Originally Posted by
Jinkster
Well I'm certainly not the most experienced rider here but like most old farts?...I have an opinion. ..one that has kept me from buying and trying one of these leather butt hammock style saddles...even though they have many far more experienced fans than most....and my reasoning is as follows...
To me?...it seems that while many will easily find such a saddle comfortable?...the reason they do is because they are flexible....and as such?...could be positioned slightly off optimum yet still feel comfy because what they lack is "definition"...and then they fit, mold and conform too your butt wherever they may be (too a degree)...whereas a hard saddle such as my romin evo comp gel?...is highly defined about telling my butt where..."EXACTLY RIGHT"....is.
Which is something I feel a sling style stretchy saddle is not entirely capable of.
You may be misunderstanding leather saddles......a very common misconception. They are hammocks, by no means. All of my Brooks have stayed really hard, and slippery, except where they form slightly to your sit bones. If you sat on mine (B-17), you would say it is as hard as a rock. But, now it fits me. If they ever do lose their stiffness, you lace the sides to bring it back. Kinda like adding an upright beam along the sides. Being able to move around on them easily, while still having a "perch" to sit on them, is most of their usefulness.
As far as I'm concerned, anyone using an oily concoction on Brooks, completely ruins them quickly. They are supposed to be stiff, not like a soft baseball glove, or soft slippers. They are work boots for your butt..... support and protection.
I have only ever used Proofhide on my Brooks', and put it on kinda thick on the underside - only once, when new. I even used a flux brush to work it around the contact points to do away with leather squeeks. The top gets a minimal annual coat, (think shining boots with Kiwi) when I put my bike away for the winter (yeah, it snows up here for about 4 months.) Then it gets a good buffing in the spring when I GI the bikes, to bring them out of storage.
Seldom, have I ever tightened a Brooks saddle, and then only a half turn, maximum..... I'll bet I haven't put a grand total of five complete revolutions on all my Brooks seats over forty years. TOTAL! You might be surprised how little maintenance they really need. Resist the urge to do anything!
I'll soon find out how the Selle AnAtomica compares. If it turns out to be too soft, I have a skinny granddaughter who would take it off my hands. I can always go buy another Brooks.
You know, Jinx, I really think these leather saddles start out harder and stiffer than a lot of OEM plastic seats. Have you ever noticed how much they actually flex when riding? My Brooks' have stayed hard and stiff, but they (and me) form to each other. (not the stiff part)
I'm really going to research leather care for this AnAtomica, because their saddle sauce sure looks and smells like Lexol, which gets absorbed into leather and is water based. Proofhide is a protective coating more than anything, like boot wax. I know leather loves Lexol, but it also softens it over time (and sure makes it heavy). I may just go the Proofhide route, as I know that works on leather saddles.
If you get a chance to try one, you really should, as it is usually pretty eye opening. One thing to remember, different styles for different styles. A race saddle ain't a touring saddle, and a springer wouldn't work very well on a Roubaix....... B-17 seems to split the difference on a lot of bikes, and is as close to a jack of all trades, as you will find. But I'd lean more toward a Pro for a road bike.