Wrights W3N
 

I picked this up today for a fair price. I intended it to be a collectible piece, but the leather seems good enough to consider using it. Looks like a ‘60’s saddle that was taken off a bike and rarely if ever used.
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Should be a fine comfy saddle. Brooks owned Wrights at this point and these were the entry level for road bikes so it may have slightly thinner leather. Try to get some Brooks Proofide, I don't want to start a discussion about alternative treatments because everyone's got an opinion but you can be sure Proofide is the best and a small tin will last a long time. Use it sparingly, tighten the saddle tension very sparingly and enjoy it. Better to use it than stash it, it won't be a collectible, it's a consumable.

+1 to clubmans comments. Usually I see these on worn bikes with cracked leather, especially near rivets. Yours looks in great shape. I agree ride it.

Nice looking saddle. I would definitely treat it and ride it if you like Brooks saddles. I am not a fan, they just do not work for me. From the pictures, it looks like your Wrights has a bit of a different shape to it. I really like the looks of the textured leather.

That saddle looks to be in fantastic shape. I'd definitely use it if I had it. I have three Wrights saddles and two of them are on bikes and I really like how comfortable they are.

Cheers

I have a tin of proof hide and already placed a thin rub on the saddle as it needed it. We’re on the same page there. I believe it’s in good enough condition to use it. The leather is nice and tight, and the whole saddle obviously was never tightened or used. I have seen many of these on older mid level bikes over the years, but never in such good condition. I’m not sure about the collectibility though. I should think someone with a ‘60’s good mid level road bike that itself is collectible might want to have a decent saddle for a rebuild. I’m going to hoard it for now in case I find a nice Raleigh or Holdsworth or something with a crappy plastic saddle that needs this.

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A couple close pics

Is there a date stamped on the frame? Look for one letter and two digits near the right side of the cantle plate. These were made from the mid 60's into the 70's.

A little proofide can't hurt, but don't overdo it. If the leather has really dried out, it will be pretty hard. I don't think proofide, or anything, will really soften it.

Nice saddle. I have one like it on my Gran Sport and find it pretty comfortable, and I am not usually very happy on a Brooks. Shape is very similar to a B17N.

The couple that I've had are notably thinner than Brooks, but very comfortable, and they did a very good job of selecting quality leather that is a bit thinner. I used one of these on the last full-length C&O canal ride on an old Trek 820 (or was it an 830 - was a few years back and I passed the bike along to a friend). Condition, rather than age would be my criterion for deciding whether or not to use. It's not like you're going to devalue a $1,000 saddle by using it, because you'd be lucky to get $100 for one of these in the best of circumstances.

No date code. Leather is in good rideable condition. Hard-ish, but not rotted or cracked. Never been tightened. Solid. No rust or corrosion. If I had a bike for it at this time, I’d use it. I’m just happy to have it because like everyone else here I really enjoy having nice old bike equipment.

Nice saddle. As mentioned, they are thinner than Brooks although I have a Brooks B5N that is identical to the W3N except it has some holes punched in the bottom. The W3N is more comfortable as a result of the thinner leather but at the same time, not as durable.

W3N on Left....B5N on Right


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3 generations of the W3N...

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