coyotecrust

is the pre-aged b17 crap, should i just go with the normal b17?
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thanks

NoReg

I rode mine 1000 miles touring right out of the box. I deflected the sit bone area, gently, with some mild mallet work.

metal_cowboy

Is the pre-aged also pre-softned? If not, I would just buy a new B-17: Actually, I would buy a new B-17 regardless.

roadfix

I thought pre-aged saddles came with a vintage look. I think it's only aesthetics and different from the pre-softened saddles.

mycoatl

They're also pre-softened. There's a difference between the Brooks that are "antique brown" and those that are "pre-softened." I wonder if the softening process decreases their life, though. Also, anyone think it's worth the price difference? (at Nashbar, for example, pre-softened B-17 is $105, regular B-17 $60, at Wallbike it's $104 v. $67).

toolboy

"Pre-aged"? Sounds like the old days of the Tour de France when the domestiques broke in the saddles for the stars! What dedication. What a pain in the a** more like it!

onbike 1939

I don't get all this angst about Brooks saddles. There is no need to soften the whole saddle merely to soften the two areas of the indents. I do this when the saddle is in its new state i.e. dry and hard like wood. I protect the ball of a ball peen hammer with soft cloth and then use this to create the indents in the position of my seat-bones. This takes max. of 5-6 mins. When you have these two indents the saddle can be ridden-in to complete the job. Note: The rest of the saddle remains hard.
Following this I choose to give the underside a coating of "Hydrophane", which is a leather conditioner and does help waterproof the saddle. Do not allow this on the top surface of the saddle and be prepared to see the top darken and become weathered -looking if using a "honey" saddle. If you confine yourself to one coat and leave this overnight in a warm place to soak-in this will not soften the leather...no need to do anything else at all.
This softening process does not shorten the saddle's life. On the contrary it prolongs it in that the moulding process used by Brooks removes the natural oils in the saddle which otherwise would allow the internal fibres to slip over one another. That's why, after 20-30 years the saddles develop cracks.
Again it is unwise to use "neatsfoot" oil in that this is organic and can cause moulds to develop. The conditioner I use is created for the purpose and is used by saddlers before shaping leaather butts.
The above is not unsupported theory but based on my experience with around 40-45 Brooks saddles.

mycoatl

onbike 1939, is this what you use?



I googled "hydrophane" and came up with a variety of products, but this seemed like the closest to what you describe.

onbike 1939

Yes...that's it but I understand that there are other products of a similar kind.
Make sure that you don't use too much. Just one coat with a little more around the rivets and then wait to see the penetration. That way the leather is protected but not softened. On a B17, one coat should be enough but the Team Pro seems to be thicker leather.
While this offers a degree of waterproofing be sure to use a waterproof cover when it rains and you are off the bike.