Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Brooks aren't as good as you think

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Brooks aren't as good as you think

Old 11-05-08, 09:32 AM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
George's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Katy Texas
Posts: 5,668

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 51 Times in 30 Posts
Brooks aren't as good as you think



How would you like to be 300 miles from nowhere and have this happen and the bolt was never touched.
__________________
George
George is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 09:47 AM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
DuckFat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Leesburg, VA
Posts: 252

Bikes: Cannondale Killer-V 900 (Mountain), Jamis Aurora (Touring)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Blasphemy! I call shenanigans. Brooks are carried on clouds by angels from heaven and none have ever broken or given anyone trouble of any kind. Be gone heretic!
DuckFat is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:14 AM
  #3  
Neil_B
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Mentioned: Post(s)
Tagged: Thread(s)
Quoted: Post(s)
Originally Posted by George


How would you like to be 300 miles from nowhere and have this happen and the bolt was never touched.
Since this promises to be a roasting of another Touring Forum holy cow, or perhaps holy cowhide in this case, there's a story on Bike Forums about Brooks rejecting a warranty claim - it seems the guy's chamois creme caused the leather to stretch, and Brooks said they weren't replacing the saddle.
 
Old 11-05-08, 10:23 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Cambridge UK
Posts: 440
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quit complaining - I'd only had mine for a week when THIS happened...



Edit: this rear rack is a custom job and not available in the shops.
Al Downie is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:47 AM
  #5  
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
Well, that sucks. How old is it? Were you able to ride on it, after a fashion?

But in general I'd have to agree with you: Brooks quality is not always as good as you'd expect, based on the price and reputation. I have a Brooks I got a little less than a year ago, and I treated it correctly, a little proofide, no radical or violent attempts to soften it, and I didn't let it get rained on... but by July it had softened up so much that I took it off my bike and put it on my son's. He's half my weight and it holds him okay, and I convinced him it's an upgrade. But for my purposes, it just got too broken in (and I'm not a heavy guy). I think there was something wrong with the leather.

That said, these problems seem to be rare.
rhm is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:48 AM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
Originally Posted by The Historian
Since this promises to be a roasting of another Touring Forum holy cow, or perhaps holy cowhide in this case, there's a story on Bike Forums about Brooks rejecting a warranty claim - it seems the guy's chamois creme caused the leather to stretch, and Brooks said they weren't replacing the saddle.
Good grief! How much chamois creme were they using!

I am not a fan of the Brooks saddles, but any saddle can possibly break. I doubt that a lack of reliability is a major problem with Brooks saddles. I just don't ascribe all the magical qualities to them that some do. It is just another saddle in my mind and a heavy one at that.
staehpj1 is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:54 AM
  #7  
Neil_B
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Mentioned: Post(s)
Tagged: Thread(s)
Quoted: Post(s)
Originally Posted by staehpj1
Good grief! How much chamois creme were they using!

I am not a fan of the Brooks saddles, but any saddle can possibly break. I doubt that a lack of reliability is a major problem with Brooks saddles. I just don't ascribe all the magical qualities to them that some do. It is just another saddle in my mind and a heavy one at that.
From the Clydesdale forum in December 2007:
"Update to my originating post: I contacted Brooks who said it appeared I had a warranty claim and to send to their US distributor, Highway Two in Olney, IL, which I did. They responded the saddle failed because I used a treatment other than Brook's Proofide. I fired off an intemperate reply that Proofide is all I'd ever used. After a bit of thought, I realized I long ago used too much chamois cream one hot summer which soaked through into the leather. So the saddle failed solely from my carelessness. ...I promptly remounted a new B17 to my seat post."
 
Old 11-05-08, 11:02 AM
  #8  
Neil_B
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Mentioned: Post(s)
Tagged: Thread(s)
Quoted: Post(s)
Originally Posted by DuckFat
Blasphemy! I call shenanigans. Brooks are carried on clouds by angels from heaven and none have ever broken or given anyone trouble of any kind. Be gone heretic!
One of the funniest commentaries I've ever read on Brooks saddles. From FatCyclist.com:

"Brooks saddles. There’s your solution, Fatty. I think the light one weighs only about a pounds, although for mountain biking you probably want the three pounder that comes with springs. It looks very well engineered, in a ‘34 Shoebox Ford / steel trestle bridge kind of way and it’s kind of wide - maybe not super efficient but one of your skinny friends could probably sit beside you on the seat as you hammer through Leadville. It breaks in within three or four months of heavy use, so that won’t be an issue for you, plus the oozing from the blisters will help soften the leather up faster. Now, you’ll need to get the waxed cotton bag that goes over the seat if it rains or if you are sweating profusely - wouldn’t want to turn that nice leather into mush. And, if it starts to sag in the middle, you just use the wrench to tighten it back up. Don’t overtighten or you wreck the last! And every so often you can put on some proofride, which will help preserve the leather from rot, sweat damage, rain damage, and leather fatigue.

Dang, no doubt about it. A Brooks saddle would definitely be the answer to your troubles. And while we’re at it, let me explain to you why the original Campagnolo Double Parallelogram rear derailer is better than SRAM Red…"
 
Old 11-05-08, 11:08 AM
  #9  
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
Did it break or did the fastener just come loose?
__________________
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  
Old 11-05-08, 11:22 AM
  #10  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
George's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Katy Texas
Posts: 5,668

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 51 Times in 30 Posts
The tensioning bolt just seared off. I have about 5000 miles on the saddle and never touched the bolt. I called Wallingford and they are going to ship me another bolt for $11+ shipping. If this happened with a Terry or Specialized, they would be sending me a new saddle. I asked Bill from Wallingford if this happens a lot and he said a few times a year. That's just his shop, I wonder how many more.

I know a lot of people tour on these saddles, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to carry an extra bolt or a Terry saddle
__________________
George
George is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 11:45 AM
  #11  
cyclopath
 
vik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264

Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by George
How would you like to be 300 miles from nowhere and have this happen and the bolt was never touched.
Having any critical component fail 300miles from nowhere would suck, but I've seen plastic saddles fail as well - not to mention bars, tires, seatposts, rims, etc.. Unless Brooks saddles are failing in large numbers it isn't something I'd worry too much about.

Even if you go to the trouble of building a very robust touring bike with heavy duty parts you can still have an accident [crash, be hit by a car, etc..] that will leave your bike unusable until you get replacements.

Unless you plan on carrying a whole spare bike you just have to accept that on tour sh*t can and does happen.
__________________
safe riding - Vik
VikApproved
vik is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 05:35 PM
  #12  
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 45
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by rhm
Well, that sucks. How old is it? Were you able to ride on it, after a fashion?

But in general I'd have to agree with you: Brooks quality is not always as good as you'd expect, based on the price and reputation. I have a Brooks I got a little less than a year ago, and I treated it correctly, a little proofide, no radical or violent attempts to soften it, and I didn't let it get rained on... but by July it had softened up so much that I took it off my bike and put it on my son's. He's half my weight and it holds him okay, and I convinced him it's an upgrade. But for my purposes, it just got too broken in (and I'm not a heavy guy). I think there was something wrong with the leather.

That said, these problems seem to be rare.
And only this afternoon I was wondering how many hundreds of miles I would have to ride before my B17 stretched enough to be remotely comfortable.
andym123 is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 05:36 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
 
iamarobotman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 60
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Brooks saddles are forged by God himself and sold through the middle man, your local bike store.
iamarobotman is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 08:55 PM
  #14  
Dumpster cyclist
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Durango, CO
Posts: 275
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I refuse to tour on anything that can break. All of my components are completely indestructible.

Weasel9 is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 09:56 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Shimagnolo's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Zang's Spur, CO
Posts: 9,086
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3355 Post(s)
Liked 5,434 Times in 2,812 Posts
I had the titanium nose of a Swift break. To make matters complicated, I had purchased it through eBay, a year earlier, and had no recollection of who the seller was. I took the saddle to a LBS, and they sent it in to the distributor. They gave me a choice:

a) Sell me the parts to repair it.
b) Sell me a new saddle at wholesale cost.

Since I had no idea where to find a shop that could do riveting in the tight space of the saddle nose, I opted for "b". So I have a like-new Swift with a broken metal nose in my box of spare parts.
Shimagnolo is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:04 PM
  #16  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
George's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Katy Texas
Posts: 5,668

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 51 Times in 30 Posts
Originally Posted by Shimagnolo
I had the titanium nose of a Swift break. To make matters complicated, I had purchased it through eBay, a year earlier, and had no recollection of who the seller was. I took the saddle to a LBS, and they sent it in to the distributor. They gave me a choice:

a) Sell me the parts to repair it.
b) Sell me a new saddle at wholesale cost.

Since I had no idea where to find a shop that could do riveting in the tight space of the saddle nose, I opted for "b". So I have a like-new Swift with a broken metal nose in my box of spare parts.
What kind of saddle are you using now?
__________________
George
George is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:12 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Shimagnolo's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Zang's Spur, CO
Posts: 9,086
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3355 Post(s)
Liked 5,434 Times in 2,812 Posts
Originally Posted by George
What kind of saddle are you using now?
Option "b" got me a new Swift Ti just like the one that broke, (on my touring bike).
I use a Selle Italia Flite Ti on the road bike.
The mtn bike has a Selle San Marco Concor.
Shimagnolo is offline  
Old 11-05-08, 10:19 PM
  #18  
50000 Guatts of power
 
127.0.0.1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,001
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
ha.jpg (50.6 KB, 40 views)
127.0.0.1 is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 12:08 AM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 16,771
Mentioned: 125 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1454 Post(s)
Liked 85 Times in 40 Posts
I love melodrama.
Rowan is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 04:07 AM
  #20  
Senior Member
 
Aushiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Walyalup, Australia
Posts: 1,349

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Trucker, Salsa Mukluk, Riese & Muller Supercharger GT Rohloff (Forthcoming)

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 14 Posts
Originally Posted by George
How would you like to be 300 miles from nowhere and have this happen and the bolt was never touched.
Bummer George. What model saddle is it and where you able to continue using it?

Andrew
Aushiker is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 06:42 AM
  #21  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
George's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Katy Texas
Posts: 5,668

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 51 Times in 30 Posts
Originally Posted by Aushiker
Bummer George. What model saddle is it and where you able to continue using it?

Andrew
B17 and yes I did ride it home.
__________________
George
George is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 07:05 AM
  #22  
Administrator
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Delaware shore
Posts: 13,569

Bikes: Cervelo C5, Guru Photon, Waterford, Specialized CX

Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1102 Post(s)
Liked 2,138 Times in 1,442 Posts
Originally Posted by George
The tensioning bolt just seared off. I have about 5000 miles on the saddle and never touched the bolt. I called Wallingford and they are going to ship me another bolt for $11+ shipping. If this happened with a Terry or Specialized, they would be sending me a new saddle. I asked Bill from Wallingford if this happens a lot and he said a few times a year. That's just his shop, I wonder how many more.

I know a lot of people tour on these saddles, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to carry an extra bolt or a Terry saddle
There is no excuse for even one tensioning bolt to fail. That's simply a design and manufacturing defect.

The fact that this one shop says they see it a few times a year confirms the point.
StanSeven is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 07:08 AM
  #23  
Senior Member
 
EatMyA**'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 930
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Had only one brooks before. The exact same thing happened.
EatMyA** is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 07:49 AM
  #24  
Senior Member
 
Aushiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Walyalup, Australia
Posts: 1,349

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Trucker, Salsa Mukluk, Riese & Muller Supercharger GT Rohloff (Forthcoming)

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 14 Posts
Originally Posted by George
B17 and yes I did ride it home.
Mmm, I have a B17. Something to watch for, for sure. I am glad you where able to get home okay.

Andrew
Aushiker is offline  
Old 11-06-08, 08:31 AM
  #25  
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 andym123
And only this afternoon I was wondering how many hundreds of miles I would have to ride before my B17 stretched enough to be remotely comfortable.
Wanna trade?
rhm is offline  

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.