Originally Posted by kerk
My brand new Brooks B17 is on order and should be in this week. I am very excited because the very old brown B17 does not look good on my new bike. The new black one will match much better. I'm hoping that the break-in period will not be long. My old B17 is going to be swapped onto my main '73 Voyageur. I finally wore out the saddle on it.
Any hints on break-in besides ride two hundred miles?
I'm also thinking about cutting the leather the way some others have described so it looks more like the modern saddles. Has anyone had any problems with doing this? I weigh almost 200 lbs. so I'm wondering if that will be a problem?
Ride 320 kilometers.
Be leary of using any sort of accelerated break-in. It's almost a given you'll overshoot the mark and be left with a saggy, useless saddle. I'm in your weight class. Your Brooks will break in quickly.
I have a B67 arriving tomorrow. The plan is to heat it with a hair dryer and apply Proofide. Since Proofide is Tallow, wax, castor/cod-oil and citronela oil, it'll melt and wick into the saddle. SMALL AMOUNTS only.
The Proofide should keep any moisture or oils already in the saddle there.
I found a 1976 Brooks in the trash a few months ago. It was so dry it made crackling noises when flexed. I heated it, added petroleum jelly and wax and that got it back to "like new" condition. I wouldn't DARE trying that with a new Brooks.
