Proofide is $10 - $12 for a lifetime supply. A little goes a long way.

You might check in with Linus.......advice is only $.05.

looks like i'll have to give a brooks a try. will likely also try the E3 from performance and maybe a terry.

one question about the brooks -- don't get it wet? that seems inevitable, unless you live in california and only ride may thru sept.

what do you all do about keeping the brooks dry, or getting it wet?

please don't say, carry some spare motor oil. :-)

I would go with Brooks' advice. They are the experts on their saddle. And their recommendation is purchase only one small, inexpensive can of Proofhide. They make much more off of selling you the saddle.

I have a hard time coming up with an angle wherein they would give incorrect advice.

http://www.brookssaddles.com/docs/le...addle_care.pdf

Rilvendell (www.rivbikes.com) are proponents of Brooks. They offer a saddle bonnet intended to protect it from water, excessive sweat. You might also get definitive answers from Wallingford Bikes (wallbike.com)...they are a major U.S. seller of Brooks and a good place to buy because of their return policy.

+1 on Wallingford. Butt sweat and miles are the best break in method for a Brooks, IMO...I really can't imagine sweating so much that I'd need to put my velox cover on though - did you have anyone in mind? :eek:

I'm almost certain that Wallingford Bikes recommends following Brooks' advice.

As does Rivendell. Here's their page on the B-17, where they recommend one light treatment of proofhide per year.
http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/saddl...ies/11055.html

Yeah, me! I gave up on Brooks saddles because I sweat so much in the summer, they sagged out even with proofhide coating.

Yet, for whatever reason, they don't sell Proofide any longer. Now they offer Obenauf's Leather Treatment as good for Brooks. Perhaps the message is that Proofide is a good and worthy product, but nothing magical in it that something else might not equal.

I would expect a number of leather treatments to be similar. In doing a little research, I found that some modern products sold as "Neats Foot Oil" are mixed with petroleum ingredients. Brooks specifically recommends against using any petroleum products. So one would need to be careful in what they are buying.

Here's some info on Obenauf's:

http://workingperson.com/products/85...servative.html

If your Brooks saddle is uncomfortable, do not overdo the "oil treatments".

Adjust it. Front to back and up and down. If it feels like riding a brick then you don't have it right. It should feel great and just get better.

A half inch adjustment will often make the difference from pain to bliss.

For my adjustments, it feels right when it is just a little higher than I think that it should be and a little farther forward than where I think that it ought to be. YMMV

When in doubt - go with Brooks' instructions. But, since I have no doubt, I use only SnoSeal. It cannot soften the hide, it's only beeswax. Bottom side only, nothing on top except a little clear boot polish every now and again to keep it slick and feeling cool. Rain? Your butt will provide all the top protection it needs, fenders will do the rest from below. A plastric grocery bag stuffed under the saddle will suffice for a cover when parked.

OK, another question. I had to go to a seat with a cutout for the boys as they were getting numb. I see no Brooks with a cutout. Will this be a problem? Thanks for the replys. I think I'll give the B17 a try (subject to approval by the boys)

Selle Anatomica, which I believe someone already mentioned and provided a link to in this thread.

I find that my Brooks B17 works better for keeping the boys from going numb than the cutout saddles I've used. With the sit bones perched up on the saddle, everything forward is suspended and out of harm's way.

I don't doubt that some people have had success with the oil immersions and various other break-in techniques. I see these as attempts to expedite the break-in process. As with almost any accelerated process, they come with increased risks. That risk is over softening the leather, leading to over stretching it and ruining the saddle.

Using the traditional method, or one very closely related to it, the risk of permanently damaging the saddle is low. They are tried & true over decades of use. Brooks is likely to play it conservative and recommend a process wherein the odds of damaging the saddle are very low. And they know their process does work.

Even if a more aggressive process was well-known to Brooks, it might be difficult to explain it in such a way that people don't go overboard. Heck, look at the way things are now. Brooks recommends a conservative process but out on the Web, there are dozens of much more aggressive techniques. Think of what people might be recommending if Brooks said to use more oil.

Consider - let's say that the standard Brooks recommendation leads to a failure rate of 0.1%. But an aggressive oil immersion has a failure rate of 5%. Such a case would lead to 19 out of every 20 immersion advocates saying it worked fine for them, and this would true. But it would also be true that their failure rate was 50 times higher than the Brooks way.

Those pics are interesting. I was comparing the position of where your hands would be on the hoods as compared to the seat and it is different on every one of your bikes. Of course with the geometries being different bike to bike, that is not a surprise.

The most pronounced difference is between bike #3 vs bike #4. On #3, the hoods are above the seat. On #4, they are well below the seat.

Mind you that I am not being picky or critical in any way, just observing how the setup can vary even for one rider on bikes that appear to be similiar in nature.

IMO setup (bike fit and riding position) is THE most critical factor in saddle comfort, no matter what kind of saddle you choose.

I like my Max Flite .... it serves me well: long rides, forward down in the drops, upright riding no hands, plenty of room to move around. Good saddle for me. So, I tried its little brother, the basic Flite-- both saddles are basically similar in shape except the Max is 153mm, the regular Flite is 142mm. But........that difference of 1cm is very noticable in comfort when riding. Chipcom is right: getting the right angle, height, over-pedal position is critical, but matching your behind to saddle size and shape is important as well.

How to keep sweat from damaging your leather seat,


DEPENDS! :0 :)

After trying many different saddles -cutouts, anatomical etc, etc and getting numb nuts, I finally fitted my 50-year-old Brooks B17 to my Trek 2300 and rode 50 miles. No numbness at last!!
I also bought a Rido sadle from the UK and fitted it to one of our tandems, rode 30 miles - no numbness.
Rido looks a bit weird and the Brooks does not have the esthetics of the modern racing saddles, but they both work for me.
The Brooks has surface cracks in it through lack of use and attention over many years, but its shape is still pefect. Does anyone know if it can be refurbed?

new saddle
 

Had my B17 for 20+ years including a cross US ride, put neatsfoot oil and it started to stretch and tear away from the rivets. I've had a new B17 on my rebuilt Lygie, no oil for 4 years and it is very comfortable and smooth. I've a fancy titanium rail fizik on a new bike and am about to make another Brooks investment. Altitude, attitude and seat angle has a lot to do with comfort.

tm3 it's pretty common for better shops to do this for you, not just at Beverly's LBS.

consider that Brooks recommends Proofide, not neatsfoot.

Just got a pair of red/black Terry Liberators for $10 that went on my new junker TREK hybrid and my son's folding Fuji MTB. The bikes are red and reddish orange, btw. It remains to be seen if the Liberator works.
My 73 Raleigh road bike, now a fixie/ss has an original Brooks B17 champion narrow. It inspired me to get a black standard B17 on my commuter.
My fuji road/tourer has my Forte saddle - after 20 miles my a## asks "where's the Brooks?!"