Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
Regarding the 'break in' period on leather saddles:
They will get more comfortable over time, but should not be uncomfortable when brand new and properly adjusted.
The best explanation I can give against anyone who says it takes hundreds of miles to break in a Brooks saddle before it gets comfortable is this...
Would you buy a pair of shoes that you had to suffer 100 miles of blisters and hotspots before they became comfortable for daily wear? Hell no. Then why should your saddle be any different?
Amen brother! I'm on my second B-17 in a year, and I love it. I got my first one last March, put about 2000 miles on it, and then moved it to my hybrid and got a new one for the commuter. 20-40 miles later, the new one is just as comfortable as the old one. I now have about 150 miles on the new one, and was riding it without padded shorts for 10-15 miles at a shot with only 50 miles on it.
So, if a Brooks isn't at least relatively comfortable as soon as you put it on your bike, it isn't the saddle for you. The idea that it takes 500-1000 miles to break a saddle in is just crazy.
D