Originally Posted by
dwoloz
Building my girlfriend a bike
I'd love to get her a B18 but I KNOW she will eventually leave the bike out in the rain and the saddle will be ruined.
So I would like to find a saddle that has the classic and sophisticated styling of a Brooks but the weather resistance of a vinyl
Honestly, a couple of times getting wet, especially if it is not ridden while wet, is not going ruin it. My B-17 has gotten soaked about 3 times now and is fine and I've heard similar things from other Brooks users. Heck I even rode mine in the rain 1 of those times and it just ended up making it a lot more comfortable (I am a lightweight though).
I can't imagine you will find anything like a Brooks in vinyl and even if you did, vinyl may look a bit like leather on the surface but it doesn't breathe or wear in nearly the same way.