:29 AM
  #6  
Phyllo-buster
 
clubman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 8,829

Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic

Mentioned: 133 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2287 Post(s)
Liked 2,028 Times in 1,244 Posts
Look up saddle bag supports as well. These allow you to carry some weight without tearing off the straps.
clubman is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 12:19 PM
  #7  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
I'm with Chicago Al, in suspecting the bag is really a leatherette vinyl. Make sure there's a piece of steel rod in the top, where the leather straps attach; if the rod is missing, you can use a 1/2" wood dowel instead. Then cut a piece of coroplast to the correct width (about 8"?) and put a few creases in it to match the corners, and pop that in there; it should reinforce the top/back/bottom from the rod/dowel at the top to just below the opening. T
rhm is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 01:50 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
lemondirgopie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Southern CA
Posts: 71

Bikes: 1970 Raleigh Ladies Sports & 1987 Schwinn Voyageur

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
It probably is vinyl, the leather was a total guess.
Here are some pictures of the bag:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armyoftwo/5461947889/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armyoftwo/5461948925/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armyoftwo/5462551104/

The art mat is a good idea (though I'm guessing it would be hard to cut for a girl that only owns a weak Xacto knife). Should I condition it still? Or will that make it weak?

Oh, and Chicago Al, the bike looks great! I just ordered a cheap pair of gum wall tires, but plan to eventually upgrade to those pretty creme Schwalbes.

Also, luckily the steel rod is still in place in the back. But thanks for the instructions anyway, I will keep that in mind.

Last edited by lemondirgopie; 02-20-11 at 01:54 PM.
lemondirgopie is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 07:58 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
gbalke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: West of St. Louis
Posts: 864

Bikes: (3) 1970's Raleigh Sports, (1) 1968 Robin Hood 3 speed, 1974 Raleigh Grand Prix, 1976 Raleigh Grand Prix, 1969 Peugeot UO-18, 1971 Peugeot UO-08, 1980 Giant road bike, 1954 Humber, 1940ish Hercules Popular, 1963 Dunelt, 2007 Trek 3700 mountain bike

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Based on your photos, your saddle bag is vinyl, and appears to be in pretty good shape. I would just follow some of the suggestions to use crumbled up newspaper to reshape it. I would also suggest that you look into buying a Pletscher rear rack that was common to the Raleigh Sports. The rack will support your saddle bag and what ever you carry in it. Here's a link to show you what they look like: https://harriscyclery.net/product/ple...ilver-3064.htm
gbalke is offline  
Old 02-20-11, 07:58 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
3speedslow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Jacksonville, NC
Posts: 9,339

Bikes: A few

Mentioned: 117 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1937 Post(s)
Liked 1,043 Times in 627 Posts
Treat the straps, you don't want them to fail on ya'. Is the saddle leather ? There is a Brooks product called proofide that works great, although there are many who have used other leather care products.

You should enjoy that Raleigh, my wife ditched her modern Trek hybrid when I walked through the door with a mint 72 blue Raleigh. It's the only bike she will ride.

Agreed on the advice, if you need any , ask ! Welcome !
3speedslow is offline  
Old 02-21-11, 12:32 PM
  #11  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by lemondirgopie
Also, luckily the steel rod is still in place in the back. But thanks for the instructions anyway, I will keep that in mind.
Good, I figured the rod was still there; they don't usually get lost. Do the coroplast (or other fairly rigid plastic card) thing anyway.
rhm is offline  
Old 02-21-11, 02:00 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
lemondirgopie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Southern CA
Posts: 71

Bikes: 1970 Raleigh Ladies Sports & 1987 Schwinn Voyageur

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Ok I'll definitely start looking around for some coroplast, and fill it with some newspaper in the mean time.

Otherwise, I've been treating the saddle with some Bickmore Bick 4 leather conditioner that I picked up at a local leather/western shop. It seems to be working very well and the saddle looks a lot better, and once I use up the bottle I plan on getting some Proofide. I also plan on lacing the sides once I find a leather hole punch.
I've also been putting some cheap motor oil in the gear hub. It has helped immensely -- I can now actually shift the gears!


I was just saying to my boyfriend yesterday how nice and helpful everyone has been on here. Thanks for all the help and great advice!! Seems like a great online biking community.
lemondirgopie is offline  
Old 02-21-11, 02:27 PM
  #13  
Rustbelt Rider
 
mkeller234's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Canton, OH
Posts: 9,126

Bikes: 1990 Trek 1420 - 1978 Raleigh Professional - 1973 Schwinn Collegiate - 1974 Schwinn Suburban

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 370 Times in 176 Posts
Originally Posted by lemondirgopie
I was just saying to my boyfriend yesterday how nice and helpful everyone has been on here. Thanks for all the help and great advice!! Seems like a great online biking community.
Yeah, the people here are the biggest reason I stay.

There have been a lot of good suggestions here. I strongly agree with the comments about getting a bag support. Like gbalke mentioned, the pletscher style racks will do the job and you can buy a pyramid branded version for about 13 dollars. I think the Carradice bagmans look a little nicer but they cost more too.
__________________
|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| ||
|......GO.BROWNS........| ||'|";, ___.
|_..._..._______===|=||_|__|..., ] -
"(@)'(@)"""''"**|(@)(@)*****''(@)
mkeller234 is offline  
Old 02-21-11, 03:02 PM
  #14  
You gonna eat that?
 
Doohickie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Fort Worth, Texas Church of Hopeful Uncertainty
Posts: 14,723

Bikes: 1966 Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, 1973 Schwinn Varsity, 1983 Raleigh Marathon, 1994 Nishiki Sport XRS

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 164 Post(s)
Liked 67 Times in 44 Posts
Originally Posted by lemondirgopie
a large-ish black leather saddle bag (cloth-lined), that I assume is Brooks, though I could be wrong.
Leather saddle bag, cloth-lined? That's vinyl, not leather. And it's not Brooks either, but it was pretty standard on Raleigh bikes of the era. Other than that... good suggestions in the thread.

EDIT: After looking at the picutres, yeah, it's vinyl I think. You should be able to get the shape back with the suggestions in the thread.
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.


Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
Doohickie is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
wintermute
Classic & Vintage
5
06-08-15 03:50 PM
Mike from Iowa
Classic & Vintage
10
04-12-14 06:23 AM
Bandera
Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling
3
04-20-13 03:44 PM
cs1
Classic & Vintage
35
09-23-11 08:12 AM
neocaligatio
Classic & Vintage
18
06-30-11 11:10 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.