djb

re Neetsfoot oil....I weigh 140lbs and my B17 took only maybe 7 hours of riding to stop making my sitbones sore (it improved more over time after that) so its unfortunate (and hard to see why to be honest) to read of your discomfort.
Did you put proofide on it? Given that the imperial has the cutouts and because of this has more flexing-- compared to my brand new b17 (and me at 140) it strange it doesnt work for you. My guess is seat position (but could be other factors as well, what do I know, your body shape, your clothing, I dunno.)

sorry, re the oil, just be aware that oils soften the leather, and if you soften the entire thing, it will sag, and wont be supporting you properly , ie the indents only where you sitbones are. If the whole thing becomes too soft, it will just sag like a hammock. If you over soften the leather, you cant go back, so just be wary about what you do (or extremes anyway)

you pays you money, you takes you chances. good luck, and if it doesnt work out, just sell it (be aware that over softening it will pretty much take its resale value away--I bought a used B17 with barely any bolt tightening, and it now fits me well (the guy who owned it was slim like myself, which boded well-it took about the same time to break in as my new one, a bit more as the leather is stiffer than the newer one)

good luck

Hendricks97

I bought mine a month before my first and second century last year. I rode about 150 miles a week on average for that month and the first day was great. It rained the entire second day and I didnt have a cover. Once the saddle dried for a couple days and I tightened it back up after that, it was perfectly broken in. I DO NOT recommend this method. That second day was hell sitting in a hammock for 100 miles in the rain

Sasquatch16

I probably put 500 miles on mine adjusting every which way and still would start to go numb. I am going to try either an ISM or Selle SMP style saddle next I think. There is an active thread on numbness now so I won't comment on this any more here.

Thanks

djb

Sorry to hear that it didn't work.
In the end its just a bike seat, find one that fits better and just sell it.
Certainly isn't worth the aggravation and discomfort after all your messing around.

MileHighMark

I switched from Brooks to Selle An-Atomica a couple of years ago. The latter are comfortable from day one. No plans to go back to Brooks.

billydonn

Sasquatch,
I'm down near 205 pounds now and all sleek and gazelle like , so I'm riding Fizik Aliante on most bikes. I used the Brooks Imperial Narrow on a Cycle Montana tour in 2011 and still use the Brooks from time to time, especially on a cross bike I own. Take it easy and don't overdo the oil... the saddle will drink up seemingly unlimited amounts of the stuff and you probably don't need that. Leather is an organic material and not 100% uniform, so all saddles probably aren't going to be the same.

And I agree with whoever said it may take longer to get a Brooks to break in in cool weather.

Sasquatch16

Definitely cold here in SE PA. I have one more saddle on the way that I think I am going to try before I resort to the oil. Once I oil it I am going to own it. Starting to get strange looks from the wife every time another saddle shows up though.

Congratulations on the weight loss. I am hoping to lose another 40 or so lbs. so hopefully that will help.

djb

absolutely. When I got my new b17, we had a heat wave going on, humid like anything too, and so by the end of my initial hour long rides (about all I could do before my sitbones were too sore) my bike shorts were soaked, and the leather had gone all dark from being wet--so in my opinion, this greatly helped it breaking in (and goes along with the anecdotes of riding them in the rain and them being "broken in" afterwards; or putting a wrung out cloth on the sitbone area while riding--pretty much what my sweaty rides were doing)

sasq, on the used one I bought, the leather was thicker, so it flexed less. After riding on it a reasonable amount, it was ok, but I ended up putting Proofide on it again, especially on the sitbone area, figuring to soften it up a bit just in that spot--this helped I found. (I had done that towards teh end of breaking in the new one, when I was getting a bit sick and tired of it still being uncomfortable, I think it helps putting it on the localized spot (I put it on the underside as well at that area)

Wil Davis

…I've just noticed this thread, and am fascinated by the various responses! I've been a Brooks addict since the late 1960s (see my Brooks Page). I might have mentioned this before, and if I have then I'm sorry for repeating myself, but I think it's worth mentioning that my most recent Brooks acquisitions have never needed "breaking-in" which leads me to believe that it's my bum which has been broken-in over the past 50+ years. I love Brooks - my "Comfy Chairs" (oh no! not the Comfy-Chair!) on my bikes!



- Wil