Titmawz

Do any of you guys ride a leather saddle on your road bike ??? I just got mine today and I am pretty stoked. Was wishing for a ride but the weather went down the drain with rain so I gotta wait haha. When it comes to applying proofide how long do you take in between each "service" ? More tips would be appreciated BTW I am gonna break it in by riding not soaking.

nixternal

My dad has a Selle An-Atomica which he absolutely loves. He is a leather crafter as well, so he has all of the tips and tricks to maintain the leather. He is actually looking at replacing the leather now on the saddle with the same type of leather, just tooled with designs. I think he might be on to something there

Carbon Unit

Some of the Selle An-Atomica saddles have water proof leather. The founder of the company was a friend but died about this time last year.

I have an SMP saddle which is leather.

surgeonstone

I have ridden an assortment of leather saddles, nearly all Brooks, and love them. Smart move not to soak them.

Siu Blue Wind

After initial application I believe you do it again after 6 months and then yearly after that.

nixternal

When the founder died was the same exact week my dad purchased his saddle. Water-resistant is a better term for the saddle, as any leather worker will tell you, it is darn near impossible to get them waterproof, but the type of hide they use for these saddles don't get bad if they get a little wet. Kind of like a good pair of cowboy boots At first I figured it would look like crap perched up on a nice road bike, but I was actually impressed with the overall look. It looked great to be honest.

Northwestrider

I've been considering a brooks saddle for a new LHT that I should have in a couple of months, but unsure of the model. B17 with or without cutout, or the sprung B67 which might be a bit too wide for comfortable touring. So to answer your question, not yet ... What model did you pick up?

mazdaspeed

I just got a brooks team pro and I can't believe how comfortable it is. I also can't believe people say they're hard before you break them in. I haven't put proofide on mine yet, I might worry about it after a year of riding or so.

Carbon Unit

I rode one for a couple of years and still have it in my garage. It is a nice saddle. My first 30 mile plus ride I did with the guy that owned the company. He pulled up behind me and said I see something wrong with your saddle stand up for a minute. I did and wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. He took a pocket knife and enlarged the opening that run down in the middle of the saddle and he didn't do a great job of it. Tom didn't care much for aesthetics. Function was all counted to him.

nixternal

That's awesome. I would have been like, "HEY! THAT'S MY SADDLE DUDE! WTF YOU DOING?!?!"

Titmawz

Its not a Brooks but it is just like the B17 but I did get the Brooks proofide

socalrider

Make sure you at least proofide the underside of the saddle..

Carbon Unit

Yeah, your right. I should have been pissed but I let it slide. I can clean it up with a razor blade but since I have changed the saddle, I will wait until I build another bike and put that saddle on it.

Titmawz

I just finished applying proofide to the under side of the saddle =)

Siu Blue Wind

I'm guessing mine is the updated version of yours!

KoYak

Oh yes...Brooks B17 Imperial on my two road bikes and B17 standard on my folder. Wouldn't ride with anything else.

jamesdak 

I've got 2 different Brooks saddles, one beautiful honey and copper B17 Special and a standard black B17 Imperial. The special is a bit more comfortable and seems to be made of a thinner leather that has formed better to my butt. I keep trying other modern saddles but always seem to wind back up on the Brooks.

I use proofhide on mine and keep them covered when it's more than a moderate drizzle.

Machka 

I've been riding a Brooks B17 since 2004, and I currently own 3 of them. My favourite of the 3 is a green B17 with titanium rails which has just recently broken in after about 2000 km.

As for proofide ... once a year is good enough. I still have my original tin and it hardly looks used.

Carbon Unit

Yes, that is very similar to my Selle Anatomica. I think the Selle Anatomica now has a larger cut out than the older models. A great saddle, yours will probably last decades if not longer.

albireo13

I'm considering a Brooks saddle to replace the stock saddle on my Felt F75X. How do you pick the model saddle? I am thinking the B-17 style but there are different versions.
Is it just trial and error?

Titmawz

Get the right specs on it and compare to the one you already have. First ride is gonna be pretty brutal =P

Woodwind314

Last year I bought a Brooks swallow for my 1990 Pinarello, after being very satisfied with a B17 on my Basso.

I'm not too happy with the Swallow. It simply lacks the strength of the longer/deeper side sections, so it has a tendency to droop in the middle, regardless how much you tighten it. (Already used half of the tightening bolt!) I definitely would not buy it again, although it sure does look stylish.

When riding for long periods in the rain, it's a total disaster. Sags like a banana.

I got used to it, and a return is/was not possible anyhow....but still, not to be recommended.

I'll try tying it pretty soon, maybe that will reduce sag.

531phile 

You are not suppose to do this without a weatherproof cover. That's why it is sagging. Tying may help a bit, but I bet that thing is toast.

Woodwind314

Well, the problem is not water from the top, but from underneath. The swallow is sold as a *road bike* saddle, so they must know that those bikes are ridden w/o fenders. And yes, I did proofhide it from underneath, too. And, no, I didn't tighten it while it was still wet.

But anyhow, the tendency to sag was there long before I had that 300 km rain ride (a sort of marathon time trial).

IMHO that saddle simply is a flawed construction. Without the stiff sideflaps of *all* other brooks saddles, it is physically impossible for that saddle to bear the riders weight without sag.

I spoke to a Brooks technician. He was clearly unhappy with the swallow as such, and admitted that they had quite a few customers with similar complaints as myself. He said that "the swallow is the most flexible of all Brooks saddles" - well, the only way it can be flexible is through sag/droop.

My B17, although ridden no different, only tightened once (a bit!) does not show these problems at all. It's not me, it's the saddle.

DocJ

I've had my Selle Anatomica for a couple years and I love it. I tend to ride more on my perineum and I tried numerous (sexier) saddles for years, but this one is doing it for me. Sure, it doesn't scream "racer," or weigh next to nothing, but what the hell... I'm getting old and its good to me. I did wind up tying a small lace in the middle at the bottom because the sides had a tendency to flare slightly and rub.