Saddle Chronicle
 

Following in the tradition of the post-market Italian Brooks saddle modifications, our own Rudi, as most of you are aware, takes Brooks rails and restores the hides. About a month ago Rudi offered a rather unique hide in the sale section - one with the cattle brand. Drillium dude and I fought over it - loudly and vocally - ending our dispute in a cage match. After my manager, gomango, threw Fuji dust into DD's eyes, I escaped the cage to claim my saddle (as well as, less importantly, the intercontinental championship). Today I picked up the completed saddle.

Rudi has asked me to begin a thread chronicling the history of how the saddle changes over time - this is that thread.

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9ba88a0d.jpg

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6fae3dcb.jpg

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps56b7de73.jpg

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4db170a0.jpg

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9c5cd468.jpg

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb933f377.jpg

It's a beautiful saddle for sure!

Beautiful! I'd make a joke about stealing it, but that might hit too close to home! I definitely look forward to more photos....

I have to figure out what it's going on - it looks a bit narrow for my commuter saddle-bar drop. Width is in between a swift and a pro - which is a bit aggressive by my standards. It might work on the tandem.

Very cool!

Nice.

Beginning to look a bit Ottussi like...

One of these days when I find a trashed Brooks I am going to have to try one.

One of the interesting problems is setting the side rivets at the nose. A bit of tooling is required.

I believe that Rudi did visit another member's Ottussi for inspiration.

What saddle did you use? Is that a Pro frame or b17 frame?

How much did it cost to do?

Oh no....LOOOK.....It's sore feet on a saddle thread!

:roflmao2:

I want to know where to get leather. I'm going to re-do my b17 and send Brooks some photos of what a tensioned leather saddle ought to be.

Look around when you ride.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...oo/517Bull.jpg

Sorefeet - I don't remember which rails he used - it has loops, but I don't believe it's a b-17. Rudi will remember. I don't feel comfortable discussing what I paid and don't know what Rudi paid on the hide. He might be able to assist you.

I've been looking for a couple of hours now, but I don't see any change ...

Everyone's a comedian :lol:

I'll be updating once every month or two.

Will you thank a guy for covering that beauty with a shopping bag for ya during a Phillie downpour? ;)

That's amazing how you were able to get that steer/cow/bovine to lay on its side for the bike picture. Very impressive! ;)

I have Rudi's #10 . Over time it has darken with splotches. A very unique pattern has emerged. Sort of like a photo developing in the tank, albeit very slowly. :)

Buy good quality vegetable tanned leather like they use for equine saddles. Skip Tandy's. Go to a pro place, like Waterhouse Leather.
You want at least 8 ounce. Ten ounce weight would be better.

Thanks, Aaron, for starting this. Over time I'm hoping the Frankenstein look fades away a bit, but the brand looks more like a painful scar on the saddle than it did on the plain leather.

The frame is a B17 champion standard, the wide one, but I pounded it around a bit to make the profile more curved. This also narrowed the whole thing, so it is about as wide as a pro but a different shape.

Sore feet, it is not easy to buy a small piece of leather. It comes in big pieces about the size of the outside of a cow. Well, half of that. I can cut you a piece of the last one I bought, if you're serous, just send me a private message.

Rudi
do you recall the finished width of the bare frame?
I have one underway at the moment.
Philip

You may have beat Drillium Dude, Snake, but you'll never defeat me! I'm coming for you and your sweet leather hide, Snake. So you better run and ride. Ride, Snake, Ride!!!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=345723

Wow. That is way cool. Any chance of finding out what ranch the brand belonged to? Not very many cyclists could tell you they know where there saddle came from while it was still eating grass.

Hmm...could you cut some strips that might, say, cover handlebars? In a steering wheel sort of fashion, vs. a wrap? From a black cow, to match my bike?

Makes me think...would tail leather be an easy solution to cover handlebars? It would be a tube after all.

And instead of an R, can I have a P?

<~~~~staring at Elizabeth

So Rudi, is your wife a "pro" or is she just a "different shape?" ;) :innocent:

It does look like it's already been ridden (and very well taken care of) for about 30 years. From the pics I've seen in these forums, Rudi's saddles all seem to come that way.

RHM Saddlery: With InstantPatina® :)

Doh! Autocorrect wins again ( I meant to type "wide").

Yes, but frankly for that you want thinner leather. Search around for photos of my Alvin Drysdale bike, I stitched leather to the handlebars of that... It is a lot of work.

I kinda doubt that :lol:

maybe, but I don't know how.

No animals were harmed in the making of this Post.

High quality roadkill, for sure - who'd have thought a bicycle could win that contest?

Amazing saddle reconstruction Rudi.

So what is the the brand. Looks like an "R" of some sort.