chico1st

Hi there, there are 2 hurdles stopping me from getting a brooks saddle.

1) I ride regardless of how hard its raining.
Would a brooks saddle break down if it keeps getting wet?

2) How do you keep you saddle from being stolen?
I leave my bike all over the place, often in sketchy places, how do you keep your saddle on your bike and out of bad peoples hands?

TimeTravel_0

1) proofide. plastic bag cover when locking up in the rain. fenders help, as well. milk jug plastic cut the exact dimensions of underneath saddle. water doesnt "hurt" the saddles -- it may make them age faster if they're continuously wet.

2) cable. chain loop through seat stays/saddle rails. aluminum foil + a small drop of superglue in the seat post bolt heads. keep saddle covered when locking up.

take your pick of these options.

furballi

Look for a can of glove conditioner wax paste at the local sporting goods. Cost is around $4. It's bee wax or equivalent mixed with vitamin E and lanolin. Some may also contain a little oil. I've used baseball glove oil since 1987 without any ill effect.

Quickest way to break in a saddle is to sweet like crazy...water, salt, and oil. Let the saddle dry overnight. You can stretch the leather by soaking it in water, then sit on it for an extended period of time. Personally, I don't ride in the rain because water is bad for the hubs, bottom bracket, head set, and many other metal components on the bike.

BarracksSi

1) A layer of Proofide will help keep water from soaking in. Don't use any more than Brooks recommends -- they know their saddles better than you do. A plastic bag or rain cover won't hurt, either.

2) Cable, or chain, or whatever. Thieves will take anything, though, so don't expect them to pay special attention to your special saddle.

jbabic

Be sure your new Brooks is secured with a good old pinch bolt instead of a quick release clamp.

And use a cover.

furballi

Proofide DOES NOT prevent water from soaking in. Want proof? Apply Proofide liberally to the back of the saddle. Let it soak overnight. Put a drop of water on the leather and see the magic. Proofide is bee wax and various oil additives. There is nothing special about Brooks leather. The marketing department wants you to believe there is magic in owning a Brooks...that's the only way to convince people to fork over +$300 for a saddle.

The reason why the Chinese are not mass-producing Brooks knock-offs is because the average cyclist doesn't want to take the time to break in the leather saddle. Too little demand, plus real leather will always cost more than imitation leather.

irclean

Pitlock Skewers for the seat post (might as well protect your wheels while you're at it) and Bryce Fasteners for everything else. Nothing will stop every thief but these could slow them down enough that they'd move on.

For protecting your saddle from the rain nothing beats the protection per dollar ratio of dollar-store showercaps.

BarracksSi

About breaking it in --

Don't soak it in oil or cake it with wax. Hell, if it's comfortable enough already, don't even add anything.

There's a recent thread around here from someone who destroyed his new Brooks by soaking it. The poor thing looked like a tree landed on it.

BTW -- I didn't pay three hundred bucks for my B17.

CliftonGK1

1) Get a waterproof cover. Plastic grocery sack if you want to go the cheapest route, but listening to that or a shower cap wrinkle for a few hours would drive me crazy. I use a Velox cover from Wallingford Bicycle. Less than $10 and it's lasted me 4 years so far. I've put in 11 hour days in pouring rain without any problems.

2) Pitlocks or soldering the allen bolt hole on the clamp bolt. Superglue a ball bearing in the hole. All of these are OK but ignore the fact that if a thief has 1 wrench, they're likely to have more and can just take the saddle off at the clamp and leave your post there. Run a length of old bike chain through a skinny innertube and use that to fasten through the seat rails and around the seatstays. It's still not perfect, but it's one more layer of protection.

Kimmitt 

Security is kind of a general thing; where are you parking that you're worried about theft in broad daylight? And, if you're parking an expensive and easily stolen item out all night . . . why?

SlowRoller

1. Shower cap and sometimes an added plastic bag layer (if parked in the rain).
2. Part of my locking setup is to run a cable through the saddle rails and loop it to one of the u-locks on my frame.

cradduck

1. Proofride. Never had a problem with a Brooks saddle when using that stuff. But I only use it on the underside of the saddle and put liberal amounts on it. It isn't perfect and I don't think it would do well for constant downpours...mainly puddle splatter I think. Then again, I use the grocery bag option when it is really coming down just as an extra measure and have had zero issues.

2. Same grocery bag over the seat (I like the dingy brownish ones from Ralph's) can deter theft. Bike thief might not give a second look at your saddle if it looks like the same thing the homeless guy up the street is using to cover his saddle and carry around empty bottles of liquor.

robatsu

Fenders are the best underside waterproofing. Topside, my fave is Carradice rain cover, fits like a glove, ya don't even know it is there, don't know if they are still sold. Getting your leather saddle drenched (I mean saturated) during a downpour, whether from wheel wash or runoff between your legs, and continuing your ride is one of the better ways to ruin a Brooks, turning it into the proverbial butt hatchet.

Proofide offers limited waterproofing, can save you during a drizzle, but is overwhelmed by 10-20 miles in a downpour, in my experience. YMMV.

stringbreaker

Ive been riding in the rain seems like nearly everyday this spring and with your butt on the saddle it stays dry. I Rode all day last year in the rain on a day trip and it barely got wet. I dabbed the underside to remove excess water and it dried out overnight and the next day you could never tell it had been wet. I gave it a coating of proofide when we got home and its none the worse for wear. Heck the old cowboys never did anything to their horse saddles and they held up just fine. As others have said if you have to park the bike in the rain then get a showercap or plastic bag to wrap it in. Brooks saddles are tough just use a bit of common sense and it will be fine

CliftonGK1

Don't be so sure. Neatsfoot oil has been used as a leather conditioner since the 18th century.

elcraft

I got a Serfas waterproof cover, which effectively camouflages the Brooks. I dispenced with the quick release on the binder bolt immediately and have tried the "glued-in-ball-bearing" trick- so far, so good!

azesty

I am getting ready to do some touring, and bought a Brooks B17 some 1200km ago. I have also been reading through some of the blogs on crazyguyonabike.com If rain was as much of a problem as some here are saying, I dont think a Brooks would make a good touring cycle. Some of these guy are riding for 6 - 8 hours a day, day after day, in the rain. They dont seem to be having problems with the wet.

I have given mine a number of Proofhide treatments, lots underneath, and frequent layers on top. Water does still soak in a little, but does also pool on the surface.

z

I-Like-To-Bike

So what? Leather bicycle seats are not baseball gloves.

I'm sure. I have been using Brooks Saddles for close to 40 years and never treated them, even once, with anything. I cover them with a plastic bag when left outdoors during rain storms or overnight, period. No problems. No "worn out" or stretched leather. No fuss, no muss.

CliftonGK1

And neither one is a horse saddle, which is what my Neatsfoot oil comment was about. That's why I bolded the particular statement in the quoted comment.

stringbreaker

Why is it named neatsfoot oil? I've never even seen a neatsfoot in the wild.

c.miller64

If it's in your budget ($179 US), take a look at the Selle An-Atomica Watershed. Also leather with no break-in period, waterproof, and IMHO the most comfortable saddle made.

atcfoody

Proofhide and a rain cover, like others have said, does wonders when there are fenders on the bike.

As for security (and not being sarcastic), how many people really know what a Brooks saddle is? Most folks who know what one is either have one, or know that they don't work for them. I have a B-17 on both of my bikes, and most of the time, no one even notices them. It's just a black saddle on a bike that doesn't have any suspension.

Just my $0.02

D

p.s. I paid about $85ish for both of mine, and I bought them in the past two years from the LBS.

SlimAgainSoon

Per Wiki ....

"Neatsfoot oil is a yellow oil rendered and purified from the shin bones and feet (but not the hooves) of cattle. "Neat" in the oil's name comes from an old name for cattle."

BILLB58

21,515 miles on my B17....commuting, in the rain, in the heat, whatever....have never treated it with anything, still looks like new.

BassNotBass

Usually I get suggestions from many different people, including seasoned cyclists, to get rid of my old saddle and replace it with something more modern and comfy. I think that for the most part, Brooks saddles are viewed as antiquated bicycle accessories not worth a damn. I got a very vintage B17 in excellent condition for free from someone who replaced it with a Planet Bike Comfort Tractor because he felt it was a better 'seat'.